As she expected, the house was quiet when she got home. Lucy peeked in the family room and saw the kids were dead to the world in a tangle of couch cushions, sleeping bags, and blankets. She closed the door and stood staring at it, wondering what to do.
It was almost one. Surely they didn’t want to sleep the entire day away.
In the kitchen, Lucy brewed a pot of coffee and whipped up some blueberry muffins. While they were baking, she got some bacon started in her big cast-iron skillet.
“ ’Morning, Mom.”
She smiled at hearing Toby’s voice and turned to greet him. Her jaw dropped. He was standing there in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.
“Toby! Put some clothes on!”
“What’s the hig deal?” he asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting down at the table.
Lucy stared at him. Who was this person with the shaggy hair and wispy little beard and mustache?
“You can’t sit there like that. I won’t have it. Go and put some clothes on.”
“Okay, okay,” muttered Toby, heading upstairs.
Lucy poked the bacon with a spatula and wished she didn’t feel quite so miserable. She’d looked forward to Toby’s homecoming for such a long time and now nothing seemed to be going right.
Hearing the rattle of hot water pipes that announced the shower was being used, she opened the door to the stairs.
“Don’t use all the hot water,” she yelled. “The others might want showers, too.”
She was turning back to the stove when Toby’s roommate, Matt, appeared. He, she was relieved to see, was wearing jeans and a shirt. The same ones he’d been wearing last night. Lucy suspected he’d slept in them.
“Toby’s taking a shower,” she told him. “There’s coffee.”
“Coffee,” he repeated, making it sound like some sort of rare and exotic drink. “That’s great.”
She poured a mug for him and set it on the table with the cream and sugar.
Matt sat down and stared at his coffee.
“So how was your trip? Was there a lot of traffic?”
“No,” said Matt, obviously a man of few words.
Lucy turned over a piece of bacon. “We expected you much earlier.”
Matt noisily slurped his coffee.
“Was there a reason why you were so late?” persisted Lucy.
“Late?”
Lucy gave up. “Would you like some bacon and eggs?”
That got a more positive response.
“Sure.”
* * *
Toby and Matt were just finishing their meal when the two girls appeared in the kitchen.
“Mom, this is Amy and Jessica,” said Toby, tilting his head in their direction.
Lucy looked from one to the other.
“I’m Amy,” said the plump, dark-haired one. “That’s Jessica.”
Jessica had light brown hair and was tall and extremely thin.
“Would you like some breakfast?’”
“Maybe just some juice,” said Amy.
“How about a blueberry muffin?” offered Lucy.
“No, thanks. I’m a vegan. I don’t eat animal products.”
“You can’t eat a muffin?” Lucy was incredulous.
“Made with eggs, right? Listen, I don’t mean to be any trouble. A glass of juice is all I want, really.”
“And what about you?” Lucy turned to Jessica, who was watching with a horrified expression as Toby mopped his plate with a piece of muffin, lifted it dripping with egg yolk, and popped it in his mouth.
“Just some water,” she said.
“Okay,” said Lucy brightly. “That’s easy.”
What wasn’t going to be easy, she thought, was coming up with something for supper that the entire group would eat. She’d been planning to serve beef stew, but that obviously would not do.
“So what are your plans for the day?” asked Lucy, joining the group at the table to eat a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
“I don’t know,” answered Matt. “Say, Toby. What’s doing in this burg?”
“Not much.”
“There’s the pep rally,” said Lucy. “Or you could help out at the pie sale.”
“Pie sale?” Amy was intrigued.
“They have it every year. To raise money for the Boot and Mitten Fund.”
“Don’t ask,” said Toby. “It’s so poor kids can have winter clothing.”
“You don’t want to miss the pep rally, Toby,” said Lucy. “All your friends from high school will be there. Besides, don’t you want to support the team? The Thanksgiving game is the biggest game of the year.”
Toby rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah. The Tinker’s Cove Warriors against the Gilead Giants. I wouldn’t want to miss that.”
“Toby, I’m surprised,” said Lucy. “You always used to enjoy it.”
No sooner had she spoken than she realized she’d said the wrong thing. Toby didn’t want to be reminded of his youthful enthusiasms in front of his college friends.
“Well, it’s up to you,” she said, picking up her plate and carrying it to the sink, “but this is the country. There isn’t a heck of a lot to do.”
“How about a movie?” asked Amy.
“Only on the weekends,” admitted Toby.
“I bet there’s an arcade,” said Matt.
Toby shook his head.
“A mall?” asked Jessica in a hopeful voice.
“Nope.”
“Well,” said Amy, “we might as well go to the pep rally.”
“Rah, rah,” said Jessica in a slow drawl.
Lucy had been listening to them as she loaded the dishwasher. She had to hustle, she realized. It was past two and she was late for the pie sale. She was just turning the machine on when the phone rang.
“For you, Mom. It’s Dad.”
“Sweetheart,” he began.
Lucy new he wanted something. “What is it? I’m running late.”
“This’ll only take a minute. You know my clients, the Barths?”
“Um-hmm,” said Lucy. “The old Tupper place?”
“Right. Well, they’re having a little trouble with their car. It’s a Range Rover and the garage says they can’t get the part before Friday at the soonest.”
“Bill, we have a full house,” she protested. “We can’t put them up.”
“No, I know that. Matter of fact, they’re staying at the Queen Vic,” he said, referring to a very posh bed-and-breakfast on Main Street. “I was
