An Offering of Hope

by Greenwood Muir, Diane

  "Go ahead," Polly said.

  "Can we do anything more for you?" Hayden asked.

  She shook her head. "Take your wife upstairs and relax. You've had a long day after a long weekend. I'm glad your doctor's appointment went well this afternoon."

  "I saw all those laundry baskets up there," Cat said. "I'll help you work on that tomorrow night, but maybe Hayden could bring them down?"

  "That would be fine. I don't guarantee they’ll be finished, but if they're down here, they're that much closer." Polly folded the damp towels into a stack, took a last quick look around the kitchen, and went over to the sofas at the other end of the room. Obiwan and Han had found their normal spots, eliminating any possibility of her stretching out. Noah had been here. Two stacks of books sat in front of where he usually sat. A pile of folded laundry from her mad dash around the house this morning sat on a side table and five small race cars were lined up in a row on the other table. She didn't want to look any closer than that.

  Polly arranged two pillows that she picked up off the floor at one end of a sofa and sat down to lean against them. This was such a perfect location. Since most everyone in the family used the back steps, she could keep an eye on their movement around the house. At least that way, she knew where everyone was in the evening and she nearly always got an opportunity to talk to the kids as they went past.

  The dogs jumped up from their spots on the sofa and ran to the porch. That had to be Henry returning from taking Agnes home. This was the first time in a long time that everyone was in the house at the same time. It felt normal and nice.

  "Polly?"

  "Back here."

  "Dogs need to go outside?"

  "They wouldn't hate it." She started to get up and he waved her back down as he walked past to the sliding glass doors. Obiwan and Han didn't need any encouragement and dashed out into the night. "Thanks for taking Agnes home."

  "She told me I needed to get off my ass and hire you some help."

  "Just like that, didn't she."

  "Those exact words. Polly, why haven't you done anything about this?" He moved the blanket and sat in Obiwan's spot.

  "I don't know. I don't want just anyone. As soon as I find the right person, I'll hire them, but until then …" She threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know. It's frustrating. I know you're frustrated. I keep thinking the kids will be better help than they are, but I can't expect them to give up all their free time to clean this monstrosity of a house. When we got home from school tonight, I started to give them a list of tasks they needed to complete before dinner and it hit me that they are kids. I can't do that to them. They sat in classrooms all day. I expect them to be quiet and respectful at school, but once they get home, they should be able to run and play."

  "Agnes told me something happened with Elijah."

  "That's another of those long stories that we need privacy and quiet to discuss."

  "Do I need to be involved?"

  "Not yet. I think he can take care of it for now. We might step in later. We'll see. Henry, you should have seen him when Rebecca came home tonight. He didn't want to let her go. Those kids are going to be miserable when the older ones move out."

  "Life is about change. Our job is to teach them to cope with it, not protect them from it."

  Polly chuckled. "You learned that from me."

  "They're good words."

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Rain and more rain. This was tiresome. Polly had texted Andrea Waters and Mona Bright early this morning to let them know that she'd drive the kids to school. Nothing like being a bus driver for a two-block trip. The kids all had their assigned seats. Well, seats that they'd assigned themselves. The girls — Lara, Abby, and Rose — took the very back. Lara Waters glared down any boy who tried to join them. Nat, Caleb, and Elijah took the next seat. JaRon and Cassidy sat right behind Polly, and Noah, as the oldest, sat up front with Polly. If any more kids moved into the neighborhood, she was going to be in trouble.

  Henry still hadn't sold the big house around the corner. He wasn’t worried, so she tried not to think about it. The outer walls were completed, and they were finishing the interior. He'd hoped to have a buyer before making decisions about floors, counters and fixtures, but so far, nothing yet. She wanted to see a family with kids move in; the house was designed for that. It would be fun to have another big family in the neighborhood.

  The eyesore across the street had yet to come down. Polly had talked to several people and they agreed that it would make a nice little park for the neighborhood, but that corner was prime real estate. Why no one had purchased it yet, she didn't know, and so far, she hadn't had time to deal with it.

  She drove past Sweet Beans and gave a sad little wave before turning south. They were having a meeting this morning about the bed and breakfast open house. If she'd called, Sal would bring coffee, but there was always a pot in the kitchen. Tuesday mornings were busy at Sycamore House.

  Polly parked between Eliseo's truck and Jason's car down by the barn. No one was outside this morning. The cold rain was no fun and they were forecasting snow next week. She hoped that wasn't true. It was only October.

  She still loved working in the addition by herself. That wouldn’t last much longer. Jeff and Edna were doing initial interviews for an assistant for Edna this week. When that person was hired, they planned to move the department into the rooms above Polly. She had no idea why she felt so possessive of this entire wing, but she did. It was all hers.

  As she hung her jacket on the coat tree, she laughed at herself. It surely had something to do with the fact that her entire life was filled with people. She loved them all, but here in this office, for the first part of every morning, her time and space belonged to no one else. Nobody needed to know that she treasured these quiet moments as much as she did.

  Polly powered on her computer and turned to look out the windows at the pasture. Stall doors opened and the donkeys were the first animals to run outside. They didn't care about the rain and chased each other across to the far end. The Percherons were a little slower to leave the protection of the barn. Demi wasn't having it and stayed under the overhang.

  She saw Jason open the front door. He pulled a hood up over his head, glanced at the sky, then toward Sycamore House. He must have made a decision, because he slammed the door closed behind him, ran to the gates and headed for the main building.

  Much as she enjoyed her quiet time, she needed coffee, so Polly ran out and got to the door in time to open it for Jason.

  "Good morning," she said.

  "Wet enough for you?"

  She laughed out loud. "I have a bunch of umbrellas at home. You'd think I would remember to grab one when I walk out the door, but I never do. How are you?"

  Jason held the door open to the main part of Sycamore House and she walked through. "I'm okay."

  "What are you doing up here?" She wasn't going to press him about Mel. At least not yet.

  "I have a bunch of invoices to drop off to Mrs. Dahlman. Eliseo had a pile down there and she needs them." He unzipped his jacket and pulled a sheaf of papers out. "He said he forgot."

  "He never forgets those things."

  Jason laughed. "You'd be surprised. Sometimes his office gets way out of control. With the move up at the stables this weekend, he's been too busy to be organized. I usually have to remind him anyway." He nodded. "That's one of those things I should talk to Noah about. It's kind of our job to keep an eye on the paperwork."

  "I'm going to get some coffee and see what Rachel has for breakfast. Do you have a few minutes?"

  "I guess."

  "Would you like me to get a coffee for you?"

  "Nah. I'm good."

  "Anything to eat?"

  He chuckled. "Everyone's always trying to feed me. Mom made breakfast, Eliseo offered me food, and now you. Do I look like I'm fading away?"

  "I'd like to say that you're a growing boy, but Jason, you need to stop getting taller." Jason was over six feet
now and he'd thickened out into a solid young man with muscles that came from hard work. He had thick dark hair and was growing a beard. Sylvie wasn't thrilled with the beard, but Polly thought it looked nice. With as much work as he did outside, it would help keep his face warm this winter.

  "I hope I'm done," he said with a smile. "Let me drop this off with Mrs. Dahlman."

  Polly nodded and waved at Kristen as she went past toward the kitchen.

  "Good morning, Polly," Rachel said. She was standing at the front counter with her laptop open. "We made sausage gravy and biscuits for the meeting upstairs this morning. Would you like some?"

  "Just coffee."

  Lyndi, Rachel's assistant, came into the kitchen from the back hallway, carrying a tray. "Hi, Polly," she said with a shy smile. She dropped the tray on one of the prep tables. "We have extra biscuits, Rachel. What do you want me to do with these?"

  Rachel turned and smiled. "Freezer. I'm making bread pudding on Thursday."

  "I'd have a biscuit," Polly said quietly. "Do you have any of that rhubarb jam left?" She'd been so busy getting the kids out of the house this morning, that she'd gotten no breakfast. If there had been time to stop at Sweet Beans, she'd have gotten something there, and lunch was a long time away.

  "No time for Sweet Beans?" Rachel asked. She reached underneath the counter, took out a plate and accepted a basket from Lyndi. "Take these back to your office." After loading a tray with biscuits, jam, napkins, and cutlery, Rachel poured a large mug of coffee and set it down.

  "I love Sweet Beans," Polly said, "but you take very good care of me. Thank you. Now if I can stop myself from eating all of these."

  "I took the calories out when I brought them downstairs," Lyndi said with a smile. "You're safe."

  "See. You all are so good to me." Polly picked up the tray. "I'll bring this back.”

  Polly felt a little guilty about taking so much food back to her office. Maybe Jason would eat something. There wasn't much time before the morning meeting. Judy Greene and Sal, along with Marie Sturtz and her sister-in-law, Betty Mercer, would show up soon. If she was going to press Jason about Mel, it would have to happen in a hurry.

  He was standing at one of the back windows looking out over the pasture when she walked in.

  "These paintings by Mrs. Watson are really cool," he said. "I never took the time to look at them."

  "She's amazing. Rachel sent biscuits with me. Are you sure you won't have one? There are too many here for me."

  Jason came around to the front of the desk, shaking his head. "No. Really. I'm not hungry. But, go ahead."

  "Thank you," she said with a laugh. "I'm starving. Too much going on with the kids this morning."

  "I don't know how you do it."

  "Most of the time, neither do I. But at least I have help." Polly sat down beside him in front of her desk. She picked up her coffee and closed her eyes. There was nothing quite like the warmth on her fingers and the scent in front of her nose.

  "So, what did you want?" he asked.

  "Oh, sorry." She giggled. "All these years and I still get lost in my coffee. I don't know. You're in and out of here all the time and we never talk. How's school?"

  "It's okay. I'll be glad when it's done. I just want to work. And then I want to move out and find my own place. Mom's cool and everything, but it's time. Don't you think?"

  "That's up to you. If I had my way, my kids would live with me for the rest of their lives. I like having them around."

  "Yeah, but you don't mother them."

  "What?" She gave him a sideways look. "I do that all the time."

  "Not Heath and Hayden. You let them do what they want."

  "I guess. They don't take advantage of it, so it's easy."

  "I'll bet when your little boys grow up, you'll mother them, but have you ever made Heath clean a bathroom?"

  "I don't remember. Maybe once, but he rarely talked back to me. That all started when Rebecca got sassy."

  He laughed. "She’s a strong-willed girl. She's good for Andrew. He never knows what to think. I hope they stay together forever. Relationships are hard."

  "They are." Polly sat forward. "I know about you and Mel."

  "I figured that's why you wanted to talk to me. I'm fine."

  "I know that. You're a strong young man. It still stinks."

  Jason sucked in a long breath. "I thought we'd be together forever, but then she went away to school and it's like we live two totally different lives. I don't even know who she is anymore. She doesn't want to live in Bellingwood after she graduates. She acts like it's some hick town that won't let her grow up. But you like it here, right?"

  "I love it here. And Bellingwood is growing and changing."

  "Exactly. New things are going on all the time. I don't want to live anywhere else, but if she would have asked, I'd have followed her."

  "That would have taken you away from everything and everyone you loved."

  He nodded. "I know. But it didn't even come up. She just kind of moved on. I knew it last summer, but she wasn't ready to talk about it. When I asked her this weekend when she was coming home or when she'd have time for me to go visit, she finally just told me she thought we should be done."

  "I'm sorry."

  "It's okay." He looked down and then shrugged and looked back up at Polly. "Have you ever really watched Andrew and Rebecca together?"

  "Yeah. I guess."

  "No, I mean really paid attention to them. Polly, they are so meant to be together. When she talks, he looks as if he's hearing angels speak."

  Polly laughed out loud.

  "He's totally in love with her. And when he talks to her, she acts like he's the smartest person she's ever known. I mean, I know he's smart and everything, but she treats him like he's a genius. And the thing is, he's smarter when she's around. He tries to live up to what she thinks of him. And when I watch Mom and Eliseo, they're kind of like that too. You and Henry are perfect together. I never had that with Mel. We just drifted together and then we drifted apart."

  She reached over and put her hand on his knee. "I know you're lonely right now; you were comfortable in that relationship. You had someone to talk to about your day and your dreams."

  "I really didn't," he said. "We didn't talk so much anymore."

  "Then it's good that you drifted apart now rather than later when the commitment was so much deeper."

  "I figured we were going to get married. Last year I was planning my whole life. I know that plan is out the window, but it feels weird not thinking about it anymore. Get married, get an apartment, make enough money to buy a house, move into a little house and have a baby, then maybe another baby, and then we'd buy a bigger house."

  "Like me?" she asked with a chuckle.

  His face froze. "Never that big and not that many kids. Ever. I still don't know how you do it."

  "Like I said, I have a lot of help. You know, you don't have to give up on the plan."

  "But I don't have anyone."

  "And you think that's a permanent thing?"

  "Nobody in Bellingwood is interested in me."

  "You're going to school in Boone. No one in any of your classes? No one anywhere on campus?"

  "No."

  "Hmm, interesting. What if you were to start looking at the girls differently?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "You aren't connected to Mel any longer. I wonder if the girls you know will suddenly seem different now that you're available."

  The two of them spun at the sound of a rap on Polly's door.

  "Am I interrupting?" Sal asked. "I got here a few minutes early."

  Jason jumped up. "Hi, Mrs. Ogden. I just stopped in to talk to Polly. I need to get back to the barn. Eliseo probably wonders where I went." He was out the door before Polly could even say good-bye.

  "I didn't mean to chase him off," Sal said.

  Polly blinked. "That's fine. I think he was done talking to me anyway."

  "Were you giving him
advice?"

  "I don't really know. Maybe. What's up with you?"

  Sal closed Polly's door and walked across the room to sit in the seat Jason had vacated. "I've done it again."

  "Done what?"

  "I'm pregnant."

  "Wow. Congratulations? When are you due?"

  "June."

  "Do you and Mark have a date when you plan to conceive and then make sure you have lots of sex?"

  "It feels like it. I know I said I wanted a big family, but this is happening really fast." Sal grinned. "Not that I'm complaining, but I've been pregnant a lot."

  "Have you told your parents?"

  "No. Mother will tell me that dogs have litters. She believes couples shouldn't have more than one or two children."

  "Because it's her business?"

  "Everything is her business. Just ask her. If there's an opinion to be had, Mother has it and makes sure that everyone knows what it is. She doesn't consider whether or not they are interested, she just spits it right out there. I keep trying to convince her to move to Paris or London."

  "Do you believe an ocean would be enough distance between the two of you?"

  "Probably not. Mark and I talked last night. We were fine in his little house with the two boys, but we can't fit another child in that house. It’s time to move."

  "You should buy the house that the Andersons started. You know, the one around the corner from me?"

  Sal sat up straight. "Are you serious?"

  "About you buying the house? Yeah. That would be awesome."

  "Could you put up with me living that close to you?"

  Polly laughed. "I'd make you go home sometimes, but why not?"

  "We hadn't even thought about where we'd move. It's just an idea right now."

  "If you want to buy the house, you should talk to Henry right away. He's about to work on the interior. Fixtures, counter tops, flooring, walls."

  "Tell him to stop working until Mark and I get a chance to discuss it. You'd really be okay with me living that close?"