up at my apartment in the mornings?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“I’d rather not ask my family for rides, and taking the bus would take too long. I can pay you gas money. I’ll also need rides to the Winthrop townhouse until I can get one of my buddies to help me.”
“Of course. I understand.” She blinked at him, and he realized how small the room was at that moment.
“Thanks,” he said, before taking the narrow ladderlike stairs to the level below.
They met Angela and the kids at the bottom of the stairs.
“Mom, can we go see the backyard?” Hailey asked. Nobody needed to say that the kids had found some of this tour “boring.”
“I can take you outside,” Tom said. He knew he’d end up showing the kids the flourishing gardens. His latest instructions from Firstborn Holdings had included locating heirloom rosebushes and rejuvenating the rose garden at Gray House. He’d sat one night at his computer, looking through websites, researching rosebushes. He’d never known there were so many types. Not just red, pink, and yellow roses, but all the names they had.
Hunter and Hailey bounded out of the room into the hallway and were heading down the stairs before he could give them any instructions. He was in for a wild ride.
Kelly shut the front door with a sigh. She didn’t know how mothers did it. Lottie had been amazing, with as many as six children under her roof at a time. Angie Pereira was amazing, too, corralling her dynamic duo into the back of her car as she waved at Kelly, with a promise to meet up for coffee “sometime.”
Tom had ensconced himself in the greenhouse, where Kelly and Angie had met up with him after he showed the children the gardens he was busy restoring. As he talked about the plants and flowers and the garden plans recreated from photos of Gray House, Kelly’s curiosity was piqued.
She wanted to find out more about Gray House, remembering her questions when she first moved in. Who else besides Mary and her Captain Hiram had lived here? When did the house catch on fire? Why the sudden interest in reviving it now? The inside was in decent shape, with most of the furniture and carpets covered in cloths at one time. She didn’t envy the early housekeepers in caring for its woodwork, fireplaces, and all its rooms.
Perhaps Mrs. Acres could give her some answers. Over a week since Kelly had moved into the house, and not a peep from the woman.
She headed down the hallway to the ballroom, where the quilt lay on the pair of tables, waiting for her. The vintage fabrics she’d brought with her had been a tricky match to the compass patches. Not all of them would work, so Kelly had to order some vintage cloth. The older, the better. And so she waited. The process was slow, but it needed to be done right.
If Jonna had still been an amiable colleague, Kelly would have asked her if she had anything suitable in her supplies. But Kelly decided to go it alone and not ask for help. It was better that way.
The balmy summer temperatures drew her outside. She decided to venture a walk along County Street toward the real estate office where Mrs. Acres worked. The fresh air would help her, and so would leaving the atmosphere of the house.
Gray House groaned in the wind some days. During the day, it was strange. At night, it made Kelly want to bolt her bedroom door closed, except there was no lock on the door. She shivered. Never afraid of the dark, unless it was an enclosed space where she felt she couldn’t breathe.
She locked the front door behind her and ambled to the front iron gate, which she unlocked as well, then relocked once she was on the sidewalk. With its tall stone walls and gated front, Gray House’s grounds were almost like a compound that took up half a block. Kelly left the odd feeling behind her and kept along County toward Main Street and Acres and Acres Real Estate.
If Mrs. Acres couldn’t give her information, she could always head over a few blocks to the historic
“Sure, no problem.”
“I’d rather not ask my family for rides, and taking the bus would take too long. I can pay you gas money. I’ll also need rides to the Winthrop townhouse until I can get one of my buddies to help me.”
“Of course. I understand.” She blinked at him, and he realized how small the room was at that moment.
“Thanks,” he said, before taking the narrow ladderlike stairs to the level below.
They met Angela and the kids at the bottom of the stairs.
“Mom, can we go see the backyard?” Hailey asked. Nobody needed to say that the kids had found some of this tour “boring.”
“I can take you outside,” Tom said. He knew he’d end up showing the kids the flourishing gardens. His latest instructions from Firstborn Holdings had included locating heirloom rosebushes and rejuvenating the rose garden at Gray House. He’d sat one night at his computer, looking through websites, researching rosebushes. He’d never known there were so many types. Not just red, pink, and yellow roses, but all the names they had.
Hunter and Hailey bounded out of the room into the hallway and were heading down the stairs before he could give them any instructions. He was in for a wild ride.
Kelly shut the front door with a sigh. She didn’t know how mothers did it. Lottie had been amazing, with as many as six children under her roof at a time. Angie Pereira was amazing, too, corralling her dynamic duo into the back of her car as she waved at Kelly, with a promise to meet up for coffee “sometime.”
Tom had ensconced himself in the greenhouse, where Kelly and Angie had met up with him after he showed the children the gardens he was busy restoring. As he talked about the plants and flowers and the garden plans recreated from photos of Gray House, Kelly’s curiosity was piqued.
She wanted to find out more about Gray House, remembering her questions when she first moved in. Who else besides Mary and her Captain Hiram had lived here? When did the house catch on fire? Why the sudden interest in reviving it now? The inside was in decent shape, with most of the furniture and carpets covered in cloths at one time. She didn’t envy the early housekeepers in caring for its woodwork, fireplaces, and all its rooms.
Perhaps Mrs. Acres could give her some answers. Over a week since Kelly had moved into the house, and not a peep from the woman.
She headed down the hallway to the ballroom, where the quilt lay on the pair of tables, waiting for her. The vintage fabrics she’d brought with her had been a tricky match to the compass patches. Not all of them would work, so Kelly had to order some vintage cloth. The older, the better. And so she waited. The process was slow, but it needed to be done right.
If Jonna had still been an amiable colleague, Kelly would have asked her if she had anything suitable in her supplies. But Kelly decided to go it alone and not ask for help. It was better that way.
The balmy summer temperatures drew her outside. She decided to venture a walk along County Street toward the real estate office where Mrs. Acres worked. The fresh air would help her, and so would leaving the atmosphere of the house.
Gray House groaned in the wind some days. During the day, it was strange. At night, it made Kelly want to bolt her bedroom door closed, except there was no lock on the door. She shivered. Never afraid of the dark, unless it was an enclosed space where she felt she couldn’t breathe.
She locked the front door behind her and ambled to the front iron gate, which she unlocked as well, then relocked once she was on the sidewalk. With its tall stone walls and gated front, Gray House’s grounds were almost like a compound that took up half a block. Kelly left the odd feeling behind her and kept along County toward Main Street and Acres and Acres Real Estate.
If Mrs. Acres couldn’t give her information, she could always head over a few blocks to the historic
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