The Only Best Place by Carolyne Aarsen

Author:Carolyne Aarsen [AARSEN, CAROLYNE]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780446566230
Publisher: FaithWords
Published: 2009-09-25T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Auntie Judy is here,”Anneke called out from her lookout point upstairs, just as Sasha started barking.

Thank goodness for a long driveway and Sasha's early warning system. I had a chance to give the kitchen a quick look over. A plate lined with toast crumbs tilted toward the kitchen sink. Quick. I didn't have much time. Rinse it off. Where's the tea towel?

All right, then, a quick swipe across the stomach of my clean T-shirt would have to do.

Everything else passed nervous inspection. Coffee brewing, cups out, cookies on the plate. House clean and tidy. Leslie VandeKeere, ready to entertain.

Judy's delight at my invitation made me feel like I had done a Boy Scout–worthy good deed. I actually looked forward to the visit.

I called for Anneke, already thundering down the stairs, and caught Nicholas before he crawled into the kitchen. Anneke's steps never slowed on her way out the door. “Auntie Judy, Auntie Judy!” she yelled, even though Auntie Judy couldn't hear a thing.

Nicholas's hair was a tangle of curls. I had been more focused on the floor than my son, so I gave him a quick finger comb and wiped a smear of jam from his cheek. He swung his head away from me and pushed at my chest, but I held on. One of these days he would clue into the fact that I was his actual mother.

Anneke was already skipping on the back step by the time Nicholas and I stepped out of the house. The rain shower last night had washed the world clean, and I took a moment to inhale the fresh warm scent. Earthy and, yes, inviting. A bluebird swooped past, and I watched its flight, flashes of blue against the green trees. That bird had been hanging around the house for a couple of days now, fluttering against the windows, desperately trying to get in. Dan had set up an old birdhouse, but the bluebird seemed more interested in ours.

I heard the mocking squawk of a magpie and laughed as it swooped across the yard, out of reach of Sasha, who was trying to bring it to ground.

A perfect day for a visit.

As Judy parked the minivan, my heart filled with anticipation. Finally a chance to talk to her on her own and get to know her better.

Then the front and back passenger doors opened and my fragile expectation was squashed flatter than a mosquito. I took a deep breath, pulled out a smile, and walked down the steps to meet Judy, Gloria, and Wilma.

“Hope you don't mind that I brought Mom and Gloria along,” Judy said as they came up the walk. “They weren't busy today and wanted to come, too.”

I did mind, but it was too late for that. How was I supposed to get to know any one family member when they always came en masse?

“That's great. Glad you could come,” I said, shifting Nicholas more comfortably on my hip as they came up the walk. But he was already leaning away from me toward our company.

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