“Sleep now. We’ll build our own world, by our own rules, one step at a time. Together.”
Together. That, right there, was the best word, ever.
Chapter Twenty
Mary couldn’t contain her excitement. It was all she could do not to bounce from foot to foot. Her self-mocking inner voice tried to get a word in, something about her not really being much of a cosmopolitan and chic New Yorker after all.
She squashed that pimple like the zit it was. Mary Kendall was a totally different person than she’d been back in The Big Apple. I like who I am now, so there!
“Hang onto your panties, New York. We’ve got lots of time.”
“But this is exciting, Toby! The entire town is throwing a party for us!”
“Which means we can’t be late, because we’re the guests of honor.” Anthony’s words told her he was aligned lockstep with Toby. And that…yeah, that was how it should be. Mary shrugged and gave them a look she knew they’d get. Sometimes, it was hard for her to conceal her emotions or her excitement or to choose that delayed gratification when it was the right thing for her to do.
Life through their quarantine, just ended the week before, had been amazing good. Well, except for those necessary times that Robert came by in hazmat gear and shoved those long-handled swabs up their noses. She could have sworn the practice thoroughly dusted off her brain. But in the end, none of the three of them had contracted the virus. They’d spent their time really getting to know each other and connecting on a deep level. No topic had been off limits. And all three of them had agreed that, as future parents, this was a very good thing to do.
Sheriff Adam Kendall had tested positive, but fortunately, his symptoms had been fairly mild. He had already tested negative again and had in fact gone into Waco to register so he could donate some of his plasma to help others who were stricken with the disease and showing more worrisome symptoms.
Of everything that had been tried to treat the many people who’d contracted the coronavirus, using plasma from Covid survivors seemed to have the most promising effect so far.
Hope made real. Many had been infected, and tragically, many had died. Her home state of New York had been hardest hit, so far. But even amongst the weeds of all that sadness and tragedy, hope insisted on sprouting and rising up. Small buds of hope, yes, but in time Mary believed they’d bloom and be the most wonderful sight of all.
That was a very Grandma Kate kind of thought.
Mary grinned. Spending time with the nonagenarian was definitely making an impression on her. All things considered, Mary thought she could not have a better role model—or granny.
Ginny Kendall wasn’t quite ready to let her warrior return to work, and for his part, though Adam chafed at the bit to be back on duty, he chose, in this instance, to make his wife happy, first.
Everyone had said that Adam took his duty as sheriff very seriously and believed himself responsible for the safety and well being of everyone under his jurisdiction. Mary thought it showed a kind of unique and mature growth that he had been able to put his duty as husband and father first for once.
Mary had heard bits of their story, of how Adam and Jake had wooed their Ginny. She hoped that, one day soon, she could sit down again with the mother of three and hear the whole thing. She’d bet if it were a book, it would be an amazing read.
“Do we ride or walk?” Anthony asked.
“Do you know what? Even though it’s hot out by my standards, I say we walk,” Mary said. She grinned at her men. “We were indoors long enough, and we’ll get cool in the air conditioning once we get to Lusty Appetites.”
Anthony smiled, and then he kissed her. As usual, when they were headed somewhere, his kiss was shorter than she liked. She thought of it as a down payment. Then she reached for Toby, and he laid his lips on hers. Yeah, that was a definite down payment.
“It’s hot by my standards, too, baby,” Toby said. “We’ll acclimate together.”
“We can do that. And take a vacation, the three of us, in either New York or Wyoming—in the wintertime.”
“I’ve never been in a cold climate,” Anthony said. “What if I find out I like it?”
“Do you want to take that bet?” Toby asked her.
“Nope. I think that’s what’s referred to as a sucker bet.”
It wouldn’t take long to walk the few blocks from their small house to the restaurant. It was just passed seven on this Friday evening near the end of March. Mary took the time to really look at her adopted hometown. There was something about facing the possibility of being sick, of possibly facing a health crisis, that had awakened her sense of appreciation for life.
There was only a car or two that passed as they waited to cross Main Street. One pulled in by the museum. Mary didn’t recognize the vehicle, but then she didn’t really know who drove what. Well, she recognized Aunt Samantha’s new Cadillac and Grandma Kate’s older one, but that was about it. And since the Town Trust had not yet closed off the town—something she suspected would happen very soon—sometimes people did come in from the surrounding area.
The museum received outside visitors from time to time, as did the spa and, of course, the restaurant.
“It’s really nice of the town to have a party for us,” Mary said.
“It’s what they do,” Anthony grinned. “I’ve been to a few of these parties. It’s always a good family time. And the food sure doesn’t suck.”
The calm ended with the slam of a car door. Running footsteps, some close, some farther back, preceded a voice that Mary would never forget.
“Found you at last, bitch. Now
