Chapter 54 Hope
hope
What a wonderful party,” Peggy said as Eddie and Ralph led an exhausted Gran out the door. “I enjoyed it every bit as much as Miss Addie!”
“Me, too,” said Aimee, picking up an empty glass.
“Me, three,” said Kirsten, rolling up the white butcher paper that had served as tablecloths.
“Thank you so much for putting this together.” I looked at Kirsten and the other women, affection forming a knot in my throat. “Gran was so moved.”
“It was our pleasure.” Lauren smiled at me.
“And speaking of moved, you’ve done wonders, getting her home shipshape in such a short time.
It ought to sell quickly. I just learned that a major communications company is moving its headquarters here, so about a hundred new people will be relocating to Wedding Tree. ”
Lucky them. I added another cake-smeared paper plate to the stack in my left hand.
“Speaking of moving, Jillian called this afternoon and told me she’d accepted a teaching job in Atlanta,” Peggy said.
Everyone murmured at once.
“No!”
“Really?”
“Why?”
Peggy lifted her shoulders. “She said she wanted a fresh start.”
“She’s going to join us at the beach tomorrow!” Zoey said.
I knelt down. “It sounds like a wonderful time.”
“Yeah,” Sophie said, “But she’s movin’ away. An’ you’re moving, too.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Why does everyone have to go away?”
The lump in my throat grew bigger. “So new people can come. Maybe you’ll get new neighbors with children you can play with.”
“But they won’t give us painting lessons.”
“Or tell stories about Mr. Monkey!”
Tears tracked down both girls’ faces. My eyes were getting pretty watery, too.
“I love you, Mizz Hope,” Sophie said solemnly.
“Yeah.” Zoey nodded.
“Oh, I love you, too!” I gave them both a big hug, touched by the easy way they said the words I didn’t dare voice to their father.
Their warm little bodies smelled like outdoors and cake and banana-scented sunblock, and I thought my heart might crack.
I kissed their cheeks. “Have a wonderful summer.”
“Can we come see you in ’cago?”
I blinked back my tears. How was I supposed to answer that? “I’d love it if you did.”
Thank God Griff came to the rescue. “Hey, girls—who wants a piggyback ride to the car?”
“I do!”
“Me, too!”
Moods instantly elevated, both girls tried to climb on his back.
“Hey, Matt, come over and saddle up, too,” Griff called.
Matt dropped the paper plates he was gathering into the trash and came over. Sophie jumped on his back. “I’ll take them to the car, then come right back,” he said.
“You should go on home and tuck them in,” I told him. “This is the last night before their beach trip.”
He nodded. “Come over when you get through here,” he murmured to me.
Sophie hugged his neck. “Bye!” she called to me.
“Bye.” Zoey waved.
I forced a smile and waved back. My throat felt as if I’d swallowed a goose egg as I watched them head out the door.
· · ·
It was after eleven when I stepped onto Matt’s back deck.
He was waiting for me. “Quite a party,” he said, handing me a glass of wine as I settled beside him on the glider.
“Yeah. Gran was still excited when I got home.”
He put his arm around me. It felt so right and warm. I just wanted to stay there forever. My heart constricted in my chest. “What time does your big trial start?”
“At nine in the morning. But I have a staff breakfast at six thirty.”
“You better get to bed, then.”
His hand moved to the back of my neck. “I can think of something that could help me relax.”
My pulse started a familiar tattoo, but my heart was breaking. Tears threatened my eyes. “I’m really tired. And with Gran still awake, and Eddie and Ralph all in the house . . .”
“I understand.” He stroked my hair. “I’m really looking forward to this weekend.”
I nodded, but my heart felt like a mass of coal. The weekend in New Orleans was a prelude to my move to Chicago. Our time together in Wedding Tree was practically over.
“I can’t wait to get you all alone.” He moved my hair and kissed my neck.
Oh God. How could I go away for a weekend with him? I would only fall more deeply in love, and leaving would be all the harder.
He angled in for a kiss. I found myself holding back—and he must have felt it, too, because he pulled away and caressed my chin. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I murmured. “Just really drained.”
“Go and get some sleep, then.” His finger flitted over my cheek. “I’m staying in Baton Rouge the next two nights, but I’ll be in touch, and I’ll see you Thursday afternoon. This is going to be the best weekend ever.”
I gave my best imitation of a smile, then slipped off the porch and through the hedge, just as the tears I’d been holding back began to fall.