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

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  Polly pushed him away and sat back down. He bent down and said, "I'll be back in a minute with my food if you save me that seat beside you."

  Before she could say anything, he was gone. "Well, that's going to be interesting," she muttered.

  "What?" Jeff asked.

  "Nothing. If I'm not downstairs on Monday morning, look for me at the nearest insane asylum. I'll have checked myself in."

  He crossed his eyes at her and said, "I probably shouldn't ask, should I."

  "No. Just watch the entertainment tonight."

  A few minutes later, Mark sat down with his plate. He reached into the pail for silverware and then jumped up to get something to drink. "Do you want anything else?" he asked pointing at her water glass.

  "No. I'm good," she said. Polly watched him walk away and thought to herself that it wasn't fair. He was flat out gorgeous. Working with animals all day long had done plenty for his physique. Tall and lean with strength oozing from his arms and legs and she remembered the sensation of those wiry fingers warm against her back.

  "Polly. Be good."

  "What?"

  Jeff was watching her. "You're nearly drooling. Stop it. It's embarrassing."

  "Well, dammit. He's beautiful."

  Jeff watched Mark return to the table. "You're right, but still. Stop it."

  "Stop what?" Mark asked.

  "Nothing!" Polly snapped and stood up grabbing her water glass. "I'll be back in a minute."

  She heard Mark ask Jeff what it was he had done and didn't wait to hear Jeff's response. She found one of the kids and said, "I need more water."

  "Is your pitcher empty?" he asked.

  "What pitcher?"

  "The one at the table."

  Polly looked back at the table and there, right in front of Jeff was a pitcher of water, still quite full.

  She pursed her lips and said, "No, it's not empty. I'm just blind. Thanks." She decided to take the long way back to the table and walked out into the hallway. People were still going through both lines and she tucked herself into a line of people re-entering from the classroom.

  As she wove through the tables, she acknowledged some of the people she knew and smiled at others. Her UPS driver was there and touched her arm, asking to introduce her to his wife. Sarah, the EMT, smiled up at her as she walked by, and little Sammy and Emma jumped out of their seats to hug her when she stopped to say hello to Bruce McKenzie and his family. She was glad to see that both of his parents were there with him.

  When she sat down between Jeff and Mark, Jeff picked up the pitcher and handed it to her. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

  "Yes, I did," she announced, then asked Mark, "Is your sister here tonight?"

  "No. Sick kids, but she told me to ask you if you'd be interested in coming over for dinner some Sunday night. Dylan closes the restaurant at eight and then they invite friends in to create their own pizzas. It's always fun."

  "What restaurant?"

  "He owns Pizzazz, the pizza place downtown."

  "I've ordered out from there, didn't know who that was. Sure. We should do that sometime."

  "I'll tell her to call you."

  Polly reached into the centerpiece and pulled out a cupcake. A small white flag on a toothpick read "Spice." Sylvie thought of everything.

  Mark touched her hand and said, "Can I take you away for a minute? I want to introduce you to someone."

  "Sure. Who?"

  "Just come with me."

  Polly followed him to a table at the far side of the room and a man stood up, his hand outstretched. She shook it and he said, "Hi Polly. I'm Dan Severt." He touched the woman who was seated with him and continued, "and this is my wife Leona. I'm awfully sorry about your dog."

  "Thank you," she said.

  "I've had such trouble with coyotes, I thought I could help clear some out, but I never thought to hurt anyone or their animal."

  She smiled. "Thanks. I don't know if the sheriff told you, but one of those traps helped catch a couple of kidnappers this morning."

  "He did tell me. I guess sometimes decisions are good and sometimes they're not. But, the trapper will be in tomorrow to pull the rest of them out of the creek area bordering your property. And I told Mark here to send me the bill for fixing up your dog."

  "That wasn't necessary, but thanks," she said.

  "We live down the highway in the big blue house. If you ever need anything, let us know."

  "It was nice to meet both of you," Polly said and took his wife's hand. "And thanks again."

  Mark nodded at him and as they walked back to the table, she noticed that band members were walking around the stage. Polly pulled her phone out to check the time: it was eight fifteen already. There was an alert that she had a text, so she opened up her messages and saw that Henry had sent a text twenty minutes ago. How had she missed that?

  "Don't worry, I'm going to be late. My neighbor needed me to check her furnace. Save me food and a dance."

  She felt guilty since she hadn't even noticed that he wasn't here. Polly honestly figured he was lost in the crowd somewhere, but now she felt terrible. She texted back:

  "I ate all the food, now no one wants to dance with me. No worries."

  She got a smiley face back from him and relaxed. Guilt assuaged.

  The kids were clearing tables and checking water pitchers. They dropped extra napkins in the pails at the tables and quietly made their way back to the kitchen with no fanfare. Jeff stood up and looked around the room, then sat back down.

  "Do you want to talk to the crowd or would you like me to do it?"

  "I should probably say thank you for the work that has been done. We should both say something."

  "Come on, then. Let's get this party rolling." He took her arm and they went to the stage. A microphone was handed down and he said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming out this evening!"

  It took a few moments for the noise level to die down and when it did, he handed the microphone to Polly.

  "I hope you’ve all had fun today," she started and a mild roar went through the room. "I can't begin to thank you for all of your help. I don't know what will happen next here at Sycamore House, but I look forward to it because I get to have fun with all of you. Now, I can't let any time pass before I tell you that I didn't do much except surround myself with great people. Jeff Lyndsay put everything together, Sylvie Donovan is a wizard in the kitchen and though he isn't here yet, Henry Sturtz was the one who never says no to me when I have a wild idea; he finds a way to make it happen. These are the people who made today a tremendous success."

  She handed the microphone back to Jeff, who pointed out the photography opportunity at the back of the room and then said, "I have learned that you don't bring a group of people together in this state without them expecting to have someone pass the plate. We aren't asking you to pay for anything that has happened here today, but those mason jar banks on the tables are there if you'd like to fill 'em up. Everything that comes in will be split between the Bellingwood Food Pantry and our county's Habitat for Humanity. We've eaten and we've built today and it seems appropriate that we support these two groups. And now, the band Buckles and Spurs is here to play us into the night. Enjoy your evening and it's time to dance!"

  The band kicked off, Jeff pulled Polly into his arms, and they started around the area they'd set aside for a dance floor.

  "I would have killed you if you had done this to me without Mark's intervention," she said.

  "I know," he smirked.

  "What do you mean you know?"

  "Who do you think asked him to figure out a way to teach you how to dance?"

  "What?"

  "I might have called his sister last week and found out that he was as good a dancer as anyone and I might have talked to him on Monday."

  Polly punched him with her free hand. "You rat!"

  "Don't call me a rat. You were so freaked out about this I had to find a way to settle you down. Look a
t this room. They want to see you be a part of the fun. Imagine how awful you would have felt sitting out the whole evening."

  "You're still a rat."

  "But you think I'm wonderful, right?"

  "Sure. We'll call it that," she grumped.

  "Wonderful it is," he let her hand go and pulled back from her then came back in and took her hand.

  "Stop that," she said. "You're freakin' me out."

  "Basic box step it is," he laughed.

  The song ended and as the band picked up the next song, Mark tapped Jeff's shoulder and took Polly in his arms. More people began to join them on the floor and she saw Jeff find Lydia. He bowed to Aaron and escorted her out to join them. For the next twenty minutes, Polly found herself dancing with several others as the floor filled with dancers. Then, the band stopped and she saw Jeff pushing the dancers to the back of the floor. She was confused until she heard the lead singer shout out, 5-6-7-8 and the 4-H kids, led by Sylvie and Hannah, filed in and began to dance in unison as the music began. The room erupted in applause and before long, the floor was filled with people of all ages, mimicking the steps the kids were doing.

  Her heart caught in her throat and what came out was, "Oh my."

  "Do you want in on this?" a voice spoke into her ear. She turned around and Henry was standing there, dressed in all black.

  "Oh my," she repeated, taking him in.

  He smiled and said, "Are you ready to join them?"

  "Not really, it's fun just to watch it happen. Have you eaten anything?"

  "Not yet. I'm sorry about being late."

  "What happened?"

  "I keep telling Mrs. Naylor that she needs to get a real furnace repairman in, but I have a feeling that as long as I'm her neighbor, I will continue to be re-starting that old thing. She'd been without heat most of the day, so I took her over to my house until I got it up and running and her place started warming up again."

  "You're a good guy, Henry Sturtz."

  "I'm sorry I'm late, though."

  "No big deal. You did miss me telling the world about how wonderful you were, but otherwise I don't think you missed much. Come on, let's find you some food."

  They went into the classroom and since there was no one there, she picked up an empty pie tin and said, "Pork or Beef?" then slapped some pork on a bun and handed it to him. He scooped his own sides, then followed her back into the auditorium. She picked up an iced tea as they passed the drinks table and set it down in front of them when they got to their table, then turned her chair so she could watch the fun on the dance floor. Mark had dropped in beside Sylvie and wrapping his left arm around her waist, doubled up with her as they performed the next dance. Hannah moved into the crowd to find her husband and Polly watched him protest a little, then acquiesce and join his wife on the floor.

  One more song and Sylvie pulled away and scooted her helpers out of the auditorium, leaving to another round of applause. The kids were beaming and Sylvie's face glowed. Several of the other women who chose not to dance soon followed her into the kitchen.

  The band finally announced they needed to take a short break and Polly stood up, "Do you want anything more?" she asked Henry.

  "No, thanks," he said.

  "I'm going to check on a few people," and she headed for Beryl and Andy’s table in the middle of the room.

  Lydia dropped into the seat beside Aaron with a "whompf."

  "That wears an old lady out. How are you doing, Beryl? I noticed that you found plenty of people who wanted to dance with you. And Andy, my friend, are you sweet on Len Specek? You two looked pretty good out there."

  Andy blushed. "He's an old friend, so stop it."

  "I don't know!" Beryl laughed. "You know what they say about those widows."

  "No," Andy said, "Tell us what they say about widows."

  Beryl looked around the table and then bowed her head. "Nothing. They say nothing about anything. Good heavens, I'm in trouble again."

  "That's better," declared Andy. "We're old friends and that's all there is to it."

  Aaron leaned into his wife and said in a stage whisper, "Sounds like she's protesting a bit much."

  Polly interrupted, "I'm here for a reason. Can we get a picture?" Then she said, "Wait. We need Sylvie, too! Just a minute." She looked around the table. "Don't any of you go anywhere. Got it?"

  She ran into the kitchen. Sylvie was loading dishwasher racks and looked up.

  "Sylvie, we need you for a picture."

  "Like this? I look like hell!" Sylvie protested.

  "You look great. Come on."

  Sylvie sputtered and tried to push her hair back away from her face. She pulled her apron off and looked around for a place to put it. Polly took it out of her hand and said, "Go. Move it."

  She pushed Sylvie into the auditorium and through the crowd back to the barn setting, beckoning to Lydia as they walked past the table. When they all arrived, there was a short wait while a young couple attempted to look at each other with adoration but couldn't get past their giggles.

  The five of them finally made their way onto the set and began with a shot of all of them standing together in a row. The photographer took the shot and then said, "That's all you have for me?"

  "You all make me feel like a kid again," Lydia said and she dipped Beryl. Andy looked stunned and Polly did the same to Sylvie. The picture was priceless. A few more crazy poses and Sylvie said, "I've got to get back to work."

  Before she could get very far, Jeff and Henry stopped her and Jeff said, "We've done the work, we're gonna get in the shot." He and Henry each went down on a knee and patted them for the girls to be seated. Polly took Sylvie's hand and the photograph was taken.

  The band had started up again and Sylvie escaped to the kitchen. Henry didn't let Polly leave the barn set until they'd taken a few shots, then Jeff insisted that he be allowed to pose with her. Doug and Billy saw what was happening and begged for a picture and the next thing Polly knew, she was posing with friends she had been meeting since moving into town.

  When she was finally released, Henry said, "I don't think there is much time left and I want one dance with you tonight. I've asked for a waltz, can I have it with you?"

  She winked at him and put her hand in his, "Lead on," she said.

  Jeff announced that it would be the final dance. The band began a slow waltz and the floor filled up. She looked up and saw Mark find her and nod. Then he left the auditorium to return with Sylvie. Hannah was back on the floor with Bruce and when Polly found Lydia, she was stunned to see Aaron holding his wife as they danced. This was a good way to end a great day.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Reaching for the phone with her eyes still closed, Polly grabbed it to shut off the alarm. She opened them enough to dismiss the annoyance and turned over on her side where she was greeted by a quick lick on her hands. "No, don't make me," she whined. "I just want to sleep."

  But, it was too late. They knew she was awake and from this point forward any hope of extra sleep was lost. She pulled the blankets up around her neck and tried to cocoon back into the bed, but her animals were smarter than that. Luke stretched, then walked up her side, settling in at her shoulder. Leia began walking back and forth across the pillow above her head, kneading her paws in Polly’s hair. Obiwan stood up, wagged his tail, then lay back down in front of her face, nuzzling her with his nose. She felt guilty for making him wait, but didn’t want to move away from the snuggly warm cat. The dog nuzzled her once more and Polly decided to pay attention. She dislodged Luke and threw the blankets back, covering Obiwan. He wiggled out the other side and jumped to the floor.

  "You are mean. Why don't you ever want to sleep in with me?" The cats ignored her commentary and jumped to their ledges in the window, glancing back every once in a while to check her progress. Obiwan sat down in front of the bedroom door with expectation while Polly stretched and pulled on her clothes. "I hope you know that this is a sign of how much I love you, you dumb dog. You
won't let me sleep, but I still get dressed to take you out in the cold." She snapped the leash on, stopped in the kitchen to start the coffee and then went out the back door with the dog.

  The morning air was cold and she was still a bit bleary-eyed, but they walked the perimeter and were back upstairs before seven o'clock. Polly fed the animals, showered and dressed and headed downstairs. She had been so exhausted yesterday after the full day on Saturday, that she hadn't bothered with a shower. In fact, she hadn't bothered with anything, but had spent most of the day curled up on her couch with her laptop, the animals and a huge amount of recorded television. She'd taken calls all day long from her friends, but had refused any human interaction, choosing to stay inside alone instead. Henry had called to see if she wanted to do something and she'd begged off, surprised that he had any energy at all after spending the day building a barn.

  Before going to her office, Polly set a platter of extra cupcakes onto the counter, leaving them covered in plastic wrap. She got things set up to feed people through the day and left a note by the coffee machine that she would have leftover soup and sandwiches ready to go at noon. Sylvie worried about all of the additional food and Polly had promised to make some calls. Lydia had told her that Rev. Boehm might have some ideas or she should start handing food out to anyone who stopped by. The phone call was first on her list this morning.

  Polly rummaged around in the refrigerator and pulled out one last breakfast casserole, fully intact. Sylvie had told her that she could put it in the oven and easily re-heat it. She set the alarm on her phone and went in to her office. The kitchen and classrooms had been cleaned by Sylvie's crew before the end of the evening on Saturday, but Jeff had promised that the cleanup of the rest of the place would be great fun today, so rather than laugh at him in front of everyone, she'd simply nodded and said, "I suppose so!"

  Joanna Wagner, the new guest, was arriving this afternoon and Polly hoped she was ready for her. During one afternoon Sylvie's boys were here, they'd camped out in the conference room and assembled packages of the items she had requested to be delivered to her room each day. Polly needed to run to the grocery store this morning and pick up some fruit and figured she would get a case of water to be safe.