Chapter 1 #3
“So am I. He seems to be just the man she needs in her life. Hope they have fun. What’s on your plate for the morning?”
“The Dark Horse paperwork. Have you finished reading it?”
“I did. Impressive. Seems like a good fit. Are their people still coming tomorrow to meet with us?”
“As far as I know, yes. Sheila hasn’t come in yet. She’ll let us know if anything has changed. Things okay on the July home front?”
“May need an ambulance at the school later when Zoey puts Devon in the hospital.”
“For what?”
Lily shared Devon’s desire to change the name of the band, and Bernadine sighed. “He knows the band is hers, right?”
“He does. That grandmother of his loved him to the moon and back, but she did him no favors telling him he’s anointed. Boy is way too entitled.”
That was something else Bernadine agreed with. “What are we going to do with him?”
“I’m hoping his quest with Tamar will be helpful, but who knows.”
“When are they going?”
“Toward the end of the month. Speaking of Tamar, I want to throw her a surprise birthday party.”
“A surprise? You know there are no secrets in this town. How are you going to keep her from finding out?”
Lily shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m willing to try.”
“I’m not big on surprises, and I’ll bet she isn’t either. She’s going to fill our behinds with birdshot.”
“Aw, come on, Bernadine. Stop being a party pooper. We can figure this out. I’m going to talk to Sheila. I’m sure Madam Mayor can come up with a plan.”
“What kind of plan am I coming up with?” Sheila asked, suddenly appearing beside Lily in the doorway.
Lily explained.
Sheila took in Lily’s enthusiastic face and the doubt on Bernadine’s. “I’m in.”
Lily grinned. “That’s the spirit.”
Sheila added, “But when she pulls out her shotgun, I’m telling her this was all your idea, Lily July.”
“Traitor.”
“Say my name. I’m going to my office. See y’all later. Bye.”
Bernadine asked, “So how old is Tamar?”
“Trent thinks somewhere between ninety and ninety-two. She was born at home, so there’s no official birth certificate. He said they’ve always celebrated on Jan first, but you can’t have a big birthday blowout in the middle of a Kansas January.”
“True. Well, let’s get the Ladies Auxiliary involved and see what we can come up with.”
“Thanks, Bernadine. We’ll call it Tamar Day. We should give her flowers while she’s with us. Not after she’s gone.”
“You’re right.” Tamar was the keeper of all things Henry Adams—from its history to its traditions. Not to mention keeping the residents in line. Celebrating her would be a touching tribute whether their feisty matriarch agreed or not.
Lily headed to her office, and Bernadine went back to the Dark Horse packet.
That the company had sought them out and not the other way around had been surprising.
Even more surprising was that Henry Adams had been recommended to them by NASA administrator Dr. Margaret Winthrop, the birth mom of Sheila’s adopted son Preston.
Winthrop recommended Henry Adams because of its state-of-the-art infrastructure and out-of-the-way location.
Leafing to the back of the document, Bernadine studied a drawing of the proposed building.
It was one story and very nondescript. Once built, there would be fifty employees on-site initially.
They and any family members would be housed in double-wide trailers the company planned to purchase, until homes or apartments could be constructed.
Lyman Proctor, mayor of neighboring Franklin, would be present at the meeting tomorrow because the increase in population would affect his town as well.
Sheila had no plans to reveal the company’s true nature to him, just that it handled data.
Bernadine agreed that he didn’t need to know more than that unless it became necessary.
Sheila entered a short while later. “Can I talk to you about something?”
“Sure. Have a seat.” She was dressed to the nines as always.
Today’s outfit was a gray wool pencil skirt paired with a silk blouse and fashionable black leather boots.
She’d come a long way from the timid, mousy woman she’d been when she and husband Barrett first moved to town. “What can I help with?”
“When we get together to plan Tamar’s party, can we also plan a going-away party for Preston and Leah? Also, we haven’t had a formal welcome circle for the Herman kids. Now that Gemma has them settled in, I think it’s time for one.”
“You’re right, and recognizing Leah and Preston is a great idea. Do we want to do everything on the same day?”
“Not sure, but if we get Tamar involved with the planning for the going-away festivities and welcome circle, maybe that will keep her distracted while we pull her celebration together on the down-low.”
“That might work.” And if anyone could make everything come together, Sheila was the person.
After Bernadine’s purchase of the town five years ago and her investments in its infrastructure and residents, the election of Sheila as mayor provided the vision the community needed to take it to the next level.
“I think Dads Inc. should be involved in the Tamar party. They can be trusted to keep a secret.”
“Let’s ask Lily to talk to Trent, but I don’t think we should say anything to the kids about it, though. The moment they know, she’ll know.”
“So true. We’ll have a hard enough time keeping it from her ourselves.”
“Agreed. She’ll give us that look, and we’ll spill our guts.”
Bernadine smiled.
“I also wanted to know what you think about the partnership with Dark Horse?”
“On paper it looks great.”
“But?”
Everyone knew Bernadine had misgivings about expansion. “Don’t worry about my buts. You keep riding point, because you’re doing an excellent job. Even though I’m whining like a toddler, your plans have my full support.”
“Going to hold you to that.”
And Bernadine knew she would. “Anything else?”
“No.” She got to her feet. “Thanks for having faith in me, Bernadine. You’ve no idea how much it means and has meant.
The women in this town have given me the courage to be the person I always wanted to be, and I’ll be forever grateful.
I like this new Sheila. She’s so much better than the old version. ”
“Watching you transform yourself has been a joy. Thanks for helping me turn the world.”
“You’re welcome.”
As Sheila left her office, Bernadine admitted she liked this new Sheila much better too. When she counted Henry Adams’s blessings, she counted Sheila twice.
Bernadine’s next task was to send a text to her friend Tina Craig.
Tina was having a B&B built in Henry Adams. She was planning on coming to town to view the progress on the build, and Bernadine wanted to know if she’d set a firm date for her arrival, but as she picked up her phone, her twenty-one-year-old daughter Crystal entered the office.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, Crys. Good morning. What’s up?”
She sat in the chair Sheila had just vacated. “I’m moving to Denver.”
WHAT! The news caught Bernadine totally by surprise. She fought to keep her voice even. “Really?”
Crystal nodded. “Yes. My friend Mona and I are going to get an apartment.”
Bernadine had met Mona on several occasions and liked the young woman. She was also an artist. “You have jobs lined up?”
“Not yet, but we’re searching online.”
That’s good. “What happened to the art store you wanted to open?”
“I don’t think I’m really ready to be tied down by a business right now. Does that make sense?”
“It does. A business takes a lot of self-investment, and you’re still pretty young for that if it’s not your true passion.”
“I still like the idea, but I want to check out being a young adult before I become a real adult.”
“Understood.”
“And I can’t do that here. I love you, and this place will always be home, but it’s real real slow here, Mom. There’s nothing to do if you’re my age.”
Bernadine sighed inwardly. That nothingness was why the town’s dynamic young teacher Kyrie Abott left his position this past winter.
He found the lack stifling. Being unable to provide outlets of any type for young people Kyrie’s and Crystal’s age was yet another reason Henry Adams needed to embrace growth.
“In Denver I can go to concerts and see shows. There’s an art museum, and malls, and people.”
“All the things that aren’t here.”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. It’s reality. When are you planning on moving?”
“Our lease starts middle of next month. We already sent the landlord our deposit.”
“So soon?” Bernadine wanted to weep.
“Yes.” She must have seen how Bernadine felt. “Please don’t be sad, Mom. It’s only a little over five hours away, and we can always FaceTime.”
“Moms are always sad when their kiddos leave the nest. You’ve been living on your own for a while now, but you’re here. I could get a hug whenever I wanted. I can’t do that if you’re living in Denver. My being sad is not a reason to stay, though. It’s time to spread your wings, Crys.”
Crystal walked over and gave her a hug. “I love you so much,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “You gave me a life I never dreamed I could have.”
“And you’ve been an awesome sidekick.”
Both had tears in their eyes as the hug ended. Bernadine grabbed a tissue from the box on her desk and passed the box to Crystal. “You go and be the best Crystal you can be.”
“That’s the plan.”
“I’ll help with whatever you need. Just let me know.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Crystal gathered her belongings. “I’m going to be okay because you raised me right.”
“I just guided and handed over the credit card. You did all the hard work.”
Crystal’s affection filled her brown eyes. “I love you, Mom.”
“Love you back. Keep me posted on the move, okay?”
“Will do. I’ll see you later.” She headed to the door.
“Bye, Crys.”
“Bye, Mom.”
A second later she was gone.
Bernadine and her broken heart sat in the silence.