Page 5 of The Pink House

“How is Hannah coping with Brian’s death?”

Charlie pulled his attention back to his mother. “Fine, I guess. She’s always been difficult for me to read. Brian adored her. I don’t think she likes me much.”

That part had always puzzled him. As far as Charlie knew, he’d never done anything that would cause her to dislike him.

His mother didn’t argue the point, which either meant that she’d noticed it the few times they’d all been together, or she thought he was making something out of nothing.

“During the years I worked at the library, Hannah was a regular.” Lisa’s lips curved up at the memory. “She was such a pretty little thing with that straw-colored hair and those big blue eyes. Such a good little reader, too.” His mother shot a pointed glance in his direction. “She participated in our summer reading program every year.”

Charlie raised his hands. “Hey, I like reading as much as the next guy. You know that.”

“I do know. You had your sports. Hannah had her books.” His mother smiled, her eyes going soft with memories. “When she’d come in, she’d chatter nonstop, telling me everything going on in her life. She probably doesn’t recall those conversations. That was a long time ago.”

“You were always busy when I stopped by the library.” Charlie couldn’t imagine his mother having time for lengthy talks.

“I made time for Hannah.” His mother’s expression grew pensive. “I can’t believe she’s barely thirty and has already lost her mother and husband.”

“From what Brian told me, she doesn’t remember her mother. She died so long ago. Brian, well,” Charlie expelled a breath, “he was the best.”

“I thought of him as another son.” A sadness washed over Lisa’s face, then she met Charlie’s gaze. “You and I not only need to be good neighbors to Hannah, we need to be good friends.”

* * *

A week later, Hannah opened the windows of the house, hoping the breeze would clear the stuffiness from her new home. The boxes were finally unpacked, and she’d spent yesterday scrubbing floors and washing windows.

Slowly, the house that had been empty for two months was coming back to life. Hannah hadn’t had much chance to reconnect with her neighbors, other than Geraldine and Beverly, who’d stopped over the morning after she’d moved in.

Beverly had brought her fresh homemade cinnamon rolls, and Geraldine had brought her tool kit. While Hannah and Beverly had knocked back rolls and coffee, Geraldine had fixed the latch on Hannah’s back door.

Later that same day, Mrs. Rogan had stopped by with a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

Lisa—as she’d instructed Hannah to call her—hadn’t stayed long. Just long enough for Hannah to remember how much she liked the personable librarian.

Snagging the last cookie from the pretty floral plate, Hannah considered what to do now. She could look at paint samples and window treatments. Maybe spend some time shopping online for accessories to spruce up the inside of the house.

The problem was, all of those activities would take place indoors. This was, according to the meteorologists, a top-ten day, complete with blue skies, a warm breeze and the smell of flowers in the air.

The long hours Hannah had put in at Mingus had caused her to miss too many top-ten days. She wasn’t going to let that happen again.

Her phone rang just as she pulled on her hiking boots.

Seeing the name on the screen, Hannah smiled. “Dad. How’s Sun City?”

He chuckled. “Sunny.”

“Are you and Sandie enjoying your retirement community?” Hannah had known her stepmother would enjoy a fifty-five-plus crowd—Sandie was very social—but she hadn’t been sure how her father would fit in.

While he enjoyed people, he relished his alone time.

“So far, so good,” her father grudgingly admitted. “I go to the clubhouse every morning to swim. I’m also learning to play bridge.”

“That’s fantastic. I’m so happy for you.”

Phone pressed to her ear, Hannah moved to the window overlooking the backyard. A car sat in front of a large outbuilding, its hood up. Charlie and another man Hannah didn’t recognize were bent over the engine.

“How are things in GraceTown?”

“I’m settling in. I finished unpacking and have been doing some cleaning. Today, I plan to play.” Hannah pulled her curious gaze away from the two men and turned to rest her back against the edge of the counter. “The weather is amazing. I’ve got the windows open, and I was just thinking about a hike through the woods.”

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