by Terri DuLong
In contrast, Isabelle looked like she was ready for a fashion magazine photo shoot. She was sporting a short, chic hairstyle with blond highlights catching the sun. Tall and slim, she wore a white tank top and mint green capris that fit her perfectly. Makeup and jewelry completed her alluring look. Poor Haley must feel so inferior next to her mother.
“Hey,” I called out, walking down the steps. “Welcome. I hope you had a good drive down.”
I opened the gate and walked toward the car with Basil at my heels. He immediately ran to Haley, who reached down and scooped him up. I could hear her murmuring to him as I went to hug Isabelle.
“Yeah. It was pretty good. We would have probably been here a little sooner, but I couldn’t resist stopping at the outlets up in St. Augustine on I-95.” She stuck out one foot wearing a gold sandal encrusted with gemstones. “And I’m so glad I did. See what I found.”
“Pretty,” I said, walking toward Haley. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She was still holding Basil but I pulled her into a hug. “We’re going to have a great two weeks. Come on, I’ll help you take in your luggage.”
“Me too,” was all Haley said as she continued to hold Basil.
Isabelle flipped the hatchback open and I reached for a piece of luggage. I couldn’t help but notice empty wrappers of candy, crumpled-up chip bags, and crushed Coke cans strewn around the luggage.
“Hey, young lady, when we get inside you are to get a trash bag from Chloe and clean up this mess.” Isabelle shook her head in annoyance. “I swear that kid ate her way down here from Atlanta.”
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get you inside and settled.”
“Oh, this house is lovely, Chloe,” Isabelle said, following me up the stairs. “No wonder you wanted to stay here.”
“Thanks. Yeah, it’s pretty special. Here’s your room,” I told her, pointing to the room on my right. “And Haley, you’re right down here.”
I walked in behind Haley and deposited her luggage on the deacon bench. “I hope you’ll like it.”
Still clutching Basil in her arms, she looked around and nodded. “It’s pretty,” was all she said.
I could see that the extra weight wasn’t the only thing that had changed about Haley.
“Okay, then. Well, you can get unpacked and I’ll be in the kitchen at the back of the house when you’re ready to come down.”
“Thanks,” she said, flopping on the bed with Basil.
I stuck my head into Isabelle’s room. “Everything okay?”
“Oh, gosh, yes. This room is gorgeous, Chloe. Thank you so much for inviting us to spend some time here.”
“My pleasure. I’ll be in the kitchen. Just go through the living room to the back of the house.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I pulled mugs from the cabinet and debated whether to put out the lemon squares that Marta had prepared for me. But from the evidence in the car, it didn’t appear that Haley was on any healthy food plan. I placed them on a small platter and then flipped the switch on the coffeemaker.
“Chloe, this house is simply gorgeous. You were so fortunate to find it.”
I turned around and smiled at Isabelle. “Sometimes I think it was more a case of the house finding me.”
“And this kitchen . . . my God, it’s every chef’s dream.”
She walked to the French doors and exclaimed over the patio and garden area. “It’s all so pretty. Oh, is that where the yarn shop will be?” She pointed toward the old schoolhouse.
“Yeah, it is. I’ll take you out there later and also show you the fishpond. Ready for coffee?”
She waved a hand in the air. “I’d much prefer something stronger, if you have it.”
“Sure. How about a glass of wine?”
“Definitely.”
I filled two glasses and passed one to her. “Cheers and welcome to Koi House.”
“Cheers,” she repeated.
“Where’s Haley? Is she coming down?”
She took another sip of wine and shook her head. “Who knows about that kid? Honestly, Chloe, I’m at my wits’ end with her. Her weight is out of control. She takes no interest in what she looks like. Her attitude is barely tolerable. You have no idea what I’ve gone through this past year. Maybe if she paid more attention to her appearance, she’d have some friends and not be bullied.”
I was about to reply when I heard Haley say, “I’m sorry if I embarrass you, Mom, but it wouldn’t make any difference if I looked like a teen film star. They just don’t like me.”
I spun around to see Haley and didn’t miss the hurt expression on her face.
It didn’t appear that Isabelle was going to retract what she’d said, so I walked over to pull Haley into an embrace. “You know what? You’re probably very right. Mean girls are simply that. Mean girls. It doesn’t have a thing to do with how you look, or how you act or what you do. It’s about them, Haley, not you.”
I felt her head nod against my shoulder as she returned my hug, and when she pulled away I saw the hint of a smile cross her lips.
“Can Basil go out in the yard?” she asked.
“Sure. But would you like something to eat or drink first?”
“No, thanks.”
“The yarn shop is unlocked and the workers have gone for the day, so you can browse in there, and Basil will show you around the fishpond.”
“Thanks,” she said, following him out the door.
Isabelle let out an exasperated sigh. “She’s driving me crazy, Chloe. I’m not sure we’ll survive her teen years.”
I let out a chuckle. “Trust me, you will. Come on; let’s go sit on the patio.” I noticed that her wineglass was empty. “A refill?” I asked.
“Sure.”
I refilled her glass and we walked outside.
“This is so beautiful.”
“I’ll show you the yarn and tea shop,” I said, and noticed that Haley was sitting on a bench in the fishpond area.
When we stepped inside, Isabelle gasped. “Oh, Chloe. It’s perfect.” She walked to the back to check out the tea shop. “What a great place for a business. I know you’ll enjoy working here. By the way, I saw all the bins of yarn in the hallway upstairs. Is that for the shop?”
I laughed. “No, I’m ashamed to say that’s my private stash. Grace brought those to me last week and I haven’t had a chance to get the bins put away in my closet yet.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking about learning how to knit. I thought maybe you could teach me while I’m here.”
“Absolutely. I’d love to. No knitter ever turns down the chance to recruit a new knitter.”
We walked back over to the patio area and Isabelle pointed over the fence. “Is that where Mavis Anne lives with her brother?”
I nodded. “Yes, with David and his partner, Clive. You’ll meet all of them while you’re here and Yarrow too.”
“His partner? Is her brother gay?”
“Yeah, David and Clive have been together for years.”
“Oh,” was all she said.
“So do you hear anything from Roger?”
Isabelle took another sip of wine. “Well, the divorce will become final in a few weeks, so we got together to go over the details. He’s really being quite generous with me financially. He’s even agreed to foot the entire bill for Haley’s college education.”
“That’s great. It takes a lot of the burden off of you. So do you think you’ll stay in the house till Haley graduates high school?”
“I have no idea what I’m doing. Most days I feel like I’m spinning in circles. Haley is so obviously unhappy and I think she actually blames me for the breakup with her father.”
“But that’s silly. He’s the one who left you for somebody else, right?”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter to Haley. All she knows is that her life as she knew it is gone forever. Much like mine is.”
I thought back to when Parker left me and let out a sigh. “I remember those days well. I
t’s so scary to feel like you’re drifting. Nothing solid to hold on to. While your old life is gone, you have to realize that new chapters are waiting for you. You just have to be brave and strong enough to open the book.”
Isabelle nodded and a smile crossed her lips. “I’m beginning to see why Dad was attracted to you. You’ve been through a lot yourself, and yet . . .” She gestured around the garden area. “It seems you’ve ended up where you’re supposed to be.”
I smiled and patted her hand. “And I have no doubt that eventually you will too.”
Chapter 33
Over the next week Isabelle and Haley met Mavis Anne, David, Clive, and Yarrow, in addition to Maddie and Marta.
I looked up from the newspaper I was reading with my coffee when Isabelle walked into the kitchen.
“Mornin’,” she mumbled.
“Coffee’s ready,” I told her.
She poured herself a mug and joined me at the table.
“Have you and Haley already had your walk?”
“Oh, yeah. We were both up at six and walking the beach with Basil within an hour.”
“I don’t know how you do it. I can barely get her to move away from her computer at home.”
I wasn’t sure how I’d accomplished this feat either. The night they’d arrived I just got the idea of mentioning to Haley that Basil and I loved walking the beach in the morning, hoping to entice her into an exercise regime. And it worked. She jumped at the idea, said she’d set her alarm and would be ready to go shortly after six. So for five days straight we had walked for an hour.
“Where is she now?” Isabelle questioned. “Gone back to bed?”
I laughed. “No. She’s next door with Mavis Anne, working on her knitting.”
“Good luck to her. I think I’m hopeless,” she said, letting out a huge yawn.
Although Isabelle retired to her room by nine most evenings, I had a feeling she wasn’t going to sleep, because she never arrived downstairs before ten in the morning.
“You’ll catch on,” I told her. “But you know the old saying, practice makes perfect.”
“Hmm. So what’s on the schedule for today?”
“Well, Haley wanted to go to the beach for a couple hours, so I thought I’d pack a picnic lunch for us and we could chill out there for the afternoon.”
Isabelle yawned again. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll just chill here. I have a bit of a headache.”
“Sure, that’s fine. There’s Tylenol in your bathroom cabinet if you need some.”
I got up to prepare a lunch for Haley and me. Having pulled out the wicker basket from the closet, I opened the fridge and began to fill the basket with turkey breast, cheese, rice cakes, and fresh fruit. I added four bottles of water and some napkins.
Then I sliced a couple of tomatoes and cucumbers and put them into a Tupperware container.
“That should do it,” I said.
Isabelle was refilling her coffee and peered into the basket. “You don’t honestly think Haley will eat that for lunch, do you? She’s more a burger and fries kind of girl.”
I laughed. “I don’t think she is so much. I’ve only offered her healthy choices since she’s been here and she hasn’t complained at all.”
Isabelle shrugged. “That’s all great but I seriously doubt it’ll last once we get back home.”
It was one of those perfect afternoons to be on the beach. There was a great east wind coming off the Atlantic, which helped to diminish the heat and humidity of the day. The sun was strong and white, puffy clouds dotted the sky. I had parked in the lot at Andy Romano Park and we found a good spot to set up our beach chairs on the sand close to the restrooms and shaded picnic table area. Since it was a weekday, the beach wasn’t overly crowded.
I didn’t say anything when I noticed that Haley wasn’t removing her shorts and T-shirt to reveal her bathing suit underneath. She settled herself in her chair, put on her sunglasses after applying sunscreen, and reclined her head back.
“This is so nice, Chloe. I never get to the beach in Atlanta. I hate living inland and not near the water.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ve always lived very close to the water and I know I’d miss it terribly. Well, good, then. I’m glad we came today. It’s too bad your mother couldn’t join us.”
“Whatever,” was all she said.
After a few minutes, I said, “I hope you’re enjoying your stay here.”
She sat up straighter in her chair and looked at me. “Oh, I am, Chloe. I love it here. I’d love to stay here forever.”
“But you don’t have any friends here and—” I started to say.
Haley laughed. “Yeah, right. Like I have so many at home. You have no idea how much I dread going back to school next month.”
“That’s a shame. School should be fun. Well, at least a little bit.”
“It’s not for me. I’m not interested in the things the other girls are. Not that they’d invite me to join them.”
“What are you interested in, Haley?”
She shot me a look of surprise. “Me?” she asked, as if nobody had ever bothered to ask her that question before.
I nodded.
“Well . . . I like music just like they do. But I also love to read, and I think they’re lucky to get through a textbook. I love to draw and . . .”
“Really? I had no idea you enjoyed drawing. Anything in particular?”
“You won’t laugh?”
“No, of course not.”
“I like to draw fashions. Clothes. I know—” She let out a sarcastic chuckle. “I walk around looking like a fat, dowdy loser . . . but I love using my imagination and drawing clothes.”
“Wow, Haley, I’m impressed. Are you thinking of becoming a fashion designer someday?”
“Yes, but my mother said if I don’t lose some weight and start looking better, nobody will take me seriously.”
“I’m not sure that’s exactly true, but for health reasons, I do think eating well and exercising is important. You’ve done super since you’ve been here, Haley. We’ve walked every morning and you’ve been eating healthy food. You just have to continue doing the same when you go home.”
“I doubt that will happen.”
“Why not?”
She let out a sigh. “Well, I don’t like walking alone and I have nobody to walk with. I even asked my mom if I could get a dog. I’d love to have a dog, and we could walk every day just like you do with Basil. And the food? My mom barely cooks anymore.”
Now I sat up straighter in my chair. “What do you mean, she barely cooks? She cooked some very nice meals when I was at your house last year with your grandfather.”
“I don’t know what happened, but most nights we either get takeout or I have leftover pizza. Mom spends a lot of time in her room.”
No wonder this poor kid had gained so much weight. What the hell was up with Isabelle being so irresponsible?
“It sounds like she’s depressed,” I said.
“Could be,” Haley replied. “And Chloe? Thanks for being so nice to me. I hope you don’t mind, but I consider you like a grandmother to me.”
I felt my eyes well up with tears. “Mind?” I reached for her hand and gripped it. “I’m flattered you’d want me as your surrogate grandmother, Haley. I have no grandchildren and I couldn’t ask for a better granddaughter.”
Haley squeezed my hand and smiled. “Good. I never hear from Mom’s mother and my dad’s mother passed away when I was really small. And besides, Grandpa loved you and I think he’d be happy about us.”
I thought Gabe would be happy too.
A few hours later we were packing up our picnic to go home when my cell rang. I looked at the caller ID to see it was Yarrow.
“Hey, what’s up?” I said.
“Please don’t worry—everything is fine. Really. I just wanted to let you know that Basil is over at my aunt’s house.”
“What? Is he okay? What happened?”
“He’s fine, Chloe. Well . . . apparently . . . Isabelle had gone out to the store and when she came back, she left open the front door and the gate to the driveway. Basil escaped but thank God, he ran over to my aunt’s house. But she refuses to let the little guy go back home and she’s keeping him with her till you get back.”
“We’re on our way,” I told her. “We’re just packing up.”
“I can’t believe my mother was so irresponsible,” Haley said as I pulled onto A1A.
“Neither can I.”
Haley and I walked into David’s home to find Mavis Anne sitting on the sofa with Basil curled up in her lap. As soon as he saw us, he jumped down and ran to greet us. Haley picked him up and I leaned over to place a kiss on top of his head.
“What the heck happened?” I said, flopping down in a chair.
“Well, you’ll have to get the details from Isabelle, but I guess she went to the store, came back, and neglected to close the driveway gate and the front door. This little rascal ran off. It would have been much worse if he’d run out onto Granada Boulevard. I’m just very grateful he ran over here.”
“So am I,” I said as relief washed over me.
Chapter 34
After eight days of Haley’s visit, I began to notice a distinct change in her. Her attitude seemed to improve, she seemed perkier, and with Mavis Anne’s diligent teaching, she was mastering the skill of knitting very quickly. But while Haley seemed headed in a good direction, I was concerned about Isabelle.
She had apologized profusely for what she called her stupidity concerning Basil. She told me she’d gone to the store to get something for her headache, came back and then went directly to her room to lie down. I thought it odd she’d found it necessary to go to the store since I’d told her there was Tylenol in her bathroom.