An Alaskan Family Thanksgiving
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Beth Carpenter
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CHAPTER ONE
FRAMED AGAINST A backdrop of snowcapped mountains, the old-fashioned water tower read Palmer, which meant Adam Lloyd had arrived in the right place after following Highway 1 from Anchorage. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been on a Highway 1 before. Not a lot of roads in Alaska, apparently. Now he just needed to locate the seniors’ apartment complex in Palmer that he’d been assigned to evaluate. Following the GPS instructions, he passed the public library and turned right onto the next street.
“Halt!”
Adam hit the brakes as a woman wearing a neon-orange top stepped into his path and held a broomstick horizontally in front of her. Matching orange streaks formed a starburst in her white hair, like the orange-and-vanilla ice cream treats Adam had loved as a child. Behind her, a Canada goose stepped off the curb, followed closely by the rest of the flock. Most of the geese seemed a little smaller than the first, probably this year’s goslings, almost grown and ready to fly south.
Seemingly in no hurry, they meandered between the pavement and the curb, but eventually they all crossed and moved on toward the grassy area behind the library. A second full-size goose examined Adam’s rental car with a beady eye as he brought up the rear guard. Once the geese were all safely across the road, the orange-haired lady nodded her thanks at him and returned to the sidewalk to sweep up a few fallen leaves. Apparently, goose crossing guard wasn’t her primary occupation.
Mindful of more possible hazards, Adam eased forward beside the two-story building surrounded by wide lawns and gardens and spotted the Easy Living Apartments Parking sign. Only someone had added SL in red paint before the E. Graffiti was never a good omen. He made a mental note to take care of that, first thing.
The parking lot was almost full, but he located a space in the back and got out to stretch his stiff muscles. After putting in a full workday yesterday wrapping up loose ends, he’d caught a late flight from Boise to Seattle, laid over for three hours, and then flown overnight on to Anchorage. He claimed his luggage and rental car and driven to Palmer, arriving at what should have been morning rush hour. In Palmer, Alaska, however, the only traffic holdups seemed to be the lines at the brightly painted drive-through coffee carts.
If you didn’t count the geese.
Despite his best efforts, a yawn escaped. It might be better to head straight for the extended-stay hotel the office staff had reserved in nearby Wasilla rather than check out the apartment complex. After all, no one was expecting him for another three days. But the sooner he got a handle on the situation here, the sooner he could get the job done and return to headquarters. No use wasting a weekend sitting around.
A small blue car pulled into a spot not far from him. A woman hopped out, her red-blond ponytail bobbing as she lifted the hatchback, held it open with one hand while she reached inside for what looked like a broken ski pole and propped the trunk open. She leaned in to pick up something big and furry, staggered back a few feet, and gently set what turned out to be an elderly golden retriever on his feet.
As Adam drew nearer, the white-faced dog turned soft brown eyes in his direction and wandered over. Adam reached to pet him, and the woman said, “Hi. That’s Bob you’re petting, and I’m Sunny Galloway.” She flashed a smile, and the brilliance of it almost made Adam blink. “Linda told me you’d be coming by this morning. We really appreciate your help. This thing just seems to get bigger every year, and we’re running short of space.” She reached inside the car and hefted out a large cardboard carton. “Here, could you take this one, please? I’ll show you where we’re setting up and get you started on the project.”
Before Adam could ask who Linda was, the woman had deposited a surprisingly heavy box in his arms. She then balanced a slightly smaller box on her own hip, and in a well-practiced move, pulled out the stick and tossed it inside while the hatchback closed itself. After throwing another dazzling smile over her shoulder, she started toward the building.
The dog ambled after her and Adam followed. “You need new lift supports.”
“What’s that?”
“Your car. The hatchback needs new lift supports.”
“Oh, I know. It’s on the list, believe me. Right after new snow tires.”
As they approached the building, an older man held the door open. “Here, Sunny. Let me take that.”
“I’ve got it, Ralph, but thanks for getting the door. Where’s Alice?” She led Adam and the dog into a spacious lobby. Several healthy-looking potted plants lined the front atrium-style window, and a few café tables and chairs had been arranged, as well.
“Alice is already in with the others, setting up.” The man eyed Adam. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a better helper, anyhow. Is this your boyfriend?”
She laughed. “I told you, Ralph. Once I found Alice had already scooped you off the market, I swore off dating. This is Linda’s grandnephew, who volunteered to build the new bookcases for the reading room.” She looked toward Adam. “I’m sorry, I don’t think she told me your name.”
“Adam, but I’m—”
Before he could explain that he wasn’t any relation to this Linda person, the woman with the orange-streaked hair came rushing inside, still carrying her broom. “Those skateboarders are back. I’ll bet they’re the ones who vandalized the sign. Sleazy Living, indeed. If we can’t scrub the paint off, we’ll have to take down the sign and put up a new one. We can’t have people thinking we’ve got something disreputable going on here. Especially not now, with the new manager coming. It’s posted—no skateboarding. But if I run them off, they’ll probably paint more graffiti just to spite me.”
Sunny spoke up. “Bea, were they actually skateboarding or were they just carrying their boards toward the park?” She moved toward the elevator at the back of the lobby and pushed the up button with her elbow.
“Carrying their boards,” Bea admitted, frowning. Then her face brightened. “I know. I’ll grab my Rollerblades and ask if I can skate with them. That will scare them off for sure.”
Ralph grinned. “You get ’em, Bea.”
As the woman dashed down a hallway, the elevator doors opened. Sunny stepped in, moving aside to make room for Adam and the dog. “Bea used to be a teacher,” she explained. After leaning her box on the rail, Sunny pushed the button for the second floor. As the door closed, she wrinkled her nose. It was a nice nose, with a sprinkling of freckles on the bridge. “She’s not usually such a fusspot about kids and their skateboards. She’s just keyed up because we’re expecting a new manager on Monday, and she wants everything to look its best. She’s on a mission to find out who messed up the sign out front.”
“I saw that. Is vandalism an ongoing problem here?”
Sunny chuckled. “Not at all. The closest thing to vandalism I’ve seen in the three years I’ve been here is the occasional dog walker taking a shortcut through a flower bed. I have a feeling one of the other residents changed the sign just to yank Bea’s chain. I haven’t had a chance to examine the sign yet, but it looked to me like someone used poster paint. If so, it will wash right off.”
That was good news anyway. “So, you work here?”
“Yes. Sorry, I guess I didn’t tell you that. I’m the activities director. At least for now. Hopefully, I’ll still have a job come Monday after the new guy shows up. He’s from an out-of-state real estate investment outfit that somehow ended up buying this place, and nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen.” A shadow crossed her face briefly, but then the smile returned. “Lou—he’s the manager now, but he’s retiring so he and his wife can move to Oregon to be near the grandkids—he says he’ll put in a good word for me, so, fingers crossed.”
Adam knew he should, in good conscience, identify himself immediately as the dreaded new manager. In fact, he might be doing her a favor to hint that while nothing was decided yet, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for her to start checking online job sites. But he wasn’t officially on the clock yet, and he just couldn’t summon the will to wipe that beautiful smile off her face this early in the morning. Especially since he was running on practically no sleep. Instead, he gave a noncommittal “Mmm.”
Sunny seemed to find that answer enough. “I don’t know if Linda has talked to you about it, but the residents are really worried about this new ownership. Everybody loves Lou, and nobody knows what this new guy might have in mind. Bea’s theory is that if everything is spit-shined, he’ll take one look, decide we’re doing something right, and keep it all the same. She’s been following the cleaning crew around with a white glove, looking for specks they might have missed.
“Alice says it’s not about appearance, it’s about the bottom line. Phil, our resident pessimist, is sure the new company is either raising rents or tearing the place down to put in a giant box store, although there are less than seven thousand people in Palmer and it’s only about fifteen minutes to shop in Wasilla, so I can’t see why they’d want to do that. But change is always scary.”
Bob leaned against her leg, and she shifted so she could free a hand to stroke his head. “Anyway, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Maybe the new manager will turn out to be great and make this place even better. Who knows?”
“Right.” Adam, deciding a change of topic was in order, nodded at the dog. “So, this is Bob?”
“Yes. Bob Cratchit.”
Adam chuckled. “You named him after a Dickens character?”
“Bob’s original owner was a retired literature professor. About two years ago, he had a health issue and decided to move to an assisted living place near his son in Colorado.” The elevator door opened, and she hefted her box and started down the hall, still chatting. “He was able to take his chihuahua, Tiny Tim, along with him, but they didn’t accept big dogs like Bob, so Bob came to live with us.”
Us presumably being Sunny and her husband, although Ralph, downstairs, had teased her about a boyfriend, so maybe not. It didn’t matter, one way or the other. Adam never dated people he worked with, and her marital status had no bearing on her job performance. Still, he wondered.
Adam followed her toward a set of open double doors at the end of the hall, still toting the larger box, which was growing heavier by the minute.
What was in there, gold bars?
The room, with a bank of windows overlooking the park across the street, buzzed with activity. Several people were unpacking boxes of books. Others were arranging chairs and pillows into conversational groupings or hanging motivational posters on the wall. One woman in silver-framed glasses taped a laminated sign labeled Mystery to a bookcase next to the door. Near the windows, a man about Adam’s age was operating a miter saw. No doubt Linda’s grandnephew, the bookcase builder, which meant it was time for Adam to disappear before Sunny put two and two together.
A woman with a long gray braid tapped his arm. “If those are the donated books Sunny picked up, you can just set them here.”
Gratefully, he placed the box on a folding table. The woman opened the lid and pulled out a few slim volumes. The top one, entitled A is for Australia, had a cartoon kangaroo on the cover. “Oh good. We needed more picture books.”
“Are picture books popular here?” It was hard to imagine, but then Adam had never worked with a group of seniors before. Maybe the ABC books were for visiting grandkids.
“Oh yes. We get a lot of first and second graders, and some even bring their preschool siblings.”
“Preschool? I thought this was a seniors’ housing development.”
“Yes, of course, but we’ve been sponsoring the library’s after-school reading program for several years now. Isn’t that why you’re here?”
“No. I, uh, was just passing by,” Adam said, hedging, as he eased out the doors into the hall. If he wasn’t gone soon, he was going to be forced to come clean about his real identity to Sunny, and he preferred that not happen in a room full of people.
He could already tell this assignment wasn’t going to be as straightforward as he’d hoped. Generally, an underperforming apartment complex in a good market was a simple fix with minor remodeling and better management. But it was obvious the residents here took pride in the place and if Sunny was to be believed, management was competent, or at least well-liked. So why was it losing money? He found the door to the stairway and stepped inside.
“Adam?” It was Sunny’s voice. For an instant, he was tempted to turn back and offer to haul up more books just to see that bright smile again. His better judgment prevailed, however, and he continued down the stairs and out to his car.
Better check into that hotel and get some sleep, after all, because it was obvious he wasn’t thinking clearly.
“SUNNY, MY GRANDNEPHEW, Travis, says he can get all three bookcases done today.” Linda pushed her silver glasses back up her nose. “He wanted to ask you about paint.”
“If your nephew is Travis, then who is Adam?” Sunny looked around, but the man who had carried up the box of books for her was nowhere in sight. “Adam?”
“Is that the name of the handsome man who was carrying your books?” Molly, a member of Linda’s yoga group, the Mat Mates, asked with a smile. “I think he left already. Is he a friend of yours? Or more than a friend?”
“I never met him before,” Sunny replied truthfully. But she felt her cheeks growing warm under Molly’s amused gaze, even though she had nothing to be embarrassed about.
The Mat Mates, six women who had been in the same yoga class for something like thirty years, all currently lived in the Easy Living Apartments. Despite being a decade or two older than most of the other residents, the Mat Mates were indisputably the most active participants in the activities Sunny organized.
Linda, a former librarian, had started the read-ins before Sunny had begun working there, but she had welcomed Sunny’s ideas for expanding the program. Molly taught art classes. Rosemary, an octogenarian flower child, freely shared her gardening expertise. Bonnie, Bea, Alice, and Ralph, Alice’s husband, who wasn’t technically a Mat Mate but was often roped into their projects, were always generous with their time, energy and opinions. And they paid attention to the details—even when Sunny wished they wouldn’t.
Bonnie, a former dairy farmer, was grinning at Sunny now. “Aw, honey, you’re blushing redder than an Oklahoma sunset after a dust storm.”
Sunny swiped her hands over her cheeks, willing the color to subside. Okay, she couldn’t help but notice the man was good-looking. And maybe she’d babbled a little, which she tended to do when she was nervous, but that didn’t mean she had a thing for the guy. She shouldn’t let their teasing get to her. “I saw him in the parking lot, looking around, and I thought he was Linda’s nephew.”
“No, Travis got here an hour ago.” Linda gestured toward the man sawing boards in the back of the room. “He wanted to get an early start. This Adam must be here to visit someone.”
“I don’t think he’s been here before,” Molly mused, “or at least I’ve never seen him. With those bright blue eyes, I’m sure I’d remember.”
“Are we talking about that hunk that came in with Sunny?” Bea had breezed into the activities room and made a beeline toward them. “What a hottie!”
“What happened with the skateboarders?” Sunny asked her, attempting to redirect the conversation.
Bea shrugged. “They were already gone by the time I found my skates and made it back. So, was that a new boyfriend with you in the lobby?”
“No.” Sunny allowed a little note of irritation into her voice. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”
“Because they care about you,” Molly said gently. “They want to see you happy.”
“I am happy,” Sunny insisted. “I have Piper, and I have all of you. My plate is full.”
“That doesn’t mean there’s no room for dessert,” Bea replied. She tilted her head and openly checked out the carpenter as he positioned another board in his saw. “If you’re not interested in the handsome man you came in with, how about Linda’s grandnephew? He’s cute, too.”
“His wife would agree,” Linda informed her. “But I do want Sunny to meet him.” She linked her arm through Sunny’s and drew her away from the others. “Bea means well, you know.”
“I suppose.” One of the few downsides to working with the residents at Easy Living was their tendency to bulldoze through normal professional boundaries. It was like having sixty beloved but outspoken grandparents hanging around with her at work all day. Sunny looked around the room at the posters on the wall and the rapidly filling bookcases. “This reading program is really coming together. You’ve done a great job.” Linda had retired many years ago, but that didn’t keep her from putting in hours of volunteer work for the library.
“Mostly thanks to you and your organization skills. The first two years, we just had a one-day event giving away donated books. It wasn’t until you came that we started the weekly read-ins and prizes. The library staff is excited. They say they’ve already had a record number of children sign up for the reading program, even though they haven’t sent home flyers in the school packets yet.”
“Piper signed up Saturday.”
“I know.” Linda laughed. “Nikki, the children’s librarian, told me Piper not only signed up, she recruited two other kids who were only there to use the computers, telling them all about our read-ins and the prizes. We should give Piper an official title, something like Library Ambassador.”
Sunny smiled. “She’s pretty enthusiastic. Oh, that reminds me. I sent Lou the request for funds to buy prizes, but I haven’t heard back.”
“Tilly said she put it in his in-box, but he’s been swamped, trying to get everything done before they go. You may have to wait until next week and get approval from the new manager.”
“That seems like a lot of fuss. The prizes are just stickers and pencils, stuff like that.”
“I know. But Lou and Tilly have been preparing for the big move out of their house as well as the office. They’re expecting their first great-grandbaby in three weeks, you know.”
“I know. Tilly says it’s a girl. She’s thrilled. And since Lou has been managing this place since it was built twenty-five years ago, I’m sure there’s a ton of stuff to go through.” Sunny sighed. “It won’t be the same without them. Lou’s always been great about finding money for special projects. I hope the new guy won’t be a pain about that sort of thing. Molly offered to teach a class in oils next month if we can supply canvases, paints and brushes, but she sent me an initial supply list, and the stuff isn’t cheap.”
“If he balks, point out that it would normally cost a fortune to get a teacher as good as Molly. After taking her calligraphy class, I hand-lettered the wedding invitations to Travis and Gayle’s wedding.” They paused the conversation while the carpenter finished cutting a board. “Travis, I wanted you to meet Sunny. She’s in charge of activities here.”
“Nice to meet you.” He offered a hand and Sunny shook it. Bea was right. With his blond hair and friendly grin, Travis was cute. But even if Sunny hadn’t known he was married, he wouldn’t have given her that butterflies-in-the-stomach, jabber-inducing thrill she’d felt when she first saw Adam. Which was fortunate. It was much easier to work with someone when she wasn’t reduced to a babbling bundle of nerves.
“Thank you so much for volunteering. We were really running short of shelf space,” she told the carpenter.
“Glad to help. Aunt Linda said you bought paint already. Did you get primer?” Travis asked.
“Yes, but I want you to see it and make sure I bought the right kind. I’ll run down and get it out of my car.”
Sunny took the stairs. At the front door, she met Ralph coming in, carrying a rag and a spray bottle. “I got the sign cleaned up,” he told Sunny, “so let Bea know she can relax. The new manager won’t be scandalized.”
“That’s good news.” Sunny had noticed Ralph and a couple of the other men snickering in the corner of the lobby yesterday. “I don’t suppose you have any inside information about the possible perpetrators?”
Ralph gave a little smirk. “I’ll take the Fifth on that.”
“Uh-huh. Well, since you got it all cleaned up, I suppose there’s no harm done. Thanks, Ralph.”
She got the bookcase paint and primer out of her car, but before she headed upstairs, she noticed that the spot where Adam had parked was now empty. It must have been a short visit. Maybe he was just dropping something off, which likely meant he’d never have any reason to return to the Easy Living Apartments. After the way she’d embarrassed herself, assuming he was Linda’s nephew and babbling on about the new manager and other stuff he likely had no interest in, she should be relieved about that.
But the thought of never running into him again left her feeling strangely disappointed. Like she might have missed out on something good.
