1022 Evergreen Place - Debbie Macomber [40]
“The baby’s growing so fast,” Corrie eventually commented. “Mack asked if I’d watch Noelle for a couple of hours this past Sunday so he could take Mary Jo to the movies. I loved every minute of it.”
“Are you ready to be a grandma?” Peggy asked with a smile.
“More than ready.” Corrie looked forward to it, but she suspected it would take a few years. Unless, as she hoped, she inherited baby Noelle as her granddaughter. That would thrill her, and Mack, too. A marriage between Mack and Mary Jo seemed increasingly likely.
She was sure Linnette would eventually marry, as well, although Corrie had the feeling it wouldn’t be for some time. Her daughter wasn’t over losing Cal Washburn, who’d broken her heart. As a result, Linnette had quit her job, packed up her car and set out with no destination in mind. She’d ended up in a small town in North Dakota called Buffalo Valley.
As a physician assistant she had a lot to offer the community, which had welcomed her with open arms. Last Christmas, Buffalo Valley had remodeled an old house to use as a medical clinic and hired her to run it.
Linnette was dating a farmer but Corrie doubted the relationship was serious. At least, that was the impression she had, based on meeting the young man briefly and on what Linnette had to say. In their previous conversation, Corrie had asked about Pete Mason, and her daughter had quickly changed the subject. She surmised that the relationship hadn’t developed and Linnette was easing her way out.
“Gloria’s doing well…I think,” Corrie said.
“How does she like working with the sheriff’s office here?”
“Fine, as far as I know.”
Gloria had made the transfer from the Bremerton police to Cedar Cove as soon as an opening became available. She had only praise for Sheriff Troy Davis and his department. Corrie was delighted that their oldest daughter had gone into police work. Roy’s career had been with the Seattle police until he was forced into early retirement because of a back injury.
They arrived at the outlet center just before ten, and stopped for coffee and a muffin before tackling any serious shopping. Peggy described the rehearsals for the community theater’s new production. Bob had won the role of Jacob in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Peggy, as usual, had volunteered to work on costumes.
“I ran into Olivia the other day,” Peggy said between bites of her bran-and-cranberry muffin. “She’s looking more like herself these days.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Corrie had ordered the same muffin and felt it was nowhere near as good as the ones Peggy baked.
“Olivia said she plans to return to work in September.”
Corrie smiled on hearing that. The last time she’d talked to Olivia, the family-court judge was weighing her options and considering early retirement. Apparently Olivia had made her decision.
“Oh, and I had lunch with Faith Beckwith last week,” Peggy said. “She’s busy making plans for the wedding. You’ll never guess where Troy wants to go for a honeymoon.”
“Hawaii?”
“No—Alaska. Some lodge up near the Arctic Circle. To fish.”
Corrie wrinkled her nose and laughed.
Peggy dug the paint samples from the bottom of her purse and sorted them out. Then they went in search of bedspreads.
For some reason Corrie didn’t really understand, she found herself wandering through the baby section while Peggy visited the bedding department. Maybe it was because of Peggy’s earlier question about being a grandmother, but Corrie couldn’t make herself leave.
Holding up a tiny yellow sleeper, she felt a stirring deep inside. “I’m buying this,” she said to no one in particular. Then, almost immediately, she muttered, “That’s ridiculous!” She put it down again. Roy would think she’d gone crazy, buying baby clothes when she didn’t have the slightest idea when, or even if, she’d become a grandmother.
She rejoined Peggy and they discussed bedspread choices for the different rooms. They went to three other stores, and Peggy made purchases at each. Corrie helped carry the bulky packages