Unexpected Riches (Bellingwood Book 13)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "Nothing, I guess. I was having a weird dream about being a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. There were bank robbers shooting at the sheriff. Everybody was riding horses or walking. I tried to get back into the school where I'd be safe, but I tripped and fell down." She rubbed the side of her head. "And I bumped my head."

  "Bank robbers on horseback?" Henry smiled at her. "You've spent way too much time reading about Bellingwood’s history." He stood up and held out his hand. "Did you hurt yourself?"

  Polly took the proffered hand and let him pull her to her feet. "I think I'm fine. That was weird. The last time I fell out of bed I had to have been in elementary school. And I kinda did that on purpose."

  He looked at her sideways. "You fell out of bed on purpose? You were a strange child. Why would you do that?"

  "All of my friends told stories of how they fell out of bed. I couldn't figure out why they would want to do that, but one year it seemed like it was happening all the time. So I set myself a trap. I slept clear on the edge of the bed, just to see if I could fall out. The first night I didn't, so I moved even closer the next night. It took three nights before I finally hit the floor. I woke up and my butt hurt. I decided that was stupid, so I didn't do it again."

  "Did your parents know what you were doing?"

  Polly shook her head. "They didn't even know that it happened and I wasn't about to tell them. I didn't even tell my friends at school." She sat down on the bed and pushed one of the cats back into the middle. "Unless those animals were pushing me, I still don't understand why I fell off tonight. I don't toss and turn that badly, do I?"

  Henry walked to the bathroom. "Not since those trials got over last fall. You're back to your regular sleep-like-the-dead sleep."

  "Did you do this to me?" Polly asked the animals. "Because I don't want to worry about doing this ever again." She rubbed her hand down Leia's back. "If you fall off the bed, you wake up enough to get your front paws down first. From now on, you get the outside."

  Obiwan wriggled his way across the bed toward her.

  "And you," she said. "I thought you were supposed to be my protector. How could you let that happen?" Polly bent over and kissed the top of his head. "I still love you," she whispered. "I still love all of you."

  Henry came back out with a glass of water in his hand. "Drink?"

  "No," Polly said with a half laugh. "At the rate I'm going tonight, I could very easily wet the bed. What in the heck?"

  "Let it go," he said. "It was just one of those things." He drained the glass and opened the door of his bedside table and put it on the shelf. They'd learned to keep those types of things out of the reach of the animals.

  Henry sat down on the bed, then turned to her. "But I think that maybe you should tuck up close to me for the rest of the night. Let the animals and me keep you where you belong."

  Once they were settled, he switched the light off and turned to wrap his arms around Polly. She scooted into the protection of his body and slowed her breathing, trying to relax again.

  "It was a strange dream," she said. "I wonder why I was a teacher."

  "Because you love your kids," he replied. "So was Aaron Merritt the sheriff?"

  Polly nodded. "Yes, he was. I can't wait to tell him that I saw him riding through town on horseback."

  Henry chuckled. "With guns blazing. That would have been a sight to see."

  ~~~

  "I should have a phone of my own," Rebecca announced at breakfast the next morning.

  Polly glanced at Henry and then sat down at the table. "Oh you should? What makes you say that?"

  "I've been thinking about this and since all of my friends have phones, I could keep in touch with them. This is how we communicate, you know." Rebecca held up her index finger. Before anyone could interrupt, she held up a second finger. "I would always be able to let you know where I am and what I'm doing." The third finger flipped up. "If I was in trouble, I could call for help." When she raised her fourth finger, she hesitated. "You'd always know where I was with the GPS thing on there." By the time Rebecca flipped her thumb up, she had lost ground. "It would be educational. I could look things up in a hurry and never be without information."

  "I see," Polly said. She turned to Henry. "Do you have anything you want to say?"

  He chuckled and backed away into the kitchen. "I'm just going to pour another cup of coffee and watch. Heath, do you want more toast?"

  Heath stood up. "Nah. I'm going to get my stuff and get out of here. I told Jason that I'd pick him up at his house. Eliseo's working early and has to be gone for a while this morning." He leaned over to Rebecca. "Good luck with this."

  "Chicken. I thought you had my back," she said.

  "Uh huh." Heath took off before she could corner him any further.

  "Don't say anything now," Rebecca said. "I want you to take some time to think about this. No rash decisions or anything."

  "Oh honey," Polly replied. "There isn't anything rash about my decision. The answer is no."

  "But why?" Rebecca whined. "I gave you well thought-out reasons why I should have one. The least you can do is give me a thought-out response."

  Polly chuckled. "First of all. I don't owe you anything, much less a response to your whining. But secondly, if you'd slow your roll, I have plenty of good reasons for not giving you a cell phone right now."

  Rebecca slumped back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not getting a cell phone. That's all that matters. Everything else is just blah, blah, blah."

  Henry's phone rang. He looked at the number and flipped it open. "Hayden? Is everything okay?"

  Both Polly and Rebecca looked up at him. He listened for a moment and then nodded to them that things were fine. "Sure," he said. "I can make time today. Lunch?" Henry walked away into his office as he continued to talk.

  "What's that about?" Rebecca asked.

  "I'm not sure. But Henry will tell me later." Polly sat forward. "However, you and I aren't finished with this conversation. Don't you dare ask a question like this and then get nasty about my response without giving me an opportunity to talk about it with you."

  "It doesn't matter. The answer is no and you're always in charge."

  Polly felt herself starting to seethe. This girl was as sweet and wonderful as they came, but when she didn't get her way she had a tendency to slide off the cliff into raging adolescent rottenness.

  She took a long, slow deep breath and shut her eyes. Part of her wanted Rebecca to run away to her room and head for school so she wouldn't have to confront the beast. Maybe if she kept her eyes closed long enough that would happen.

  "Yes," Polly said. "I am in charge and I'm working on not screaming at you for your bad behavior right now. You're going to want to walk away from me for a minute."

  Rebecca stood up and headed for the dining room. "You could have walked away," she muttered.

  Polly let her go, even though every fiber of her being wanted to yank her back into the seat and read her the riot act at the top of her lungs. Tears squirted out of her eyes. She loved Rebecca so much and to have her act so disrespectfully incensed Polly. She dropped her head into her hands and tried to shut the world away.

  "Are you okay?" Henry asked. He put his hand on her back. "Where did Rebecca go?"

  "I don't know and I don't care right now. That little shit."

  "She didn't like your answer?"

  "No and she didn't want to hear why I gave her that answer." Polly shook her head and wiped tears out of her eyes. "What's going on with Hayden?"

  "He's fine." Henry sat down at the table beside her. "It's actually kind of cool."

  "What's that?"

  "He wants me to talk to him about his future. He's been applying to medical schools and responses are starting to come back. He told me he isn't sure what to do next."

  "And he wants you to help him figure it out? That's awesome."

  Henry leaned in. "I don't have any idea what I'll say, but if all he needs
to do is have someone listen while he talks through it, I can be that person." He took her hand. "I don't know how to describe the feelings I'm having right now. The boy doesn't realize that I'd walk through fire for him and when he asks me for anything, I'll give it to him."

  "This is what it's always going to be like, isn't it," Polly said, her eyes filling with tears again. "We want to toss one in a snow drift and another one makes us so happy we can't describe it."

  "I'll be honest," Henry said. "He could ask me for the money to pay for medical school today and I'd figure out how to find it."

  Polly laughed. "Then I hope he's not that bold."

  "Me too." He jumped up. "I'd better get going so I can make sure everyone has plenty to do just in case lunch goes long."

  "Call when you're done, will you?"

  He nodded. "I'll try." Henry walked back over to the table and tipped her head up so he could kiss her lips. "And remember I love you. We've talked about Rebecca and the phone and you made the right decision. You're the mama. She's the daughter. You're the boss."

  "That's what she keeps saying," Polly said. "In derogatory tones."

  "Whether she likes it or not, it's her reality. Be strong. You've taken down stronger men than her."

  Polly shook her head. "I'm not sure about that. I do believe this is going to be a battle of wills for the rest of our lives."

  "I'm putting my money on you." He smiled. "I'll talk to you later."

  Polly watched him walk through his office and took another drink of coffee. She was absolutely going to treat herself to something fancy to drink at Sweet Beans before heading over to the other house this morning. She deserved it.

  That made her laugh. She didn't deserve anything. Oh well.

  "Come on, Rebecca," she called out. "It's time for you to go to school now. Do you want to walk or would you like me to drop you off on my way over to Bell House?"

  Polly waited a few minutes and decided to go look for her daughter. She had no memory of this much drama when she was Rebecca's age, but wondered if it would have been different had her mother still been alive. Her dad wouldn't put up with it and Polly never felt comfortable talking back to Mary since she wasn't really family. If her father had ever heard her do something like that, he would have had her head.

  "Rebecca? It's time to get moving." Polly walked through the living room to the closed door on the other side. She knocked twice. "Rebecca?"

  There was no answer and Polly knocked again. "Rebecca, I'm coming in." She opened the door and looked into the room. Rebecca was huddled in a corner, her arms wrapped around her knees and her head down.

  "Honey, it's time to go to school. You need to go wash your face."

  "I'm sorry," Rebecca said.

  "Thank you. It's going to be fine." Polly stood in the doorway and waited.

  Rebecca looked up at her with a tear-streaked face. "I'm a terrible daughter. I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me."

  "Honey, I will never hate you. I promise. Now stand up and pull yourself together. We'll talk about this tonight."

  "But I was so mean." Rebecca burst into another round of sobbing.

  Between the drama and the little rebellions, Polly wasn't sure Rebecca would make it through her junior high and high school years. She wanted to roll her eyes, but thought that might escalate things further.

  "Yes you were," Polly responded.

  Those words brought Rebecca's head up and she looked at Polly in shock. "You agree?"

  "I do. It's time to get past this, though. Stand up and get moving."

  "You don't hate me?"

  "Honey, I've told you over and over again that I can never hate you. I love you no matter how you behave. Now I'm not going to say it again. Stand up. Right now."

  Rebecca finally stood up. She stopped in front of the mirror on her dresser and looked at herself. "I'm a mess. Can I skip first period?"

  "No. You can go wash your face with some cool water," Polly said. "You'll be fine."

  "Okay." Rebecca heaved a big sigh, picked her backpack up and carried it out of the bedroom, then dropped it on the sofa before going into the bathroom.

  Polly flipped off the bedroom light and sat on the back of the same sofa to wait for the girl to re-emerge. How in the world did parents live through these years? Everything could be going along just wonderfully and then out of the blue, the entire world fell apart. She chuckled, wishing there was a safe word she could use to just tap out of the situation.

  "I'm ready." Rebecca came out of the bathroom, her head down and her hair pulled in front of her face.

  "I'll drive you. Get your coat," Polly said. "I have your backpack."

  When they got into the truck, Rebecca buckled in and then looked over at Polly. "What's my punishment this time?"

  Polly laughed. "Your bedroom is a terrible mess and your bathroom needs some attention."

  "I was afraid of that. When will I ever learn?"

  This was the normal Rebecca. Polly felt relief. At least she'd be able to have a good day in school. "I'm not sure," Polly said. "Part of me hopes this is the last time it ever happens, but another part of me appreciates that your bathroom will get scrubbed down on a regular basis."

  "Polly!" Rebecca protested.

  She chuckled. "You're the one who asked." Polly reached over and lightly squeezed Rebecca's leg. "I love you and it's all going to work out. You're growing up just fine and I'm proud of who you are."

  "Even when I sulk?"

  "Even then."

  "I'm not getting a phone this year, am I?"

  Polly shook her head. "No, but like I said, we'll talk about it tonight." She pulled up in front of the school. "Now let this go and have a good day. Remember that I love you, okay?"

  "Okay. I love you, too."

  CHAPTER NINE

  "Yes, I'm addicted to coffee," Polly muttered as she drove away from the elementary school. "I might have a problem." Her phone rang and she chuckled at herself.

  "Hello, Grey. How are you this morning?"

  "Fine, thank you, but I'm afraid that I am in need of your assistance. Are you too busy to spend time at the inn today?"

  Polly made a quick turn. "Of course not. What's wrong?"

  "It would appear that our young man fell into something he shouldn't have and was transported to the hospital last night," Grey said. "I must see him and find out what has happened."

  "Our young man?"

  "Young Denis. I thought he was achieving a great many goals, but my ecstasy over his progress dimmed my sight. He overdosed last night."

  "Oh no!" Polly cried. "Will he be okay?"

  "I fear this will set him back, but to hold out hope is to stand against the gods."

  Polly felt like she was in a foreign film and needed subtitles. She tried again. "Will he live?"

  "Why yes," Grey said. "Of course he will. And they will release him from the hospital just as soon as his mother and I discuss his options."

  She took a deep breath. "What was that about hope and the gods?"

  Grey chuckled. "When we hope, we stand and shake our fists at the gods. The tales of the ancient Greek gods were told so humanity understood who tormented them. They released evil upon evil into the world when Pandora opened her box. One of the gods - likely Zeus - placed hope inside that box and it remains there so we can continue in the face of tragedy. We must remember that we have survived and the Greek gods have long since surrendered to the erosion of time."

  "I'm parking right now," Polly said. "I'll be right in." She closed her phone and looked down at what she was wearing. She'd dressed to work at the Bell House. Her jeans and sweatshirt were clean, but not professional.

  Grey came out from behind the counter. "Thank you so much for doing this. I won't be gone all day."

  "Take the time that you need," she said. "I'll see if someone can bring better clothes for me to wear. I'm not dressed for this."

  "You look fine, but we do have Sycamore House t-shirts behind the counter," Grey s
aid.

  "What happened last night?"

  He shook his head. "I don't know yet. His mother called in a state of great distress this morning. She'd been at the hospital with him all night. The other tenants of his home returned after an evening out and found him on the inside stoop. When they couldn't rouse him, they called 9-1-1. I will get the rest of the story today, I'm certain." Grey took Polly's hand. "I'm grateful for the freedom to help this family. Today, his mother needs me as much as does Denis. A child's problems are never solely his."

  "What about her other children?" Polly asked.

  Grey turned as he walked to the front door. "I believe that she also called Evelyn Morrow. Poor Leslie doesn't have enough friends in her life, so she relies on the help she has used in the past." He opened the door. "I will call you later to let you know how things are progressing."

  "Give them my best," Polly said. She puffed air out of her lips, buzzing them as she did so. There went her morning coffee. At least the hotel’s coffee would be fresh. Grey always made sure of that. She poured a cup and went behind the counter, scrounging through the cupboards for the shirts Grey mentioned. One of those would certainly look better than the sloppy thing she had on now.

  After changing into a light grey t-shirt, Polly woke the computer and looked at the guest list. Two were scheduled to leave today, but had already paid for their rooms and she didn't expect to see them. She saw three reservations scheduled and five other rooms were occupied. Polly scrolled through the names, recognizing two as belonging to families in Bellingwood. It was nice to be part of their lives, offering a place for guests to stay so they didn't have the stress of extra people in their homes.

  The front lobby of Sycamore Inn was clean and neat, leaving nothing for Polly to do. This was going to get old in a hurry. A game show was playing on the television, but that didn't interest her. She didn't spend time watching television during the day. Once she got started on that, she'd never get anything done.

  Her research on Bellingwood's history was still sitting on the dining room table at home. A lot of good that was. But when all else failed, at least she could read. Polly chuckled. All of those books on shelves in her home and she was thankful to have access to the world's library on her cell phone.