Look Always Forward (Bellingwood Book 11) (28 page)

Rebecca had run to Jessie and Molly's apartment to help them get ready for the evening. The band was warming up at the west end of the street, while tables and chairs filled in the other end. People brought picnic suppers and came out early to enjoy the last Friday evening of the summer before school started.

"I can't believe I haven't seen you this week," Sal said, coming up behind Polly. "Where have you been? Have you seen the numbers yet? We're doing great for not even really being open."

Polly stood up and gave her friend a hug. "I think you're open. For good. It's going well."

Sal leaned in. "I'm so glad Camille fired that Helena lady. She was strange. Always talking to me about what I should be doing to run the place. I couldn't get any work done." She bent over and picked up her dachshund.

"Where's the other one," Polly asked.

"With Mark somewhere." Sal looked around. "He's decided that it's okay if he walks with a dog that is orders of magnitude shorter than him."

"Because it was either that or...?" Polly asked.

"Or I got creative with torture. He didn't want to find out what I meant by that."

"Do you want to join us? We have plenty of extra chairs. Henry put everything we had into the truck."

"I'm going to the coffee shop. Camille has been putting a lot of hours in this week, so I said I'd help."

"You? Make coffee?"

Sal laughed. "No. I'm not making coffee, but I am good at taking money and chatting it up with the customers. I need to find Mark and hand off a dog. Stop in later. I miss you."

Polly gave her another quick hug and watched her walk away.

Lydia, Andy and Beryl crossed the street, laden with totes. Well, Beryl was carrying a card table.

"Can we join you?" Lydia asked.

"Of course," Polly said. She took one of the totes from Lydia and put it in her chair, then helped Beryl snap the legs out on the table.

"Sweetums boy is coming with chairs," Lydia said. "He made me late. You know how I hate being late."

"How did he make you late?"

Beryl snorted with laughter. "You know them, they were probably necking in the kitchen and she couldn't get her food packed up."

"Stop it, you," Lydia said. She reached out to swat her friend, but Beryl danced backwards, nearly falling into Henry.

"Whoa there," he said. "I've got you."

She fell into his arms and swooned. "Yes you do, hot stuff. Would your wife mind terribly if I fell for you?"

He whispered, "I won't tell if you don't."

"Oh, he's a good one," Beryl said, standing up and wiping her brow. "Where's the rest of your crew?"

Polly looked up. "My crew?"

"Yeah. Your people. You have a lot of them, you know. Where are the kids and Eliseo? Where's Sylvie and that cute girl who runs your office?"

"I don't know," Polly said with a laugh. "Rebecca went to get Jessie and Molly. Sylvie is probably at the bakery and after that, I've got nothing."

Lydia stepped over to Polly and slid an arm around her waist. "Do you or do you not have another family member? And did Jim's things fit him?" She released Polly and took up the tote bag from Polly's chair.

"Jim's things were perfect. I think he appreciated having extra clothes and for now, I do have another family member. He's with his older brother tonight. They're here somewhere. But I think they need to spend time together. Hayden came this afternoon and after quite a bit of discussion, tears and other emotions, Heath is staying with us for the immediate future. His brother can't manage all that he has going on and try to take care of a high school kid at the same time. We can help, so we will."

"This isn't going to be easy, you know," Lydia said. "That boy's been nothing but trouble since his parents died."

"Do you blame him?" Polly asked. "Everything I know about his aunt and uncle tells me that he didn't have a chance. Henry and I will give him the best chance we can and I have plenty of people around who will help."

"Yes you do," Beryl said. "And I've never known anyone like you when it comes to making people think that the best thing they could do is help you out. It's amazing. You really let people do what they're good at."

"I can't do it all," Polly replied. "Heck, I can't do any of it. I don't know the first thing about raising kids, but I do know when someone needs to feel safe."

"He does need that," Lydia agreed. "Aaron said Rebecca pretty much took charge of him last night."

Polly laughed out loud. "He's putty in her hands. She'll be the one who makes sure he turns into a nice young man. Every single motherly instinct in that little girl found a place to land. It's too bad she won't be able to keep an eye on him during the day, but heaven help him if he gets out of line. This afternoon I heard her going through his things with him. She told him what he could and couldn't wear to school. And then she took off on a diatribe about good grades and how those would get him a scholarship so he could go to college and not be a drain on his brother. Since he had two years left in high school, he'd better make sure that he hunkered down and did the work." Polly looked at her audience. "She used those words, 'hunker down.' I just tried not to laugh."

"What are you doing about all of this legally?" Andy asked. "Don't his aunt and uncle have custody?"

"They're turning it over to us as soon as papers get drawn up," Polly said. "We offered to let Hayden be his guardian, but all of us think it makes more sense for me and Henry to do that. We can afford it financially - health insurance, any legal fees that come up from this trouble with Ladd Berant, school stuff. When he graduates from high school, he'll be eighteen and can decide where to go from there. If I could, I'd take both boys into our family, but Hayden has been independent since his parents died. We don't want to take that from him. However, he knows that we're here for him. He gets it."

"I don't know how you do it," Beryl said.

"What?"

"You just met these boys and you've already become their family. How do you do that?"

"I don't know," Polly said. "It's the right thing to do and nothing is going to change except that Heath has a safe place to live with people who will care about him."

"But you're going to be their family for holidays and birthdays, aren't you," she said.

"I suppose. Why wouldn't I?"

Beryl shook her head. "You don't even understand how odd it is. That's what we love about you. Your heart is right out there and the world just accepts that. How have you not been tainted by the cynicism that the rest of us carry?"

"I'll let you hold onto it for now," Polly said. "Because what you give me is love. Look around," she said, gesturing to the street that was filling with people. "There are very few people who wouldn't help me out if I needed something from them. Right?"

Beryl nodded in agreement.

"Then why wouldn't I do whatever I can to help someone else?"

The woman threw up her hands and turned to her friends. "We've just got to let her be who she is, don't we."

Lydia smiled. "And we'll do our best to back her up." She pointed up the street. "Look who's coming. I haven't seen this baby in weeks. She's growing up so fast."

"Polly!" Rebecca called, pushing the stroller beside Jessie.

"Hi honey," Polly said. "Hi Jessie."

Jessie smiled. "How are you? Rebecca says you've taken in another stray."

"I didn't call him a stray," Rebecca protested. "He's just a kid who needs us."

Jessie winked at the girl. "You know you're learning from the best, don't you?"

Rebecca reached in and picked Molly up, then handed the child to Lydia. "You look like you need a baby fix." She turned to Polly. "I know you don't need one." As soon as she released the baby, she took Polly's hand. "You really are the best. This year is going to be great."

Henry put his hand on Polly's shoulder. "Are they giving you trouble about rescuing people again?"

"They never stop," she said. "But that's okay. They're the reason I have the courage to keep at it." She turned and kissed his cheek. "And you too. I couldn't do any of this by myself."

Bill and Marie Sturtz crossed the street toward them. Marie had a basket in one hand and a chair in the other, while Bill carried another table.

A tap on Polly's shoulder caused her to turn around. Jason was standing there with his two friends. He handed her another basket. "Mom sent that," he said. "Eliseo's on his way up. We're going to go see who's here."

"Where's Andrew?"

"He's taking care of Padme and then is coming over."

"Okay, have fun."

Kayla and Stephanie walked down the sidewalk toward them and Rebecca broke away to greet her friend.

"This family just keeps getting bigger and bigger," Henry whispered in her ear.

"I'm having the time of my life," she replied.

Don’t miss the first books in
Diane Greenwood Muir’s

Bellingwood Series

All Roads Lead Home – Bellingwood #1
A Big Life in a Small Town – Bellingwood #2
Treasure Uncovered – Bellingwood #3
Secrets and Revelations – Bellingwood #4
Life Between the Lines – Bellingwood #5
Room at the Inn – Bellingwood #5.5
A Season of Change – Bellingwood #6
Tomorrow's Promises – Bellingwood #7
Through the Storm – Bellingwood #8
A Perfect Honeymoon – Bellingwood #8.5
Pages of the Past – Bellingwood #9
The River Rolls On – Bellingwood #10

A short story based
on the Biblical Book of Ruth (Kindle only)
Abiding Love

I’m so glad you enjoy these stories about Polly Giller and her friends. There are many ways to stay in touch with Diane and the Bellingwood community.

You can find more details about Sycamore House and Bellingwood at the website:
http://nammynools.com/

Join the Bellingwood Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pollygiller

for news about upcoming books, conversations while I’m writing and you’re reading, and a continued look at life in a small town.

Diane Greenwood Muir’s
Amazon Author Page
is a great place to watch for new releases.

Follow Diane on Twitter at
twitter.com/nammynools
for regular updates and notifications.

Recipes and decorating ideas found in the books can often be found on Pinterest at:
http://pinterest.com/nammynools/

And, if you are looking for Sycamore House swag, check out Polly’s CafePress store:
http://www.cafepress.com/sycamorehouse

Writing these books is such a joy. I've met incredible people who are only in my life because of Bellingwood. What more could a girl ask for.

A special thank you to those people who answer questions for me when I ask. You'll meet a new character in this book who shows up courtesy of a few well-placed questions from Brad Hickson. He and his wife, Kate have become great friends and without him, Alistair Greyson wouldn't exist.

Jancie Ter Louw, another reader, has become an invaluable resource for Sylvie's new bakery. Her passion for recipes, food and its history will be peppered throughout the books as Sylvie expands her business.

Thank you to Rebecca Bauman, Linda Watson, Carol Greenwood, Alice Stewart, Fran Neff, Max Muir, Edna Fleming, Dave Muir, Linda Baker, and Nancy Quist for all they do to make these books happen.

These people will never know how much they mean to me. It isn't easy to trust people with the raw, barely edited version of my soul's work. They encourage me, while making corrections and asking good questions about the story. They each uncover unique issues and my book gets better and better. I appreciate their gift of time and attention.