Free Room at the Inn (Bellingwood #5.5) by Diane Greenwood Muir Page A

Andrew proudly pulled out a brown robe.
    "Mrs. Randall had a bunch of old costumes that Doug wore and she let us have them. We’re going to be donkey herders!"
    "You are! That's wonderful," Polly said. "Which donkey are you going to herd?"
    "Tom likes me better, so I'm going to hold his leash."
    "His lead, you're going to hold his lead," Jason scolded.
    "Whatever. Just because you ride horses, you think you know everything."
    Jason walked into the kitchen mumbling, "I know that , runt." Then he spoke a little louder. "Can I get something to drink?"
    "Sure. There's juice and milk and cold water in there."
    "Do you want anything?"
    "No, I'm good," she said, watching Andrew play with the two cats. Obiwan lay on the floor beside them, doing his best to ignore the activity.
    Andrew jumped up, "Should I take Obiwan out for a walk?"
    "You can any time you want to. He always likes going outside with you." Andrew bolted for the back stairs and called Obiwan to follow him.
    "He's weird," Jason muttered and sat down on the couch with a glass of milk.
    "He's your brother," she laughed.
    "Polly?"
    "Yes, Jason?" Polly had her back to him as she walked into the kitchen. His glass of mil k had given her a craving for a cookie. There was still at least one more container in the freezer.
    "Now that I'm thirteen, I want to make sure Mom has something nice for Christmas. Not some little kid gift that we make at school, but something important."
    Polly spun around. He was staring into his glass.
    "What are you thinking about?"
    "I don't know," he said. "That's why I'm talking to you."
    She refilled her coffee mug and took it and the cookies back to the living room, then sat down beside him. "Do you want to get her perfume or something for the house? What kind of money do you want to spend?"
    "I've saved twenty dollars and Andrew gave me ten dollars. We want this to be special."
    Then it hit Polly, "Why don't I meet you downtown tomorrow after school. I saw some jewelry at the Antique Shoppe and I bet you could find something that would be perfect for her."
    He dug around in his pockets and handed her a wad of cash. "Would you keep this? I don't want to take it to school and lose it. It's the whole thing."
    "I'll be glad to hold it for you. "
    "Thank you. Mom always makes sure we have a good Christmas, but I've never been able to put a present under the tree for her. Starting this year that changes," he declared. "It's about time she had something nice."
    He put his empty glass down on the coffee table with a flourish and Polly held herself back from hugging him. The little boy who still had traces of a milk moustache was doing all he could to grow up and be a man.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SEVEN

     
    Unless the world ended, Polly needed to leave soon. She wasn't sure why she dreaded going to this meeting, but the thought of it sent shivers down her back. Lydia told her to be there at ten forty-five. Polly's presentation would be just before lunch.
    She’ d met Jason and Andrew at the Antique Shoppe yesterday afternoon. Before they arrived, she had a conversation with the owner, Simon Gardner, about the dresser. He told her that it had been in the store for at least five years and thought maybe it had come from an estate auction.
    The boys had entered the store with wide eyes. Jason was on a mission to buy a necklace for his mother, while Andrew's idea of the perfect gift was an immense, gaudy, blue glass vase. Polly led them to the jewelry counter, where Simon patiently set out pieces for them to hold. Jason's eyes lit up over a lapis and rhinestone necklace with matching earrings, but was crushed to see it marked at fifty dollars. He pushed it aside until Simon stopped him.
    "Young man," the man had said. "This is the Antique Shoppe. You make me an offer. None of these prices are set in stone."
    Jason had looked up at Polly. She bent over and whispered, "Don't offer him all you have. Start low. Let him meet you."
    Th e boy stood a