The Country Guesthouse (Sullivan's Crossing #5)(74)

  After Hannah left, Helen got on her computer. Hannah didn’t remember Victoria’s exact address but she did remember from court documents that Victoria was staying on Butler or Baxter Street in Leadville. Helen looked it up. It wasn’t a long street.

She went over to the store. “Sully, I’m going to go out for a little while. A change of scenery could jog the ideas.”

“Have you had lunch?”

“I had a little something at the house. Want me to pick up anything while I’m out?”

“I want you to tell me how Hannah’s getting along,” he said. “She seemed a little ruffled.”

“She’s fine. Just first-day-of-school jitters. It’ll be okay.”

“She did seem better when she left,” he said.

“Sometimes all a person needs is a little empathy. I think I’ll poke around Leadville for a while, see if I can clear out some cobwebs.”

He frowned at her. “Why do I think you’re up to no good?”

“I haven’t the first idea. What a crazy thought. I’ll check the bookstore, see if they have my new book on order. And what should we have for dinner?”

“I don’t care,” he said. “But I bet it’ll either swim or cluck.”

“How are the tomatoes? Have you picked them clean yet?”

“There’s plenty but could you get a couple of big onions and some mushrooms?”

She sniffed the air. “You going to eat both of those onions?”

“It’s the only fun I have, Helen. Are you going to tell me what you’re really going out for? Because you don’t like to poke around. You like to eat, drink, write and write and then read.”

She sighed. “I wasn’t going to tell you. You can’t keep your mouth shut.”

“Yes, I can!” he protested. “I do it all the time! What’s up?”

“Noah’s grandmother is behaving strangely. She wasn’t invited to see him this week so she turned up at the school on the first day, watching from the parking lot, setting Hannah’s nerves on edge. That’s very inappropriate, don’t you think?”

“You’re going to make trouble.”

“For Pete’s sake, I wouldn’t make trouble for those sweet kids,” she said. “But I might check out this Victoria Addison.”

“And do what?” he asked.

“I might find out what she’s up to lurking around the elementary school.”

“You think she’s going to tell you?”

Helen smiled. “You’d be amazed at the things people tell me.”







Don’t go around saying
the world owes you a living.
The world owes you nothing.
It was here first.

—Robert J. Burdette



14


After spending some time talking with Helen, Hannah began to think about how she might shift the axis of power. By being unpredictable, Victoria had taken control of their lives. They were scrambling around trying to anticipate her and how to make sure they were making the rules for their family. Or more specifically, how Hannah could be sure she was protecting Noah. And on her terms.

Noah had a successful first day of school. He was very happy with his new friends and didn’t sit out, even when they had playground time. He could maneuver expertly and, with the assistance of the crutches and braces, he had no trouble keeping up. He said people wanted to know what happened to him, so he told them. “I said I had a little cerebral palsy and that I was hoping to grow out of it.”

“Excellent answer.”

“And there’s only one kid who reads as good as me. The rest of them are way behind.”

“I think it’s more likely you’re way ahead,” Owen said. “Because you got lots of special attention from Linda and your mom.”

“I want to tell Linda about school,” he said.

After dinner they called Linda on FaceTime. Noah was so excited, yammering a mile a minute, telling Linda everything he could think of. But when he went to bed that night, he cried. “How long do you think I’m gonna miss her?”

“Linda?” Hannah asked.

“Well, yeah, because I know I’m gonna miss my mom forever, but Linda isn’t gone. She just isn’t here.”

“When I was a little girl, the phone was just voices, no FaceTime. I think we should make it a point to call her anytime you feel like it,” Hannah said. “I think that would help.”

His second day was also very good and though he seemed tired, he bounced out of school with a smile on his face. He wanted to call Linda, which they did. On Wednesday of that first week, Victoria showed up in the parking lot again. Hannah and Owen, still delivering Noah to school as a team, did not wave. “I’m going to be having a stern talk with her,” Hannah said.

Hannah walked across the parking lot and stopped Victoria just as she was opening her car door. “This better stop,” Hannah said.

Victoria turned. “Whatever do you mean, Hannah? I only wanted a glimpse of him since I can’t have time with him.”

“It’s intimidating. Rude and invasive. You have definite boundary issues.”

Victoria actually chuckled. “Why in the world would you be intimidated by me? I lost my case. I have no place in my grandson’s life! I’m just a grandmother standing on the sidelines, out of the way, hoping for a glimpse of my grandson. The only one I will ever have!”