“No, that’s very nice of you, but these are my friends—”
“My friends, too, now,” Roy said with a smile.
“Of course, but this is something I should do.” Eve faced Phyllis, Carolyn, and Sam and went on, “I know you were expecting us to move back in here for the time being, but I’m afraid we’re not going to be living here after all.”
Chapter 7
A moment of surprised silence passed; then Carolyn said, “Not living here? What are you talking about? Where are you going to live if not here?”
“I thought you were going to stay here while you look for a house of your own,” Phyllis said.
Eve nodded. “I know that was the plan, but Roy found this charming bed-and-breakfast in the country outside of town, and the owners have agreed to let us stay there on a longer-term basis than usual. It’ll be sort of like renting an apartment, but not exactly.”
Roy said, “I think it’s important in the early stages of a marriage for a couple to spend as much time together as they can.”
“But . . . but you won’t have any more privacy in a bed-and-breakfast than you would here,” Carolyn objected. “There’ll be people coming and going all the time.”
“Yes, but there they’ll be strangers,” Eve said. “I won’t feel any desire to spend time with them, and they won’t be interested in us. I can devote all my attention to Roy and to our search for a house of our own.”
What Eve was saying actually made sense in a way, Phyllis thought. The anonymity of the other people staying at the bed-and-breakfast would make it seem like they had more privacy, whether they really did or not. But that didn’t mean Phyllis wanted things to happen that way.
“We’ll support your decision, whatever it is,” she said, “but we were really looking forward to having the two of you here with us.”
She gestured toward the banner over the fireplace to support her words.
“Oh, I know!” Eve said. She came over to Phyllis and hugged her. “And everything you’ve done means so much to me. But this is the right thing for us. I know it is.”
Once again, Phyllis thought she heard the tiniest forced note in her friend’s voice. But maybe that was because she wanted to hear it, she told herself. She wanted to believe that Eve could be persuaded to abandon the bed-and-breakfast . . . when she knew that they didn’t really have the right to try to persuade Eve to do any such thing. Being friends meant what she had just said: accepting and supporting their decisions.
“All right,” Phyllis said, “on one condition.”
“What’s that?” Eve asked.
“That the two of you will come over here for dinner at least once a week.”
Roy grinned and said, “I think we can guarantee that, Phyllis. We’ll probably still be around so much you’ll get sick of us and boot us out.”
“That will never happen,” Phyllis said.
Sam said, “It’s all settled, then. Why don’t we all sit down to dinner now, and you two can tell us all about your trip?”
They headed toward the dining room, and while they were in the hall, Eve said quietly to Phyllis, “I’m sorry about springing this on you that way. I would have told you on the phone, or written to you about it, but I just couldn’t figure out how to tell you. I decided it would be better to do it face-to-face.”
“It’s all right, Eve, really,” Phyllis said as she took her friend’s hand and squeezed it. “We’ll miss you, but it’s not like you’re leaving forever. You’ll still be around.”
“You can count on that,” Eve said.
* * *
Over dinner, in addition to telling Phyllis, Sam, and Carolyn about their trip to the Bahamas, Eve and Roy also explained more about the bed-and-breakfast.
“We went by there on the way from the airport so I could take a look at it,” Eve said. “That’s why it took us longer to get here. Roy told me about it while we were on our trip, but I couldn’t agree until I had seen it for myself.
“My friends, too, now,” Roy said with a smile.
“Of course, but this is something I should do.” Eve faced Phyllis, Carolyn, and Sam and went on, “I know you were expecting us to move back in here for the time being, but I’m afraid we’re not going to be living here after all.”
Chapter 7
A moment of surprised silence passed; then Carolyn said, “Not living here? What are you talking about? Where are you going to live if not here?”
“I thought you were going to stay here while you look for a house of your own,” Phyllis said.
Eve nodded. “I know that was the plan, but Roy found this charming bed-and-breakfast in the country outside of town, and the owners have agreed to let us stay there on a longer-term basis than usual. It’ll be sort of like renting an apartment, but not exactly.”
Roy said, “I think it’s important in the early stages of a marriage for a couple to spend as much time together as they can.”
“But . . . but you won’t have any more privacy in a bed-and-breakfast than you would here,” Carolyn objected. “There’ll be people coming and going all the time.”
“Yes, but there they’ll be strangers,” Eve said. “I won’t feel any desire to spend time with them, and they won’t be interested in us. I can devote all my attention to Roy and to our search for a house of our own.”
What Eve was saying actually made sense in a way, Phyllis thought. The anonymity of the other people staying at the bed-and-breakfast would make it seem like they had more privacy, whether they really did or not. But that didn’t mean Phyllis wanted things to happen that way.
“We’ll support your decision, whatever it is,” she said, “but we were really looking forward to having the two of you here with us.”
She gestured toward the banner over the fireplace to support her words.
“Oh, I know!” Eve said. She came over to Phyllis and hugged her. “And everything you’ve done means so much to me. But this is the right thing for us. I know it is.”
Once again, Phyllis thought she heard the tiniest forced note in her friend’s voice. But maybe that was because she wanted to hear it, she told herself. She wanted to believe that Eve could be persuaded to abandon the bed-and-breakfast . . . when she knew that they didn’t really have the right to try to persuade Eve to do any such thing. Being friends meant what she had just said: accepting and supporting their decisions.
“All right,” Phyllis said, “on one condition.”
“What’s that?” Eve asked.
“That the two of you will come over here for dinner at least once a week.”
Roy grinned and said, “I think we can guarantee that, Phyllis. We’ll probably still be around so much you’ll get sick of us and boot us out.”
“That will never happen,” Phyllis said.
Sam said, “It’s all settled, then. Why don’t we all sit down to dinner now, and you two can tell us all about your trip?”
They headed toward the dining room, and while they were in the hall, Eve said quietly to Phyllis, “I’m sorry about springing this on you that way. I would have told you on the phone, or written to you about it, but I just couldn’t figure out how to tell you. I decided it would be better to do it face-to-face.”
“It’s all right, Eve, really,” Phyllis said as she took her friend’s hand and squeezed it. “We’ll miss you, but it’s not like you’re leaving forever. You’ll still be around.”
“You can count on that,” Eve said.
* * *
Over dinner, in addition to telling Phyllis, Sam, and Carolyn about their trip to the Bahamas, Eve and Roy also explained more about the bed-and-breakfast.
“We went by there on the way from the airport so I could take a look at it,” Eve said. “That’s why it took us longer to get here. Roy told me about it while we were on our trip, but I couldn’t agree until I had seen it for myself.
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