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Just before noon, Linney pushed on the big heavy door of the Bay Street building that housed Olivia’s firm. She’d never been there before and she was plenty intimidated. Feeling self-conscious about her casual dress and simple rubber-soled ballet flats, she pushed the button to call the elevator. When she reached the sixty-eighth floor, she stepped out into a sleek, modern lobby. Even the receptionist looked sophisticated and polished with her hair pulled back into a bun, and flame-red fingernails. Linney took a deep breath, pushed her glasses up her nose and walked to the desk.
“Hello. Linney McDonnell for Olivia Blake—I mean Hastings.” Olivia had kept her maiden name.
The receptionist’s head snapped up. “McDonnell? Linney McDonnell? From TCN News?”
Linney blushed and nodded. “That’s me.”
“I watch you all the time. I’ll let Ms. Hasting know you’re here.” The receptionist called Olivia’s number. “Of course. I’ll let her know.” She turned back to Linney. “Unfortunately, Ms. Hastings has asked if you can wait about ten minutes. I love your news reports.”
Linney made polite banter with the receptionist, surprised and amused to have a starstruck fan, until Olivia arrived.
“Linney!” she called out as her heels clicked on the marble floors. Linney took in Derek’s wife in a designer suit that hugged her lean body perfectly, and the four-inch heels that went with it. “Thank you for waiting. I’m so glad you could make the time.” The two women hugged politely and were soon sitting down at a chic boutique restaurant where Olivia had made reservations.
“Derek is so disappointed that he’s missing you,” Olivia said after they ordered. “Tell me all about the Rotterdam Port story. I feel like there was more than made it into your report.”
Linney smiled and launched into a story about the near calamity of shooting the final standup for that story, which had Olivia in stitches. They’d shot in front of Delft Gate as planned and then headed to the nearby botanical gardens for a contrasting backdrop. The lawn irrigation system had gone off just behind her while the camera was rolling, drenching the back of her jacket and pants. “Fortunately, when Grant reshot it, you couldn’t tell that water was dripping down the small of my back. But the worst? By the time we got back to the newsroom, the whole news crew had seen the raw footage and there was a sprinkler sitting on my desk!” she finished and they both laughed. “What about you? Can you share what you’re working on?”
“I’m afraid not,” Olivia said as their lunch arrived. “It’s an international acquisition but I’m under a nondisclosure agreement so I can’t say much. The whole thing is very hush hush.”
Linney was impressed. “When is Derek back?” she asked, changing the subject. “I’d hate to miss him altogether.”
“Not for two more weeks,” Olivia sighed, and Linney deflated. This would be the first trip home she wouldn’t see her old friend. “I miss him so much when he’s away. But being asked to help out in Calgary? They don’t ask for help for just anything. This is huge, and it could change his career. He wins this and he can have his choice of Bay Street firms.”
“Are you sure that’s what he wants?” Linney couldn’t picture Derek in Olivia’s over-the-top, yet somehow still cold office.
“Of course it’s what he wants. And he can still do pro bono cases from time to time.”
Linney nodded absentmindedly. It didn’t sound like the Derek she knew.
Dinner that night was a decidedly more relaxed and raucous affair. The kids ganged up on their dad, who gave as good as he got. Linney missed this camaraderie more and more the longer she was away from home. Over the kids’ cake, they laughed until they cried and caught her up on all the news from promotions to dance competitions and sports trophies. Despite their busy lives, Jake made it a point to visit Silver Lake often, although it was too disruptive with the kids now to spend the night with their gran.
“I get up at least once a month,” he told her as they cleared the table. His voice dropped. “She’s been ill more than once this winter and she has a cough that won’t go away. You probably know that from talking with her.” Linnie nodded. “Her doctor’s worried about her heart and she’s not always as clear as she used to be. The last couple of times we were up, she thought Abby was you. I think it’s time to consider a nursing home.”
“It was weird, Auntie Linney,” Abby said as she stacked the plates. “She sent me upstairs—you know, through that blue door. I wasn’t sure I should go, but it’s kind of neat up there.”
Linney paled and Jake quickly moved the conversation along. “That’s enough now,” he said to his oldest child. “I’m sure your Auntie Linney would like a good night’s sleep to get rid of the last of her jetlag before she drives up to Silver Lake tomorrow.”
* * *
As Linney drove out of the city, she replayed the sound of the low voices arguing that she’d heard last night when she’d gone to bed. She hoped Jake was right about this just being a rough patch. With her overseas, he bore all of the responsibility of taking care of Gran. He deserved a happy home life.
Linney drummed her fingers on the steering wheel of the cute little blue hybrid she’d rented but brightened up when she saw a familiar sign ahead on the road. Soon, she pulled over at the Tim Hortons and into the drive-thru. Getting back on the highway with a double double, she put her concerns aside and started looking forward. As she rounded a long curve, she smiled, knowing she was getting closer to Silver Lake. The tension left her shoulders. Life slowed when she was home and she felt like she breathed more freely. She couldn’t wait to get out in her kayak and skim across the lake.
Linney drove past the hospital and the hardware store before turning onto Main Street. She saw the town law office, the grocery store, and the park across from Page Turners. Taking a hard left, she turned the corner and parked behind the bookstore. She took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face. It was Wednesday, so there was one more stop to make before seeing Gran.
“Room for one more?” she called out as she entered the back room of the bookstore.
“Linney!” There was a huge noise as the KnitWorks ladies dropped their knitting and rushed to greet their local superstar. She got the biggest hug from Anna, who set her up with a mug of tea and a cookie and told her Kirsten was working a shift at the hospital that day. The new owner gushed over the celebrity in her store, much to Linney’s embarrassment.
She spent the next hour chatting with old schoolmates, neighbours, and a few newcomers to town. Jennifer’s baby was due in another month and Mr. Jones was recovering well from a bypass operation. Carrie was engaged, and Mrs. Masterton had a new grandchild she was going to visit in Halifax soon, where her son and daughter-in-law lived. The Carvers were having trouble paying their bills. And the Soulier boy was in trouble again. The warmth that Linney had felt enveloping her when she arrived had turned to the gossip that irked her, so with hugs all around, she left the knitters and drove the final couple of kilometres home. She’d catch up with Kirsten tomorrow.
The gravel crunched as Linney eased the rental car into the driveway. She called out to her grandmother, who was napping on the porch. Linnea woke with a start, and soon the two women were in each other’s arms. “I’m so glad you’re home, Linney dear,” Gran said. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Linney squeezed her grandmother again. “Me too, Gran. Me too.”
* * *
The first days sped by. The fall weather was glorious and Linney took the kayak out every morning. Her muscles hurt more than she wanted to admit, but every day got easier, and she loved the meditative time on the water. She took photos in the marshes she traversed and of the wildlife she came across. She hadn’t seen a moose this visit, but she was still hopeful.
