Page 123 of Drawing Home
Angus appeared stunned for a second. He looked at Emma, then back at Bea.
“Well, this is an unexpected turn, to say the least. It seems you’re taking my job,” he said, smiling.
“I suppose I am,” Bea said. It was a relief to see him looking at her with warmth once again. “So why don’t you finally agree to take my room? It seems a shame to let a perfect view go to waste.” She winked at Emma.
“I think we’ll keep that room for you,” Angus said. “For when you come back on weekends and in the summer.”
“What makes you think I’ll be spending weekends and summers out here?”
He reached for her hand. “Well, I’m hoping you will consider it.”
Chapter Fifty
Penny tried to catch her mother’s eye, but Emma was busy behind the front desk. Every time Penny thought she had an opening, the phone rang and she heard her mother say for the millionth time, “The American Hotel, Emma speaking.”
Penny checked the clock hanging above the backgammon table. It was getting close to noon. She shoved her sketchbook into her overstuffed backpack, pulled out the retractable handle of her suitcase, and propped both bags against the couch. She walked to the front windows, squeezing between two tables, to take a peek outside at Main Street. She looked to the right and her heart beat just a little faster. Across the street, right on schedule, the jitney passed by on its way to the pickup spot.
“Mom, it’s time!” Penny said, rushing back to the couch for her bags.
“Let me help you with the suitcase,” her mother said. But Penny didn’t need her help. She was so energized, she could have lifted a car by herself.
Someday you will find your own superpower.
Outside, it was sunny and hot, an August day that was meant for the beach. But Penny wouldn’t have traded this moment for anything. She crossed bustling Main Street and made a left, heading to the back of the line of people waiting to board the jitney. Penny had watched visitors do this at the end of every summer weekend for as long as she could remember, but she had never imagined that one day she’d be one of the people leaving. She said as much to Bea, who stood waiting while Angus helped load her bags into the undercarriage of the bus.
“Well, I never imagined I’d be one of these people either,” Bea said. “I wish you’d let me call a car service.”
“This is so much more fun!” Penny said.
Really, until Penny actually stepped foot on the jitney, she wouldn’t fully believe it was happening. Her father had dropped his custody fight and her mother was letting her leave town. Her wish had come true. She was getting out in the world. She would continue what she’d started with Henry in the most incredible way imaginable.
The only bad part of the whole thing was that her mom was taking the change pretty hard. At least Kyle had shown up for moral support. He put his arm around her mom, solidifying his status as hero in Penny’s mind. She didn’t know if she could have left her mother all alone. But now, she wouldn’t be.
A woman wearing a green Hampton Jitney polo and holding a clipboard asked Penny for her name.
“Penny Mapson.” She turned to give her mom one last hug and said, “I’ll be back next weekend.”
Her mother didn’t say anything. She just nodded and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Penny felt a lump in her throat. “Mom, don’t be sad.”
“I’m not,” Emma said. “How could I possibly be sad when you’re so happy?” She pulled Penny into her arms. For a minute, Penny didn’t want to leave. But just for a minute.
She disentangled herself from her mother’s embrace, looked into her eyes, and said, “Iamhappy, Mom. I really am.”
She gave her a quick kiss, then turned away and climbed into the jitney.
Weeks of careful thought and planning had gone into this moment. And now that it was here, Emma was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get through it.
She glanced behind her, back at the hotel. Jack, who was covering the desk for the few minutes she needed to say good-bye to Penny, stood on the front porch and gave her a thumbs-up. Emma had been grateful to have her job back, but perhaps never more so than in that moment. It would be important to stay busy. And as she’d told Jack the night of the auction, the hotel really was her home away from home.
With the jitney idling at the curb, the reality that Penny was on her way to New York City took on a whole new intensity. Tonight, Penny would sleep in Bea Winstead’s Park Avenue apartment. By this time tomorrow, she would be touring her new school.
Emma leaned against Kyle. “Tell me I’m doing the right thing,” she said.
“You don’t need me to tell you that. Did you see her face?”
Of course she had. And she’d seen her expression the day they’d told her about the opportunity to go to art school in New York City. Penny had not hesitated for a second. It was as if she’d been waiting for a chance like this all along. And having given it to her, Emma felt an immediate shift in their relationship. Just like that, Penny had nothing left to push back against. She was no longer frustrated and angry.
Of course, the move would not solve everything.
