trip?”
Lynne took in her daughter’s pale face and weary expression and felt the ripple of unease turn into a full lurch of alarm. She walked over to give her a quick hug. “Hello, darling. It’s good to see you. Did Jason come for the weekend, then?”
“Yes. He’s gone to bed.” Molly spoke flatly, and after a brief hesitation Lynne decided not to press. “How are things with the house?”
“Moving slowly at the moment due to the trouble with these zoning laws,” she said. “But John told me they should be sorted out soon, and then we can really go ahead with things.”
“John?” Molly repeated curiously, and to her dismay Lynne realised she was blushing.
“Yes, John Tyre. Dad’s old schoolfriend.”
“Right.” Molly tilted her head to one side, regarding Lynne with a knowing little half-smile before she nodded. “John,” she said again, and it almost sounded approving.
Lynne woke the next morning to the phone ringing. Sunlight streamed in from the windows overlooking Park Avenue, and to her amazement she saw it was nearing ten o’clock. She hadn’t slept so late in years.
She reached for the telephone and pulled the receiver towards her ear. “Hello?”
“Lynne? I’s John.”
Lynne sat up, adjusting a pillow behind her back and wondering why the sound of his voice, so warm and reassuring, made her toes curl and a ridiculously sappy smile spread across her face. “Hello,” she said again and she heard John chuckle.
“I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Actually, you did,” Lynne confessed. “I can’t believe I slept so late.”
“The last few weeks have been exhausting,” John returned. “But I have some good news now.”
“You do?” Hope and excitement bubbled up within her and she found herself tightly clutching the telephone receiver.
“Yes, Agnes has withdrawn her appeal. Apparently she said Hardiwick needs more MacCreadys.”
Lynne laughed aloud in both relief and delight. “Thank goodness for that.”
“Absolutely. Now you can really get a move on--have you thought about hiring an architect?”
“Umm...” Lynne gave an embarrassed laugh. “I know we need someone to oversee the renovations, but I haven’t actually looked--”
“There’s a terrific architect who lives right here in Hardiwick,” John said. “If you want to keep it local. Ed Tyson. Another friend of Adam’s.”
“That’s certainly a good recommendation.”
He paused. “I don’t want to seem pushy--”
“No, no,” Lynne assured him. “I appreciate all the advice I can get. And having everyone involved in some way means a lot to me... I want this to be a community effort as much as possible.”
“We’re certainly all behind you.” John paused. “When are you coming back to Vermont?”
Just the question made Lynne realise how much she wanted to return to Hardiwick... to her home. For it felt like home now... a home in the making, at least.
“I have some things to catch up on here,” she told John. “But I should be back by next week.”
“Good.”
They chatted for a few more minutes--Lynne was strangely reluctant to sever the connection--before finally saying goodbye. A glance at the clock told Lynne she’d better hurry, for she was due to meet her friend Sarah for lunch at noon.
Dressed and ready to go, Lynne stopped in surprise at the sight of Molly grading papers at the dining room table. “Where’s Jason?”
“Out,” Molly replied shortly.
“You didn’t want to go out together?”
Molly gave a little shrug. “I have work to do.”
Lynne pressed her lips together as she surveyed her daughter’s bleak but determined expression. Grading papers could certainly wait, and it worried her that Molly had chosen to spend time apart from Jason on the one weekend he’d come to visit. “Do you want to talk about it?” she finally asked, and Molly looked up miserably.
“Not particularly. I don’t even know what I would say.”
Lynne dropped a kiss on her
Lynne took in her daughter’s pale face and weary expression and felt the ripple of unease turn into a full lurch of alarm. She walked over to give her a quick hug. “Hello, darling. It’s good to see you. Did Jason come for the weekend, then?”
“Yes. He’s gone to bed.” Molly spoke flatly, and after a brief hesitation Lynne decided not to press. “How are things with the house?”
“Moving slowly at the moment due to the trouble with these zoning laws,” she said. “But John told me they should be sorted out soon, and then we can really go ahead with things.”
“John?” Molly repeated curiously, and to her dismay Lynne realised she was blushing.
“Yes, John Tyre. Dad’s old schoolfriend.”
“Right.” Molly tilted her head to one side, regarding Lynne with a knowing little half-smile before she nodded. “John,” she said again, and it almost sounded approving.
Lynne woke the next morning to the phone ringing. Sunlight streamed in from the windows overlooking Park Avenue, and to her amazement she saw it was nearing ten o’clock. She hadn’t slept so late in years.
She reached for the telephone and pulled the receiver towards her ear. “Hello?”
“Lynne? I’s John.”
Lynne sat up, adjusting a pillow behind her back and wondering why the sound of his voice, so warm and reassuring, made her toes curl and a ridiculously sappy smile spread across her face. “Hello,” she said again and she heard John chuckle.
“I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Actually, you did,” Lynne confessed. “I can’t believe I slept so late.”
“The last few weeks have been exhausting,” John returned. “But I have some good news now.”
“You do?” Hope and excitement bubbled up within her and she found herself tightly clutching the telephone receiver.
“Yes, Agnes has withdrawn her appeal. Apparently she said Hardiwick needs more MacCreadys.”
Lynne laughed aloud in both relief and delight. “Thank goodness for that.”
“Absolutely. Now you can really get a move on--have you thought about hiring an architect?”
“Umm...” Lynne gave an embarrassed laugh. “I know we need someone to oversee the renovations, but I haven’t actually looked--”
“There’s a terrific architect who lives right here in Hardiwick,” John said. “If you want to keep it local. Ed Tyson. Another friend of Adam’s.”
“That’s certainly a good recommendation.”
He paused. “I don’t want to seem pushy--”
“No, no,” Lynne assured him. “I appreciate all the advice I can get. And having everyone involved in some way means a lot to me... I want this to be a community effort as much as possible.”
“We’re certainly all behind you.” John paused. “When are you coming back to Vermont?”
Just the question made Lynne realise how much she wanted to return to Hardiwick... to her home. For it felt like home now... a home in the making, at least.
“I have some things to catch up on here,” she told John. “But I should be back by next week.”
“Good.”
They chatted for a few more minutes--Lynne was strangely reluctant to sever the connection--before finally saying goodbye. A glance at the clock told Lynne she’d better hurry, for she was due to meet her friend Sarah for lunch at noon.
Dressed and ready to go, Lynne stopped in surprise at the sight of Molly grading papers at the dining room table. “Where’s Jason?”
“Out,” Molly replied shortly.
“You didn’t want to go out together?”
Molly gave a little shrug. “I have work to do.”
Lynne pressed her lips together as she surveyed her daughter’s bleak but determined expression. Grading papers could certainly wait, and it worried her that Molly had chosen to spend time apart from Jason on the one weekend he’d come to visit. “Do you want to talk about it?” she finally asked, and Molly looked up miserably.
“Not particularly. I don’t even know what I would say.”
Lynne dropped a kiss on her
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