A Big Life in a Small Town (Bellingwood #2) Read Free

office," Polly said. "You need to sit down and talk this out." She turned to Henry, "I'll see you later. Thanks!"
    Polly pulled Sylvie behind her into her office and pointed to a chair, "Sit." Sylvie sat.
    "I can't presume to know what your finances look like, but we're going to help you make this work. Has Jeff talked to you about some of the events we have coming up?"
    Sylvie nodded. "Yes, but those don't kick off until late spring and summer. I have some savings and that should help. I need to think through how to make this work. I just got so excited!" She smiled at Polly. "It feels good to finally have a plan for my life. I was beginning to wonder if I would be working at the grocery store until I died. It isn't a bad job, but it never felt like it was enough. I want Jason and Andrew to see me living a bigger life, too," she continued. "They're both so bright and I don't want them to think the only thing their mom can do is this. I want them to see that I have dreams and can make them come true."
    "You will be great, Sylvie!" Polly exclaimed. "And your boys are going to be as proud of you as I am!"
    "Now if I can just keep them fed and in a home, I'll be fine."
    "Let's just take it one step at a time, okay?" Polly said. "And there's another big party coming up."
    "What are you doing this time?" Sylvie asked, her eyes brightening.
    "We're going to have a barn raising," Polly said. "You're going to have to cook breakfast and lunch for the workers and that evening we're going to have a dinner and dance after the sun sets. Do you want to try to manage it?"
    "A barn raising? I've never seen one of those. In fact, I don't think anyone around here has ever seen one. Do you think people will get involved?" Sylvie asked.
    "Jeff and Henry are putting it together, so I think it will be crazy successful," Polly said. "Do you want to take care of the food for the day?"
    "Of course I do! Thank you." She paused, "Do you think your friend Bruce's wife would come over and help me again? We seemed to get along well and she's pretty good in the kitchen."
    Polly picked up her phone and punched some numbers into it, then smiled as Sylvie's phone buzzed. "There's her number. Give her a call and ask. You know that's your kitchen now, don't you?"
    "That kind of overwhelms me," Sylvie said quietly. "I can't believe you have this much faith in me."
    "Just say you won't leave me when you get your certification," Polly laughed. "I'm going to need you for a long time."
    "I won't leave you when I get my certification," Sylvie teased, "unless I get chosen to host a show on the Food Network. How's that?"
    "It’s great!" Polly laughed. "Have you told Lydia yet?"
    "No, I had to tell you first!" Sylvie exclaimed. "But, I should tell her, shouldn't I? I have to get ready for work! I've got to run!"
    Sylvie picked up her purse and leaped out of the seat. "I'll talk to you later!" she said as she left the building. Polly waved at her through the window of her office. One more thing had dropped into place. She was going to have a certified chef on staff at Sycamore House. Unbelievable.
    Henry and his crew were working in the final area they needed to complete inside the building, and it had become a big deal. The room was being split into four separate spaces. His temporary shop had resided here and it was finally time to make decisions about how it should be finished. That had been the original intention for the morning meeting, but they'd gotten sidetracked by a barn.
    Framing for the four rooms was in place and Doug and Billy were there to start the electrical work. Henry looked up from his workbench when Polly entered.
    "Have you finally decided what you want in here yet?" he asked. "The time is now."
    "Stop it," she chided. "You've got the plans in front of you. I'm not going to change anything today."
    "Well, you've been changing your mind since the day we started. Every other room in the place made sense to you, why did this one take so long?"
    "I