Read Online Sunsets by Robin Jones Gunn - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Robin Jones Gunn
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“You’re welcome, little Lady Bug. I’ll see you later.”
Mallory held up her arms, inviting Alissa to lift her in a hug.
Gladly, Alissa scooped up the child and pressed her cheek against Mallory’s in a warm hug. She set the little girl down and waved to Genevieve and Shelly.
All the way to Chet and Rosie’s the scent of peanut butter lingered on her cheek. Alissa didn’t want to wipe it off.
She liked being hugged by Mallory. She loved sitting around selecting paint colors with her new friends. This was the life she’d never had as an only child. She hadn’t gone the college route that included dorm rooms and sororities. Her schooling had come through night classes, and the only club she ever had belonged to was a mail order book club.
She found Chet and Rosie’s bungalow in the hills of Altadena and parked in the cracked cement driveway. The house was yellow with white trim and looked as if it had been built in the forties but kept in good condition. A lovely pink climbing rose bush covered a trellis by the front door, and the welcome mat looked brand new.
Alissa rang the doorbell and adjusted her skirt’s waistband, making sure the seams were straight.
Rosie answered, her lips red, her cheeks flushed. “It was so good of you to come all the way up here. We’ve been in such a scurry getting everything in order. Do come in.”
“It was no problem at all,” Alissa said, glancing around the small living room. Boxes were everywhere. “Did you just move in?”
“These are all Chet’s things. I’ve lived here a number of years.” Rosie clasped her hands and shook her head. “There is so much to do. The movers brought it all in over the weekend, but how does one combine two lifetimes in one small home?”
“Is Chet here?”
“No, he’s out running errands for me. Why don’t we slip out to the patio and have some lemonade?”
Alissa felt privileged to be invited into this dear woman’slife and out on to her patio. Following Rosie through the cluttered kitchen, she stopped at the refrigerator where Rosie handed her the pitcher of lemonade. Rosie found two glasses in the cupboard by the sink, and they wove their way out to the back patio.
“What a lovely patio and backyard,” Alissa exclaimed as they pulled out the chairs from a new patio set. The open umbrella over their heads still smelled like plastic. Beyond the cement slab where they sat was a small patch of grass bordered by a flower garden and a huge blooming cactus tree. The majority of the shade came from the tall trees lining the fence on their neighbor’s side. Alissa noticed how quiet it was. Along the side fence grew a winding honeysuckle bush providing an intoxicating fragrance. She could picture the love birds enjoying many meals here in their secluded nest.
Rosie lifted the pitcher and poured with her wobbly right hand. “How do you like the patio furniture? Quite an extravagant set, if you ask me. Chet picked it out yesterday.”
“I like it very much,” Alissa said. “Thanks for the lemonade.”
“Do you need sugar? I made this from the lemons off our tree. Did you see it in the front? We have so many lemons. I’m sure we’ll drink ourselves silly with all the lemonade I’ll be making this summer.”
Alissa sipped the drink. “Mine’s fine,” she said. “Very good.”
They were silent a moment as they sipped their lemonade. The phone lines along the back fence issued a low humming sound. Rosie smiled. She looked refreshed. Alissa wanted to hear the rest of Rosie’s love story and why the letter Chet had received had changed everything.
“Were you able to make all those reservations for us?” Rosie asked. “My, that’s a lot of work for you.”
“Yes, everything fell right into place. I don’t mind a bit. It’snot a lot of work, really. Not like it used to be when letters were all written by hand or on a manual typewriter.” Alissa hoped the clues would prompt Rosie to pick up the story where she
Mallory held up her arms, inviting Alissa to lift her in a hug.
Gladly, Alissa scooped up the child and pressed her cheek against Mallory’s in a warm hug. She set the little girl down and waved to Genevieve and Shelly.
All the way to Chet and Rosie’s the scent of peanut butter lingered on her cheek. Alissa didn’t want to wipe it off.
She liked being hugged by Mallory. She loved sitting around selecting paint colors with her new friends. This was the life she’d never had as an only child. She hadn’t gone the college route that included dorm rooms and sororities. Her schooling had come through night classes, and the only club she ever had belonged to was a mail order book club.
She found Chet and Rosie’s bungalow in the hills of Altadena and parked in the cracked cement driveway. The house was yellow with white trim and looked as if it had been built in the forties but kept in good condition. A lovely pink climbing rose bush covered a trellis by the front door, and the welcome mat looked brand new.
Alissa rang the doorbell and adjusted her skirt’s waistband, making sure the seams were straight.
Rosie answered, her lips red, her cheeks flushed. “It was so good of you to come all the way up here. We’ve been in such a scurry getting everything in order. Do come in.”
“It was no problem at all,” Alissa said, glancing around the small living room. Boxes were everywhere. “Did you just move in?”
“These are all Chet’s things. I’ve lived here a number of years.” Rosie clasped her hands and shook her head. “There is so much to do. The movers brought it all in over the weekend, but how does one combine two lifetimes in one small home?”
“Is Chet here?”
“No, he’s out running errands for me. Why don’t we slip out to the patio and have some lemonade?”
Alissa felt privileged to be invited into this dear woman’slife and out on to her patio. Following Rosie through the cluttered kitchen, she stopped at the refrigerator where Rosie handed her the pitcher of lemonade. Rosie found two glasses in the cupboard by the sink, and they wove their way out to the back patio.
“What a lovely patio and backyard,” Alissa exclaimed as they pulled out the chairs from a new patio set. The open umbrella over their heads still smelled like plastic. Beyond the cement slab where they sat was a small patch of grass bordered by a flower garden and a huge blooming cactus tree. The majority of the shade came from the tall trees lining the fence on their neighbor’s side. Alissa noticed how quiet it was. Along the side fence grew a winding honeysuckle bush providing an intoxicating fragrance. She could picture the love birds enjoying many meals here in their secluded nest.
Rosie lifted the pitcher and poured with her wobbly right hand. “How do you like the patio furniture? Quite an extravagant set, if you ask me. Chet picked it out yesterday.”
“I like it very much,” Alissa said. “Thanks for the lemonade.”
“Do you need sugar? I made this from the lemons off our tree. Did you see it in the front? We have so many lemons. I’m sure we’ll drink ourselves silly with all the lemonade I’ll be making this summer.”
Alissa sipped the drink. “Mine’s fine,” she said. “Very good.”
They were silent a moment as they sipped their lemonade. The phone lines along the back fence issued a low humming sound. Rosie smiled. She looked refreshed. Alissa wanted to hear the rest of Rosie’s love story and why the letter Chet had received had changed everything.
“Were you able to make all those reservations for us?” Rosie asked. “My, that’s a lot of work for you.”
“Yes, everything fell right into place. I don’t mind a bit. It’snot a lot of work, really. Not like it used to be when letters were all written by hand or on a manual typewriter.” Alissa hoped the clues would prompt Rosie to pick up the story where she
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