Valders’ haggling, and none of the family had enough ready money to buy her out. Hjelmer was being impatient, so she sold it to the highest bidder.”
“Does Hjelmer have a house for them yet?”
“I guess so. She’s leaving most of their furniture here. Mr. Jeffers said he could move right in, another thing that pleased Hjelmer mightily.”
“Have you seen Toby lately?” The words leaped off her fingers.
“No. Why?” Sophie stared at her. “You’ve asked me that before. Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Grace hid behind her glass of lemonade. Why did I ask her that? I know better .
“Grace Knutson, what is going on? Astrid says Mr. Gould is taken with you, and I think that could be a wonderful thing. And you’re asking about Toby.”
“I just haven’t seen him for a while, and you know he’s been my friend for years. That’s all.” And now I’m telling a lie too. I have to tell someone. Can I trust Sophie? If I can’t trust my sister, whom can I trust? But Sophie didn’t trust me about Garth either. Grace glanced up to see a frown marring Sophie’s forehead.
Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “You think you’re in love with Toby?” She both signed and spoke, her fingers showing her agitation.
“I don’t think so. I know so.” There. She had said it. She laid her shaking hands in her lap.
“How do you know?”
“How did you know?”
Sophie heaved a sigh and then shook her head. “I couldn’t think about anything else. I couldn’t eat. I had a hard time sleeping. I was terrified Hamre was going to leave without me, and I couldn’t abide that. I didn’t think I could live without him.” A silence fell with both young women studying the babies in the cradle.
“Do you regret going?” Grace stammered on the words.
Sophie looked up from the babies, shaking her head all the while.
“Not one bit. I regret hurting all of you; that is my only regret.”
“But now you are in love with Mr. Wiste?”
“Yes, and now I know again what love is. Sometimes it is like I dreamed Hamre and our so very brief life together. I had a letter from Mrs. Soderstrum, and it brought it all back. I sat and cried for Hamre and for what he is missing in not seeing his babies and not getting his boat. But then I thought of what Mor and Tante Ingeborg would say.” She smiled at her sister. “They’d say that Hamre is in heaven and there are no regrets in heaven. He has more than a boat of his own, and he is watching to make sure we are all right.”
Grace nodded. “That’s what they’d say.”
“But you, my dear sister, just very cleverly got the attention off you and back onto me. I have a feeling you’ve been doing that for a lot of our lives. So here’s my question: what makes you think you care for Toby as more than a friend? And second, do you think he feels the same way?”
Grace answered, “I have always loved him.”
“But what makes you think it is love.”
“I can’t picture being with anyone else. I am comfortable with him. I love watching him, talking with him. He has always been kind to me… .” Both her voice and fingers trailed off. “And I see love in his eyes when he looks at me.”
Sophie shook her head. “Sounds more like good friends to me.” She shook her head. “Has Toby ever said or done anything like take your hand or lean close when he talks with you or …” She closed her eyes.
“N-no.”
“Does your heart pick up the beat when he is near?”
“Well, sort of. I mean, I guess. I haven’t paid much attention to that.”
“Do you have this deep desire to touch his arm, take his hand, stand closer to him?”
“I’ve thought of those things a few times, once or twice.” Grace retreated into her chair. She did feel like she was burning when Jonathan looked at her, but that couldn’t be what Sophie was talking about. Where was Mrs. Sam when she needed her? How come they’d had all this time alone together without someone needing
“Does Hjelmer have a house for them yet?”
“I guess so. She’s leaving most of their furniture here. Mr. Jeffers said he could move right in, another thing that pleased Hjelmer mightily.”
“Have you seen Toby lately?” The words leaped off her fingers.
“No. Why?” Sophie stared at her. “You’ve asked me that before. Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Grace hid behind her glass of lemonade. Why did I ask her that? I know better .
“Grace Knutson, what is going on? Astrid says Mr. Gould is taken with you, and I think that could be a wonderful thing. And you’re asking about Toby.”
“I just haven’t seen him for a while, and you know he’s been my friend for years. That’s all.” And now I’m telling a lie too. I have to tell someone. Can I trust Sophie? If I can’t trust my sister, whom can I trust? But Sophie didn’t trust me about Garth either. Grace glanced up to see a frown marring Sophie’s forehead.
Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “You think you’re in love with Toby?” She both signed and spoke, her fingers showing her agitation.
“I don’t think so. I know so.” There. She had said it. She laid her shaking hands in her lap.
“How do you know?”
“How did you know?”
Sophie heaved a sigh and then shook her head. “I couldn’t think about anything else. I couldn’t eat. I had a hard time sleeping. I was terrified Hamre was going to leave without me, and I couldn’t abide that. I didn’t think I could live without him.” A silence fell with both young women studying the babies in the cradle.
“Do you regret going?” Grace stammered on the words.
Sophie looked up from the babies, shaking her head all the while.
“Not one bit. I regret hurting all of you; that is my only regret.”
“But now you are in love with Mr. Wiste?”
“Yes, and now I know again what love is. Sometimes it is like I dreamed Hamre and our so very brief life together. I had a letter from Mrs. Soderstrum, and it brought it all back. I sat and cried for Hamre and for what he is missing in not seeing his babies and not getting his boat. But then I thought of what Mor and Tante Ingeborg would say.” She smiled at her sister. “They’d say that Hamre is in heaven and there are no regrets in heaven. He has more than a boat of his own, and he is watching to make sure we are all right.”
Grace nodded. “That’s what they’d say.”
“But you, my dear sister, just very cleverly got the attention off you and back onto me. I have a feeling you’ve been doing that for a lot of our lives. So here’s my question: what makes you think you care for Toby as more than a friend? And second, do you think he feels the same way?”
Grace answered, “I have always loved him.”
“But what makes you think it is love.”
“I can’t picture being with anyone else. I am comfortable with him. I love watching him, talking with him. He has always been kind to me… .” Both her voice and fingers trailed off. “And I see love in his eyes when he looks at me.”
Sophie shook her head. “Sounds more like good friends to me.” She shook her head. “Has Toby ever said or done anything like take your hand or lean close when he talks with you or …” She closed her eyes.
“N-no.”
“Does your heart pick up the beat when he is near?”
“Well, sort of. I mean, I guess. I haven’t paid much attention to that.”
“Do you have this deep desire to touch his arm, take his hand, stand closer to him?”
“I’ve thought of those things a few times, once or twice.” Grace retreated into her chair. She did feel like she was burning when Jonathan looked at her, but that couldn’t be what Sophie was talking about. Where was Mrs. Sam when she needed her? How come they’d had all this time alone together without someone needing
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