quiet and attentive. I’d never
seen her react to any man in quite the same way.
Mike and I saw each other at meals, but he
was busy with my projects, and working on plans for other projects in his spare
time.
Lucy and I spent a lot of time together.
We planned menus, made grocery lists, cleaned house and straightened up
bedrooms. When we had any spare time, we either sat and talked or played cards.
She always managed to bring Mike into each and every conversation.
A month went by and we were into July. The
weather turned very warm, and the pool people had begun their work quite a bit
earlier than anticipated. The pool was nearly complete.
Since Mike and his crew worked hard, the
tennis court and patio were done and ready for use. The gazebo and storage shed
were also nearing completion. The last two had taken longer because I wanted
them to resemble the house and outbuilding.
During the hot evenings you could always
find a few of them out on the patio with cool drinks in front of them,
sometimes chatting, or sometimes sitting quietly, listening to the sounds of
the country night.
Josh and Marion discovered a mutual
interest in chess. Many evenings found them huddled over the chess board.
Marion turned out to be everyone’s
favorite. She was able to pull Ruth out of her shell to some extent, and even
Richard English was respectful when Marion was around. I found that none of us
thought of her in terms of old lady . She was probably younger inside
than the rest of us. Lucy took a special liking to her and went out of her way
to make her comfortable, although Marion scoffed at that type of treatment.
Marion always seemed to have time for
everyone. She took an individual interest in each of us, making us all feel
special, although a few of the boarders made a point of keeping her at arm’s
length, like Richard English and Ted Fernley. Richard was polite to her, but
never went beyond small talk, with Ted following suit. Josh, although charming,
never really said too much about himself to anyone, except maybe Marion.
Richard English turned out to be a royal
pain in the neck. It seemed like half of what he said had a double meaning,
unless Marion was nearby. He watched what he said when she could hear him.
Sharon and I found ourselves avoiding him as much as possible, although we
tried not to appear rude. He was a paying boarder, after all. I wasn’t sure how
long he’d last though. If he got too carried away I might have to ask him to
leave.
Ruth always seemed to be lurking around in
the background somewhere, watching everyone but not participating. She wanted to be a wallflower, not to be noticed. She tugged at my heart, but there was
nothing I could do. She was on her own.
As the weather climbed to higher and
higher temperatures, I had ceiling fans installed, but they didn’t help much.
The weather was much hotter than normal for Northern Nevada, and I’d begun to consider
installing air conditioning. There were tall trees scattered around the house
and they helped to some extent, giving us refreshing shade.
I couldn’t believe how well things were
working out. I’d forgotten open doors, moving furniture and the pillow case
much too easily.
Chapter Fourteen
Mike finished the gazebo and storage shed
about the same time the pool was completed. We’d dug a second well to
accommodate the pool, which just about took the last of my lottery winnings.
Financially, things could get ugly if I didn’t start watching my pennies.
Time moved on and we were into August. The
temperature kept rising, and we were all grateful to have the pool.
Five vacationers had come and gone in
July. They were in and out and I never tried to get to know them. There wasn’t
time and I didn’t have the inclination. However, they did say they’d really
enjoyed themselves and they would be sure to mention Holt House to friends. The
only down note was when one of the vacationers commented on the odd feeling she
got at Holt
seen her react to any man in quite the same way.
Mike and I saw each other at meals, but he
was busy with my projects, and working on plans for other projects in his spare
time.
Lucy and I spent a lot of time together.
We planned menus, made grocery lists, cleaned house and straightened up
bedrooms. When we had any spare time, we either sat and talked or played cards.
She always managed to bring Mike into each and every conversation.
A month went by and we were into July. The
weather turned very warm, and the pool people had begun their work quite a bit
earlier than anticipated. The pool was nearly complete.
Since Mike and his crew worked hard, the
tennis court and patio were done and ready for use. The gazebo and storage shed
were also nearing completion. The last two had taken longer because I wanted
them to resemble the house and outbuilding.
During the hot evenings you could always
find a few of them out on the patio with cool drinks in front of them,
sometimes chatting, or sometimes sitting quietly, listening to the sounds of
the country night.
Josh and Marion discovered a mutual
interest in chess. Many evenings found them huddled over the chess board.
Marion turned out to be everyone’s
favorite. She was able to pull Ruth out of her shell to some extent, and even
Richard English was respectful when Marion was around. I found that none of us
thought of her in terms of old lady . She was probably younger inside
than the rest of us. Lucy took a special liking to her and went out of her way
to make her comfortable, although Marion scoffed at that type of treatment.
Marion always seemed to have time for
everyone. She took an individual interest in each of us, making us all feel
special, although a few of the boarders made a point of keeping her at arm’s
length, like Richard English and Ted Fernley. Richard was polite to her, but
never went beyond small talk, with Ted following suit. Josh, although charming,
never really said too much about himself to anyone, except maybe Marion.
Richard English turned out to be a royal
pain in the neck. It seemed like half of what he said had a double meaning,
unless Marion was nearby. He watched what he said when she could hear him.
Sharon and I found ourselves avoiding him as much as possible, although we
tried not to appear rude. He was a paying boarder, after all. I wasn’t sure how
long he’d last though. If he got too carried away I might have to ask him to
leave.
Ruth always seemed to be lurking around in
the background somewhere, watching everyone but not participating. She wanted to be a wallflower, not to be noticed. She tugged at my heart, but there was
nothing I could do. She was on her own.
As the weather climbed to higher and
higher temperatures, I had ceiling fans installed, but they didn’t help much.
The weather was much hotter than normal for Northern Nevada, and I’d begun to consider
installing air conditioning. There were tall trees scattered around the house
and they helped to some extent, giving us refreshing shade.
I couldn’t believe how well things were
working out. I’d forgotten open doors, moving furniture and the pillow case
much too easily.
Chapter Fourteen
Mike finished the gazebo and storage shed
about the same time the pool was completed. We’d dug a second well to
accommodate the pool, which just about took the last of my lottery winnings.
Financially, things could get ugly if I didn’t start watching my pennies.
Time moved on and we were into August. The
temperature kept rising, and we were all grateful to have the pool.
Five vacationers had come and gone in
July. They were in and out and I never tried to get to know them. There wasn’t
time and I didn’t have the inclination. However, they did say they’d really
enjoyed themselves and they would be sure to mention Holt House to friends. The
only down note was when one of the vacationers commented on the odd feeling she
got at Holt
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