Forget Me Not, Books I, II and III

One Afternoon

"Mrs. Holliday, thank you for letting me stay," Teddi said, stirring a sprig of mint into her glass of lemonade. "When will Mr. Holliday and the boys be back?" she asked before sipping the cool drink.

The two women sat at a small table near the window in the front of the bright and airy house. The furniture was the opposite of the antique pieces found in the Donovan's home. Everything was new and modern – young, like the Holliday family. Ben's father was an attorney with a shop set up near the courthouse where her grandfather worked. He seemed like the perfect dad, but Ben's sometimes querulous nature kept him complaining about his father's long hours. Eustace Holliday made sure to take at least two weeks off every summer to spend time with his family. This week he'd taken the boys on a fishing trip. "They'll be home tomorrow. Chip will be a handful for Eustace, I imagine."

Teddi nodded and laughed. She would not want to be out in the woods with a bratty five-year-old like Chip. "So, I'm being sent to Miss Carrington's School for Girls this fall," she said, surprised she was unable to keep the sadness from snaking into her words.

"That's wonderful." Mrs. Holliday smiled.

"I'm being forced to go."

"This may be a blessing, Teddi. You'll have a chance to grow up. Be on your own."

Maybe she was right. She would be away from her grandmother. She could study and work to get into a good college. She knew a lot of girls who enrolled in school to catch husbands, but that wasn't Teddi's plan. She wanted something different. If not college, there had to be something out there for her to do. Maybe she'd be a reporter. She certainly had a curious nature about her.

Teddi looked up and noticed Mrs. Holliday staring past her with a curious frown at something outside.

"Is that Calvin Wynne out there?" Mrs. Holliday asked.

Teddi's pulse quickened. "Calvin Wynne?" she asked, eyes round and expectant.

"Oh, he and Ben were friends as children, but I haven't seen him around here in ages."

Teddi guessed Mrs. Holliday missed her grandmother yelling at Calvin on their front lawn two weeks ago. She also seemed to miss the fact that Donovans and Wynnes were not supposed to mix because before Teddi could even reply, Ben's mother was on her feet, rushing to open the door. It was as if she was afraid she might not catch him before he passed.

"I –" Teddi followed Mrs. Holliday to the door, trying to think of something to say. She couldn't let Calvin see her. "Mrs. Holliday, my grandmother doesn't want me to..."

Mrs. Holliday smiled back at Teddi, placing her hand on the doorknob. "Don't worry."

Teddi's forehead wrinkled in confusion. Mrs. Holliday gave her a pointed look. She knew. Sometimes Teddi thought that everyone in town knew more about her life than she did. The doorbell rang. He was coming to visit them? Was this a setup? Maybe Ben's mom would prove to be a worthy ally. Teddi took a deep breath, noticing Mrs. Holliday seemed to be waiting for her permission to open the door to her own house, and nodded. "Just as long as my grandmother doesn't catch me."

Without a reply, Mrs. Holliday opened the door to reveal a nervous looking Calvin. "Mrs. Holliday, is Ben home?" He looked toward the Donovan house as he spoke, having yet to notice Teddi.

"No, he's on a trip with his father." At this, Calvin finally turned his head. His unreadable eyes were completely transfixed on her. "But Teddi and I were just having some lemonade. Would you care to join us?"

"I, um, I don't think – I was just looking for Ben, you know, haven't seen him for a while, thought I'd drop by, say hi."

Teddi thought he looked kind of sweet as he rambled, standing there in an old blue shirt and patched up trousers, his hands stuffed in the pockets. She noticed that he had a scar on his cheek. Had that been there before? And a bit of stubble, he had obviously taken care to get rid of on the day of their previous encounter. Teddi blushed, realizing he was still staring at her.