The Lucky One(23)

But were they here yet? Of course not.

It would have been so much easier if Ben were around. She’d seen him in church that morning with his father, and he’d looked as glum as she’d expected. As always, it hadn’t been a lot of fun for him. He’d called before going to bed last night and told her that Keith had spent a good chunk of the evening sitting alone on the porch outside while Ben cleaned the kitchen. What, she wondered, was that about? Why couldn’t he just enjoy the fact that his son was there? Or simply sit and talk with him? Ben was just about the easiest kid to get along with, and she wasn’t saying that because she was biased. Well, okay, she admitted, maybe she was a little biased, but as a teacher, she’d spent time with lots of different kids and she knew what she was talking about. Ben was smart. Ben had a zany sense of humor. Ben was naturally kind. Ben was polite. Ben was great, and it made her crazy to realize that Keith was too dumb to see it.

She really wished she were inside the house doing . . . something. Anything. Even doing laundry was more exciting than sitting out here. Out here, she had way too much time to think. Not only about Ben, but about Nana, too. And about whether she would teach this year. And even the sad state of her love life, which never failed to depress her. It would be wonderful, she thought, to meet someone special, someone to laugh with, someone who would love Ben as much as she did. Or even to meet a man with whom she could go to dinner and a movie. A normal man, like someone who remembered to put his napkin in his lap in a restaurant and opened a door for her now and then. That wasn’t so unreasonable, was it? She hadn’t been lying to Melody when she’d said her choices in town were slim, and she’d be the first to admit that she was picky, but aside from the short time with Adam, she’d spent every other weekend at home this past year. Forty-nine out of fifty-two weekends. She wasn’t that picky, that’s for sure. The simple fact was that Adam had been the only one who’d asked her out, and for a reason she still didn’t understand, he’d suddenly stopped calling. Which pretty much summed up the story of her dating life the last few years.

But no big deal, right? She’d survived without a relationship this long, and she’d soldier on. Besides, most of the time it didn’t bother her. If it hadn’t been such a miserably hot day, she doubted it would bother her now. Which meant she definitely had to cool off. Otherwise she’d probably start thinking about the past, and she definitely didn’t want to go there. Fingering her empty glass, she decided to get that ice water. And while she was at it, a small towel to sit on.

As she rose from her seat, she peeked down the empty gravel drive, then she scribbled a note saying she’d be back in ten minutes and tacked it to the front door of the office. Outside, the sun pressed down hard, driving her toward the shade offered by the ancient magnolia and guiding her to the gravel path that led toward the house she’d grown up in. Built around 1920, it resembled a broad, low-country farmhouse, banded by a large porch and sporting carved molding in the eaves. The backyard, hidden from the kennel and office by towering hedges, was shaded by giant oaks and graced with a series of decks that made eating outside a pleasure. The place must have been magnificent long ago, but like so many rural homes around Hampton, time and the elements had conspired against it. These days the porch sagged, the floors squeaked, and when the wind was strong enough, papers would blow off the counters even when the windows were closed. Inside, it was pretty much the same story: great bones, but the place needed modern updates, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms. Nana knew it and mentioned doing something about it every now and then, but they were projects that always got put on the back burner. Besides, Beth had to admit that the place still had unique appeal. Not only the backyard—which was truly an oasis—but inside as well. For years, Nana had frequented antiques shops, and she favored anything French from the nineteenth century. She also spent good chunks of her weekends at garage sales, rummaging through old paintings. She had a knack for paintings in general and had developed some good friendships with a number of gallery owners throughout the South. The paintings hung on nearly every wall in the house. On a lark, Beth had once Googled a couple of the artists’ names and learned that other works by those artists hung in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. When she mentioned what she’d learned, Nana had winked and said, “It’s like sipping champagne, ain’t it?” Nana’s nutty turns of phrase often disguised her razor sharp instincts.

After reaching the front porch and opening the door, Beth was hit by a blast of cool air so refreshing that she stood in the doorway, savoring the feeling.

“Close the door,” Nana called over her shoulder. “You’re letting the air out.” She turned in her chair, giving Beth the once-over. “You look hot.”

“I am hot.”

“I take it that the office feels like a furnace today.”

“Ya think?”

“I think you should have opened the door to the kennel like I told you. But that’s just me. Well, come on in and cool off for a while.”

Beth motioned to the set. “How’re the Braves doing?”

“Like a bunch of carrots.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“Can carrots play baseball?”

“I guess not.”

“Then you have your answer.”