The Country Guesthouse (Sullivan's Crossing #5)(24)

“The hardest part is trying to remember to enjoy these days when you’re so busy just getting through them,” Helen said.

“Who is your support, Hannah?” Leigh asked.

“Right now, it’s Owen. He’s wonderful with Noah and I’m sure he’s enjoying every second. Back in Minneapolis I have a couple of girlfriends who were also close to Noah’s mom and they’ve promised to help me as much as possible. But they’re working mothers. I’m going to have to reach a little further. I’m on family leave right now. I have a little more time to think. And if I need to, I can extend my leave, without pay.”

“Then you should stay here awhile longer,” Leigh said.

“I wish I could,” she said. “But I’ve got a house in Minneapolis and with that house comes a mortgage. Noah has to get established with new doctors—he and his mom lived in Madison. I have to keep up with his therapy, although,” she added with a laugh, “I think Owen has taken on that challenge. He bought himself and Noah wet suits so they can swim in that cold lake every day. Noah is five and he told Sully the wet suit was so he wouldn’t freeze his nuts off.”

“Oh, Lord, that’s going to be Lily,” Leigh said, leaning her head into her hand. “I have the worst mouth.”

“And she got it from me,” Helen admitted. “We’re doomed.”

Rob Shandon was beside their booth. “What can I bring you beautiful women today?”

“You know what to bring me,” Leigh said. “And I’ll have the diaper bag when you get a minute.”

“I’ll have the chicken Caesar,” Helen said.

“I guess I’ll have that, too,” Hannah said.

“Try the chicken Caesar wrap,” Rob suggested. “It’s a big seller.”

“Whatever you recommend,” Hannah said.

“I hate to brag,” Leigh said, “but I was smart enough to marry a man who cooks. For the past ten years he’s been going home at dinnertime to eat with the boys, to make sure they get nutritious meals. Now he’s taking care of me.”

Owen cooks, Hannah thought.

“What if you’re called to work?” Hannah asked.

“That doesn’t happen too often, but I have Sean as a backup when he’s around, and Rob has a good assistant management crew. Most of the time he can sneak away from the pub if I need him. And there’s always Helen in a pinch, but she has been firm—I’m not allowed to take advantage of her.”

Helen shrugged. “I’m afraid I’m not that flexible,” she said. “Ask Sully. I like a schedule. I’m a slave to routine. It’s what helped me survive when Leigh was young and I was working two jobs. Old dogs, you know.”

They talked and laughed all through lunch. Hannah learned sudden single motherhood wasn’t all they had in common. Leigh and Helen were also transplants from the Midwest area, having made their home in Chicago. Leigh wanted a slower pace after years of being on call and fighting traffic to put in long hours. She had accepted the contract in Timberlake as an experiment but it turned out to be such an improvement over her city lifestyle. “Don’t let the size of the town mislead you—everything you’ll ever need is at least nearby. The views are pretty, the air is clean, the people are helpful. It’s a healthy place. Now that I have Lily, I’m so happy to be raising her in a place like this.”

It was one of the best girlfriend lunches she’d had in a long time. She was astonished by the success of these two women—Helen, a bestselling author, and Leigh, a physician. Both of them had found true love in the year they’d been here. As hard as they worked, they had satisfying personal lives.

“And so will you,” Helen said.

“I don’t know about that,” Hannah said. “True love seems doubtful, except for my true love with Noah. I’m pretty reluctant to try a man again after calling off two weddings! And now I have a child to think about.”

“I think you should stay a little longer,” Leigh said. “Just until you feel like you have your sea legs in this new life you’re taking on.”

“That would be great, but every night when I close my eyes I dream about that list of things I have to settle before Noah and I can get on with our lives—registering for school, returning to physical therapy, establishing with a good doctor, finding the right sitter, getting back to work...”

“When Rob was married to his first wife, he had a big job in a big city. He was an assistant manager in a five-star restaurant. After her death, his sons were just five and seven years old and he decided the best thing he could do to make his life manageable was find a small, safe, friendly town where he could open a restaurant. A place that was close to home and school so he could keep an eye on his boys. Now here we are with a little girl and he’s doing it again, very comfortable with the baby in her swing or napping in his office or in her carrier on his back. I think business has picked up since Lily came along. Everyone wants to see the baby. And it’s the same at the clinic. My nurses love helping me care for her—she’s become a fixture around there. This wouldn’t have been possible in a big Chicago hospital. I can’t imagine how the senior staff in the city emergency room would have reacted if I said I had to go home because the baby has a fever. But here? Fifteen people would offer to back me up. My patients would happily wait while I checked on the baby.”