Love On Call

The question was innocent enough, but Glenn hesitated just long enough for Ida’s eyes to darken and search her face for a long moment.

Glenn lifted a shoulder. “Well enough, I expect.”

“Well, sit down,” Ida said gently. “I’m glad you’re here.”

And just like that, Glenn was surrounded by family. Edward at one end of the table, Ida at the other, Blake and Margie as usual joined at the hip next to each other, Presley and Harper, Abby and Flann, Carson and her husband Bill and their two-year old bouncing back and forth between them, Carrie and her across from each other. She didn’t have any trouble imagining Mari at the table. She’d fit in right away—effortlessly joining conversations, laughing, probably taking a turn at minding the toddler who thought it was such fun to walk from one lap to the other.

Talk as usual flowed in a dozen directions at once. Glenn had a hard time swallowing the most delicious food she’d ever tasted. Her insides echoed hollowly but nothing could fill her up.

As Ida cut the steaming fresh apple pie at the end of the meal, Flann said, “Abby and I have an announcement to make.”

Carson broke into a wide grin, and Harper chuckled.

“We’re going to get married before the end of the summer,” Flann said.

Ida glanced at Abby, who rolled her eyes ever so slightly.

“Have you actually discussed this with Abby?” Ida asked as she slid a wedge of apple pie onto a plate and passed it to Flann.

“Yeah. Mostly.”

“Before you set the actual date?”

Flann grinned. “Well, that was a little more vague.”

Abby squeezed Flann’s leg under the table, an obvious move apparent to everyone.

“She tends to skip over some of those things,” Abby said sweetly, taking a bite of Flann’s pie. “But this time we agree.” She looked at Flann and kissed her cheek. “I love you.”

Edward said, “That’s settled, then. Give us the details when the three of you”—he looked pointedly from Blake to Abby to Flann—“have worked them all out.”

“Understood.” Flann slid her arm around Abby’s shoulders, as happy as Glenn had ever seen her.

The pie disappeared in a flash, the kids took off for the tree house overlooking the river, and after Glenn helped clear the table, she wandered out to the back porch and sat down on the top step.

A moment later, Carrie joined her. “You’re quiet today.”

“Flann’s show.”

Carrie laughed. “Isn’t it usually with the two of you?”

“More or less.”

“I didn’t see much of you yesterday at the barbecue. Or Mari.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Something happened?”

Glenn watched a fat gray cat, one of half a dozen who lived in the big barn in the adjacent field, stalk a bird that teased it by repeatedly flying just out of reach before landing again. “No.”

“Oh.” Carrie stretched both legs down to the lower step, leaned back on her arms, and tilted her face up to the sun. She was beautiful, her red hair catching the light and gleaming with hidden strands of gold. “Because I thought there might be something going on.”

“No, there isn’t.”

“Why isn’t there?”

“What?”

Carrie snorted. “Come on, Glenn. She’s been watching you and liking what she saw. And yesterday you were definitely looking back.”

“You should leave this one alone, Carrie.”

“You’re both family, you know.”

“All the more reason not to go there.”

Glenn stood and Carrie looked up at her. “Someday, Glenn, you’re going to need to let someone in.”

“Not everyone believes in happy endings, Carrie.” Glenn jogged down the path toward her Jeep.

“Life is what you make it,” Carrie called after her.

Glenn drove away, wishing she believed that.

Chapter Twenty-two

Mari worked nights all week, and the only time she saw Glenn was at shift changeover on the mornings Glenn worked. Then their exchanges were all business and took place in the conference room with half a dozen other people. Hardly the place to discuss the kiss that was almost more, not that she really wanted to revisit a scene that still left her confused and unsettled. Every night she expected to see Glenn show up for her usual spot drop-ins, but she never did. Toward the end of the week, she overheard two of the nurses mention it was odd Glenn hadn’t been around, and they laughingly conjectured maybe she’d finally gotten a girlfriend.