Gerri Hill - The Cottage

said. So I'm looking around, wondering if there's some easement or something in the lake

and I was trespassing. So I told him I was fishing. He pointed to his pier and said get over

here right now. I know I probably should've been afraid, I mean, he was six-foot tall, easy.

But I looked at him and said 'yes, sir,' and paddled over. I sat there in my canoe and he

pointed at me. 'Good God, girl, you're about to give birth. What were you thinking? That

I'd swim on out to help you when you went into labor? Now get out of that there boat!'"

Carrie smiled fondly. "Oh, he was a character. He drove me around to the park in his old,

beat-up truck and got my car, then we drove back to collect my canoe."

"How in the world did you lift a canoe when you were nine months pregnant?"

"I was praying I'd go into labor," she said with a laugh. "But he was such a sweet man. He

was eighty-six and a widower. And he owned a couple hundred acres he didn't know what to

do with. We became friends. I was quite taken with him. I spent every day after that with

him, until I gave birth. His name was Joshua."

"You named your son after him."

"Yes. James had his heart set on Jeremy. I convinced him to change it. But anyway, Joshua

sold me all his property, except for about ten acres that his house sat on. I never told

James. And I never did anything with it. But I'd go visit him often, always taking Josh with

me. Josh wasn't even two when he died. He didn't have any kids of his own and he left me

the rest of his property."

"Wow."

Carrie shrugged. "Kinda strange I never told James, I suppose. I just hung on to it,

sneaking out whenever I could. It was my escape. But then the developers came and I

didn't know what I was going to do with two hundred acres. So I sold for an outrageous

amount of money about five years ago."

"And James never knew?"

"No. I retired on the pretense I wanted to spend more time with the boys and I wanted to

take some art classes. I tore down Joshua's old shack and pier, and built this little cottage.

It won't be much for resale, not with just the one bedroom. But it's just a place I can

come to, if I need it."

"Like for lunch on rainy days?"

"Like for lunch on any day. Unless you have a fondness for the park and all its people,"

Carrie teased.

"I'd rather come here," Jill said seriously. "I mean, if you want," she added.

Carrie nodded. "The sunroom is wonderful when the weather's bad. The pier is awesome

when the weather is nice."

"Do the ducks make it around this far?"

"There are some that hang around but I'm not here enough to feed them on a regular

basis, so they're not always here. But I've never seen Grandma Duck out this far." Carrie

reached over and squeezed her arm. "If you're going to miss feeding the ducks, we'll have

to make a date to meet at the park at least once a week."

"Well, like you, I've become fond of Grandma Duck." Her eyes lingered where Carrie's hand

still touched and she wished she wasn't wearing long sleeves. She watched as Carrie's

fingers slipped away, then looked up, meeting Carrie's eyes for a brief moment.

"It's probably getting late," Carrie said.

Jill nodded then pushed up her sleeve, revealing the slim watch she wore. She nodded

again.

"Yes. Time."

"Well, maybe the weather will be nicer tomorrow. I'll show you the pier and garden." She

stood. "And maybe I'll surprise you with lunch."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"I know you love the rain but four days in a row is a bit much," Jill complained as they sat in

the sunroom and munched on the burgers and fries she'd picked up on her way over.

"Green. Think green."

"I'm beyond that. I'm trying to remember what sunshine looks like." Jill grinned. "Do you

think we should start building a boat?"

"No. We'll use my canoe to escape," Carrie said seriously, then wiggled her eyebrows

teasingly.

"But this is really nice, isn't it. I can't believe how warm the sunroom stays. I could almost

convince myself this is a spring rain and not winter."

"Spring will be here soon enough. And I think this year I'll tend to the garden. It was

Joshua's pride and joy. When I had his old shack torn down, I made sure to leave the

garden undisturbed.

When they landscaped the flower beds around here, I had them weed and mulch his

garden. It looked great that first year." Carrie smiled. "I just don't have Joshua's green

thumb."

"Well, maybe this spring, we could steal a Saturday and . . . and maybe plant some flowers,"

Jill suggested. "I mean, if you could sneak away from your family for a day."

Carrie's pale eyes looked into her own for a long moment before answering.

"And can you sneak away from your family?"

Jill nodded. "I think I'm allowed a day out now and then." She paused, brows drawn

together. "You know, I've not mentioned you to Craig. I mean, we've become friends and

I've not even mentioned your name to him."

Carrie nodded. "Is that odd?"

"Yes. Don't you think?"

Carrie's lips just hinted at a smile. "I don't think it's odd. I've not told James about you

either."

Jill leaned forward. "Why is that, do you think?"

"I don't think it really concerns him. Our friendship is . . . well, it's just between us. I

didn't feel the need to share you with him."

Jill nodded. "Yes. I think that's how I feel. I don't want to have to share anything we do or

say. It's just us."

It was quiet in the sunroom as Jill's words hung in the air. Its just us. She had an odd

feeling as those words echoed around in her brain. Just us. She had been on the verge of

mentioning Carrie to Craig on a few occasions but something told her not to. So she kept

her new friendship to herself, not for a moment thinking that Carrie had done the same.

She looked up, not surprised to find Carrie's eyes on her. She was surprised, however, by

the warm sensation that traveled across her body as she let herself be pulled into those

blue depths.

"It would be nice to be able to spend more than an hour together," Carrie said quietly.

"Perhaps in a few weeks, if the weather warms, we could—"

"Clean flowerbeds?" Jill suggested.

"I promise I'll feed you."

Jill's smile was warm as she reached out and lightly touched Carrie's hand. "Then it's a

date."

Those words hung between them as Jill slowly removed her fingers from Carrie's hand.

CHAPTER TWELVE

It was unusually quiet as Jill closed the back door and moved silently across the deck. She

supposed the cold rain of earlier had chased everyone inside for the evening. She took a

deep breath, smelling wood smoke from neighboring chimneys. A romantic concept, but she

and Craig had yet to have one this winter. Of course, a cheery fire burning warmly inside

usually meant someone was there to enjoy it. And on this evening, like so many others, she

was alone. Craig and Angie were at the basketball game. To their credit, they had invited

her. It was an afterthought on Craig's part, she knew, but nonetheless, he'd offered and

she declined.

She moved to the porch swing, sinking down heavily as she put it in motion. Her fingers

were cold on the wineglass and she pulled her robe tighter around her.

The cold... the quiet. A year ago, loneliness would have settled upon her by now. A feeling

of... well, not quite depression, just an aloneness, a feeling she lived with, grew to

recognize, grew to accept.

But tonight, as she sat in the swing and quietly rocked back and forth, she couldn't quite