When the Aldens came downstairs, Barbara met them in the entry hall. “Come into the parlor,” she said and led them into the room where the argument had taken place.
Grandfather was already there.
A table in the center of the room was set with juice, tea, coffee, and plates of pastries and breads.
“Oh, boy,” Benny said. “Does it smell good!”
“It tastes good, too,” Grandfather assured him.
“Help yourselves,” Barbara told them.
They filled their plates and sat down.
“Have you lived here long, Mrs. Moran?” Jessie asked politely.
Barbara laughed. “Oh, my, yes,” she said. “All my life. I love this old town. Please call me Barbara.” She seemed to relax for the first time since the Aldens’ arrival.
“Barbara’s grandparents and the Lloyds founded Lloyd’s Landing,” Grandfather explained. “Does Mary still live here?” he asked Barbara.
“Mary?” she repeated as though she’d never heard the name before. “Ah, yes, she’s — uh — still . . . here.”
Mary. That was the name of the woman Barbara had been arguing with. Benny poked Violet. She gave him a warning glance.
“Mary who?” Benny asked.
“Mary England,” Grandfather answered. “She’s the Lloyds’ granddaughter. As I remember she left town — wanted to see the world — but it wasn’t long before she realized there was no place like home.”
“That’s for sure,” Benny said. He took his plate back to the table for seconds.
Sky and Matt came in.
Sky looked surprised and happy. “You made it!” she said.
Benny’s smile was wide. “I told you we would.”
Grandfather stepped forward and introduced himself.
“You must be the grandfather we’ve heard so much about,” Matt said as he shook Mr. Alden’s hand.
“And you two must be the adventurers I’ve been hearing so much about,” Grandfather responded. “Are you staying here, too?”
“For the time being,” Matt answered. “We rented a store in town. There’s an apartment above it. We have some work to do on it before we can move in.”
“As soon as everything’s ready,” Sky added, “we’re getting married.”
Everyone except Barbara said, “Congratulations.”
Soo Lee was thinking about their store. She pictured it in the center of town. Surely, they couldn’t launch balloons from there. “Where do you . . . take off?” she asked.
Sky seemed to know what she was thinking. She laughed. “We’d certainly stop traffic if we tried to launch a balloon in the middle of Main Street.”
“The balloon port is just outside town,” Matt explained. “The store is our headquarters.”
“No matter where you launch them,” Barbara said, “balloons will stop traffic.”
“That could be good for this old town,” Mr. Alden said. “Put some life into it.”
Barbara shot him a disbelieving glance. “There’s nothing wrong with this town,” she said. After a pause, she laughed nervously. “Oh, dear. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just that I don’t understand why Sky and Matt chose Lloyd’s Landing for their business.”
Matt smiled. “For the reason you said: There’s nothing wrong with this town.”
“It’s a very charming town,” Sky put in. “We looked all over before deciding to open our business here.”
“Yes, but with all the hills and the forests, won’t it be dangerous?” Barbara asked.
“Ballooning is dangerous only when the pilot is untrained or takes risks,” Matt answered.
“Balloonists enjoy beautiful scenery,” Sky said. “Lloyd’s Landing has plenty of that.”
“We’re so far from the main highway,” Barbara said. “Wouldn’t it be more profitable to locate closer to . . . traffic?”
Sky laughed. “If we wanted to make lots of money,” she responded, “we wouldn’t be in the ballooning business.”
Barbara kept asking questions.
Finally, Henry said, “I read a newspaper article about this — are the townspeople against the business coming to town?”
Barbara’s face reddened. She picked up the coffeepot. “Excuse me,” she said. “I’ll get more coffee.” She hurried away.
“Have you been having trouble with the local people?” Mr. Alden asked Matt.
“No trouble, really,” Matt answered. “They don’t know anything about ballooning so it makes them a little . . . edgy.”
“We bought the property,” Sky said. “It’s ours. We have every right to be here.”
Barbara came in from the kitchen. “Mr. Alden, there’s a telephone call for you. You can take it in the hall.”
Grandfather sighed. “I hope it’s not the mill.”
But it was. “I’m sorry, but I have to get back home,” he said when he returned. “I’m needed at the mill.”
The children tried to hide their disappointment, but it was difficult.
“Don’t look so sad,” Mr. Alden told them. “I think we can work this out.”
Barbara said, “The children are welcome to stay here. I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“They’re very independent,” Grandfather said. “I’m sure they won’t be any trouble.”
“I’ll be happy to have them,” Barbara said.
“They’ll be out at the port with us most of the time,” Sky put in. “We’re on our way out there now. Would you like to ride along?” she asked the children.
Suddenly, Benny was no longer hungry. He set his plate on the table. “Would we ever!”
“Good. Then it’s settled,” Mr. Alden said. He hugged each of his grandchildren. “I’ll pick you up on Sunday evening.”
“Is everybody ready?” Sky asked.
They were.
“Well then, let’s go!” She headed for the door.
The children followed.
“Oh, Benny,” Grandfather said. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Benny cocked his head. “Am I?” he said.
“Your second helping of this delicious cinnamon bread.”
“Oh, that’s all right,” Benny said. “I’ve had enough.” |