The Best of Us (Sullivan's Crossing #4)(18)

Leigh thought Helen was beautiful. She hoped to be that attractive and youthful looking at sixty-two. Leigh sometimes worried that Helen had never married because of her. As far as Leigh could remember, Helen hadn’t even hinted that she had any interest in a love life until Leigh was in college. After Leigh’s breakup with Johnny, during one of their teary heart-to-heart talks, Helen admitted that some of her many evenings with friends or book club nights or faculty meetings had actually been dates. But none of the men were ever all that serious, not much more than friends.

Helen was tall at five foot eight, her back straight and her head held high. She kept her hair colored a rich dark brown; she was trim and athletic. She was just beginning to show the true signs of aging, laugh lines around her mouth and crow’s-feet around at her eyes, but these little things did nothing to diminish her attractiveness. She had a beautiful, joyful smile. She didn’t look like a woman trying to appear thirty-five, not at all. She looked exactly like who she was—an honest, vibrant, healthy sixty-two. She loved her age and was reaching it with grace and humor. Leigh wanted to be just like her.

Together they unloaded Helen’s luggage and got her partially settled in the guest room. Leigh hadn’t had time to set up a work space in that room for her, since she arrived so quickly. “Just as well,” Helen said. “I’m going to want a small bookcase and a worktop of some kind. Maybe a sturdy folding table or maybe a desk—not a fancy desk. Just a place for notebooks, Post-its, those little things that keep me organized. The boxes contain office supplies—from printer to pens. I don’t actually sit at a desk to work and we don’t work off hard copy anymore—it’s always on the computer screen. I like to move around a lot, sometimes sitting on the porch, sometimes in a cozy chair, sometimes at the kitchen table. Sometimes in a coffee shop or bar.”

“Make this room any way you like,” Leigh said. “I want this to be your house, too. I want you to spend as much time here as you want. If you decide to stay for months or even years, that would make me so happy. If you just want to visit, I understand.”

“I’m going to stay a good long time while I look this place over,” Helen said. “Then we’ll see.”

The pub was warm and woody and the place was hopping, laughter ringing out from the busy bar area. It looked to be populated mostly with college students. They were supposed to be over twenty-one but who knew how many fake IDs were floating around the room.

“Let’s see if we can get a table or booth that’s a little away from the bar,” Leigh said.

“Why are there so many young people here?” Helen asked. “Skiing is over, isn’t it? Please tell me it’s over.”

“It’s almost May, it’s pretty slim pickings even at the higher elevations,” Leigh said. “But the trails and rock climbing all around us call to these young people. A lot of them come here to camp, hike, bike and climb.”

“Let’s spend spring break in Timberlake, Colorado? That can’t sound too exciting on the campuses in the north. I thought the kids all went to Florida,” Helen said. “Or Mexico.”

“The majority probably do, but as you can see, there are quite a few right here. Sully’s campground is always full during holiday breaks and weekends. Lots of families and quite a few students.”

They settled at a table near the front window and Helen immediately picked up a menu. She slid on her reading glasses and scanned it. “You can’t eat here too often and keep your figure. Hamburgers, pizzas, wraps, wings...”

“Pub food. I can direct you to some dishes that aren’t too heavy or greasy,” Leigh said.

“Maybe next time, dear,” she said. “Look at these hamburgers!”

“And I can vouch for them, too. They’re wonderful. You do like your occasional hamburger, don’t you?”

“It might be my favorite meal. I’ve just never been any good on the grill. I can’t do it every time I eat out or I’d be as big as a house. But I’ve worked hard the last few weeks! Time for a treat. Let’s start with wine. What’s good here?”

“You pick,” Leigh said.

A few minutes later, their wine barely delivered, people began to drop by their booth to say hello. First was Eleanor and her husband, Nick. “Auntie, you remember Eleanor, don’t you? The best nurse in the county?”

“Of course! So nice to see you again!”

“I hope you’re staying awhile this time,” Eleanor said.

“I plan to be, until I get the itch to go somewhere.”

“Spring and summer are beautiful here,” Eleanor said.

Just after ordering their food, Connie Boyle approached the booth, carrying a large take-out sack. Leigh introduced Helen and asked about his wife, Sierra.

“She’s ripe as a melon and should pop in around a month or six weeks. She said she was dying for Rob’s potato skins and wings, so here I am. I’ve found granting every wish of a pregnant wife is always in my best interest.”

“Connie and Sierra have a one-year-old son and a daughter on the way,” Leigh explained to Helen.

“That’s cutting it close,” Helen said, sipping her wine.

“Good thing we like kids, huh?” Connie said with a smile.

Just as their food arrived, Tom Canaday and his fiancée, Lola, stopped by to say hello. Leigh explained that they were two single parents who had combined families and together had six kids between them. “We threw a pizza at them and ran for our lives,” Tom said.