Memories from Acorn Hill

by Melody Carlson

  “You mean until we’re forced to?”

  “Maybe so.”

  Laura bent over and put the kitten back into the carrier, gently pushing it back so that she could safely close and then latch the door. “Thanks, Alice,” she said as she sat back up.

  “You’re welcome. I can see that Boots is in very good hands. I’m sure that Adam will be pleased when he gets back.”

  “Do you know when that’ll be?”

  “I don’t know. It sounds as if they have a long drive ahead.”

  Laura nodded. “It must be really sad.”

  “What’s that?” asked Alice, although she thought she knew.

  “I mean for Adam, being all alone like that, and then going to see his parents’ graves today. Well, it just seems really sad.”

  “Adam’s not completely alone,” said Alice. “At least he has Mark.”

  “I don’t know if Adam really believes that, I mean deep down, you know.”

  Alice sighed. “Well, maybe we can all try to help him to understand that there are other people who care for him, people who want to help.”

  “Yeah, I told him he shouldn’t be pushing people away.”

  “That’s good advice, Laura.”

  “I’m not sure that it did any good though.”

  “Sometimes it takes awhile for things to sink in. Maybe today’s trip with Mark will help.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Hello,” said Mrs. Winston from the hallway. She looked concerned as she removed her jacket. “Is everything okay in here?”

  Alice smiled at her. “Yes, everything’s fine. Laura was just letting me have a peek at Boots. She’s done a wonderful job of kitty-sitting today.”

  Mr. Winston frowned. “She refused to go out with us this afternoon, said she had to take care of Adam’s cat.”

  Mrs. Winston gently nudged her husband. “And that was just fine, dear.”

  “Well, do you think we could talk you into coming out for a bite of dinner now, Laura,” he asked in a slightly irritated tone, “or will that be too much inconvenience for our fine furry friend?”

  Alice laughed. “Oh, I’m sure Boots will be just fine. In fact, I’ll be happy to watch him while you’re gone.”

  Alice suspected that Laura would have preferred staying in and caring for the kitten, but her parents seemed relieved that she agreed to join them for dinner in Potterston.

  Alice took the crate downstairs and, with Jane’s permission, placed it in a quiet corner in the kitchen and got Boots all settled.

  Then the three sisters sat down to a quiet dinner.

  “How did your prize collection for the Easter egg hunt go today?” Louise asked Alice.

  “Quite well.” Then she told about some of the pleasant surprises.

  “Speaking of Easter, is Cynthia going to make it here for the holiday?” asked Alice.

  “She was unsure when I spoke with her, but that was several days ago. Perhaps things will change by the weekend.”

  “Maybe I’ll have to e-mail that niece of mine,” said Jane. “Perhaps toss a little guilt into the message. See if that doesn’t make her think twice.”

  Louise chuckled. “That would be much better coming from an aunt than a mother.”

  “Speaking of aunts,” said Jane. “I heard from Craig Tracy that our dear aunt is telling townsfolk that one of her nieces is hearing wedding bells these days.” She looked directly at Alice now.

  Alice frowned. “Yes, I heard that in town today too.”

  “Well, I am sure that people were already making their own assumptions anyway,” said Louise. “We can’t blame it all on Aunt Ethel.”

  “I actually tried to set Auntie straight today,” said Alice as she buttered a slice of sourdough bread. “When we were, uh, moving furniture.”

  “Poor Alice,” said Jane. She explained to Louise about their aunt’s desire to rearrange the carriage house. “This week is supposed to be a vacation for you, but it seems you’ve been busier than ever.”

  Alice smiled. “I guess I’ll be glad to go back to work next week.”

  “But what about this thing?” asked Louise.

  Alice blinked. “What thing?”

  “This thing with Mark, of course.”

  “There is no thing with Mark, Louise.” Alice looked directly into her older sister’s pale blue eyes. “Honestly, if there was a thing, I would tell you. You must know that.”

  “They haven’t even had time to have a thing,” added Jane with a twinkle in her eye. “Mark’s got his hands full with his young man.”

  Louise and Jane began discussing Adam. Alice threw in some words in his defense, but finally she just gave up and started clearing the table. Their observations about Adam were not untrue, but it made her uncomfortable to hear them just the same.

  “Oh dear,” said Louise as she looked at the clock. “I almost forgot that the book group meets tonight. I promised Viola that I would be there early.”

  “And I’m going to Sylvia’s,” said Jane. “She invited me over to watch a video with her tonight.” Jane looked at Alice. “You’re welcome to join us if you like.”

  “No, thanks,” she said as she rinsed a plate. “Why don’t you let me finish cleaning things up in here, and you two go ahead and take off.”

  “Oh, I don’t want to leave you with—”

  “I insist,” said Alice firmly. “I think I’ll turn in early tonight, or perhaps I’ll work on the baby quilt a bit.”

  Alice, with the company of the kitten, finished putting things back in order in the kitchen. Just as she finished up, she heard the sound of the Winstons’ voices as they returned from dinner.

  Alice gave Boots back to Laura and then told them good night. Once in her room, Alice wondered about Mark and Adam. She imagined them driving back toward Acorn Hill in the dark, perhaps having a nice conversation. Maybe Adam was actually opening up to Mark. She could only pray that was happening.

  She tried not to think about Louise’s questions about her and Mark. Certainly there was nothing to report. Alice was not sure if that was because of her, or Adam, or Mark.

  She wondered if things would have gone differently if Adam had not come to the inn. To be perfectly honest, she was not even sure how she would prefer to have had things go. Oh, she did enjoy Mark’s friendship, and she was fond of him.

  What good does it do to dwell on such things anyway? she thought. She pushed these thoughts from her mind. Then, thankful for the distraction, she focused all her attention into the careful construction of a quilt block.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Alice surprised herself by sewing late into the evening and, consequently, sleeping in later than usual. She got out of bed, hurriedly dressed and practically jogged over to Vera’s house. She noticed the gathering of clouds overhead and hoped that Fred’s forecast for the bad weather to come and go before Easter was correct.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” she called breathlessly when she saw Vera waiting on her front step. “Maybe we can make this a quick walk.”

  “It’s all right,” said Vera as she joined her. “Is everything okay?”

  “Of course.” Alice told her that it was the baby quilt project that had kept her up late. “I can’t believe how late I stayed up working on it.”

  Vera smiled. “So you and Mark obviously didn’t have a date?”

  Alice shook her head. “He and Adam must have arrived home very late last night. They left early yesterday to visit Adam’s parents’ graves.”

  “So you didn’t get a chance to talk to him then?”

  “No, but I hope to today. I’m praying that things have begun turning around for Adam,” she said.

  After their walk, Alice and Vera parted, and Alice went home to shower and dress. She knew that she was dressing more carefully than usual, and she admitted to herself that she was hoping to spend some time with Mark that day. As a result, she felt a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

  It was relatively qu
iet when she went downstairs to join Jane in the kitchen. She was surprised to see Louise already there, washing and stemming strawberries for a fruit platter.

  “You’re up early,” she said to Louise.

  “Or perhaps you are late,” suggested Louise.

  Alice looked at the clock. “I guess you’re right. Need any help?”

  “Everything’s under control,” said Jane. “But you could set up the coffee and tea. Is anyone up yet?”

  “I didn’t see a soul,” said Alice as she carried the coffee and tea things out to the dining room.

  “Good morning,” said Mrs. Winston, coming into the dining room with her husband and Laura trailing behind.

  “Good morning,” said Alice. “It looks like our weather is changing today.”

  “I noticed that,” said Mrs. Winston as she waited to take Laura’s arm to guide her to the table.

  Soon the others were coming in, and before long, the dining room was nearly full. Mark and Alice exchanged greetings, and she inquired about his trip the day before.

  “A lot of driving,” said Mark, glancing uneasily at Adam, who looked as sulky as ever, “but I’m glad I went.”

  Adam’s eyes darted toward Mark, then back down as he silently sipped a cup of coffee.

  The guests chatted congenially about things like the weather and some recent news events and, before long, they began finishing their breakfasts and leaving until only Adam and Mark remained at the table. Jane and Louise had quietly slipped off to the kitchen, but not without first eyeing Alice as if to warn her she was not to budge.

  Alice suspected that Mark wanted to talk to her. She knew she definitely wanted to talk to him, if only to encourage him about Adam and to relate the hopeful things she had overheard.

  Mark set down his coffee cup and cleared his throat. “Adam noticed a place over in Potterston,” he began. “It’s a recreation center that has a rock climbing wall.”

  “Oh yes,” said Alice. “I’ve seen that place. It’s new, and I’ve heard it’s quite nice.”

  Mark nodded. “I told him I’d take him over to check it out today.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Alice used a positive tone that she hoped covered up her disappointment. “It’s a perfect thing to do on a rainy day.”

  Adam looked curiously at her.

  “Would you like to join us?” asked Mark with a smile.

  Alice could not tell if that was a genuine invitation or if Mark was simply being polite. She did know that she had absolutely no interest in rock climbing and even less interest in tagging along on this kind of adventure with Adam and Mark. “No, thank you,” she said with a smile. “I’m sure you two will have a good time.”

  “Adam’s dad was a rock climber.”

  “Really?” She glanced at Adam now. “Did you ever get to climb with him?”

  He shrugged. “Not much. He mostly did it when he was younger, but he kept promising to teach me … someday.”

  She turned back to Mark. “How about you?” she asked with a bit of concern. “Have you done it before?”

  “Oh yeah. Gregory and I climbed occasionally in high school. We did a couple of great trips back then. Of course, that was long before Adam was born. Gregory was actually a lot better at it than I was, but I always had fun. It’s a good challenge to stretch yourself.”

  She sort of laughed. “I think that’s more stretching than I would enjoy.”

  “Well, I’m guessing we’ll be back around noon.” He smiled at her. “Then perhaps you and I could do something together?”

  “That would be nice,” she told him.

  He looked relieved, and she wondered if he had been worried that she would be offended or hurt by his choice to do something with Adam rather than with her. Surely, he did not think she was that childish. Of course, Mark had been spending a lot of time with a young adult lately, and she hoped that he was not getting her confused with him.

  “I hope you both have a wonderful time,” she told them as she cleared the last of the breakfast things from the table. “I’ll look forward to seeing you this afternoon, Mark.”

  Alice carried the cups and plates into the kitchen where Jane was loading the dishwasher.

  “How’d that go?” asked Jane.

  “What do you mean?” Alice rinsed the dishes and handed them to her sister.

  “You know,” Jane persisted, “with you and Mark and Adam.”

  “There wasn’t much to it really.”

  Alice paused as Louise and Ethel came in the back door.

  “Oh, it’s starting to rain cats and dogs out there,” said Ethel as she removed her cardigan and gave it a shake. She patted her hair back into place. “I wish I’d thought to grab my umbrella.” She smiled at Jane and Alice. “Looks as if I might be stranded here until it lets up.”

  “Did you come to pick up the truffles for Lloyd?” asked Jane as she set a box on the counter. “They’re all ready.”

  “Yes,” said Ethel. “He needs them for his city council meeting at noon.”

  “Is this some sort of bribe?” asked Jane.

  Ethel laughed. “Of course not. Do you think our honorable mayor would resort to such tactics?”

  “Well, I heard that the council is giving him a hard time about his proposal to put that four-way stop in.”

  Ethel waved her hand. “Oh, pish-posh, this is simply Lloyd’s little Easter treat for the council.”

  “Is he going to wear his Easter bunny outfit for the meeting?” asked Jane with a teasing smile.

  Ethel firmly shook her head. “No, and for your information, it’s a Mr. Easter Rabbit suit, and Lloyd only wears it for the Easter egg hunt.” She turned to Alice now. “Are we all set for that?”

  “Well, other than the egg-dyeing party on Friday. I’ve collected the prizes and the ANGELs will put together the baskets tonight.”

  “The order of candy eggs arrived last week,” said Louise.

  “And I’ll be boiling all the real eggs tomorrow,” said Jane.

  Ethel clapped her hands. “Thank goodness we’re all so efficient. Now, how about giving your auntie a cup of coffee?”

  Louise nudged Alice as Jane and Ethel headed for the coffee maker. “How did it go with Mark?” she asked in a lowered voice.

  Alice shrugged. “Fine.”

  Ethel turned and looked at them. “Are you talking about your veterinarian, Alice?”

  “You can call him Mark, Aunt Ethel.”

  “Of course, dear. How is it going?”

  Alice was getting a bit weary of the inquisition. She felt silly since there was nothing new on this topic. “Mark is doing just fine,” she told all three of them. “He and Adam have gone rock climbing this morning.”

  “Rock climbing?” Louise’s eyes grew large. “In this sort of weather?”

  “My goodness,” said Ethel. “Are those two trying to kill themselves?”

  Jane frowned. “That does seem a bit foolish, Alice.”

  Alice sighed. “They are doing indoor rock-climbing.”

  “What on earth are you talking about?” demanded Ethel.

  Jane’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I’ll bet I know. They went over to the new recreation center in Potterston.”

  Alice simply nodded.

  Jane explained the concept of an indoor rock-climbing wall to Ethel and Louise. “It’s really fun,” she finished up. “I did it a few times back in San Francisco. I wish I’d known they were going. I might’ve tagged along.”

  “I’m sure they would’ve enjoyed your company,” said Alice.

  Jane laughed. “I’m sure they would not. Adam probably would’ve thrown a fit.”

  For whatever reason, Alice found that she was tired of speculating over both Mark and Adam. “If you ladies will excuse me,” she said, “I thought I might use this free morning to work on the baby quilt.”

  “Of course,” said Ethel. “How’s it coming anyway?”

  Alice smiled. “It’s looking more and more like a quilt.”<
br />
  “It’s turning out to be very lovely,” said Jane.

  “Happy sewing,” called Louise as Alice left the kitchen.

  Alice paused in the living room to look out the window at the wet and blustery day. Gray and dark, it really was the perfect sort of day to cloister oneself in one’s own room and get lost in a quilting project.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was nearly one in the afternoon when Alice emerged from her room. She hurried downstairs, worried that perhaps she was keeping Mark waiting.

  Mr. and Mrs. Langley greeted her in the foyer. “We’re just heading out for a bit of lunch,” said Mr. Langley with a bright smile. “Would you like to join us, Alice?”

  “Thank you,” she told him, “but I already have plans.”

  “With Dr. Graves?” asked Mrs. Langley with friendly interest.

  Alice nodded. “Yes, I was just looking for him.”

  “I haven’t seen him come back,” said Mr. Langley. “I’ve been sitting down here reading the paper for nearly an hour.”

  “Oh, then I’m sure he’ll be here any minute,” said Alice with confidence.

  “Looks as if the rain’s let up some,” said Mrs. Langley. “Perhaps we should get going while the going’s good.”

  Alice wished them a pleasant lunch, then went off in search of her sisters. She found Louise dusting in the parlor. “Have you seen Mark?” she asked.

  “Not since breakfast.” Louise set the pastel-toned porcelain figure of a shepherd girl back on the shelf and turned to Alice. “How is the quilt coming?”

  “Nicely,” said Alice. “It’s such a comforting sort of project, sewing pieces neatly together and making everything line up just so.”

  “A bit like a jigsaw puzzle.”

  “Something like that. Nice and neat and orderly.” Alice chuckled. “I guess I’m a fussbudget at heart.”

  “You simply enjoy order,” said Louise as she dusted a cloisonné vase. “Nothing wrong with that.”

  Alice glanced at her watch. “I think I’ll ask Jane if she has seen or heard from Mark.”

  She found Jane in the kitchen, bent over a recipe book wearing a slight scowl. “Is there something the matter?” she asked her younger sister.