Forget Me Not. Marion Ekholm
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right through the town.” Craig pulled his arm away, leaned forward and pointed. “See? There it goes now. You just sit in a comfortable seat, take a nap or read a book, and you’re in Manhattan in no time.”
“My point exactly. I’ve tried talking to Harrison about it, but so far no luck.” She turned toward him, adding a smile. “Maybe you could convince him when he comes here.”
“Then you want to keep the house? Live here? Raise a family?”
With a sigh, Trish watched the train disappearing in the distance. “I want something we’ll both enjoy. If this place isn’t going to work for both of us, we’ll find something that does.”
Trish pulled her knees up, wrapped her arms around them and leaned forward. Craig sat up, as well, duplicating her position.
“Why did you stop writing to me?” he asked.
* * *
HE HAD TO KNOW. Before she left for Virginia, they had been best friends, talked to each other every day. They had shared everything. Their thoughts, their hopes, their dreams for the future. Why had their email correspondence suddenly stopped?
“I was new to the school... I’m sorry. I... We were so far away from each other.” She paused. Would she continue? He didn’t want to spook her, certainly not on the roof, but he remembered those months after she left as an agonizing time.
“I wanted to come back, live with my grandparents. But Gramp got sick, and Mom said I couldn’t.” Her gray-blue eyes, with flecks of gold, revealed a sadness that equaled his own. “My mother got on my case, said I had to adjust to my new life, meet new people.”
Trish turned away and pressed her face into her knees. “I did. Had a boyfriend, and he...well, he had a fit when he saw I was emailing you.” Her expression hardened. “It was ten years ago, Craig. Life goes on. Yours certainly did.”
She moved away and started for the edge of the roof when Craig grabbed her arm.
“Wait. I’ll go first,” he said and maneuvered around her.
“You plan to catch me if I fall?”
“No. Figure I’d have a better chance to get down if I’m not hampered by all your blood and guts covering the ladder.” He reached the first rung, swung his leg around and started down. “Be careful, now.” When she didn’t respond, he stopped, his head even with the edge of the roof. “I mean it, Trish.”
“Okay. I’ll be careful. You plan to move so I can come down?” He nodded and started his descent. A few moments later, when Trish reached the bottom rung, Craig trapped her against the ladder.
“Don’t you go up there again.”
Trish turned so they faced each other only inches apart. “Listen, mister. This is my house, and I plan to check out any and all repairs. How else can I know everything is done correctly?”
Craig held up his iPhone. “Pictures.” They were close enough that he felt her warm breath against his face, caught the scent of perfume. That was something new. She never wore perfume back when they were kids. “I guarantee my work.” He paused, diminishing the space between them so they were nearly nose to nose. “Don’t go up unless someone’s here. Namely me. You understand?”
“All right, already.” She stepped onto the ground. “When did you get so bossy?”
Trish’s cheeks were bright pink in the cold. Why didn’t he kiss her while he had the chance? Every part of his being wanted to. But...the moment passed and sanity returned. They weren’t kids anymore. She was spoken for, committed to someone else. So was he. There would never be any Trish and Craig together.
AN HOUR LATER Trish came out of her house to discover Craig on the roof again, this time with a crew of two men she didn’t recognize. He came down the ladder and walked over to her. “There are one or two more places that need repair, but I checked with Max. Moody’s Lumber replaced the roof about ten years ago. You should get at least ten more, providing you’re not hit by another wicked storm. We’ll do that one side so you won’t be able to see any difference with the older shingles.”
“Thank you,” Trish said. “Anyone with fewer scruples could have insisted I needed the whole roof replaced. Can I get you anything? Lunches for you and your men?”
“That’s a nice thought, but we’ve already made plans with some other guys from the lumber company. We meet at Drexel’s Deli whenever we’re working. You’re welcome to join us.”
A voice from on high said, “Yeah, join us. We could really use someone with a little more class.”
Craig glanced up before turning back to her with a chuckle. “Ignore Ray. He’s the only low-class jerk in the group.”
“I heard that,” the man shouted, “and he’s right!”
“Thanks for the invite, but I bought some groceries yesterday. Another time,” she said to the men on the roof. Smiling, she turned to Craig. “If I’m not needed here, I’ll head into town.”
Craig started for his van, which was blocking her Toyota. “I’ll get this out of your way.”
“No, that’s okay. I’m going to walk. I’d like to check out several places, and I don’t need my car.”
“Okay. We should have all the roof repairs completed this afternoon, and I’ll finish the prospectus tomorrow morning for the other projects we discussed.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Trish started down the street at a brisk walk, listening to the rat-tat-tat of hammers ringing their song throughout the neighborhood. Once she and Craig went over the repairs, she could prioritize, budget her money and get the most for her dollar. In the meantime, Trish planned to check out Henry’s Antiques and show him the pictures she’d taken.
The temperature had become a little nippy, and she double-wrapped her green scarf around her neck. The sound of leaves crunching under her sneakers gave her the true feeling of fall. Some chestnuts had fallen, and she picked them up along with a perfect red maple leaf that had escaped the street sweepers. She twirled the stem and stopped in front of the house once owned by Craig’s family.
Several people were outside raking the leaves. They turned to wave to her. “Hello,” she called out. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Before you know it we’ll have snow.”
How sad for Craig to lose his father and then his home. Yet the joy that lit Craig’s features when he mentioned Noah warmed her heart. What would it be like to have a sibling that young? Craig and Trish had often regretted being the only children in their families. Now Craig had one up on her. The thought brought a smile, and she continued to Henry’s.
Center Street, in the older part of town, had turned into a mixture of commercial and residential buildings with several businesses in some of the older homes. One magnificent brick estate, built more than a hundred years ago, posted a doctor’s sign in front. Across the street, Gram’s lawyer had taken residence. Trish had spent the day there when all her grandmother’s possessions were transferred.
The fire department sat on a corner with Moody’s Lumber Company farther down the block. A portion of the grammar school Trish and Craig had walked to could be glimpsed behind the pharmacy, where one could still sit at the counter and order a sundae.
She stopped in front of Henry’s Antiques. At one time a five-and-dime, the shop had remained unoccupied until Henry moved in and removed the sign. Thanks to the dark green trimming, the dusky red building had a Christmas look. Trish glanced at some of the items displayed in the crowded windows before stepping into the store. An armoire in pale blue with a floral design painted on the large doors looked elegant and expensive. Very similar to her grandmother’s.