school. Mr. Mark Westing, Miss Eugenia Baker.”
Eugenia blushed and dipped her head. “I’ll be right back with your coffee.”
Lilly sat down across from Marguerite and Mark. “So, Mark, you graduated two weeks ago. Does it feel good to be finished with school?”
“I still have to pass my bar exams, but meanwhile I’ve got a few nibbles on some law offices where I could get some experience.”
“I wish my Ben were alive. He’d be glad to help you prepare.” Lilly paused when Eugenia appeared with two coffee cups and the pot. With more grace than Lilly had seen yet, she filled the cups.
“Thank you.” Mark smiled, the impish little boy still visible.
Eugenia beamed. “My pleasure. Can I get you anything else?”
“Do you have any pie left?”
“No!” Lilly blurted out. “Sorry, Mark, no pie today. Eugenia, why don’t you bring us out a plate of those cookies we made?”
“I hope they’re like the ones your mama made.” Mark glanced at Marguerite. “Remember when Mother caught me with my pockets full of Alice’s gingersnaps?”
“No ginger snaps today, but I’ll see if I can make a batch this week.” Lilly glanced at the watch clipped to her shirtwaist. “I need to go pick up Levi.”
“From?” Marguerite asked.
“He’s at the roller coaster site with Nick Perrin. I promised to fetch him by six.”
“Nick, huh?” Marguerite’s eyebrows formed twin peaks.
“I can tell my sister is conniving again.” Mark frowned playfully at Marguerite. “Sorry about that, Lilly, but would you mind if we walked you over? I’ve been itching to get a good look at the contraption.”
“It’s not much more than a forest of posts right now.” Lilly stood and grabbed her cape from the hook by the door. “But you’re welcome to come along.”
Mark held the door for Lilly and Marguerite to precede him out.
“Wait! Your cookies.” Eugenia rushed from the kitchen. She halted in front of Mark. The cookies on the plate, however, kept going. They flew off the plate and onto Mark’s patterned vest before falling to the floor and crumbling to pieces.
“Oh, Mr. Westing, I’m so sorry.” A blush turned Eugenia’s cheeks crimson. She dropped to the floor and started grabbing chunks of the fallen cookies as though they’d disappear if she couldn’t pick them up fast enough.
Mark brushed the crumbs from his clothes, then helped her stand. “It’s fine. I’ve certainly had my pockets full of crumbs before.”
Eugenia’s eyes glazed as she stared at her hand clasped in his.
Lilly exchanged a knowing look with Marguerite and moaned inwardly. Mark might have no interest in Eugenia, but Eugenia already had the two of them walking down the aisle.
“So, Lilly.” Marguerite pulled her through the door. “Nick has Levi. Tell me how that came to be.”
Surely this was going to be the longest summer in history.
12
“Run, Levi! Keep going!” Nick cupped his hand to his mouth.
Levi ran, his pudgy arms pumping, a kite string fisted in his hand. Nick held aloft the diamond-shaped kite they’d fashioned. When Levi had gone far enough for the string to grow taut, Nick released the kite, praying it would take flight.
“Pull, Levi! Pull!”
Levi stopped and did as he was told while Nick hurried to stand behind the boy, ready to lend a hand. Levi tugged on the string. The wind lifted the kite in the air.
“Higher!” Levi jumped up and down.
“Let out more string.”
Levi followed Nick’s instruction, but the kite continued to dive.
Nick reached over Levi’s head and tugged on the string several times. The kite resumed its place against the clouds.
“When it starts to come down, pull the string several times like this.” Nick demonstrated the pumping motion.
Nick caught Lilly’s approach out of the corner of his eye. He recognized the woman with her as Mrs. Andrews from the diner the other day, but the man with them didn’t look familiar. He smiled and waved to them. “Hey, buddy,
Eugenia blushed and dipped her head. “I’ll be right back with your coffee.”
Lilly sat down across from Marguerite and Mark. “So, Mark, you graduated two weeks ago. Does it feel good to be finished with school?”
“I still have to pass my bar exams, but meanwhile I’ve got a few nibbles on some law offices where I could get some experience.”
“I wish my Ben were alive. He’d be glad to help you prepare.” Lilly paused when Eugenia appeared with two coffee cups and the pot. With more grace than Lilly had seen yet, she filled the cups.
“Thank you.” Mark smiled, the impish little boy still visible.
Eugenia beamed. “My pleasure. Can I get you anything else?”
“Do you have any pie left?”
“No!” Lilly blurted out. “Sorry, Mark, no pie today. Eugenia, why don’t you bring us out a plate of those cookies we made?”
“I hope they’re like the ones your mama made.” Mark glanced at Marguerite. “Remember when Mother caught me with my pockets full of Alice’s gingersnaps?”
“No ginger snaps today, but I’ll see if I can make a batch this week.” Lilly glanced at the watch clipped to her shirtwaist. “I need to go pick up Levi.”
“From?” Marguerite asked.
“He’s at the roller coaster site with Nick Perrin. I promised to fetch him by six.”
“Nick, huh?” Marguerite’s eyebrows formed twin peaks.
“I can tell my sister is conniving again.” Mark frowned playfully at Marguerite. “Sorry about that, Lilly, but would you mind if we walked you over? I’ve been itching to get a good look at the contraption.”
“It’s not much more than a forest of posts right now.” Lilly stood and grabbed her cape from the hook by the door. “But you’re welcome to come along.”
Mark held the door for Lilly and Marguerite to precede him out.
“Wait! Your cookies.” Eugenia rushed from the kitchen. She halted in front of Mark. The cookies on the plate, however, kept going. They flew off the plate and onto Mark’s patterned vest before falling to the floor and crumbling to pieces.
“Oh, Mr. Westing, I’m so sorry.” A blush turned Eugenia’s cheeks crimson. She dropped to the floor and started grabbing chunks of the fallen cookies as though they’d disappear if she couldn’t pick them up fast enough.
Mark brushed the crumbs from his clothes, then helped her stand. “It’s fine. I’ve certainly had my pockets full of crumbs before.”
Eugenia’s eyes glazed as she stared at her hand clasped in his.
Lilly exchanged a knowing look with Marguerite and moaned inwardly. Mark might have no interest in Eugenia, but Eugenia already had the two of them walking down the aisle.
“So, Lilly.” Marguerite pulled her through the door. “Nick has Levi. Tell me how that came to be.”
Surely this was going to be the longest summer in history.
12
“Run, Levi! Keep going!” Nick cupped his hand to his mouth.
Levi ran, his pudgy arms pumping, a kite string fisted in his hand. Nick held aloft the diamond-shaped kite they’d fashioned. When Levi had gone far enough for the string to grow taut, Nick released the kite, praying it would take flight.
“Pull, Levi! Pull!”
Levi stopped and did as he was told while Nick hurried to stand behind the boy, ready to lend a hand. Levi tugged on the string. The wind lifted the kite in the air.
“Higher!” Levi jumped up and down.
“Let out more string.”
Levi followed Nick’s instruction, but the kite continued to dive.
Nick reached over Levi’s head and tugged on the string several times. The kite resumed its place against the clouds.
“When it starts to come down, pull the string several times like this.” Nick demonstrated the pumping motion.
Nick caught Lilly’s approach out of the corner of his eye. He recognized the woman with her as Mrs. Andrews from the diner the other day, but the man with them didn’t look familiar. He smiled and waved to them. “Hey, buddy,
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