“Hidden Lake Bistro and Art Gallery. How may I help you?”
“Mom?”
“Anna, honey. How wonderful to hear from you.”
“How was your trip?”
“Quiet.” Her mother said that as if it was a bad thing. Which, to her mom, it was. She liked to be active every minute of the day (much like Anna), while her dad, now that he was retired, was content to pretty much take it easy. “Why Joe and Deb ever moved to Alaska is beyond me,” her mom said, referring to their longtime friends. “But it was wonderful to see them again. Your father caught enough fish to last two lifetimes.” She laughed softly. “Be prepared for a fish fry when he comes home.”
“Dad didn’t come back with you?”
“No. He decided to stay for an extra week or so. He and Joe are having too much fun pretending to be wilderness men.” Her mom laughed again. “And like your father said, if he can’t have a flexible schedule when he’s retired, what’s the good of being retired?”
That sounded just like her father. “You didn’t want to stay?”
“No time. I’m about to launch a new artist, and I have to make a decision this week on the caterer and band for the charity ball. Why is it I never remember how much time that event requires?”
“You say that every year.”
“Jenny told me the same thing.”
“It’s true. So, tell me, how many pictures did Dad take?”
“Let’s just say you should factor in a couple of extra hours on your next visit,” her mother warned, a smile in her voice. “By the time I left, he had enough to fill at least three photo albums.”
“I might not have time,” Anna said. “I got the promotion, Mom.”
“Oh, Anna. I’m so proud of you.”
The pride she heard in her mother’s voice went a long way toward making her lingering disappointment vanish.
“I bet Phillip was just as excited.”
Anna didn’t answer. She still hadn’t heard from Phillip, but that wasn’t news she wanted to share, even with her mother. As days piled one on top of the other, Anna had put aside her pride and picked up the phone. Twice she’d tried calling Phillip. Twice she hadn’t been able to reach him. She felt a flare of anger. Why did it seem as if she was the only one trying in this relationship?
“When do you start?” her mom asked.
“I already have.”
“That was quick.”
Anna explained about Dr. Bernard’s wife, concluding with, “Understandably, he’s taken a lot of time off lately, and so we’re behind and understaffed. I’m going to have to work most weekends. Actually, that’s the main reason I called. I have to work this weekend, and I was hoping you could watch Cody.”
“Oh, honey, I would love to except I’m going to be in Seattle. Meetings for the charity ball.” Her mom paused. “But Cody could always come with me. I know it wouldn’t be much fun for him, but I wouldn’t mind.”
But her son would. And he’d make his grandmother’s life miserable in the process. Plus there was his baseball game. Anna didn’t even want to think of the fit he’d throw if he had to miss it. “Thanks, Mom, but I don’t want to put you out.”
“I’d love to have him.”
“It’s okay, Mom. Really.”
“I hate to leave you in a bind.”
“I’ll think of something.” The hospital paging system went off, and Anna heard her name being called. “Maybe Paul could watch Cody.”
“Paul’s working weekends, too, since he hasn’t found a partner.” Her mom paused, then said, “What about Jenny?”
Anna wouldn’t trust her sister with a goldfish, let alone her son.
“I know what you’re thinking,” her mother said.
Anna seriously hoped not.
“Give her a call. She’d love to help you out.”
The hospital paging system sounded again. “Mom, I don’t mean to rush off, but I have to go.”
“Call your sister.”
“I’ll think about it,” Anna hedged, wondering if her mom could hear the lie in her voice.
NINE
The calls had started at seven.
Jenny had wondered how long her reprieve would last. She knew she had at least a week while her parents were on vacation. And without her mother around to keep everyone up to date, Paul and Anna wouldn’t find out until her parents returned home. Naively Jenny had thought maybe she’d even have an extra day or two after they got back from Alaska. But mere hours after returning home, her mother had been on the phone.
The local gossip mill must have been working overtime to