The Girls on Rose Hill by Bernadette Walsh Read Free Book Online

looked at Carol with her big hair and big smile and tried not to be jealous of the obviously close bond she had with my uncle. We were all surprised when Danny, never much of a lady killer, announced at age fifty-three that he was getting married. We were even more surprised when he showed up with the bubbly Carol. But shy Danny simply adored her and it looked like five years in, they were still going strong.
    "If you could go this afternoon that would be great. Doing the day and evening shift can be a bit much," I said. "Plus, I should probably do something about the front lawn before Lisa has a fit."
    "Don't let Lisa get to you. I never do. You should go home and relax."
    I took Carol's advice and passed by the overgrown grass without too much guilt. I went into the kitchen and made myself a chicken salad sandwich. While I ate at the small kitchen table, I opened my laptop and scrolled through emails. There were a few emails from work, although fewer than I'd expected. It appeared that the U.S. government was able to roll along without my presence. My son Timmy sent a funny email updating me on the latest scandal at the Virginia country club where he was a lifeguard for the summer. Veronica checked in with an airy email that conveyed absolutely no information—she could have spent the week shopping in the local mall for all I could tell from her missive. I hoped that for $40,000 a year, NYU improves her writing style.
    I swallowed the last of my iced tea and then walked to the dryer in the corner and pulled out a pair of sheets. I hadn't heard from Brendan since our call yesterday, so I'd assumed that he would make an appearance tomorrow. If he knew what was good for him, he would. Since I was sleeping in my old bedroom, the boys' bedroom was filled to the ceiling with boxes and it didn't seem right to put him in my mother's bedroom, I needed to prepare Kitty's room for my wayward husband.
    I climbed the stairs with the freshly laundered sheets. Dust had settled in the grooves of the banister. Maybe I'd have time to run the vacuum around in the morning before Brendan arrived; he hated a messy house. The door to Kitty's room opened with a slow squeak. The room was hot. I opened the windows and allowed the rank air of low tide to fill the room. I pulled the heavy down comforter off the sheet-less bed with a vigorous tug and replaced it with clean sheets and a light lace quilt I'd found in the hall closet.
    That done, I gathered the various remnants of the room's prior occupant: hairpins, a pair of glasses, a sticky half empty bottle of cough medicine. After I tossed the detritus in a half filled wastepaper basket, I approached the old chest of drawers. The top drawer held only a few lace handkerchiefs and a ripped pair of stocking, so I threw them in the basket as well. Now at least Brendan would have someplace to put his underwear and socks. I opened the closet to find it still empty after my purge five years earlier. Good. Now he would have somewhere to hang his expensive suits.
    I went downstairs for another glass of iced tea, furniture polish and a handful of rags. I rubbed the polish along the bed's headboard and the side tables. The strong smell of lemon masked the bedroom's stale air.
    When I was done, I sat down on the bed and sipped iced tea. I scanned the room. Brendan wouldn't like sleeping here, but it'll only be for a few days, and hopefully he'll be smart enough not to complain.
    I looked around the room one last time to see if anything else was out of order. The two bottom drawers of the old chest were still ajar from my digging expedition the previous week. I walked over to the chest and crouched down to push the drawers closed, but both were stuck. I opened the bottom drawer and arranged the stack of envelopes so they laid flat, but the drawer still wouldn't close. In exasperation, I pulled open the drawer and dumped the contents onto the floor.
    I sorted through the old letters. Curious, I opened a few. Most