sister you said that.” Celeste wrinkled her nose as she added, “She told me I was too old for this style.”
Hope couldn’t help but smile. She had met Celeste and her sister when they’d rented the beach house next door to Hope’s rental the summer before last. She could picture Desdemona saying that to Celeste. “How is Desi doing these days?”
“She’s well. Busy, but then, aren’t we all?”
“Is she still traveling quite a bit?”
“Constantly. As a result, we don’t have the opportunity to see each other as often as we’d like. I’m trying to convince her to visit Eternity Springs sometime soon. She asked me to tell you hello and to blame her for my being tardy, but we’re both to blame. It was downright rude of me to ask for a ride to the baby shower and then not be ready on time. Please forgive me.”
“Don’t be silly, Celeste. We have plenty of time. Besides, your front desk worker gave me a cup of spectacular coffee and I used the time to my benefit and looked over some of the paperwork Principal Geary gave me this morning.” Hope picked up her purse and slipped the strap over her shoulder. “Can I help you carry anything?”
“Thank you. I have a few gifts in the kitchen.”
Celeste led Hope down the hallway toward the kitchen. Upon entering the cheery room, Hope stopped and laughed. The kitchen table was covered with gaily wrapped and ribboned packages and bags, all in nursery themes in shades of a beautiful baby blue. “A few bags?”
“It’s the latent grandmother in me, I fear. I just love buying for little ones.”
Hope’s smile grew bittersweet. “I do, too.”
They loaded the gifts into Hope’s crossover SUV, chatting about the presents they’d chosen. Hope was excited about the baby shower. This would be her first visit to Jack and Cat Davenport’s mountain estate, Eagle’s Way, and she looked forward to seeing it. She’d heard it was fabulous.
They picked up two more passengers for the drive, Maggie Romano and her daughter, Gabi. An attractive widow in her early fifties, Maggie was the newest full-time resident of Eternity Springs, having moved here at the beginning of the summer to be nearer to two of her adult children. Gabi was the town’s deputy sheriff, though with her long legs, high cheekbones, and her mother’s beautiful blue eyes, she could have been a model if she’d wanted. Hope was in the early stages of friendship with the Romano women. She liked them both very much but, considering her history, she was cautious about letting anyone get too close.
Celeste Blessing had been the lone exception. Being around Celeste was like slipping into Angel’s Rest’s inviting hot springs pools—sans the sulphur smell—on a cold winter’s night. She simply made Hope feel better. She’d planted the seed about moving to Eternity Springs during those beach house days, then nurtured the notion with phone calls. Once Hope expressed real interest in making the change, Celeste had championed her to the principal and the school board.
The four women made small talk as their trip commenced. Gabi began relaying a story about the sheriff’s office dispatcher’s unfortunate experience with online dating, and with the laughter the story elicited, the melancholy that had lingered within Hope after the unfortunate lesson-planner incident began to dissolve. She turned onto the road that climbed out of the valley, and her spirits rose along with it.
They were halfway up the ridge when Maggie observed, “I’ve not been up this road before. What a spectacular view!”
“Isn’t it lovely?” In the front passenger seat, Celeste twisted around to speak with Maggie directly. “This is one of my favorite Gold Wing rides. Up here I sometimes feel like I can reach into the sky and touch heaven.”
“Maybe I’ll have to get a motorcycle,” Maggie mused. “We could form a gang, Celeste.”
Gabi let out a groan and buried her head in her hands as Celeste laughed out loud.
It was a beautiful, late-summer afternoon. Temperatures hovered in the mid-seventies. Snow-capped peaks climbed up to a sapphire sky dotted with puffy white clouds. The road wound around a mountainside to reveal an alpine meadow carpeted with wildflowers. “Oh, how gorgeous,” Hope observed. “What are those purple-blue wildflowers called?”
“Gentians. They’re one of my favorites,” Celeste said. “Up near Heartache Falls they … Oh dear.”
Hope braked to a stop as they came upon a small herd of bighorn sheep congregated on the road in front of them. Celeste clucked her tongue. “These animals are