A Big Life in a Small Town (Bellingwood #2)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  Lydia shook her head, "That's what happens when you get kids in your life. I like having my kids all grown up. How about you, Andy?"

  Andy smiled. "It is nice to be free again. I miss seeing them every day, but I don't miss being stuck at home. Why don't we run up to the Diner and bring something back? Isn't that close enough to going out for lunch?"

  The four figured out what they wanted to order and Lydia called Joe's Diner while Polly ran upstairs to get Obiwan. As she pulled the door shut to her apartment and headed back to the stairway, Elise Myers' door opened. "Polly?" she asked quietly.

  "Hi, Elise. Is everything okay? I was going to take Obiwan out for a few minutes."

  "Everything is fine. I was going to head downstairs and make a sandwich. Would you want to eat lunch with me?" Elise said timidly.

  "Well, I have some friends here," Polly began.

  "I'm sorry. I don't want to interrupt," the girl said.

  "No, what I meant to say was that we were going to bring in takeout from Joe's Diner. I'd love to have you meet my friends. There are only three here today and we could bring back lunch for you, too."

  "No, that's fine. I don't want to be a bother." Elise turned to head back to her room.

  "Elise. Really. We'd love to have you join us. We're going to sit around a table downstairs and eat and jabber. Please join us."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Absolutely. Would you like a club sandwich?" Polly asked.

  "If it's a diner, I'll bet they have a killer hot beef sandwich on mashed potatoes. I'd love something like that."

  "I'm on it," Polly said. "When the food arrives, I'll run up and get you. You will be perfectly safe with these ladies, I promise."

  "Thank you, Polly." Elise closed the door softly behind her.

  "Obiwan, I believe that was a big step for her. Now I have to tell the ladies to be gentle." They walked downstairs and into the auditorium. Lydia had just hung up her phone.

  "Lydia, I'm sorry. Could you place one more order? The girl who is staying upstairs is going to join us. She'd like a hot beef sandwich," Polly said.

  "Sure! Just a second." Lydia redialed and ordered the sandwich, then turned back to Polly. "I haven't seen her around town or anything. It will be nice to meet her!"

  "Well, she's quite shy and easily intimidated. She literally ran into Doug and Billy this morning and had everyone on the floor. When Henry arrived on the scene, it was too much and she ended up in her room in tears. So," and she looked at each of them, "go easy on her when she joins us, okay?"

  They smiled, then Andy said, "At least Beryl isn't here." They all laughed with her and Polly left to take Obiwan outside. It was too cold to spend much time in the yard, but the two of them made one good lap around the building. When they arrived at the front door, Lydia was backing out of the parking lot and waved at them.

  "We’re home, bud. Upstairs with you. I think the boys will be here this afternoon to play, be patient," she said as they walked up the steps to her apartment. She gathered up the extra litter box, litter, food and a dish for Leia. Setting things down in the outer office, she jogged back to the kitchen to grab a dish of water and when she looked in the window to her office, saw Leia standing on her desk.

  Polly opened the door, "Well, hello there! You're awake! Here, let's get this set up for you." She cuddled the kitten in her arms as she set the litter box on the floor behind a bookshelf and poured in the litter. Putting Leia down so she could smell it, Polly set out food and water. The kitten took a few drinks and sniffed at the kibble, then nudged Polly's foot.

  "Are you missing your peeps, little one? It's going to be a few more days and I need to figure out what I'm going to do with you at night." Polly picked her up again and sat down at the desk with the cat on her lap. "But I won't leave you alone, I promise. I'm awfully glad you're home."

  She snuggled the kitten with her left hand while using her right hand on the mouse to check email. Nothing terribly important was happening, so she closed it down and sat back in her chair. Leia crawled up onto Polly's chest, set her head on her right shoulder and began to purr.

  "Well, isn't this the life," Henry said, walking into Polly's office. He sat down across from her and leaned back.

  "It is pretty wonderful, isn't it?" Polly agreed.

  "We're nearly finished installing bookshelves in the first two rooms and I think Jerry and the boys will be completely done with electricity tomorrow."

  "It hit me how much I'm going to miss everyone when this is finished," Polly said. "I wish I could keep you all around forever." She chuckled. "I couldn't afford that, I suppose, but I'm not going to like having the place quiet."

  "I'm sure you'll find a reason to keep us coming back often enough. I heard Doug and Billy talk about using the computer room for their game parties. They're pretty excited about the wiring they are putting in. You might think they were putting in their dream game room."

  "They can come in and use it whenever they want. I've never known such respectful young men." She snorted. "Listen to me, 'respectful young men,' I sound like I'm sixty years old or something."

  "Their mamas raised 'em right," Henry said. "And Jerry has done well with them. When they finally grow up, they'll make pretty terrific men."

  Lydia walked in the front door and waved at Polly. Henry saw the box of take-out bags and said, "Hey! You didn't get lunch for me?"

  "Nope," Polly responded. "It's a girls' lunch." She held up her finger. "And don't give me any trouble about it. Elise is coming down to eat with us and you made her cry this morning."

  "I what?" he exclaimed. "I didn't mean to make her cry. All I did was walk in the front door."

  "I know," Polly laughed. "It's fine. She's uncomfortable around people and all of a sudden I think you were one more than she could handle. So stay away, okay?"

  He dropped his chin to his chest. "Fine. I'll eat my boring lunch with the rest of the guys." He stood up to leave. "You should stop in and see our progress after lunch."

  "I will. Now go." She shooed him out, then put her sleeping kitty back on the blanket, shut the door and ran up the steps. A quick knock on Elise's door and the girl met her, wearing jeans and a blue top. Her feet were still in slippers, but she'd curled her hair and put mascara on.

  "Do I look okay?" she asked Polly.

  "You look great. So ... you're meeting Lydia, Andy and Sylvie. They're three of my best friends in the world and they are very nice and easy going. Don't worry, okay?"

  "I'm fine," Elise said. "This is good. I'll be fine."

  Polly led Elise to the auditorium. Andy and Sylvie had set things up and Styrofoam containers sat at places around the table. After introductions, everyone sat down and the chatter quieted as they began to eat.

  Polly looked up from her pork tenderloin sandwich, "Will I ever get to the point where I have had enough of these and can order something else?"

  Elise peered at Polly's plate, "I don't think I've ever tasted one."

  "I’m about to change that! Here!" Polly sliced off a chunk of her sandwich, complete with all the toppings and, spearing it with her fork, pushed it toward the girl. "You have to try it! This is one of those things Iowa restaurants have made nearly perfect."

  Elise took the piece of sandwich off Polly's fork with her hands and put it in her mouth. As soon as she began to chew, she smiled. "I like it! I'm going to have more of these."

  They all chuckled and Lydia said, "Stick with us, girl. We'll show you all the joys of eating in Iowa. And there are plenty! What are you getting your Doctorate in, Elise?"

  The poor girl rapidly swallowed the bite in her mouth and said, "Mathematics. You won't believe it, but I've been researching social networks. It sounds kind of funny since I don't seem to have any of my own." Her eyes drifted off for a moment and she dropped her head.

  "Social Networks? Like Facebook and LinkedIn?" Andy asked.

  "Yes, and many others. I posit that we can measure a person's friendship network and pre
dict future relationships. That's where my research has been taking me and that's the math I've been working out," Elise responded.

  "You can tell me what relationships I will have in the future?" Lydia looked astounded.

  "Well, yes and no. I did some experiments on and pulled data from some of the popular social networks as relationships between friends and friends of friends were created. The numbers tell me that to some degree math can predict how you will interact and build your network of friends based on who your current friends know."

  Polly shook her head. "I feel like I'm watching an old episode of NUMB3RS and Charlie Eppes is about to say, ‘Imagine, if you will ...’"

  Elise giggled. "I'm not nearly as cute as he was, nor am I as at ease telling people what is going on up in my head. He always had great analogies for the things he was doing. I just do them."

  Lydia patted her arm, "You were fine. I'm an old lady and I think I get what you're saying. And if I don't, that's fine, too."

  Polly tossed a French fry across the table into Lydia's container while Elise looked on with wide eyes, "You're not old."

  Lydia turned to Sylvie, "Did you hear about our dead body yesterday?" she asked.

  Elise stopped with her fork poised in the air, "You found another dead body? Here at Sycamore House?"

  "Oh no, dear. I went to check on an elderly friend of mine, and she had died in her house," Lydia said.

  Elise put her fork back down into her Styrofoam container with her mouth wide open.

  "It wasn't that bad and she's at the funeral home now, don't worry," Lydia continued.

  Sylvie said, "Was that Madeline Black? I heard she died, and I should have known you were there." She shuddered. "I'm glad I wasn't. I think I'd like to keep my limit of dead bodies at zero. Have you talked to her kids?"

  Lydia scowled. "I talked to her son yesterday. He wasn't at all interested in doing anything other than call in professionals. I didn't talk to Amy, though, because he said he would let her know."

  "I should probably call her and find out when she's coming home," Sylvie responded. "We were pretty close friends in high school. And her brother was always kind of a jerk. For some reason, he thought he was quite a hot shot. He was a lot older than we were and out of college while we were still in high school. I think he is an engineer and works down in Creston."

  "He sure does," Lydia said. "Would you really call her?"

  "Of course! When she does come back to the Midwest it is always for such a short time and we rarely see each other. I should make a point of it this time," Sylvie said.

  "Well, I have a little mystery maybe she could help me solve, if you wouldn't mind asking her about it," Lydia said and told Sylvie and Elise about the note that had been found on the table and the fact that Laurence Black had no intention of looking into it.

  "I will call her and ask," Sylvie said. "In fact, I'll step out and do that right now." She picked up her phone and walked out of the auditorium.

  "How's your kitten, Polly?" Andy asked. "Did everything go well?"

  "She's great, though I'm not sure what I'm going to do with her at night. Dr. Hottie thinks I should keep her away from the boys until she heals up a little more." Polly's voice lowered into a conspiratorial whisper, "That man is gorgeous! And Marnie told me I was one of the few small animal clients he didn't turn over to his partner. What do you think about that?"

  Lydia's laugh filled the auditorium. "Oh my, the single men of Bellingwood are going to enjoy having you around, Polly. The single women? They're going to hate you."

  "I'm just having a good time. It's nice to have some freedom and enjoy hanging out with people. It's not like he's acted terribly interested in me, though. This morning he told me how to take care of Leia and then left. I guess I'll have to settle for enjoying my date Friday night with Henry," Polly said.

  "Yeah. Like that's settling," Andy smirked.

  "I know! But, tell me what I'm supposed to do with my little girl? Do I just hover over her and not let her on the floor with Luke and Obiwan?" Polly asked.

  "I could help you," Elise said timidly.

  "I don't want to bother you with animals. You have a lot of work ahead of you and this is the week you start flipping your schedule, isn't it?" Polly said.

  "But, that would be perfect. She'd be a great companion while I was shifting my sleep hours. My cats were always up all night and slept during the day. We'd do fine. Really. I'd love to have her around for a while."

  Polly looked around the table, "My life was never this easy when I lived by myself in Boston," she remarked. "Thank you, Elise. I think Leia would love having all your attention. It will only be for a week. We'll mix her back in with the boys and you can play with the kittens at my apartment any time after that.”

  Elise smiled and picked up her food. "I'm going upstairs to finish this and get back to work. There are some things I want to research about real, live friendship networks before I start writing."

  She stood up and walked to the door, then turned around. "Thank you," she said.

  Polly said, "I'll bring Leia up in a little while and we'll get her settled in your room, okay? Thank you!"

  Sylvie walked back in after Elise had left and sat down, "Was everything okay with her?"

  "Sure. I think she had a little inspiration," Lydia said. "What did Amy have to say?"

  "She's coming into Des Moines by herself tomorrow and her family will come out for the funeral on Monday. She says she is planning to go through some of her mom's things this week. She doesn't know anything about a mystery or what her mom could possibly have meant, but was wondering if you," and she looked at Lydia, "might have time for lunch at her mother's house on Friday or Saturday."

  "And," Sylvie continued, "she said to tell you that if Laurence was short with you on the phone, you shouldn't take it personally. He's annoyed because Madeline asked Amy to be the executor of the estate and he's informed her that if she is going to do it, she will do it all. He's mad at the world, not at you."

  Lydia smiled. "That makes more sense, then. And I'd love to have lunch with her. Thank you, Sylvie."

  CHAPTER SIX

  A ha! There was the ace of diamonds! Polly was in her office Friday afternoon playing a game of Solitaire on her computer. Things had been quiet the last couple of days. Elise had taken Leia in and seemed to love having the companionship even though Polly worried a little bit about getting her kitten back. The glass company had quite a few of the bookcases covered and Andy was already filling them with items from the crates. She had set up an account with the newspaper office downtown to print signs and information placards for the displays.

  Yesterday afternoon it had been cold enough that Polly met Jason and Andrew outside their school to bring them over to Sycamore House. Even though Sylvie didn't start classes until next week, she was working as many hours as possible and everyone seemed happy with the arrangement, especially Obiwan. Those boys wanted to be out as often as possible with him, so one or the other would take him out to play throughout the afternoon and early evening. Polly had made supper last night and invited Elise to come over and eat with them. She was quite comfortable with the boys, telling Polly they reminded her of her older brothers when they were kids.

  Henry popped his head in the door at four thirty. "I'm taking off now. You're picking me up, right?"

  She looked up and nodded at him. "Sure. I'll be there around six."

  "Do you even know where I live?" he asked. "You've never been there. In fact," Henry paused and scowled at her. "You've never seen my shop!"

  "You're right. I know," she responded. "But, I think I can find your house. You're over on Willow, aren't you?"

  "Yes," he agreed. "But, do you know which Willow?"

  "Well, it's not the one that goes past the Elevator, so I'm assuming I'll turn on Monroe and go over and find your place. The shop should be obvious, shouldn't it?" Even she knew she was sounding a little snippy.

  "Yeah," he said. "I guess
you can find me. I'll see you at six, then."

  "Great," she said, trying to put a smile back on her face. "I'll see you then."

  He left and she closed the Solitaire window. What was up with her? Then it hit her that it might have something to do with the fact that she'd made absolutely no plans for tonight and it was her responsibility to take him out on a date. She'd set herself up for failure on this one, hadn't she.

  Polly quickly opened her browser and searched for theaters in Ames. It had been a long time since she'd paid any attention to what new movies were out, she was sure nothing would be familiar. She didn't even know what kind of movies Henry liked. Great date planner she was. As soon as she'd found the theaters, she looked for restaurants she could get into. It took her about 15 minutes to get her plans in place, but then she felt better. She had a plan and a general idea where to head once she got into the city.

  Sylvie walked past the window to her office and waved. She poked her head in and said, "I'm here to pick the boys up. I take it they're in with Andy?"

  Polly stood up and walked out with Sylvie, “I think they're having as much fun as she is." They opened the doors to the auditorium and walked in. The boys and Andy acknowledged their presence by looking up from a crate they were digging through and went back to their work.

  "What are you doing tonight, Polly?" Sylvie asked.

  "I'm taking Henry out on a date. Can you imagine that?" Polly said. "I got a little pushy with him about making things equal, so it ended up being my turn. We're going to dinner and a movie. What about you?"

  "Amy’s in town and staying at her mother's house. I told her we would take her out to dinner at Davey's tonight." Sylvie stepped forward and spoke in a louder voice, "Boys, we have to get going."

  Andy looked up, "What time is it?" she asked.

  "Nearly five o'clock," Sylvie said. "And I need these boys to get dressed up for dinner, so I'm going to steal them from you."