Ada let out a heavy sigh. “Dear Norma was right. You are very young, Aaron.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded.
“It means, dear boy, that it is always a mistake to predict one’s own future. Because if you can imagine it happening, if it is rational and makes good sound sense to you, then that is not what will happen.”
Aaron frowned at her. “What will?”
“Life will.”
A life, Des reflected, in which Carly might very well decide to hire herself that shark lawyer and divorce him, in which case she could end up with the seven-figure income he so enjoyed. Hell, she might even end up with Astrid’s Castle.
Des heard some polite throat clearing and turned to find Jory standing there in the taproom doorway, an ingratiating smile on her face. Des wondered if she’d been there long enough to overhear that Aaron would be the new lord and master of Astrid’s Castle.
“Les, I’ll be plating breakfast in five minutes,” she informed him, her pink-cheeked face betraying not a thing. “And, believe me, the food won’t stay hot for long.”
“Thank you, Jory. You’d best let the boys know, too.”
“Hannah’s outside fetching them.”
Now Des heard the stamping of feet out in the entry hall and the resounding echo of husky male voices.
Hannah appeared behind Jory in the doorway. “I encountered very little resistance when I said the words ‘hot’ and ‘food,’” she reported.
“I believe I shall dress,” Ada announced, getting slowly to her feet. “I can’t stand to eat in my bathrobe. It’s a detestable habit.”
“Don’t take too long, Ada,” warned Jory as the old lady wafted past her. “Or your food will be ice cold.”
“Feel free to start without me,” Ada said with a dismissive wave.
The rest of them started out of the taproom in the direction of the dining hall, where the lumberjacks were trying to warm themselves before a roaring fire, all three of them looking frozen and starved. With his full beard and stocking cap, Jase looked as if he’d just wandered in from the Great North Woods. He also gave off a noticeably gamy odor.
“Hey, Master Sergeant,” Mitch exclaimed, his frigid hands held out toward the flames.
“Back at you, Mr. Bunyan.”
Teddy wandered in as well, furrows etching his long thin face. He seemed lost in his grief, very far away.
“I think I’ll go upstairs for a minute, too,” Hannah decided. “Try and do something about my face.”
“Good,” barked Ada, who was gliding toward the stairs. “Without your makeup on, you look as if you belong behind the counter of the Burger King.”
Hannah immediately rolled her eyes at Jory.
“I saw that, Hannah,” Ada snapped at her.
“Aha, so you do know my name,” Hannah said, pursuing Ada to the stairs.
“Of course I do. What I don’t know is why the hell you were hired. Pick up your feet when you walk, girl. You tromp around the house like an army of Huns.”
“Yes, Ada.”
“And stop crowding me, will you? I cannot abide hoverers.”
“Think I’ll clean up myself,” said Spence, following them up the stairs.
“You I don’t like, period, Mr. New York Office,” Ada growled at him.
“What on earth did I do?” wondered Spence, bewildered.
“You smile too much,” she told him as they disappeared upstairs. “Every studio man who ever stole money from me just smiled and smiled.”
Aaron stood there in the dining hall doorway, shaking his large head. “I would not have thought this possible, but I swear she’s getting nastier.”
“That’s just her grief talking,” Teddy said quietly. “The old girl doesn’t mean one word of it. Just give her some space.”
“Fine by me,” Aaron said. “She can have as much space as she wants.”
Jase moved over next to Jory and spoke to her, his voice a faint murmur, his eyes cast shyly down at the floor.
Jory listened to him intently before she turned to Les and said, “Do you mind if I serve Jase, too? Our stove out in the cottage is electric, and the poor thing’s famished. He can eat out in the kitchen with me.”
“Nonsense,” Les said. “He’ll eat with us in the dining room. You both will. You’re family.”
“That’s very kind of you, Les,” she said. “Sweetie, could you maybe wash up a bit? There are some Handi Wipes out in the mudroom. I’ll show you, okay?”
Jase nodded and started for the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves. Jory followed him.
“Do you suppose he eats with his hands or with his feet?” Carly wondered aloud, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Des wasn’t sure if Jase heard the nasty little crack, but Jory sure as hell did-she shot a poisonous look at Carly as she passed through the kitchen door.
“Cut him some slack,” Mitch spoke up in Jase’s defense. “He’s a good guy.”
“He smells like an animal at the zoo,” Carly pointed out. “Believe me, when I was growing up in Virginia we had a name for people like that.”
“And believe me, we really don’t want to hear what it was,” Les said coldly. “So kindly spare us.”
Carly went ballistic in response: “You were right last night, Acky,” she hissed, seething. “We shouldn’t have come here. No one wants us here. They hate us. They all hate us!” She turned on her heel and stormed off in the direction of the main stairs.
“Carly, where are you going?” Aaron called after her. “Carly…!”
“No, let her go.” Les took Aaron by the arm, holding him there. “It’s a stressful time for all of us.”
“Carly happens to be my wife, Les. I’ll thank you to stay out of my marriage.”
“You could use some help, my boy,” Teddy advised. “You’ve pretty much made a mess of it.”
“And how would you know? Have you ever even been in a relationship that’s lasted for longer than seven minutes in the front seat of a car?”
Teddy stiffened but didn’t respond. Which made him a true gentleman in Des’s book.
Les turned to Mitch and said, “I’m sorry I’ve been of no help to you guys out there. I feel pretty darned useless.”
“As do I,” Teddy said. “Mind you, I haven’t done any serious physical work in ages. You’d probably have to carry me inside on a stretcher within a half hour.”
“Not to worry,” Mitch assured them both. “The three of us are making excellent progress. At the rate we’re going, we should have those sycamores completely cleared away by the end of March.”
Les let out a halfhearted chuckle. “The power crews will dig us out before you know it.”
“The sooner the better,” Aaron grumbled. “All I want is to get Mother in the ground and me and Carly the hell out of here.”
“Believe me, we all want that,” Teddy concurred.
Aaron arched his brow at him. “I know you think you’re being terribly amusing, Uncle Teddy, but I will not take this crap from you. I’ll have you know that there are plenty of people-influential, powerful people-who actually respect me.”
“Only because they don’t know you as well as we do,” Teddy said. “But give them time, my boy. They’ll come around.”
“Where did Carly go?” Aaron wondered, ignoring him now. Or at least pretending to. “I’ll bet she’s sneaking a cigarette.” He started toward the stairs after her. “Carly…?”
“I’m going to help Jory with the serving, if you’ll excuse me,” Les said. “Would you folks care to listen to the news or some music? The batteries on the sound system are good and charged.”
“I’d rather listen to the wind,” responded Teddy.
“Sure, whatever you want.” Les headed off to the kitchen.
Teddy lingered there before the fire with Des and Mitch. “Seriously, what kind of progress are you boys
