The Best of Us (Sullivan's Crossing #4)(17)

“Helen! How in God’s name did you manage all that so fast?”

“I had very efficient help and have moved into a hotel. The buyers are in a hurry, had a walkthrough today and want to close as soon as the title office is ready. If anything is upset in the next couple of weeks I guess I’ll fly back here to straighten it out, but I have no business here. I’m going to have to buy a new car when I get there...”

Leigh laughed. “You are amazing. How do you do it?”

“There is no one to do it for me or to argue with me about my process. Therefore, I get it done. I’ll be there Saturday afternoon. Is that all right?”

Leigh just laughed. “Of course.” And she thought she would either explain to Rob that something came up or she would ask if Helen could be included on their date. “I can’t wait to see you.”

“Shall I arrange for a rental car?”

“I’m off this weekend. I’ll come to get you. Will you be flying to Denver?”

“Yes, please. I have quite a load this time. I might have to make your house my base, taking over your guest room. How do you feel about that?”

She felt all warm and lovely inside. “Nothing could make me happier, Auntie.”

“Wonderful! I promise not to get underfoot.”







Whatever words we utter should be chosen
with care for people will hear them and be
influenced by them for good or ill.

—Gautama Buddha



4


LEIGH HAD SEEN her aunt Helen several times since moving to Timberlake but only twice had Helen come to Timberlake. Last fall Helen visited and she was very preoccupied with the colorful leaves, plus she was finishing a book. Book deadlines always left Helen a bit antisocial and holed up with the final manuscript. Leigh was excited to introduce Helen to her new friends and colleagues.

This visit would be extended, at least until Helen grew restless. It was obvious when Leigh picked her up and filled the car with boxes and suitcases that she was planning on staying awhile.

“Wait till you watch the news,” Helen said, beaming. “They’re expecting another crippling snowstorm in the Midwest! And I’ll be here!” Then she giggled.

“When will you be traveling next?” Leigh asked Helen when they were on the road back to Timberlake.

“There’s a conference in New York at the end of May, just for a few days. Then I’m going to San Francisco in July. Maureen has a lovely little guesthouse and I can stay as long as I like. I wish you could get away for a little while. We could do the town.”

“We’ll see,” Leigh said. “Maybe I can take a couple of days. I do love Maureen and I haven’t seen her in a long time. But I’m needed here. These people depend on me and it feels...” She smiled. “It feels so good.”

“You’ve gotten so mellow since you’ve come here,” Helen said.

“The quiet and slower pace suits me,” Leigh said. “I was afraid I’d be bored. I’m not.”

“Have you made many friends?” Helen asked.

“There are some. The fire department is across the street and those guys hang around the clinic sometimes. They bring their families to me and sometimes include me in their get-togethers. There are a couple of other medical practices nearby—a pediatrician and an orthopedist—we’re friendly. There’s a neurosurgeon I’ve gotten to know—Maggie. She goes to Denver three days a week for her practice. We’re friends and her sister-in-law, wife of one of the paramedics, has become a friend. Maggie’s dad, Sully, has a great camping outpost on a lake nearby—he’s everyone’s friend.”

“And you’re skiing?” Helen asked.

“Not much beyond the few lessons I took last winter. I went with Maggie’s other sister-in-law, Sidney. This time I’m going to make sure you meet some of these people. You’ll get such a kick out of Sidney. She’s an amazing woman—consults in quantum physics at UCLA. She and her husband are going to move to Boulder at the end of the summer. She’s taking a position at the university and her husband is going to get his teaching certificate. Apparently he’s always wanted to teach high school.”

“I hope he’s got nerves of steel,” Helen said.

“You loved teaching,” Leigh said.

“My current job is much more flexible.”

“After we get all of your luggage sorted out, we’ll go and get something to eat. There’s a little pub in town owned by a guy I know—Sid’s brother, Rob. It’s kind of lively on Saturday nights, especially during spring break, and it’s always spring break somewhere. But I’d like you to meet him. He asked me out on a date. I patched up his son after an accident.”

“Did you go?” Helen asked.

“It’s for tomorrow night. I’m going to introduce you, tell him you’ve come for a visit, and I’m sure he’ll invite you to join us.”

“Have you been seeing him long?”

“No, Auntie—he just asked me. First date, though I’ve known him since I moved here. I think he’s just being neighborly because I put stitches in his son’s hand.”

“What a crock,” Helen said. “If he was thanking you for the stitches, he’d give you a plant or fruit basket. This sounds like a real date. I’ll look him over, and if I like what I see, I won’t join you.” Then she smiled her dazzling smile.