Bellingwood Book 9 Vignettes (Bellingwood Vignettes) Read online

  Book Nine Vignettes

  DIANE GREENWOOD MUIR

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication / use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

  Cover Design Photography: Maxim M. Muir

  Copyright © 2015 Diane Greenwood Muir

  All rights reserved.

  CONTENTS

  CONTENTS

  INTRODUCTION

  Vignette #1 Three's Not Really Company

  Vignette #2 Make Room for Everyone

  Vignette #3 It's a Dog's Life

  Vignette #4 Boys Will be Boys

  THANK YOU FOR READING!

  INTRODUCTION

  These vignettes originally came about as a way to keep readers engaged while I was writing the next book. Talk about ravenous readers!

  At some point, I realized how much fun it was to expose little bits of the background story. Because I write from Polly's perspective, unless she is directly involved in the action or with a character, we don't see everything. These characters have developed enough that they enjoy telling their own stories, so it's time to make that happen.

  I have compiled the vignettes relating to Book 9 – Pages of the Past - into one collection. These four short stories feature Doug Randall & Billy Endicott, Joss & Nate Mikkels, Sal Kahane & Mark Ogden and finally, a look at the brotherly love between Jason & Andrew Donovan.

  Vignette #1

  Three's Not Really Company

  Low man on the totem pole made for some chilly days. The only reason Doug Randall could bear it at all was that his buddy, Billy Endicott, was right there with him. They'd spent the day pulling electrical wire in a new apartment complex southeast of Sycamore House.

  His nose was cold, his lips were cold and the only reason the tips of his ears weren't cold was because his mother had knitted up ten watch caps for him as a Christmas gift. At least they weren't done in ridiculous colors this year. Three years ago, when she was just learning how to knit, she'd been excited to give him a rainbow colored hat. It was his first winter on the job and the other guys had spent the entire project calling him "Mommy's Boy." They teased him about living at home and about not having a girlfriend and... the hat.

  Then came the merciless teasing after he'd seen Polly Giller's pretty purple panties. He brought it on himself. He should never have said anything. But that had turned out really good in the end. Polly took it well and even played along. Even though they'd both been embarrassed that day, she didn't hold it against him and was even cool when he'd asked about playing video games at her place. She liked him and didn't think it was weird that he was still living with his parents.

  "Dude, do you remember when we moved into our apartment?" he asked Billy.

  "Yeah. That's been cool," his friend replied.

  "We haven't had a game night in forever. We should do that sometime."

  "Uh huh. Sure."

  Billy hadn't been much for game nights lately, even though that's where he met his girlfriend, Rachel. Those two hung out together all the time. Mostly in the apartment on the couch. But they watched television or made stupid googley eyes at each other. Whenever Doug asked if they wanted to bring up a game of Sword Lords, they were just too busy.

  "Rachel's brother keeps asking when we're going to play. Jason wants to play, too."

  "They're just kids," Billy said. "If you want to play with them, fine. Do it."

  "What do you mean by that?” Sometimes Billy’s obsession with growing up really annoyed Doug. “You used to have fun playing. It didn't matter how old they were."

  "It doesn't matter. I just have better things to do than hang out with high school kids."

  Doug stood up and stretched. He'd been running the lower outlets and his back hurt. "Seriously, dude? When did you get so old and boring?"

  "We have to grow up sometime. And stop with the 'dude' thing. Rachel hates it."

  "She hates it? This is the chick with tattoos, crazy colored hair on any day of the week and piercings in strange places? She hates that we use a word? That's classic. You're so whipped."

  "Yes, I am. Just because you can't get yourself a girlfriend doesn't mean you can take it out on mine."

  Doug wilted. "That’s harsh. I'm not taking anything out on your girlfriend. I like her. A lot. I just don't think it's right for her to be judging me. She has her thing and I have mine."

  "Whatever." Billy stapled the wire to a stud and dropped to his knees. He fished in the back pocket of his coveralls and took out a phone, swiped it open, and shaking his head, put it away.

  "Is everything okay with you two?" Doug asked.

  "Yeah. No problem." Billy walked across the floor to grab another spool of wire. "Anyway, I think so."

  "Then what's up. Why are you so touchy today?" None of this made any sense to Doug. He'd been with the two of them last night and everything had seemed normal. Okay, he'd gone out with Billy's dog, Big Jack for a long walk. Jack was intent on finding out the new scents in Polly's back yard. Even though Henry's new puppy had been around for a few months, Big Jack and Han hadn’t had enough opportunities to sniff each other to decide who was boss.

  One morning, Doug had come back in with the dog just before Henry went out with the puppy and Obiwan, the dog that Billy and Doug had given Polly nearly two years ago. He laughed when that little puppy paced round and round the patch of grass Big Jack had just marked, trying to decide how to cover the other dog's scent. Little dogs were so cute. Maybe he should get his own dog. Big Jack only slept in Doug's bed when Rachel stayed over. That didn't happen too often. Her mom was pretty strict about those things.

  "Are you even listening?" Billy asked.

  Doug shrugged. "No. Sorry dude. I was thinking about if I should get my own dog."

  "Thanks a lot. I finally tell you what's going on and you don't even hear me."

  "Whoa. What's going on? I'll listen."

  "That's the thing. I don't know. Rachel was just fine and then all of a sudden, she's asking about my intentions and how long I think I'm going to hang out with you in that apartment. She also asked if you'd be okay with her moving in."

  "Moving in? There isn't enough room for three of us to live there."

  "That's what I told her, but she made me ask you anyway."

  "Dude, are you wanting to get married?"

  Billy stopped what he was doing and turned on Doug. "Married? No. I'm not ready for that. What makes you think I want to get married?"

  "Because you're talking about moving in with Rachel."

  "I'm not talking about it. She is."

  Doug looked at his friend. "That's why she's acting weird. She's ready to move things forward and you're happy with where they are."

  "Why should we move forward? It's just fine."

  "Because you moron, you've been with her for a year. Maybe more. Both of you have good jobs. She's probably thinking about a wedding and babies."

  "Babies? I just got out of my parent's house and now I'm supposed to have babies?"

  "She has the babies," Doug said with a grin. "I though
t you knew how that worked."

  Billy waved him off. "You know what I mean. No wedding. No babies. That's all there is to it. I'm just going to have to tell her that she isn't moving in. This is going too fast."

  "Okay," Doug said. "What if she breaks up with you because she wants more."

  "Then she breaks up with me. Whatever." Billy walked out of the room they were working in.

  Doug jumped up and followed him. "Don't be stupid. You don't want to break up with Rachel. You love her. You tell her that over and over."

  "I don't want to talk about it."

  "Fine. But don't do something stupid. You have to talk to her."

  "Every time I talk to her about any of this, things go bad. She's smart. Rachel talks me into stuff like that lamp in the living room."

  "It's pretty," Doug taunted.

  "She says we're building up for our own home someday."

  Doug shook his head. "I'm gonna miss you when you're gone, dude. Looks like I'd better get my own dog pretty soon so I have someone to talk to at night."

  "Just shut up."

  "Look, you're my best friend. I don't want you to move out."

  "I don't want to move out. I don't want to get married. I don't want to be a dad. I just want to hang out for a little while longer."

  "Then tell her that."

  "Will you help me? She just ignores me."

  "I'm not helping you. But don't be an idiot and screw this up." Doug strutted around the room. "Tell her you need more time to sow your wild oats."

  "Yeah. Like that's a good idea."

  "Here, I know. Tell her that when she finds me a girlfriend who actually likes me and wants to date me longer than one time, you'll think about moving forward."

  "You mean better than with that chick from the Sheriff's office? She was perfect for you."

  "Not so much. I like her and all that, but she was a little weird."

  "Because you're so normal." Billy picked up a carton of outlet boxes. "Maybe I should get her a ring. That might buy me some more time. Don't most girls need like two years to plan a wedding? I think I could be ready in two years."

  "You're gonna buy her a ring?"

  "Well Valentine's Day is coming up in a few weeks. That would be kinda romantic, don't you think?"

  "Dude. What are you thinking?"

  Billy dropped the carton and took Doug's upper arm. "I can't lose this girl. She loves me and I'm not going to find anybody as smart and pretty as she is."

  "I know that's true."

  "Maybe she'll give me time to be a boy if she knows that I really do want to marry her someday."

  "You got it bad."

  "I know. Will you be my best man?"

  "Find me a girlfriend before you leave me," Doug said. "Promise?"

  "Uh huh." Billy started placing the outlet boxes around the room. "There has to be someone who's perfect for you, right?"

  "That's what I'm saying."

  Vignette #2

  Make Room for Everyone

  "C'mon, honey. The babysitter will be here soon. I don't want to be late."

  Joss Mikkels sat on the edge of her bed with her shoes in hand. Today had been a rough day. Both of the babies were crawling and sometimes they moved faster than she could keep up. She'd felt guilty when Cooper pulled himself up to stand at the sofa and not only had she not taken a picture, but up until this point, she'd forgotten to tell Nate about it.

  She looked up at him with weary eyes. It would keep. Maybe Cooper would do it tomorrow afternoon when they were all in the living room at the same time.

  Later that afternoon, Sophie had been playing with her favorite soft book when her brother decided that he wanted it for himself. Joss had turned around for just a second and all of a sudden the two were screaming at each other. She wasn't sure why today was worse than any other day. Maybe it was because she was looking forward to a romantic evening with Nate. They hadn't had too many of those since the twins had come into their lives. Or maybe Sophie and Cooper had picked up on her desperation. After eight months, though, she thought they'd gotten past all of that. It wasn't teething. She knew that sound. Oh, did she know that sound.

  "Joss?" Nate was standing in front of her, holding her coat.

  "Where are the babies? Why aren't you watching them while I finish dressing?"

  "Cindy's here."

  "Already?"

  He looked at his watch. "Are you about ready?"

  Joss put her feet into her shoes and stood up. "I'm sorry. It wasn't the best day around here and I need to shake it off so we can have fun this evening."

  Nate helped her into the coat and kissed her nose. "You'll have fun, I promise."

  "I'm looking forward to it. How late can we stay out?"

  He chuckled. "First it was our parents and now it's our children. Do you miss the days when no one cared what time we got home?"

  "Sometimes and not really? Does that make sense?" She wouldn't trade any point in her life for these days with Sophia and Cooper, but there were moments when she craved a little freedom.

  "It does. Do you want to say goodnight to the kids?"

  "Are they happy with Cindy right now?"

  "Absolutely."

  "Then let's slip out so they don't have to watch us leave."

  He escorted her to the Impala. Joss didn't care what car they took, but whenever Nate had an opportunity to take his baby out on the road, he grabbed it. The weather had been rough enough lately that it had been trapped in the garage, but tonight was special and they only had a few blocks to drive to Sycamore House.

  Nate had already warmed the car up and Joss leaned into him as he drove. She felt warm and snuggly this evening, just like one of their date nights back when they were still in college.

  "Where are you going?" she asked as he drove south past Sycamore House.

  "It's a nice night for a drive, don't you think?"

  "You made me think we were going to be late."

  "I might have exaggerated. I just want to spend some time with you, all alone."

  Joss squeezed his arm. "Are we going parking? I could get into that."

  "We're a little old, don't you think? Can't you just imagine Ken Wallers pulling up beside us, shining a flashlight into the back seat?"

  "He knows this car. He wouldn't think a thing of it."

  "Except that he'd worry that something was wrong and would stop and check on us and there we'd be in flagrante delicto. And besides, there's a perfectly comfortable bed at home."

  Joss let out a very audible sigh. "I knew it. We've gotten old. There's no spark left. You never take risks anymore."

  "Honey," he said, patting her hand. "Don't be ridiculous. I've never been a big risk-taker. Especially when it comes to having sex in the great outdoors."

  That was absolutely true. She'd tried to get him to make out with her on the beach during their honeymoon and the poor man had done nothing but look around, worrying that someone might sneak up and catch them.

  Joss let him off the hook. "It's okay. You do when it's important. Cooper and Sophia were a big risk and you never flinched. Not once. You're pretty wonderful."

  "Now you're just being sappy."

  "I know. It's a good thing I don't have any wine in me yet." She took a breath. "When do you think we should get back on the list to adopt more children?"

  She felt him chuckle beside her, and then he said, "After the day you've had with those two and you want more?"

  "I told you I wanted a houseful. Did you ever meet my friend, Janet?"

  Nate shook his head. "I don't think so."

  "She was the fifth of twelve kids. She had two older brothers and two older sisters and then there were ... " Joss had to think. "Two more girls, three boys and then a set of twins, a boy and a girl. Their dad was a doctor and they lived in this huge, sprawling ranch house out in the country. It was always a crazy zoo out there, but they had so much fun. And now that they're all grown up, they come back with everyone for immense family reu
nions. That's what I want."

  "You want twelve kids?"

  "Maybe not that many, but a lot."

  "Are you going to let Mom come out and help with all of them?" He cackled evilly.

  "If I have to." Joss leaned back. "That would be so perfect, though. When they get older, their friends will come over and the house will be complete chaos. Joyous chaos."

  "You know it probably won't be just like that. There's always the potential for tons of problems."

  "It can be just like that," she insisted. "It's all in how you look at it."

  "That's why I love you." Nate pulled off the highway onto a gravel road, and directly into a driveway. He got out of the car and came around to open her door, offering his hand to help her stand up.

  "What is this?"

  He left the car's headlights on, shining on an old dilapidated two-story house with four other buildings in close proximity. Trees and brush had overgrown most of it. Nate turned on his phone's flashlight app, shining it on the concrete driveway, then held her close to him while they walked. He stopped, bent over and opened a red cooler that had been left on the ground. With a flourish, he pulled out two red roses and presented them to her.

  "I was thinking this could be your sprawling ranch house. We would pull everything down except that building over there." He pointed to one of the better looking buildings. "That would be my shop. It's big enough for everything I need."

  "What?" Joss was stunned. She brought the roses up to her nose to give herself a moment to take it all in.

  "It just came on the market and the land is a great deal. Henry would build the house. Any house you want. There are nine acres here. What do you think?"

  "I don't know." Joss was glad for darkness that hid the tears in her eyes.

  Nate grew quiet. "If you don't think we're ready for this, we can wait. I haven't done anything or talked to anyone. I wanted to show you first."

  "No, that's not it. I just wasn't prepared for anything like this today. We can really do it?"