Page 32 of Skipping Stones
In the afternoons, Linney often read or scribbled notes about stories she’d like to cover while Gran napped in her comfortable armchair. Some days she headed into town and caught up with Kirsten or Anna. She cooked whenever Gran would let her, and in the evenings they sat together with mugs of tea. Despite bouts of coughing and shortness of breath that put a knot in Linney’s stomach, Gran insisted on recounting family stories of years spent at the lake. They were stories Linney knew so well from so many retellings over the years, that she could recite them alongside her grandmother, but she was happy to hear them again and they laughed often, remembering all the scrapes she got into as a child. Some nights, Gran told stories of her mother and father, and even of her own early years in Silver Lake. To Linney, each story felt like a warm hug as she listened to Gran reminisce.
One evening, she left Gran at home for a proper girls’ night out at a Bridgegrove bar with her friends. Dressed in her best dark denim jeans and a silk blouse, she first picked up Anna, finding her similarly attired in black jeans and a pink ballet sweater showcasing her long lean limbs. Anna climbed into Linney’s car and squeezed her hand.
“I’m so glad we’re doing this,” she said. “It’s been far too long.”
“I agree,” said Linney, putting the car into reverse and backing out of the driveway. “We’ll have fun tonight!
After pulling into the parking lot behind Page Turners, Linney slipped out of the car and ran upstairs to get Kirsten. “You look great!” she said, pleased her friend had continued with the hair and makeup tricks MJ had taught her. Sure, the loose tunic Kirsten wore wasn’t very figure-flattering, but it was a pretty colour at least and played up her eyes. “Ready to go?”
“Absolutely. It’s been a while since I’ve been out.” Kirsten locked the door, and they joined Anna.
“Here’s to girls’ night,” said Linney, putting her key in the ignition.
“Girls’ night!” chimed in the others in stereo and soon all three were singing along with the radio as Linney drove out of Silver Lake.
All eyes turned to the pretty trio as they entered the bar in Bridgegrove. They grabbed a table and a handsome waiter brought them three beers and a plate of nachos to share. They told their latest work stories, but soon the conversation turned to men.
“Is there anyone new, Kirsten?” Linney asked, always hopeful.
“Well, maybe. It’s just been three dates, but there’s an administrator at the college who I like a lot.” She popped a tortilla chip in her mouth.
“Details!” demanded Anna. “You’ve been holding out on me.”
“Well, you know that I’ve almost part way through my master’s degree. I might try teaching,” she explained to Linney in an aside. “When I signed up for a course last summer, Alan asked if I’d be interested in coffee. I agreed, and we’ve had dinner a couple of times now. He’s handsome, and he’s such a gentleman.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Linney said, squeezing Kirsten’s hand.
“Now what’s new with you? Are you dating anyone new?”
Linney took a swig of her beer. “Honestly? I’m not ready for anything new. I need a break. I really thought I loved Mac. But even as he was falling apart, he hurt me so much.” Her eyes teared up, and she swiped at them, frustrated that she could still be emotional about it. She needed to change the subject.
“How are the cottages, Anna?”
Anna and Danny’s cottage business had taken off, and they now owned seven that they rented out for good money in the summers and somewhat less in the off-season. Nevertheless, they were almost always full and supplemented their income from the dance studio and contracting business nicely.
“Danny has his eyes on another couple of properties,” Anna said proudly, if with a bit of worry. “We’ll need to hire someone to help turn them over—the ones we have already are difficult for us.”
“It’s amazing the businesses that you guys have built,” Linney said. “Who’d have thought we’d all have turned out the way we did? Me in London, Kirsten working on her master’s and you a savvy businesswoman. We’ve done well for ourselves.”
The three women brought their beer glasses together. “To us!” Kirsten toasted their success.
* * *
“Hold on, Olivia.” Halfway across the country and two time zones earlier, Derek covered the phone with his hand and gave instructions to a colleague. “Sorry, sweetheart, I’m back. I think we’re just about halfway done out here.” He stood up to stretch and scratch his five o’clock shadow. “I can’t wait to get home.”
“Me too. This bed is awfully empty without you. Especially when I’m wearing the lingerie you bought me for my birthday,” Olivia said in a sexy voice, having some fun with her husband. “Should I send you a picture?”
Derek was standing in the middle of a conference room filled with banker's boxes full of paper, with other lawyers and paralegals. It was going to be another late night. “Um, maybe not just now,” he said quietly into the phone. “Too many people around. Give me a minute” He flushed beet red, and fled the conference room.
“Okay, I’m alone now,” he said, and a photo of Olivia in a wispy black chemise quickly came his way. “I miss you so much. Tell you what. How about we start trying for a baby when I get home and you get back from your Singapore trip?” Olivia was about to head out of town to close a deal. “For real this time.”
“I still think—” Olivia lapsed into silence before continuing. “Well, maybe.” She left the door open for the first time.
Derek’s smile couldn’t have been bigger. “Oh, we’ll have so much fun trying.”
* * *
Linney fretted over Gran’s obvious decline. Together they walked down to the dock after lunch every day, but Linney was distressed at how heavily Gran breathed after these short excursions. She insisted on seeing her grandmother’s doctor and was given a realistic report on her health. It turned out that Gran had not been entirely honest with her grandchildren.