Once Upon a Summertime Read Free Page B

how she took me in when I was a kid, back when things fell apart with my parents. Anyway, Grandma sold her little house over on Vermont Street in order to help me with my master’s program, and I really felt like I needed that extra degree to land a good job in hotel management. So when she suggested I come back here to live and work for a while, well, it was hard to turn her down.”
    â€œYou felt like you owed her?”
    â€œSort of. I was concerned about her being alone too. I could tell she was depressed. And really, I’m all she has.”
    â€œThat’s understandable.” Marley nodded sympathetically. “Very generous on your part, Anna.” She reached over and patted Anna’s hand. “But you’ve always been kind and thoughtful like that. Setting aside your dreams to help your grandmother, well, I get that. She’s a sweet lady. How’s she doing now?”
    â€œShe’s doing great. She’s actually made a lot of friends at her apartment complex. There are lots of retired singles living there. She plays bridge and bunco, and takes tai chi classes, belongs to a book club as well as a theater group. She’s really made a great adjustment.” Anna laughed. “To be honest, my grandmother’s social life is way busier than mine.”
    â€œSo why are you still there?” Marley looked puzzled. “And still at the Value Lodge?”
    Anna explained about needing managerial experience, and about how she’d been able to pay back her student loans. “It seemed to make sense at the time. I figured I’d give it a year. . . and then it turned into a second year.” She sighed. “Sharon and Rich Morgan own the motel, and they’d been friends with my grandparents for years, and I sort of thought I was going to have a more active role. They gave me the impression they were going to make some big improvements, and that was kind of exciting.” Anna frowned. “But it hasn’t really panned out.”
    â€œBack to my question.” Marley leaned forward. “Why are you still there?”
    Anna pressed her lips tightly together, slowly shaking her head. “I honestly don’t know.” As Kellie Jo set their drinks down on the table, Anna let out a long, sad sigh. Seriously, why was she still here?
    â€œLook, Anna, I really don’t like telling people what to do—well, unless it’s a stubborn middle-school student who needs a swift kick in the behind.” Marley took a sip of her soda. “But you seem stuck to me.”
    Anna just nodded. “I know.”
    â€œHave you talked about this with your grandmother? Told her how you feel?”
    â€œShe thinks I’m lucky to have a job. She hears all these stories about twentysomethings who’ve finished college but just can’t seem to launch their careers. She’s worried that’s going to be me.”
    â€œBut you’re not like that, Anna. You’ve got initiative,” Marley assured her. “You want to go places. You have drive.”
    â€œDo I?” Anna really wasn’t so sure anymore. She watched as Kellie Jo arrived with their orders, smiling and making pleasant small talk as she efficiently arranged their food on the table. It seemed like Kellie Jo had more initiative and drive than Anna. The truth was that in the last year, Anna had begun to feel as if she were settling. Like she just didn’tcare anymore. As much as that bothered her, she didn’t really know what to do about it.
    â€œYou used to be such a dreamer. You wanted more,” Marley said quietly after Kellie Jo had left. “I can’t believe you’ve changed that much.”
    â€œDo you think working at the Value Lodge has impaired my reasoning skills?” Anna asked meekly. “Like there’s something in the air there, or the water? Something that’s messing with my brain, killing my ambition?”
    Marley