with more problems than the class of cute kindergarteners she taught. Thank goodness she had met
Cameron soon after she moved in. He helped her fix
up the house, and they fell in love soon after. "Thanks
for helping me out."
"You're welcome! I'm glad to help. Plus, it's nice
to let Cam have some time with Maggie."
"What do they have planned today?"
"I think he's probably going to run a few errands
then go to your house." She rolled her eyes. "Cam will hang out with your dad, watch football, let your
parents fuss over Maggie non-stop, then tell me that
he is such a great dad."
"Isn't he?"
"Yes," Mary Beth laughed. "He is."
All that talk of babies made him think of Dinah and
Bryan. "Has it been harder than you thought, juggling
it all?"
Mary Beth shook her head. "No. I've really enjoyed
it," she admitted. "But then again, I've had a lot of
help. And although I give Cameron a hard time, he's
never complained about changing diapers, or getting
up in the middle of the night, or helping with the laundry. It would be pretty hard to do it by myself."
"Yeah, I guess so." Dinah's ease with Bryan flashed
through his mind again. She made parenting look so
easy, she was so patient. Did she ever have harried
days?
Marianne stopped in front of a white clapboard
home with an almost nonexistent front walkway. "This
place needs some help in the front, but I heard the
backyard is heavenly," she stated. "And it's empty, so
we didn't have to wait to schedule a showing. Let's
go take a look."
Jeremy wandered through the house after Marianne,
listening to the pros and cons of the house with half
an ear. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he
knew he wasn't going to buy anything based on the
dimensions of a specific room.
He knew he was looking for something that made
him feel good, something that felt like home.
This one didn't.
He told Marianne so, and with a shrug she locked
up the door and took him to another house.
And another. And four others after that. Some were
already lived in, two others were vacant, and had been
for some time.
"I'm sorry," he said as they walked down a stone
walkway back to Marianne's car. "I don't know exactly what I'm looking for, but I know it's not one of
these."
She looked surprised by his apology. "I didn't think
you'd find a house today, Jeremy. I had a feeling that
you want might take a little time. Good things always
do." She turned to her daughter. "What do you want
to do?"
Mary Beth scanned her MLS list one more time.
"How about we go to this last house on Maple, then
get a cup of coffee at the Mill and plan our next meeting?"
"Sounds good to me," Jeremy said.
Marianne glanced at the address again, then pulled
away from the curb toward Maple. "Someone saw you
out walking with Dinah Cate the other night," the
older lady said as she weaved in and out of the light
traffic.
"We were out walking," he said, wondering what it
was going to lead up to. He glanced at Mary Beth quickly, but she didn't seem to be aware of where her
mother was headed.
"I've always liked that girl. Do you know her,
Mary?"
"A little bit. I actually knew her husband pretty
well. We were in a few of the same classes in school."
"Which ones?"
"French. And a chemistry class, too, I think. Neil
was a nice guy. Always had his eye on Dinah."
"I thought they didn't date until college?"
"I don't think they did. Dinah didn't date much in
high school, and Neil was kind of wild, dated a lot of
girls, kind of the more adventurous type. I think he
just sort of watched Dinah from afar."
"It's too bad he passed away."
"Yes, it is. She had quite a time of it for a while
there, raising that baby, dealing with lawyers and insurance people. Cameron actually handled a lot of the
estate."
"I didn't know that."
"You know Cam ... he'd never say a thing about
it. That's why he's such a good lawyer."
Jeremy slumped back against the leather upholstery.
"I guess so." He didn't
Cameron soon after she moved in. He helped her fix
up the house, and they fell in love soon after. "Thanks
for helping me out."
"You're welcome! I'm glad to help. Plus, it's nice
to let Cam have some time with Maggie."
"What do they have planned today?"
"I think he's probably going to run a few errands
then go to your house." She rolled her eyes. "Cam will hang out with your dad, watch football, let your
parents fuss over Maggie non-stop, then tell me that
he is such a great dad."
"Isn't he?"
"Yes," Mary Beth laughed. "He is."
All that talk of babies made him think of Dinah and
Bryan. "Has it been harder than you thought, juggling
it all?"
Mary Beth shook her head. "No. I've really enjoyed
it," she admitted. "But then again, I've had a lot of
help. And although I give Cameron a hard time, he's
never complained about changing diapers, or getting
up in the middle of the night, or helping with the laundry. It would be pretty hard to do it by myself."
"Yeah, I guess so." Dinah's ease with Bryan flashed
through his mind again. She made parenting look so
easy, she was so patient. Did she ever have harried
days?
Marianne stopped in front of a white clapboard
home with an almost nonexistent front walkway. "This
place needs some help in the front, but I heard the
backyard is heavenly," she stated. "And it's empty, so
we didn't have to wait to schedule a showing. Let's
go take a look."
Jeremy wandered through the house after Marianne,
listening to the pros and cons of the house with half
an ear. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he
knew he wasn't going to buy anything based on the
dimensions of a specific room.
He knew he was looking for something that made
him feel good, something that felt like home.
This one didn't.
He told Marianne so, and with a shrug she locked
up the door and took him to another house.
And another. And four others after that. Some were
already lived in, two others were vacant, and had been
for some time.
"I'm sorry," he said as they walked down a stone
walkway back to Marianne's car. "I don't know exactly what I'm looking for, but I know it's not one of
these."
She looked surprised by his apology. "I didn't think
you'd find a house today, Jeremy. I had a feeling that
you want might take a little time. Good things always
do." She turned to her daughter. "What do you want
to do?"
Mary Beth scanned her MLS list one more time.
"How about we go to this last house on Maple, then
get a cup of coffee at the Mill and plan our next meeting?"
"Sounds good to me," Jeremy said.
Marianne glanced at the address again, then pulled
away from the curb toward Maple. "Someone saw you
out walking with Dinah Cate the other night," the
older lady said as she weaved in and out of the light
traffic.
"We were out walking," he said, wondering what it
was going to lead up to. He glanced at Mary Beth quickly, but she didn't seem to be aware of where her
mother was headed.
"I've always liked that girl. Do you know her,
Mary?"
"A little bit. I actually knew her husband pretty
well. We were in a few of the same classes in school."
"Which ones?"
"French. And a chemistry class, too, I think. Neil
was a nice guy. Always had his eye on Dinah."
"I thought they didn't date until college?"
"I don't think they did. Dinah didn't date much in
high school, and Neil was kind of wild, dated a lot of
girls, kind of the more adventurous type. I think he
just sort of watched Dinah from afar."
"It's too bad he passed away."
"Yes, it is. She had quite a time of it for a while
there, raising that baby, dealing with lawyers and insurance people. Cameron actually handled a lot of the
estate."
"I didn't know that."
"You know Cam ... he'd never say a thing about
it. That's why he's such a good lawyer."
Jeremy slumped back against the leather upholstery.
"I guess so." He didn't
Similar Books
