LITMIR.BIZ

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and he looked forward to class on Thursday, too. Surely they could be good friends. He didn’t realize until tonight how much he needed to have someone he could confide in. Oh, the people at Heaton House were his friends. He even considered them his family, and he probably could have told any of them what he’d told Rebecca and they would have cared. But he’d never felt the need or desire to tell them.

      If Rebecca hadn’t asked such a straightforward question tonight, he probably never would have told her. But he was glad he had. Hard as it was to tell her he’d been dumped at the orphanage by his mother, Ben felt as if a load of baggage had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn’t feel the need to tell others, but he also no longer felt the dread of telling anyone and seeing the pity in their eyes.

      He’d never liked to think about it at all, and up until tonight, he’d always assumed his mother just didn’t want him. Rebecca’s insistence that his mother must have felt she had no other choice gave him something more to think about now. He wasn’t sure he agreed with her, but he found he very much wanted to.

      He was glad Rebecca had agreed to help some of the ladies in his class however she could, especially after tonight. If she could make him feel better, he was certain she’d be able to encourage those women.

      All he had to do now was keep his attraction to her from growing. Ben had a feeling that was going to be much easier said than done.

      * * *

      The next morning, Ben came up from downstairs just as Rebecca and Jenny entered the foyer. Jenny’s smile was contagious and he answered it with one of his own. “Good morning, Miss Jenny.”

      “Good morning, Mr. Ben,” Jenny said. “How did Mama do in class last night?”

      “She did very well.”

      “I knew she would. Granma and I prayed she would last night.”

      “I’m sure those prayers helped.” Rebecca smiled down at her daughter as they entered the dining room. “Keep them up, okay?”

      “I will, Mama.”

      “Good morning, everyone,” Mrs. Heaton said from the end of the table.

      “Morning, Granma!” Jenny held her plate while Rebecca filled it from the sideboard. Her grandmother helped Jenny get settled at the table while Rebecca filled her own plate.

      Ben helped himself to sausage, eggs and the best biscuits around and took his seat at the table. “You two are up earlier than usual today. Do you have a big day planned?” he asked.

      “We’re going to drop Jenny off to help Aunt Violet with baby Marcus while Mama and I do the shopping this morning. And I might visit Kathleen later today to see if she needs any help getting ready for the housewarming this weekend,” Rebecca said. “I’m going to telephone her after breakfast.”

      “That is coming up, isn’t it? It will be good to get together with everyone again,” Ben said.

      “It certainly will,” Mrs. Heaton said. “And next week the workers will be here to start remodeling the third floor. It shouldn’t take too long to make the changes. Once it’s finished, I’ll put an advertisement in the paper. Or do you think I should just put a sign out?”

      “I’d put the sign out. You’re more likely to get people who know of or have heard of Heaton House that way and I think you’d have your new boarders in no time,” Ben said.

      “I think Ben’s right, Mama,” Rebecca added.

      “I’ll give it a try. If it doesn’t work, I’ll put an ad in the paper. I’ve always acquired new boarders quickly and I do hate to keep turning down people who see the ad after I’ve let the rooms.

      Ben stood. “I’d better get going. You all have a nice day and I’ll see you later.”

      “Bye, Mr. Ben,” Jenny said. “See you later.”

      “I look forward to it, Jenny. You have fun with baby Marcus.”

      She nodded. “I will.”

      Ben’s gaze met Rebecca’s and her smile warmed him clear through to his heart. Funny how none of the other woman here had ever had that effect on him. He liked them all, but he’d never felt...quite the same way about them. He still didn’t know why it’d been so easy to open up to Rebecca as he had the night before. But he wasn’t sorry. He hoped one day she’d open up to him.

      * * *

      After dropping Jenny off at Michael and Violet’s to play with baby Marcus, and having some hug-and-kisses time with him themselves, Rebecca and her mother were on their way to the grocer’s. The day before, they’d taken stock of the kitchen pantry, made a menu for the rest of the week and then prepared a shopping list from the menu.

      The grocer welcomed them in and her mother introduced them. “Mr. Hale, this is my daughter, Rebecca Dickerson. She’ll be doing some of the shopping in the future and I’m going to show her how I go about it.”

      “I’m pleased to meet you, Mrs. Dickerson. There’s no one better to teach a person about ordering for a boardinghouse than your mother. You’ll learn a lot from her. I do hope we’ll still be seeing you, too, Mrs. Heaton?”

      “Of course you will. But I have two precious grandchildren to spend time with now and I won’t mind giving up grocery-buying time to do that when I can.”

      “Ah, well, I can understand that. I’ve a couple grandchildren of my own I like to spend time with. It’s too bad my wife passed away before they were born. She would have loved being a grandmother, just as you do.”

      The expression in Mr. Hale’s eyes as he looked at her mother made Rebecca wonder if he might be a bit attracted to her. She could definitely see he had great respect for her mother and within a few minutes she knew why.

      She was very precise in the amounts she ordered, she had no problem asking for the best price he could give her and she insisted on the freshest of everything she ordered, from vegetables to dairy products. She zipped around the store faster than Rebecca could keep up with her.

      “Mama, slow down a bit. I’m trying to take notes, but you’re going much too fast for me.”

      The proprietor chuckled. “She goes too fast for me sometimes, too, Mrs. Dickerson.”

      Her mother came to a sudden stop and turned to them with a smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was being hard to keep up with. I’ll try to go a little slower.”

      She did just that, which gave Rebecca a chance to make a list of things she needed to remember on the small note pad she’d brought with her.

      When they had finished giving the grocer their order for staples—flour, sugar and the like, then fruits, mostly canned this time of year, and vegetables, some canned and some fresh—Rebecca was surprised that the end price wasn’t higher.

      The grocer promised to have everything delivered as soon as possible, and then it was on to the butcher’s for the meat. The day was quite chilly, but nothing like it’d been the night before. The wind had died down and while the air was brisk, it didn’t take one’s breath away and they were able to converse along the way.

      “Mama, I think Mr. Hale might be sweet on you.”

      Her mother looked at her and laughed. “Oh, Rebecca. No. I don’t think so. He just likes my business.”

      “I don’t think that’s all he likes. I saw the way he looked at you. He is a widower. Perhaps he’s in the market for a wife.”

      “Well, it certainly wouldn’t be me. I enjoy watching my boarders’ romances, but remarrying is not something I ever give a thought to for myself. Your papa was my first and only love, dear.”

      “I know. But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t fall in love again. You should give it some thought.”

      Her mother chuckled and shook her head.

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