Summer Breeze Read Free Page B

Christmas my mother broke her leg, so I came back to help her and to run her shop for her.”
    Natalie leaned against the deck railing. “Her shop?”
    “Barnaby’s Barn.” Bella joined her against the railing, and they both gazed out at the water. “She sells children’s things, mostly. Handmade clothing. Handmade wooden cradles. She’s kind of an artist herself, but not like you. She makes these miniature collections called Lake Worlds.” Bella always felt protective of her mother when she spoke about her creations.
    “Lake Worlds?” Natalie prompted.
    “When we were children, Mom invented stories for us about the creatures who lived around Dragonfly Lake. Darling Deer and her family for Beat—that’s my older sister. Her name is really Beatrice.Timid Toad and his warty family for Ben, and Busy Bunny for me. Barton Bear for Brady.”
    Natalie’s eyes flicked toward the woods. “Are there bears around here?”
    “There could be, but don’t worry, I’ve never seen one.”
    Natalie relaxed. “So go on.”
    “Well, our friends were crazy for the dolls, so Mom made more animals for birthday and Christmas presents, complete with miniature nests and lairs. I’ll show you sometime. She began to get phone calls from parents, offering to pay her if she’d create a set of animals for their children. At the same time, a small barn just on the outskirts of Amherst came up for sale. So she got the idea for her shop. That was sixteen years ago.”
    “Cool.”
    “Yeah, the money helped a bit, especially when we all started college, but Mom didn’t particularly care about the money. She enjoyed creating Lake Worlds and seeing children’s faces when they came into the shop. But while her leg healed over the past few months, I’ve run the shop for her.”
    Natalie tilted her head, studying Bella. “Do you enjoy running it?”
    Bella looked back at Natalie. She liked her frank question. “Truthfully? I do, but … have you ever had a great idea at the back of your mind and it won’t come quite clear?”
    Natalie threw back her head and laughed. “All the time!”
    Aaron approached them, glasses of Pinot Grigio in his hands. “Ladies?” he offered, with a pretentious bow.
    “I’d love some.” Natalie took a glass.
    “Natalie, this is my boyfriend, Aaron,” Bella said. She stumbled over the introduction. What should she call him? He was certainly more man than boy. They weren’t engaged yet, but they were definitely not merely friends.
    Aaron turned toward Natalie, and Bella thought how proud she was to be his girlfriend—or whatever she was. Aaron wasn’t provocative like an underwear ad, but he gave off an air of steadiness, rock-solid capability, competence. If he’d been a surgeon, Bellawould have let him operate on her. If he’d been a pilot, she’d have boarded any plane he flew.
    But he was an architect, and he was aimed toward California.
    Natalie was asking Aaron, “What kind of architecture do you prefer? Or perhaps the question should be, who are your favorite architects?”
    More guests were arriving at the party, all carrying an offering: a bottle of wine or a casserole or a tray of deviled eggs. Bella saw her mother and father stroll down to the water’s edge, leaning toward each other as they talked. Something had happened since Louise broke her leg, Bella thought. Her parents had always been a team, but now they seemed even closer. She’d talk it over sometime with Ben, if she could drag his attention away from his work for a second or two.
    As if summoned by her thoughts, Ben came up the steps to the deck and joined their group.
    Natalie sensed an eager click in her chest when Ben approached. She believed she’d developed a certain sort of judgment from all her years of painting, like an organic and obstinate lock growing right below her diaphragm. She would arrange objects for a still life—a vase, a silver platter, a bunch of grapes—and the lock stayed stubbornly shut.