Home to Stay (The Long Road Home #2) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,16

they do in the commercials.”

“When I talk to him, I’ll find out what he thinks would be best, how about that?” she replied, gaining the nods of the others.

Before long, the children had left, her room was ready for the next day, her lesson plans were written on the board, and she was finally in her car. She arrived at home, surprised to have made the trip mostly on autopilot, barely remembering the drive, her mind so full of thoughts of him.

Her house was tucked at the end of the lane, not part of a subdivision but not too far away from one that she felt completely alone. Woods surrounded the back of her house, and a small, separate garage sat to the side. Looking at her house, she knew what others, including her family, observed. A small, older cottage with fresh paint on the front but not the sides and back, an overgrown yard, shutters that had been taken down and leaned against the front as they waited for new paint, and a front screen door that was missing the screen. The inside was a litany of projects that needed to be completed also.

Granted, she wasn’t trained in construction but was learning as she went, and with each completed project she added to her sense of pride. A cabin in the woods, something she could work on to discover its original charm, was perfect. The fact that the back of her property bordered a tributary that led out through a bay and from there onto the ocean made it even more valuable to her.

She’d been able to afford it on her teacher’s salary. “Not surprising, considering all the work that needs to be done,” her father had reminded.

Alighting from her small car, she grabbed her school bag and walked to the front door, carefully opening the screenless screen door, wincing as the hinges creaked loudly. Inserting her key into the lock in the wooden front door, she jiggled it numerous times before the key finally turned. Once inside, she headed straight to the kitchen after dropping her bag and shoes by the front door. She’d skipped lunch to finish her lesson plan and thought she might grab takeout on the way home, but her surprise visitor had muddled her thoughts and she was almost home before she remembered to stop anywhere.

She pulled open the refrigerator door with a grin, acknowledging that John’s visit was worth not having takeout. She stared inside, discovering few choices and none very exciting. Finally, she grabbed a package of sliced ham, mayonnaise, and a piece of cheese she hoped wasn’t moldy. Hastily making a sandwich, she was excited to discover she still had some potato chips that weren’t too stale. Squirting a shot of orange-flavored water enhancer into her water glass, she smiled as she thought of the Kool-Aid her mother used to make when she was a little girl.

Sitting at her small table, she ate her sandwich absentmindedly as she opened her phone to the app where she kept notes. She started her grocery list, then switched to a list of items needed at the hardware store.

Her phone vibrated an incoming call and she jumped, her heart leaping until she spied it was from her friend. Answering, she could not keep the disappointment from her voice.

“Wow, you don’t sound very excited to hear from me.”

“Sorry, Paula,” she replied, trying to add a level of brightness to her voice. “I was just thinking about what project to work on this weekend.”

“Honey, that dump of a house will always have a project. What’s not to work on?”

While the sentiment was true, she bristled. “Well, at least I’ll never be bored as long as I have this house to work on.” Paula laughed, and Lucy had no problem imagining her friend’s eyes rolling.

“Well, I happen to know there’s a decent band at Moose’s Bar tonight. A couple of beers and hopefully a couple of guys will be just the thing to drag you away from your house.”

While at another time that invitation of drinking, dancing, and flirting would’ve held some appeal, tonight it didn’t. “Sorry, I just don’t feel like going out tonight.”

“That wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with the handsome soldier that visited you today, would it?” Paula laughed again. “I thought I’d get a chance to see you at the end of the day, but you left on time and I was stuck in a department meeting.” A third-grade teacher at the