hours."
"Tomorrow, around seven? Um ... sure." Even if Nolan called and wanted to see me tomorrow, it would most likely be in the daytime. "That's fine."
"Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome." No sooner did I hang up the phone, than it rang again. Maybe Mrs. Kukk changed her mind, or wanted me to come at a different time. "Hello?"
"Hey, Vija." It was Nolan.
"Hello, Nolan!"
"How was the party?"
"It was wonderful. So many people showed up. They devoured the food and—"
"That's nice," Nolan said. "I had a great day at Ocean Beach Park. The weather was perfect, it was high tide, the scenery was great, if you know what I mean."
"Mmm." I knew what he meant. The "scenery" was all the girls in bikinis.
" And I even lined up a gig at Connecticut College for Women this fall at one of the sororities. How 'bout that!"
"At the sorority? Um. That's nice."
"Nice? It's better than nice. CCW is in New London, it's a prestigious school, and this gig could lead to lots of others. Good ones."
"Oh. Of course. It's wonderful news."
"What'cha doin' tomorrow?"
Feeling a surge of joy that the subject had changed to what we'd be doing tomorrow, I said breezily, "I have to baby -sit for Mrs. Kukk tomorrow evening, but otherwise I'm free all day."
"I planned on seeing you tomorrow evening. Can't you get out of it?"
"I wish I could. But I can't ."
It sounded as if Nolan breathed a little sigh of disgust. "Too bad."
"Yes ...." I was going to say that I could see him during the day, but I'd already mentioned that. No sense in pushing it.
"Well, I'll see ya."
I wanted to say when? But I bit my tongue, then barely said the words, "See you," before Nolan hung up.
***
It turned out to be just as well that I hadn't made any plans to see Nolan in the day, because at breakfast the next morning Papa told me he needed me to work with him. He knew I'd be babysitting, so he assured me that it wouldn't be all day, just the morning, going to a few houses in Monroe where some of his clients wanted some extra work done.
"Taking over for me, huh?" Karl teased.
"If you'd like to work with Papa today for old time's sake, I'll step aside," I kidded him.
"No thanks." Karl wiped his mouth with his napkin, then tossed it down on the table. "I'm going to the beach with Caprice."
A cold knot formed in my stomach as I realized why the idea of Karl and Caprice bothered me. If they became closer to each other than either ever was to me, where would that leave me? But I tried to sound cheerful as I said, "Have fun. And say 'hi' to Caprice for me."
Karl took off, and Papa and I loaded the truck for the day's work. We pushed two mowers up the planks, because I would help with the mowing as well as doing some hedge trimming. Though it was early, I was starting to sweat by the time we left. Mama set out the sprinkler as we drove away. It was going to be a hot day.
I unrolled the window. A warm breeze swept over me. I looked out the window, watching the morning unfold. As we passed Nicki's I searched the parking lot in case Nolan's motorcycle was there. I was glad to see it was not.
We turned off the main road towards the beach section of Monroe. Small cottages away from the water sat relaxed and close to the road, towels and bathing suits on clotheslines waving a casual hello. Closer to the beach larger houses stood more primly, their manicured yards demanding more respect. Then, waterside, rambling, turreted summer homes with their spacious yards and tall hedges commanded distance and privacy.
We pulled into the driveway of the Landers' place, a two-story house with black shutters and a wrap-around porch. A little sign at the foot of the driveway read, "Wit's End." It was more sophist icated than the Dew-Drop-Inn sort of name found on the small cottages, but I still thought it odd to name a house. Of course, if I had a second home along the shoreline, maybe I'd name it too.
The hedge did not need trimming, but the lawn was vast, and Mrs.
"Tomorrow, around seven? Um ... sure." Even if Nolan called and wanted to see me tomorrow, it would most likely be in the daytime. "That's fine."
"Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome." No sooner did I hang up the phone, than it rang again. Maybe Mrs. Kukk changed her mind, or wanted me to come at a different time. "Hello?"
"Hey, Vija." It was Nolan.
"Hello, Nolan!"
"How was the party?"
"It was wonderful. So many people showed up. They devoured the food and—"
"That's nice," Nolan said. "I had a great day at Ocean Beach Park. The weather was perfect, it was high tide, the scenery was great, if you know what I mean."
"Mmm." I knew what he meant. The "scenery" was all the girls in bikinis.
" And I even lined up a gig at Connecticut College for Women this fall at one of the sororities. How 'bout that!"
"At the sorority? Um. That's nice."
"Nice? It's better than nice. CCW is in New London, it's a prestigious school, and this gig could lead to lots of others. Good ones."
"Oh. Of course. It's wonderful news."
"What'cha doin' tomorrow?"
Feeling a surge of joy that the subject had changed to what we'd be doing tomorrow, I said breezily, "I have to baby -sit for Mrs. Kukk tomorrow evening, but otherwise I'm free all day."
"I planned on seeing you tomorrow evening. Can't you get out of it?"
"I wish I could. But I can't ."
It sounded as if Nolan breathed a little sigh of disgust. "Too bad."
"Yes ...." I was going to say that I could see him during the day, but I'd already mentioned that. No sense in pushing it.
"Well, I'll see ya."
I wanted to say when? But I bit my tongue, then barely said the words, "See you," before Nolan hung up.
***
It turned out to be just as well that I hadn't made any plans to see Nolan in the day, because at breakfast the next morning Papa told me he needed me to work with him. He knew I'd be babysitting, so he assured me that it wouldn't be all day, just the morning, going to a few houses in Monroe where some of his clients wanted some extra work done.
"Taking over for me, huh?" Karl teased.
"If you'd like to work with Papa today for old time's sake, I'll step aside," I kidded him.
"No thanks." Karl wiped his mouth with his napkin, then tossed it down on the table. "I'm going to the beach with Caprice."
A cold knot formed in my stomach as I realized why the idea of Karl and Caprice bothered me. If they became closer to each other than either ever was to me, where would that leave me? But I tried to sound cheerful as I said, "Have fun. And say 'hi' to Caprice for me."
Karl took off, and Papa and I loaded the truck for the day's work. We pushed two mowers up the planks, because I would help with the mowing as well as doing some hedge trimming. Though it was early, I was starting to sweat by the time we left. Mama set out the sprinkler as we drove away. It was going to be a hot day.
I unrolled the window. A warm breeze swept over me. I looked out the window, watching the morning unfold. As we passed Nicki's I searched the parking lot in case Nolan's motorcycle was there. I was glad to see it was not.
We turned off the main road towards the beach section of Monroe. Small cottages away from the water sat relaxed and close to the road, towels and bathing suits on clotheslines waving a casual hello. Closer to the beach larger houses stood more primly, their manicured yards demanding more respect. Then, waterside, rambling, turreted summer homes with their spacious yards and tall hedges commanded distance and privacy.
We pulled into the driveway of the Landers' place, a two-story house with black shutters and a wrap-around porch. A little sign at the foot of the driveway read, "Wit's End." It was more sophist icated than the Dew-Drop-Inn sort of name found on the small cottages, but I still thought it odd to name a house. Of course, if I had a second home along the shoreline, maybe I'd name it too.
The hedge did not need trimming, but the lawn was vast, and Mrs.
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