Page 60 of Taking a Chance on Charlevoix
“Sounds like a great plan,” Marlowe said.
But Izzy didn't look totally convinced. “Still, there will be a mess. Sawdust and that kind of thing. I’m worried about that. Holly's a baby and I don't want her to end up with breathingproblems. When I talked to Seth about that, he said he would tape the room down in plastic sheets.”
“That man is so considerate.” Aunt Cate got to her feet and poured herself a glass of water. Maybe her throat had gotten dry just thinking about all that dust in the air.
The more Sam saw and worked in that kitchen, the more she realized how dated it was. When they visited Sunnycrest during the summer, she had found the knotty pine cupboards quaint. Full of good memories. Now it just seemed old. Inconvenient. And not at all pretty. When they had their Christmas open house on Christmas Day, she'd been embarrassed when some of the guests ended up in that kitchen.
“Are we finished?” Aunt Cate consulted her delicate wristwatch. “I've got to run.”
“Where are you off to all the time?” Marlowe said. “You sure are busy.”
While they all waited, their aunt’s mouth opened and closed. Then opened again. Sometimes she could be so mysterious. “Volunteer work,” she finally said.
“That's wonderful.” Marlowe obviously loved that idea. “I'd like to do some of that too when I get there.”
Volunteer work. That might be a good way for Sam to meet people. She’d be doing her agency work from home, and that might feel confining. And she wanted to fill her time. “Where are you volunteering?”
Aunt Cate’s eyes seemed to drift. “Tall Oaks,” she said grabbing her handbag off the back of her chair. “Gotta run. I’ll type all of this up for Seth later.”
Watching her run from the room, Izzy shook her head. “She is always so busy.”
“Better busy than being bored.” Marlowe shook her head.
Just as they said goodbye to each other, Sam could hear Frank Elliott coming down the hall, talking about the upstairsbedrooms. Folding up her notes, she eased herself from the chair and carefully pushed it in. Everything looked good in the room. The pillows were fluffed on top of the green fern quilt. Would she take anything from this room with her? Of course the desk was coming but what about the dresser set? Would there be any place to use them at Sunnycrest? Maybe only time would tell. Maybe she should take everything and decide up in Charlevoix.
When Sam quietly opened the door, she found a couple standing in the hall looking at some of the prints she’d picked up in Spain. The posters were retro, created each year forSemana Santa. Holy Week was very big in Spain, a cause for colorful parades and celebrations.
“Hello and pardon me,” she said, passing the couple and nodding to Frank. They entered the guest room just as Sam reached the stairs.
“Have you ever seen so much green?” the woman said to her husband. “I just hate that color in the bedroom.”
Oh well. And so it goes. One more reason to leave this place. The beautiful home had become Sam’s past. Now it was only a building she wanted to leave behind. And yes, she was taking everything in that guest room with her. And she’d paint her bedroom moss green.
Chapter Twenty-Five
MARLOWE
Two Months Later
“B15,” Marlowe said in a loud, clear voice. She hated it when someone couldn’t hear. This group at Tall Oaks didn’t hesitate to tell you. Smelling faintly of spaghetti, the room was a cafeteria by day. A rustle ran through the crowd as they wielded their daubers and marked their B15, if they had it.
This was so simple. Marlowe loved it.
The canasta ladies all sat together. Sometimes Kimberly’s brother Winston visited and sat with them. After Aunt Cate’s experience, Marlowe figured the poor guy might be scanning the crowd for new dating possibilities. Maybe her aunt was right. At this age, the men needed someone to fix dinner for them or do their laundry. Very unromantic and not enough for any of the Quinn sisters, especially Marlowe.
“Anyone have bingo yet?” Izzy asked in a loud voice as she handed Marlowe the next ball to call out. Sometimes it took folks a while to see the pattern. They often played several cards.
“Nope, not yet. But I’m trying,” Irene Slafkowski said. Because she had trouble hearing, she always talked in a loud voice. One of her friends had told Marlowe that Irene had an appointment to get new hearing aids.
Gretchen, the activity director at Tall Oaks, appeared at the door, pushing the white and pink ice cream cart. After the next bingo, they could all choose their flavor. The cart was full of little Dixie cups.
“G58. G58,” Marlowe called out, ignoring the microphone. Sometimes it screeched, which she absolutely hated. Better to use her own voice. There was something very relaxing about being here with the older group late on Tuesday afternoons. She was studying for her next exam in the certification process. Because Marlowe had wrapped up all of her sales back in Naples, she was now in Charlevoix to stay. Her furniture was stored in one of the storage sheds along the highway. But she didn’t need a thing and that felt really good.
The ride up in her convertible had been very long but worth it. During the winter she would probably put the car in storage, unless the others would let her use the garage. From one day to another, things were changing at Sunnycrest. Seth and the crew were working on her bedroom now, and she was using Sam’s room. Sam was due any day and when she arrived, Marlowe had a rollaway bed ready. The two of them would probably enjoy many midnight chats in that bedroom together.
Izzy handed her the next ball.
“B11, B11.” Marlowe wanted to get to that ice cream.
