Harriet Beamer Strikes Gold by Joyce Magnin

Author:Joyce Magnin
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780310333593
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2013-10-19T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

“MOM,” HENRY CALLED THE INSTANT HIS FOOT HIT THE porch steps. “Mom!”

He pushed open the door. “Mom, we’re home.” Prudence followed behind.

“Coming,” Harriet called. “We’re coming.”

Humphrey skittered out of the room before Harriet and Martha.

“Wow,” Martha said. “He’s excited.”

“He should be,” Harriet said. “He’s going to become an uncle.”

“Martha,” called Henry. “It’s so good to see you. How was your flight?”

Martha moved close enough to Henry to hug him. “Henry, you look wonderful, and congratulations.”

“Thank you. We’re excited.”

Martha pulled away and hugged Prudence. “Hi, Prudence. You are gorgeous. I can’t believe it. A baby.”

“Thank you, Martha. Welcome to California.” Then she laughed.

Harriet stood near the couch and felt her eyebrows crinkle. “What’s so funny?”

Prudence sat in the big chair. Humphrey trotted close and Prudence patted his side. “I see I’m not the only one getting fat around here.”

Henry clicked his tongue. “You are not getting fat. And we won’t ever say that.”

“Okay, okay,” Prudence said. “Do you want to tell them the news?”

“News?” Harriet said. “You have news?” She sat on the couch. “I guess it’s good news, because you two look terribly excited.”

“It is, Mom, but you should sit,” Henry said. “This is pretty exciting.”

Martha sat next to Harriet on the couch. “Okay, we’re sitting, son,” Harriet said.

“Right, right.” He looked at Prudence. Humphrey sat with his head resting on her knee. Sandra Day sauntered past and leaped onto the back of Prudence’s chair.

Henry nearly sucked all the air out of the room. “Okay. Are you ready?”

“Ready,” Harriet said. She couldn’t imagine what was so exciting.

“Do you want to tell, honey?” he asked Prudence.

“No, no, I think you should tell.”

Henry took another deep breath and said, “Twins. We are having twins.”

This time it was Harriet who nearly sucked all the air out of the room. She grabbed onto Martha. “Did you hear that? Twins. We’re having twins. Well, they’re having twins, but me, also, sort of, twins. I’m going to be Grammy to twins. Twins. Oh my goodness.”

She leaped up and wrapped her arms around Henry. “Congratulations, Henry.”

Then she gave Prudence an equally substantial hug.

“That is exciting,” Martha said. “Twins. Wow. Two of everything.”

“We were stunned,” Prudence said. “But there they were on the ultrasound monitor. Two … babies. Two heartbeats. And that’s why I really am beginning to show.”

Henry sat on the arm of the chair next to Prudence. “Yep. Baby A and Baby B. That’s what the technician, Jennifer, called them. Isn’t that cute?”

Martha laughed. “He’s so happy. That’s nice.” But then she got kind of a faraway look in her eyes that Harriet could feel in her heart. She made a mental note to ask Martha about it later.

“This calls for a celebration,” Harriet said. “We should all go out for dinner. To that lodge, you know the one, with all that rusticness—what’s it called?”

“Half Moon Lodge?” Prudence said. “That’s a fabulous idea.”

After Harriet caught her breath and sat back down she said, “Well? Did you ask?”

“Ask what?” Henry said.

“Boys? Girls?”

Prudence shook her head. “No. The technician said it was too early to tell with any amount of certainty.

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