Page 13 of There I Find Patience

She also resented the fact that she couldn’t talk about the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to her, and yet there were so many nasty things that teachers were required to actually teach, not just talk about. It seemed like the world was backward and upside down, and there was no common sense left.

She tried to shove those thoughts aside. Being bitter and angry wouldn’t help anything.

Although neither would being overwhelmed and discouraged.

She let the hand holding the notebook drop to her side as she stood at one of the windows in the big open gathering area on the third floor and looked out at Lake Michigan. It was deep blue today, reflecting the springtime sky, and mostly calm. It was beautiful, stretching out into a hazy mist at the far horizon.

She could sit here and look at that view forever.

If only she could afford to. She had to do something to earn money. She could hardly get her old job back. Although the idea of never teaching again made her very, very sad. She had been born to be a teacher.

Interestingly, Mark had gone to school to be a teacher, and he thought that he’d be a teacher during the year and run his landscaping business during the summer. It turned out that landscaping was a lot more profitable than teaching, and it took more than just the summer. He’d start as soon as the snow started melting in the spring doing yard cleanups and planting spring bushes. And his work continued until late in the fall, when he again did yard cleanup, raking leaves and doing fall plantings.

She often teased him that when he got older, he’d have to go back to teaching, and in the last few years, he’d laughed along with her and told her that he thought about it.

She supposed she should worry a little more about him, since the work that he had was backbreaking and hard and he wasn’t getting any younger.

Neither was she.

She smiled as she thought about him. Maybe, she’d just give up on the list and see if she could go find him and they’d get pizza for supper or whatever the diner had on special.

Almost as though her thoughts conjured him up, she glanced down and saw a man carrying a bag and walking up the hill toward the inn.

It had to be Mark. She recognized that confident stride and the easy swing of his arms.

Smiling, her discouragement lifting just at the thought that he was coming to see her, knew she would be here, and had brought something—she hoped it was food. If he knew her as well as she thought he did, it would be food.

She hurried down the steps, since although there was an elevator, it wasn’t working.

So many things weren’t working. She had been crazy to think that this was a good idea.

She made it to the door just as he did and opened it as he raised his hand to knock.

“Why didn’t you talk me out of this?”

“I thought that might be what you’d be thinking. I brought food.”

“Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?” She breathed deeply. “It smells like sausage.”

“It’s something that Griff is calling smoky kicky Italian sausage pasta. It’s supposed to be pretty good.” He grinned a little at her. “It’s interesting to me to see that you’re assuming that I brought some for you.”

She paused in the act of opening the door. “You better have. Or I’m eating yours.”

“And here I thought you were going to throw me out. If that’s all that’s going to happen...”

She laughed as she opened the door and he walked in. It was a little chilly out with the breeze, but the temperature inside the building, despite the fact that the heat was not on, was perfect.

“You want to go up to the third floor? There’s a big great room up there. I guess it was a common area or something, and the view is awesome with the floor-to-ceiling windows.”

“Sure.”

“You’re going to have to climb the steps, since the elevator isn’t working.”

“I dunno. I’m getting kind of old.”

“All the more reason to get more exercise. It keeps you young.”

They laughed as she led the way to the steps and they climbed the stairs together.

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