Read A Big Life in a Small Town (Bellingwood #2) for Free Online Page B

pointed to her friend, "is the sheriff. He took care of everything and these ladies took care of me." She continued, "and this is Beryl Watson and Andy Saner."
    Vera nodded, "Nice to meet you." She turned back to Polly. "Tell me what you're doing with that old school?"
    Polly described her dreams for Sycamore House as the women devoured their sweet rolls. With frosting dripping from the left side of her mouth, she said, "These are fabulous! Would you share the recipe?"
    Lydia swiped at frosting on Polly's mouth with her napkin.
    Polly stuck her tongue out and licked her lips clean. "Better?" she asked.
    "Yes." Lydia said. "I didn't know your daddy raised you so poorly."
    "I was appreciating the goodness of it, so there," and Polly stuck her tongue out at Lydia again.
    Vera laughed. "It's a simple recipe. I make them all the time."
    She began rattling off ingredients and Polly put her hand up. "Whoa! I don't type that fast! Just a second." After a few swipes on her phone, she said, "Okay, go."
    Vera began listing the ingredients again and Polly stopped her. "Orange Zest? That's why they taste fresh! I'm sorry, go ahead."
    "Orange juice, also," Vera said and continued. "You can mix up the icing with orange juice too, but I like to use a plain icing so the flavor is more subtle."
    "Thank you so much" Polly said. "I can't wait to try these out on the guys."
    Vera looked confused and Polly went on. "I still have plenty of people working at Sycamore House during the day. I'm a little concerned it might become their second home. They aren't going to know how to work anywhere else."
    Polly looked around and saw that her friends were finished, "Thank you for your hospitality today. I can't wait to get your furniture into place. Do you have an email address I could send pictures when I get everything finished?" She typed Vera's email address into her phone and stood up.
    "Thank you again. I will call tomorrow to let you know when we'll be back to pick everything up."
    Vera walked them back out through the garage, pushing the dogs aside so everyone could escape. They waved goodbye as Lydia drove back down the lane.
    "Well, that was a much better way to end this day," Beryl announced.
    They all chuckled. "I think I'm finally rid of that awful smell," Andy said.
    "Me too," Polly said. "If I never have to see ... or smell ... another dead body, it will be too soon."
    "What did you think of the bedroom set?" she asked her friends.
    Beryl turned around in her seat, "I don't know what you paid for it, but I would have called it priceless. How can you put a price on something that gorgeous ... and with so many pieces?"
    Lydia nodded from the driver's seat and Andy said, "I would have had trouble giving up something like that. I'm glad Billy is staying in the house because I discovered I even had an emotional attachment to the washer and dryer his dad had picked out for me."
    Beryl laughed. "Andy here is emotionally attached to anything anyone ever gives her. If we didn't keep her out of trouble, she'd become a hoarder like Lydia's new friend, Doug Leon. But I go over there often enough to show her how to toss out magazines and newspapers."
    "I don't keep those things," Andy protested. "Just the sweet gifts people have given me over the years"
    "And they're all neatly labeled and identified with the date and name of the gift giver, too, aren't they!" Beryl said.
    "I'm not talking to you anymore," Andy grumped.
    Polly laughed at them. "Speaking of organizing and labeling, Andy, would you be up to curating the pieces of history Doug Leon collected in those crates?"
    "What do you mean?" Andy asked, her mood brightening.
    "We're installing glass doors on all the bookcases Henry installed in the auditorium ..." Polly began, but Andy interrupted her.
    "I could arrange everything according to year and decade and start building a little history about the time period and we could even collect posters. When can I begin?"
    "Is that a yes?" Polly