As Time Goes By (The Californians 2) by Lori Wick Page A
Authors: Lori Wick
Tags: Fiction, Historical fiction, General, Romance, Historical, Christian fiction, Religious, Christian, Frontier and Pioneer Life - California, INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE
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gave Marcail a quick hug, and smiled at Bobbie, but his thoughts seemed far away and the ride to the Taylors' was fairly quiet.
"I thought Jeff was coming to lunch," Sylvia's sister
commented when she came in alone after church. "We had a fight." 'gain?"
"Yes, again," the younger girl snapped. "He's not doing anything right. He wanted me to have lunch at his house today."
"So why didn't you? Surely you didn't come here on our account." Sandra's voice was dripping with malice.
She had tliought it was going to be such fun having her sister stay with her, but Sylvia hadn't grown up at all in the years she was away from Santa Rosa. She was as self-centered and conniving as she had been when they were kids. Carl had been on her to get Sylvia to end her visit and go home, but Sandra didn't know how to tell her, so she not only had to put up with Sylvia's childish behavior but her husband's angry words to boot.
As Time Goes By 113
"I didn't want to have lunch there," Sylvia went on as though explaining something to a simple child. "I can't ever get Jeff alone at his house. There are people every where. And I'm never going to get Jeff to propose to me if I don't get him alone."
Sylvia had told herself that she was never going to tell Sandra her plans for Jeff, but she was growing desperate. And just as she suspected, this news was not well re ceived by her sister.
"Sylvia, you can't be serious."
"I don't know what you mean," Sylvia stated, but it was a lie.
"If you're in love with Jeff, why are you seeing other men?"
The younger woman tossed her head with an indig nant sniff. "I should have known you wouldn't under stand. Not all men are like Carl, you know. They don't all just fall at your feet the moment they lay eyes on you. Sometimes the woman has to work a little harder to get what she wants."
Sandra's look was piteous and it made Sylvia furious. Without a word she pounded up the stairs. The slam ming of her bedroom door echoed throughout the house.
Carl, who sat quietly on the sofa being ignored, watched his wife. When she finally turned to face him, he felt guilty for the anguish he saw there. Some of it was his own fault. He hadn't realized just what Sandra had to deal with when it came to Sylvia, and he had put even more pressure on her.
His compassionate look was like a lifeline to his wife, and when he held his hand out to her, she joined him. Sandra cried against her husband's chest like she had never cried before. They talked for a long time and came to some painful decisions. They wouldn't try to change
117 114 Lori Wick As Time Goes By 115
things overnight, but Sylvia was not going to go on staying with them forever--this much was clear. What wasn't clear was how she would be told, by whom, and when.
Bobbie opted to sit at the "kids'" table. There wasn't enough room at the big kitchen table for everyone, so a smaller table was set up in the living room for the youn ger family members.
Troy and Gilbert were both younger than Bobbie, but she took a place in the living room with Sean, Marcail, and Nate. Laughter was plentiful around the small table, thanks to Bobbie. Even Sean was beginning to thaw. The small blonde had that effect on people.
"So how young were you when you learned to swim?" Bobbie was questioning the Donovan children about growing up in Hawaii.
Marcail shrugged. "We just always knew."
"Our mother always said we could swim before we could walk." This was the first time Sean had offered information without a direct question and Bobbie be lieved they were making progress.
"I tried swimming when I lived in Jenner," Bobbie told them with a laugh. "I thought I would die."
"You almost drowned?" Marcail asked with wide eyes.
"No, it was freezing. I didn't think water got that cold. Every inch of me was blue. I think I shivered for two days."
"The water was always warm in Hawaii."
"I would have loved that, Sean. Anyway, I didn't try it again for a long time, but eventually I did learn
"I thought Jeff was coming to lunch," Sylvia's sister
commented when she came in alone after church. "We had a fight." 'gain?"
"Yes, again," the younger girl snapped. "He's not doing anything right. He wanted me to have lunch at his house today."
"So why didn't you? Surely you didn't come here on our account." Sandra's voice was dripping with malice.
She had tliought it was going to be such fun having her sister stay with her, but Sylvia hadn't grown up at all in the years she was away from Santa Rosa. She was as self-centered and conniving as she had been when they were kids. Carl had been on her to get Sylvia to end her visit and go home, but Sandra didn't know how to tell her, so she not only had to put up with Sylvia's childish behavior but her husband's angry words to boot.
As Time Goes By 113
"I didn't want to have lunch there," Sylvia went on as though explaining something to a simple child. "I can't ever get Jeff alone at his house. There are people every where. And I'm never going to get Jeff to propose to me if I don't get him alone."
Sylvia had told herself that she was never going to tell Sandra her plans for Jeff, but she was growing desperate. And just as she suspected, this news was not well re ceived by her sister.
"Sylvia, you can't be serious."
"I don't know what you mean," Sylvia stated, but it was a lie.
"If you're in love with Jeff, why are you seeing other men?"
The younger woman tossed her head with an indig nant sniff. "I should have known you wouldn't under stand. Not all men are like Carl, you know. They don't all just fall at your feet the moment they lay eyes on you. Sometimes the woman has to work a little harder to get what she wants."
Sandra's look was piteous and it made Sylvia furious. Without a word she pounded up the stairs. The slam ming of her bedroom door echoed throughout the house.
Carl, who sat quietly on the sofa being ignored, watched his wife. When she finally turned to face him, he felt guilty for the anguish he saw there. Some of it was his own fault. He hadn't realized just what Sandra had to deal with when it came to Sylvia, and he had put even more pressure on her.
His compassionate look was like a lifeline to his wife, and when he held his hand out to her, she joined him. Sandra cried against her husband's chest like she had never cried before. They talked for a long time and came to some painful decisions. They wouldn't try to change
117 114 Lori Wick As Time Goes By 115
things overnight, but Sylvia was not going to go on staying with them forever--this much was clear. What wasn't clear was how she would be told, by whom, and when.
Bobbie opted to sit at the "kids'" table. There wasn't enough room at the big kitchen table for everyone, so a smaller table was set up in the living room for the youn ger family members.
Troy and Gilbert were both younger than Bobbie, but she took a place in the living room with Sean, Marcail, and Nate. Laughter was plentiful around the small table, thanks to Bobbie. Even Sean was beginning to thaw. The small blonde had that effect on people.
"So how young were you when you learned to swim?" Bobbie was questioning the Donovan children about growing up in Hawaii.
Marcail shrugged. "We just always knew."
"Our mother always said we could swim before we could walk." This was the first time Sean had offered information without a direct question and Bobbie be lieved they were making progress.
"I tried swimming when I lived in Jenner," Bobbie told them with a laugh. "I thought I would die."
"You almost drowned?" Marcail asked with wide eyes.
"No, it was freezing. I didn't think water got that cold. Every inch of me was blue. I think I shivered for two days."
"The water was always warm in Hawaii."
"I would have loved that, Sean. Anyway, I didn't try it again for a long time, but eventually I did learn
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