92 Pacific Boulevard - Debbie Macomber [112]
“Let’s get down and walk for a while,” Grace suggested. “If you feel up to it.”
“I do,” Olivia assured her. She slid down off Sugarplum and dropped to the ground, landing in pebbles. “Now all I have to do is figure out how to get back up there.”
Holding the mares’ reins, they strolled side by side. For a long time they didn’t speak, content simply to be together. After fifty years—a half century!—of friendship, they were attuned to each other’s moods and feelings.
“I’ve taken so much for granted in my life,” Olivia said after a while.
“Don’t we all?” Grace didn’t think her friend should be hard on herself. She was just as guilty as Olivia of racing from one day to the next, barely taking time to appreciate what a gift life really was.
This second chance at happiness with Cliff had changed her. Her marriage to Dan had been good in its way; after all those years together, the two of them had grown comfortable, although Dan’s troubles, the pain of war, had never left him. As much as possible, they’d adjusted and she’d done her best to deal with his mood swings. In the end, it’d all been too much for him.
Cliff had brought his own problems from his first marriage. They’d been patient with each other, though, and had survived misunderstandings and mistakes. Now she was happier than she’d ever expected to be.
“I’m thinking of retiring,” Olivia announced out of the blue.
Grace had half suspected this was coming. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
“No,” Olivia admitted. “But I’m enjoying these months at home. In the beginning I dreaded it. I was so certain I’d be bored.”
“But you haven’t been, have you?”
“Not at all. I didn’t know how much I’d like quilting. Mom’s always been the crafty one. I don’t think there’s anything domestic that my mother can’t do and do well.”
Grace nodded. Everything Charlotte attempted—from her special desserts to her knitting and sewing projects—was of the highest quality.
“Haven’t you thought about retiring?” Olivia asked, looking steadily at Grace.
Grace had given it fleeting consideration. “I suppose I have,” she said, “and yet I love what I do.”
“I feel the same,” Olivia murmured. “That’s what makes this decision so difficult.”
Slowly Grace shook her head. “I don’t think I can yet. I have a lot I still want to accomplish at work. We’re starting a new program at the library that excites me. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it.”
“Teaching literacy by having kids read to dogs?”
“Yes,” Grace said. “We’ve invited a trainer from Seattle to come in and work with us.” She smiled. “I already have my first volunteers. Tanni Bliss is one of them.”
“Tanni Bliss,” Olivia repeated. “Why is that name familiar?”
“Tanni and her boyfriend discovered those remains in the cave. Remember?”
“Oh, yes.” Olivia frowned slightly. “What an unusual case. I’m so glad it’s been resolved.”
“The press sure had a field day with that one, didn’t they? That Seattle reporter made it sound as though Cedar Cove was a hotbed of criminal activity.” She laughed. “Who would’ve guessed our sheriff was so good at spin? That press release said very little but somehow satisfied everyone.”
“Nevertheless, it was a tragic story. That poor boy, frightened and all alone. I don’t think we’ll ever know what really happened.” Grace had been touched that Cedar Cove’s mayor had arranged for a proper burial. There’d been talk around town about his DUI, but that was over now. Jack had written an excellent article about it, with the mayor’s full cooperation, which had no doubt subdued the gossip. Thankfully the sensationalism about those poor, forgotten bones had worn off, too.
“Tanni is Shirley Bliss’s daughter,” Olivia said as if the connection had suddenly clicked. “Will is dating Shirley.”
“How’s that going?”
“I don’t know. My brother doesn’t talk to me about his relationships.”
Grace was naturally curious.