LITMIR.BIZ

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Did you ever meet her?”

      “I met her a few times. She didn’t visit that often. She mentioned that she ran a B&B up north, but it still seemed odd that she wasn’t there more, you know, to see the baby and all.”

      “Do you know why she decided not to move to Bishops Harbor?”

      “I’m not sure exactly, but she seemed put off by all the help the Parrishes had. Maybe she thought she’d be in the way,” Sally said, then sipped her wine. “You know, Mrs. Parrish has an extremely well ordered and tightly scheduled life. Precision is a hallmark in her house—nothing out of place, every room spotless, and every item perfectly placed. Maybe it was a little too regimented for Mrs. Bennett.”

      “Wow, it sure sounds like it.” Amber had not failed to notice the very same thing every time she visited Daphne, which was more and more often lately. The house looked as if no one lived in it. The moment you finished drinking from a glass or emptied your plate, it was whisked away and disappeared. There was never a misplaced thing, which was hard to achieve with two young kids around. Even the girls’ bedrooms were immaculate. Amber had looked into the rooms the morning after she’d spent the night and was astounded at the meticulous placement of books and toys. Nothing was out of order.

      As she drank more wine, Sally seemed to be warming to her subject. “I heard from Surrey that Tallulah and Bella never get to watch cartoons or kid shows. They have to watch documentaries or educational DVDs.” She waved her hand. “I mean, not that that’s bad, but it is sad that they can’t watch anything just for fun or entertainment.”

      “I guess Mrs. Parrish values education,” Amber said.

      Sally looked at her watch. “Speaking of which, I really should get going. School in the morning.” She turned to Jenna. “If you’re ready to go, I can give you a ride home.”

      “That’d be good.” Jenna clapped her hands together. “What a fun night it’s been. We should do this again.”

      They settled the check, and Jenna and Sally left. Amber finished her wine and sat back in her seat, reviewing the nuggets of information she’d gathered.

      When she got home, the first thing she did was look up Daphne’s mother. After a bit of searching, she found that Ruth Bennett owned and ran a B&B in New Hampshire. It was a quaint inn with lovely grounds. Nothing extravagant, but very nice nonetheless. The picture of her on the website showed her to be an older, not quite as beautiful version of her daughter. Amber wondered what it was between them, why Daphne’d been reluctant to have her mother move near her.

      She bookmarked the page and then logged onto Facebook. There he was, looking older and fatter. Guess the last few years hadn’t been so good for him. She laughed and shut the lid of her laptop.

       TWELVE

      Waiting on the platform, Amber sipped the hot coffee in her gloved hand, trying to stay warm. White vapor escaped from her mouth every time she opened it, and she marched in place to generate some heat. She was meeting Daphne, Tallulah, and Bella for a day of shopping and sightseeing in New York, the primary attraction being the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. She had purposely dressed like a tourist: sensible shoes, warm down jacket, and a tote bag to hold her treasures. Just what a gal from Nebraska would wear. The only makeup she had on was a cheap frosted lipstick she’d picked up at Walgreens.

      “Amber, hi,” Daphne called as she came running toward her, a little girl attached to each hand. “Sorry we’re late. This one couldn’t decide what to wear.” She tilted her head toward Bella with a smile.

      Amber smiled. “Hi, girls. Nice to see you again.”

      Bella eyed her suspiciously. “That’s an ugly coat.”

      “Bella!” Daphne and Tallulah exclaimed in unison. Daphne looked mortified. “That’s a terrible thing to say.”

      “Well, it’s true.”

      “I’m so sorry, Amber,” Daphne said.

      “It’s okay.” Amber squatted down until she was eye level with Bella. “You’re right. It is an ugly coat. I’ve had it forever. Maybe you can help me pick a new one out today.” She wanted to smack the little brat. She was all of six or seven, and she was wearing a pair of silver sneakers that Amber recognized from a package that had been sitting open on the kitchen table when she’d dropped off gift certificates for the auction at the house the other day. She’d gone home and looked up the shoes to discover that they cost almost $300. The spoiled kid was already a fashion snob.

      Bella turned to her mother and whined, “When is the train coming? I’m cold.”

      Daphne wrapped her arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “Soon, darling.”

      After another five minutes of Bella’s complaints, the train pulled in and they scrambled aboard, luckily finding a vacant spot in the front of the car—two rows facing each other. Amber sat down, and Bella stood in front of her, little arms crossed over her chest.

      “You took my seat. I can’t sit backward.”

      “No problem.” Amber moved to the other side and Tallulah took the seat next to Bella.

      “I want Mommy to sit next to me.”

      Were they really going to let this little monster bark orders all day?

      Daphne gave her a stern look. “Bella, I’m right across from you.

      Stop this nonsense now. I’m going to sit next to Amber.”

      Bella gave her a dark look and kicked her little foot against the seat across from her. “Why’d she have to come, anyway? This is supposed to be a family trip.”

      Daphne stood up. “Excuse us for a moment.” She grabbed Bella by the hand and walked her to the end of the aisle. Amber could see her gesturing with her hands as she talked. After a few minutes, Bella nodded and the two returned.

      Bella took her seat and looked up at Amber. “I’m sorry, Amber.”

      She didn’t look one bit sorry, but Amber gave her what she hoped was a kind look.

      “Thank you, Bella. I accept your apology.” She turned her attention to Tallulah. “Your mom tells me that you’re a Nancy Drew fan.”

      Tallulah’s eyes lit up, and she unzipped the small backpack she carried and brought out The Secret of the Wooden Lady. “I have all my mom’s old books. I love them.”

      “So do I. I wanted to be just like Nancy Drew,” Amber said.

      Tallulah started to soften. “She’s so brave and smart and always on an adventure.”

      “Boooooring,” the little furby next to her called out.

      “How would you know? You can’t even read,” Tallulah responded.

      “Mom! She’s not supposed to say that to me,” Bella said, her voice rising.

      “All right, girls, that’s enough,” Daphne said mildly.

      Now Amber felt like slapping Daphne. Couldn’t she see that kid needed to be put in her place? A good spank across the rump would probably do wonders.

      They finally pulled into Grand Central and poured out of the train into the crowded station. Amber stayed behind Daphne as she and the girls walked up the steps and into the main terminal. Her spirits lifted as she looked around at the magnificent architecture and thought again how much she loved New York.

      Daphne stopped and gathered them together. “Okay, here’s what’s on our agenda. We’re going to start by looking at all the holiday window displays, then lunch at Alice’s Teacup, then American Girl Store, and finally ice-skating at Rockefeller Center.”

      Kill me now, Amber thought.

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