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“But?”
“What about Ben?”
“What about him? I’m not planning my life around him.”
“Why not?”
“Why would I? Renie, stop this. This thing between Ben and me is very new. Your summer break starts in less than two months. If we’re going to do this, I need to start planning now. I’ll have to hire someone to take care of the horses. I’m sure Bill and Dottie would be happy to recommend someone.”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“I have. It’ll be our last big mother-daughter trip for quite a while, sweetie. I want to do it up big.”
“I’d love to go with you, Mom. As long as you’re sure.”
“Of course I am. Oh, Renie, I’m so excited! I can’t wait to start planning, I’ll email you websites. There’s a place I have in mind in Tuscany, which is why I want to go there first.”
“This is exciting…we’ll have so much fun. And, Mom?”
“Yes, sweet girl?”
“It thrills me that you sound so happy, and so excited.”
“You make it sound as though it’s unusual.”
“It is. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, and it’s not as though you’re miserable or anything, but…you’re not happy either.”
“That hurt a little, but I’ll take it in the spirit you meant it. Let’s focus on the positive, not the negative.”
“That’s right. I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too. I’ll call you in a few days, and we can talk more about our plans.”
Liv danced her way back to the kitchen.
“Good conversation?” Ben asked, opening the oven to stir the stew.
“The best. I worried Renie might say she didn’t want to hang out with me this summer, and it would’ve crushed me. I wouldn’t have said so, but I’m relieved to say she’s all in.”
Then it wouldn’t be a good idea to tell her he was crushed. “So, tell me what you’re planning.”
“We’ll leave at the end of May, a few days after she gets home.” Liv continued to tell Ben what she’d told Renie. “We should be back early to mid-August, plenty of time before she goes back to Dartmouth.”
Ben’s mind raced. Liv would be gone all summer. He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea. “What about the horses?”
“That’s not too hard to work out. Bill and Dottie have so many people working their ranch, a few who are part-time. There will be one or two interested in picking up extra cash who are more than qualified to man my little operation. I may even let them board here themselves, if we can work out the arrangements.”
“In your house?”
“No, in the barn. Of course, in the house, silly.”
“You’d let a stranger come and stay in your house?”
Liv raised an eyebrow.
“This is different.”
“You’re right,” she said. “It’s different. I won’t be here when the other stranger comes to stay.”
