"You know she had friends here, don't you? She told Evelyn she was a friend. And I considered your mom a friend."
"But a best friend is different. You know what I mean."
"I do know what you mean. You do silly, crazy things with a best friend and never worry that they're going to laugh at you."
"Yeah. That. So are we going to hook these girls up with friends or what?" Rebecca sat forward again and thumped her fist on Polly's desk.
"Why don't we do a cookout in the back yard with them instead of a big party?"
"But I want it to be just girls."
Polly chuckled. "You'd be mad if the boys wanted to have a game night and didn't invite you because it was 'just boys.'"
"Not if they wanted to bond and be brothers."
"Bros?" Polly asked.
Rebecca gave her a look. "That doesn't work for you."
"Okay, ummm, wow. I'm not that old." Polly pursed her lips into a scowl. "You stuck a knife right into my heart."
"You're tough. You can take it," Rebecca said, trying not to giggle.
"Let's think about how we can do this. I'd guess that you don't want to be obvious about trying to set these girls up to like each other, right?"
"Yeah, but I think they need help. I mean, Rachel and Stephanie are here in the same building all day, but they do their own thing and then split. They need some encouragement." Her eyes lit up. "What if we went shopping for a day? We could do that! Maybe we could rent a van and go over to the Amanas. Wouldn't it be fun if everybody went with us? All of your friends and these girls. We could spend the night and get up early and eat breakfast and shop all day long."
Polly watched her daughter spin up with excitement. It was strange to think of Rebecca that way, but Polly was trying to get used to it. She had a daughter. "The Amanas would be a great trip, but I think we should save that for later this year when they decorate it for Christmas. It's really pretty then."
"We don't have to do it just once," Rebecca said, pushing her lips out in a pout.
"Maybe you and I should do it by ourselves sometime before we invite the whole world. Where did you come up with this?"
"I heard Rachel and Sylvie talking about it. Sylvie said the restaurants are great. They have the best pancakes. And Rachel said she liked the stores." It was as if Rebecca finally heard what Polly said. She looked up. "Just you and me? All day by ourselves without Henry?"
"Sure. Why not?"
"You never go anywhere without him."
"I go lots of places without Henry. I like traveling with him, but I think it would be fun to go with you and show you around. I haven't been there in years."
"When can we go? Can we go this weekend before school starts?"
"No, not right away. I want to get the coffee shop open before I leave on a weekend. And besides, aren't you shopping with Stephanie and Kayla on Saturday?"
"That's right," Rebecca said. "I forgot about that." She smiled. "There are so many things to do. When can we go, then?"
"Maybe for my birthday."
"Really?" Rebecca's eyes lit up with excitement. "That would be fun. Just you and me? Will we go overnight?"
"We'll see. Maybe. We could go over to Iowa City. I think you'd like to see the campus there."
"That would be fun!" Rebecca picked up her overnight bag. "I should go upstairs and unpack. Are Andrew and Kayla up there? What are we doing for lunch? Can I cook?"
The girl could turn on a dime. "Yes, they're either upstairs or down at the barn," Polly said. "You go on and I'll be up after a while. We can figure lunch out then."
"Thanks!" Rebecca opened the door and ran out, her mind occupied with new ideas.
Polly saw Jeff come in the main door of the office and called out, "Hey you. Funny man. Get in here!"
He laughed. "What do you want, old lady?"
"Can we get back into the coffee shop yet?"
"Not until tomorrow. What's up?"
She nodded toward the chair and he dropped into it.
"Evelyn was in this morning after you left," Polly said.
"What did she have to say?"
"She thinks it would work."
"Do you think we should do this?"
"I'm frustrated." Polly said, sitting forward. "Like things are spinning out of control. I'm nervous about letting a completely broken young man live here. Evelyn isn't worried, so I'm inclined to approve it, but things feel out of sorts. There's too much that's undone right now and of course I had to go and find a dead body last night. We have all of these new employees and just when we're that close," she held her thumb and forefinger up with just a little space between them, "to opening the coffee shop, we're blocked again."
He chuckled. "When have things ever been normal? Three months ago a serial killer kidnapped you and three months before that we were all hiding out because some guy was chasing the Sheriff and his sister."
Polly scrunched up her face and growled. "You're right. Maybe I was hoping that things were starting to settle down. I have a daughter now and I have to think about more than just me."
"I know," he said, nodding. "But change is usually difficult and weird. One of these days Grey and Camille being here will be normal. And whatever happens with Denis Sutworth is going to happen. We can't control everything."
She thought back to all of the crazy things that had happened over the last three years and realized that this was no stranger than anything else. She glanced at the window to the hallway as three young women and a young man walked past.
"Who's that?" she asked, nodding to the glass.
"Must be here for Sylvie. She's ready to start hiring. I think she plowed through a huge list yesterday and honed it to four or five second interviews. She's bringing me in for final conversations, but I told her that I trusted her to approve their credentials and skills in the kitchen. The only thing I care about is whether they'll get along with our family and that they aren't criminals."
Stephanie knocked on Polly's door. "I have the information back. It's in the interview files on the shared drive," she said.
Jeff looked over his shoulder at her. "Thanks."
She went back to her desk and he smiled at Polly. "She's amazing, you know. Bright as can be. It takes nothing for me to train her to do something new."
"That's good. Especially if we're bringing more people on staff."
He leaned forward on her desk. "Are you ready to make more changes?"
"What do you mean?"
"If we keep this up, by next year, Stephanie will need an assistant. Rachel and Sylvie will need an office."
"Where will we put everyone?" Polly asked.
"You should talk to your husband. I think that we move some of this across the hall. Leave the lounge, but turn the classroom into a large conference room, the computer room into a couple of small offices, move Stephanie into this conference room and put her assistant / receptionist out front here."
"Ummm, wow?"
He grinned at her. "You hired me to make this place grow. When you told me last year that you were expanding to the coffee shop and bakery, I realized you weren't kidding. I'm ready to rock and roll."
Polly took a deep breath. "I'm still stuck on wow," she said.
"I'm just waiting for you and Henry to decide what's next. Surely you aren't satisfied with stopping now?"
Polly scowled at him. "So much has been going on, we haven't talked about it. What else does Bellingwood need? I was thinking the other day about an art gallery. And maybe open a craft store. Move those knitting classes downtown and put up quilting frames where people can work on big projects."
He laughed. "Those are interesting ideas. Do you really think we're ready to get into that kind of business?
"I don't know," she said. "It was what I originally thought of for this place, but then you showed up and the world got bigger than I ever imagined."
"Yeah. I'm good at that. You'll come up with something. And don't forget, there are still plenty of empty building
s downtown and dilapidated homes all over the place."
"I'm not flipping houses," Polly said.
Jeff gave a slight shudder. "That sounds awful - a lot of work in a short time. Henry doesn't work like that. But he's building those new apartments on the east side of town and last week at the Chamber meeting, Bel-Co is announced it's expanding."
"People are moving to Bellingwood. I guess that's pretty cool."
"It's great," he said, nodding. "We're getting great press with the winery. People are talking about Sycamore House..."
Polly interrupted him with a laugh. "You mean, the crazy lady who finds dead bodies?"
"If it's going to happen, we might as well capitalize on it," he said.
She was shocked. "You're kidding. You wouldn't!"
"Of course I wouldn't," he said. "That would be wrong. It would be very, very wrong."
"I don't want to walk around town and have strangers staring at me," Polly said. "It's bad enough that the people who live here act a little afraid of me."
"Last I heard, they took down the pool at the Elevator. You kept branching out and they couldn't keep up."
Polly flung a pencil at him. It missed by a mile and caromed off the wall behind him.
Jeff bent over, picked it up and put it back on her desk. "You're bad at that, you know."
"Shaddup and go back to work. I'm going upstairs to check on the kids."
He stood up and hung back while she exited her office. "What are you going to do about the Sutworth's?" he asked.
"Any reason I shouldn't say yes?"
Jeff shook his head.
"Then I'll call Evelyn Morrow. I'd rather she be the one to work with the mother. I don't want to be responsible for that woman," Polly said.
She looked at Stephanie, who was diligently typing away at her computer.
"What do you think of all the insanity, Stephanie?" Polly asked.
The girl looked back and forth between Polly and Jeff, smiled and said, "I have a great job. It's better than anything I could have ever hoped for." She placed her hands back on the keyboard and started typing again.
"She's good," Polly said with a laugh. "I think we should keep her."
~~~
Polly made sure the kids were set for lunch and changed into a fresh blouse. She was only going to the diner, but since she didn't know Camille well, thought she could dress up. She rubbed Leia's head and ran her hand along Luke's back and up his tail. Both cats were sprawled on her bed, ignoring the daily chaos that happened in the place.
"See ya later," she called out. Rebecca had decided they were having sandwiches and fruit for lunch. The girl knew her mind and it was entertaining to watch Andrew and Kayla acquiesce to nearly everything she asked of them. Polly tried to pay attention to make sure she wasn't unreasonable, but for the most part, she was the only one willing to make a decision and follow through.
Obiwan followed Polly to the front door and wagged when she rubbed his head. It was never easy to leave him, even if the kids were there. How had she lived all those years without a pet?
She waved to Stephanie through the window to the office and walked outside. It was warm and the humidity was high. She should have driven, but the walk wouldn't hurt her. Polly wandered through the corner garden and waited for traffic to pass before she crossed the street. She started to walk down Elm Street, but remembered encountering the three boys and decided to take another route. That was going to have to be fixed. She wasn't going to be frightened to walk in her own community. Now all she needed to do was figure out how to deal with them.
By the time she arrived at the diner, sweat was dripping from her forehead and she was glad to get inside the air conditioned restaurant.
"How are you, honey?" Lucy asked.
"I'm hot," Polly replied with a laugh. "It's enough to make me whine and complain."
Lucy smiled. "Your friend is in that booth over there." She pointed at the wall where Camille was waiting. "You go ahead and I'll bring you an ice cold Dew and extra napkins. How about something cool to wipe your face?"
"I'll be fine," Polly said. "Thanks though."
She made her way through the crowd to Camille. "I'm sorry if I'm late. I walked."
"I was early," Camille said with a wry smile. "I'm still trying to impress you."
Lucy was right there with Polly's drink. She put a small stack of napkins in front of Polly and handed her a cold, wet cloth. "That's fresh."
"Do I look so bad?" Polly asked. "I'm not that out of shape."
"You're fine, dear. Do you two know what you want to eat yet or do you need a few more minutes?"
Polly looked over at Camille, who nodded. After giving Lucy their lunch orders, she wove her way back to the main counter.
"Do I look that hot?" Polly asked.
Camille leaned across the table. "She's been handing those out since I got here. She offered me one, too."
"Joe's going to love the laundry bill this week," Polly said. "How are you doing?"
"I'm still shaken, but Jeff tells me that it will be okay." Camille looked at Polly and grinned. "He also told me that if I'm going to work for you, I should get used to this."
Polly shook her head. "Don't listen to him. He makes too much out of things. Tell me why you wanted to move back. Jeff said you'd been working at a college?"
"In southern Indiana," Camille said with a nod. "My family is actually from Omaha and I wanted to move closer. I was also ready to leave the university setting. It was a great job, but there's always red tape and regulations. And no matter how far up the food chain you go, there's one more person who has input into what needs to happen. I wanted more control and easier access to decision makers."
"Where else did you look?" Polly asked.
"I applied for a few things in the Omaha area. My mama would have loved that. It broke her heart when I moved to Indiana." Camille smiled across the table at Polly. "I quickly figured out that Omaha wasn't big enough for all of us. I was there for three weeks and felt like running away. Do you think Bellingwood is far enough?"
"I guess we'll see," Polly said, smiling. "You have a big family?"
Camille rolled her eyes. "My daddy has three brothers and two sisters and Mama has five brothers and three sisters. Everyone lives in the Omaha area with all of their kids and a slew of grandbabies. Both of my grandmothers are still alive and they rule the families."
Polly chuckled. "I can't even imagine. It was just my dad and me. Well, his brother was near, but we didn't see much of them."
"Oh girl," Camille said. "You should see it when we get together. We have to rent out the church basement for holiday meals. My family doesn't know the meaning of an intimate gathering. No matter what happens, it's a party."
They waited while Lucy put plates in front of them. "You're looking much better now," Lucy said to Polly. She gestured to the two salads in front of the women. "Are you sure you don't want anything else?"
Polly grinned. "It's too hot for a tenderloin and fries. Maybe next time."
"Wave if you need anything," Lucy said and turned away.
"So is cooking for big family gatherings..." Polly stopped as she looked up and saw Camille's head bowed and her lips moving. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Camille looked back up. "No, that's fine. Don't apologize. I know I startle people sometimes. Now what were you asking about cooking?"
"Was that why you went into food service?"
"Both Mama and Daddy were the oldest in their families, so it fell on her to organize things when everybody got together. I'm her oldest daughter and since the day I was able to walk and hold onto her apron, I was part of that planning. It was just a natural thing for me. As I grew up, it was my job to assign tasks to my brothers and sisters and the cousins so they'd stay out of trouble until we ate. I learned how to delegate before I was in junior high. Even the toddlers had jobs to do. And when we get together now, it's still my job to keep everyone busy until the meal is served. Mama and I have a good r
hythm. We know what the other one needs without anyone saying anything."
"That's so cool," Polly said. "Sometimes I wish I had a big family. And then other times, I'm glad that I don't."
"From what Jeff says, it sounds like you have a pretty big family here in town."
Polly shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I do. I hope you like it here. They're good people."
"So far, so good," Camille replied. "I'm still trying to deal with what happened to Julie. That's more than I know what to do with. But I like Sylvie, and Jeff will be wonderful to work with. Can you tell me what's up with you and your friend Sal? Jeff tried to explain that Sal owned the building and the coffee shop and you own the bakery, but Jeff works for you and he's in charge ..." She left the thought hanging.
"That's essentially it. Sal's from Boston and thought Bellingwood needed a coffee shop. She also wanted to get involved in the community. Once she brought up the idea, it all kind of exploded and we invested in it with her and so, ummm, yeah. Maybe there isn't a great explanation," Polly said.
"That makes more sense," Camille said, shaking her head back and forth. "Or not. Oh well. Sal told me that Jeff is the one who will be working with me, so I guess that's enough information."
The two talked until Polly looked up and saw that the reason the restaurant had grown quiet was because it had emptied out. Their table had been cleared and she'd already paid the bill. She checked the time on her phone and saw that it was two fifteen. "I can't believe we talked so long," she said.
Camille did the same thing. "I guess I'm glad the sheriff has closed the coffee shop. I'd be late. Do you want a ride back to Sycamore House?"
"That's okay," Polly said. "I'm going to the library to say hello to my friend, Joss. She's the head librarian and you'll get to know her. She's as addicted to caffeine as anyone I know and can hardly wait for you to open."
They walked out the front door and Polly reached over to hug Camille. "I'm glad you're here."
Camille's hug was strong. With a large family, she was probably used to affection.
"Me too," Camille said. "You're in for a treat this weekend. Mama is coming to visit me for a day." Then she stopped. "I hope you don't mind that she stays with me at Sycamore House."
Look Always Forward (Bellingwood Book 11) Page 10