AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah. It will.” Emily stuffed her hands in her coat pockets. It was the same tone her mother had used. There was no judgment there. Rebecca wasn’t trying to make her feel bad for all the years she wasn’t around, but it still felt that way. It just reminded Emily of all the times she could have been here, and she’d chosen not to.
“Do you want to do that furniture shopping after I close up?” Rebecca asked.
“Yeah. Sure.”
“You might see something that will end up being a centerpiece almost. The color of the carpets, the walls… It could all end up working around this perfect couch or coffee table.” Rebecca shook her head. “Sorry, I get carried away.”
“Don’t apologize. That’s why I asked you. I know you love it, and you’re really good at it too.”
“Thanks. See you later,” Rebecca said, giving her a quick hug before getting in her car.
Emily found her shades in her bag and put them on as she got in her own car, the afternoon sun strong as she pulled out onto the street, taking that familiar winding road back to the cabin.
8
Quinn entered the community center on Saturday afternoon. As she looked around the entrance hall, she noticed the festive decorations sprinkled throughout the space. Strings of colored lights twinkled, tinsel and garlands glimmered in the light, and a small Christmas tree sat in one corner adorned with ornaments and multi-colored lights. Paper snowflakes dangling from the ceiling above her head.
Quinn surveyed the festive scenes with admiration as she prepared to help out with their weekly meal delivery service for local seniors. She’d volunteered here most Saturdays, delivering meals to those who needed it most.
“Hey,” Rebecca said, kicking open one of the double doors that led to the main part of the community center, her arms full of bags. “Can you take some of these for me, please?”
“Sure.” Quinn strode towards her, taking some of the toys and clothes from her arms. “Where do you want me this week? Wrapping these?”
They brought the presents into a back room, another pile already stacked in the corner and three young women were unrolling wrapping paper and lining up the gifts, still figuring out their system it seemed. They added their bags to the collection.
“No,” Rebecca said as she stood up. “I’ve got that under control.” She led them back out, stopping to point a volunteer Quinn didn’t recognize to the kitchen.
“New faces,” Quinn commented. “That’s good. You can never have too many.”
“Oh, I know, but we’re still short-handed this week.” Rebecca stopped in the office on the way to the kitchen, grabbing a clipboard with a few sheets of paper attached to it.
Quinn kept coming back every week, because she could see how much of an impact their efforts had on the community, and Rebecca was the perfect woman to be in charge. She was the local doctor, although not Quinn’s. She’d kept the one she had by the college.
But Quinn had liked Rebecca from the start, when she’d began volunteering probably four or five years ago now. She was in her early forties, and she was the one who suggested Quinn try going to the yoga class in town even though Quinn had been certain she wouldn’t be able, her body too old for that much contortion. Rebecca had been right though. Quinn always felt better the weeks that she went.
“No Zach today?” Quinn asked, knowing Rebecca’s husband was usually pretty reliable.
“Man flu.”
“Oh. I hope he’s not too bad with it.”
Rebecca gave her a bit of a smile. “It’s like clockwork. Every single year. I usually manage to avoid it though. He’ll be fine in a few days.” She glanced down at the clipboard. “How do you feel about doing deliveries this week?”
“Good. Yeah, that’s no problem.”
“I managed to recruit my sister.” Rebecca tucked the clipboard under her arm as they made their way down the hall towards the kitchen. “If she shows up,” she said, checking her watch.
Quinn wasn’t sure what to make of that, so she just followed Rebecca into the kitchen, containers of food stacked and ready to be loaded into cars. That was the first time Rebecca had mentioned having a sister which was kind of odd considering that she’d often talk about her parents and her husband.
Quinn knew her parents too. They were a lovely couple, Marie and Richard, and over the years Quinn kept bumping into one or both of them around town. She couldn’t recall either of them mentioning another daughter, but then again, they’d never really chatted for more than a few minutes. She’d wanted to make to it Marie’s father’s funeral, but she’d been away at a conference and wasn’t back in time to attend.
“Is she unreliable?” Quinn asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
“Not necessarily.” Rebecca scanned the kitchen, seemingly happy enough with the way things were running. “Maybe you can drive? Send her trudging through the snow with the meals,” she suggested with a smirk.
Quinn chuckled. “Do you two not get along?”
“No. We do. But she knows how punctual I am, and how I like others to be too when they’re meeting me. She shouldn’t be fifteen minutes late. Plus, you know all those names and addresses. She’d be putting some of them into the maps app on her phone. Trust me. It’ll be more efficient if you take charge and drive.”
