River's End (9781426761140) (18 page)

Jewel seemed to fit in well at the river. She got along with Janelle and Diane and, for the time being, was using Sarah's room. But Anna hoped that would change, and, shortly after Hazel was released from her week at the hospital, Clark started work on the store as well as a couple of cabins. One of them would be a dorm of sorts, to house employees. The other structure, located off by itself near the river, Anna was calling “Sarah's Cabin.” And Clark was of the same mind. Of course, they weren't saying this out loud because they knew the others were frustrated over losing Sarah again. Frustrated and sad and hurt.

The only consolation this time was that they were sure that Sarah was alive. And that she'd gone on her own free will. And every morning, when Anna prayed for Sarah, she also prayed for Aaron and Misty. She hoped they were truly the people that Sarah had believed them to be . . . and that they would take good care of Sarah.

“Do you have any idea where she is?” Hazel asked unexpectedly one morning. It had been about two weeks since her heart problems and the two women were shelling peas together in Hazel's little kitchen. Doing simple household chores provided
a convenient way for Anna to spend time with Hazel while she regained her strength.

“What?” Anna looked up.

“Sarah. Do you have any idea where this new commune might be?”

Anna shrugged. “You mean besides on this continent? It could be anywhere between Canada and Mexico. Or anywhere in the world I suppose. But I'm sure she's having a great adventure.” Anna had already told Hazel about the guru coming from India, and she knew that Hazel was worried about Sarah. As a result, and due to Hazel's health issues, Anna had been trying to play it down.

“I met someone during my last trip . . . he had just finished his thesis,” Hazel said slowly, “it was about communal living in the past two decades.”

“Oh . . . ?”

“I asked him for his phone number . . . because I still thought Sarah was missing then, and I thought he might be a good resource. Then when Sarah was home, I forgot all about him.” She popped open a peapod, sliding the peas out with her thumb. “But I remember that he mentioned how Oregon had more communes per capita than any other place. He said it was because of the liberal political environment here.”

Anna reached for more peapods. “I suppose that makes sense.”

Hazel nodded. “And I suspect that Sarah is still in Oregon.”

Anna dropped the shiny green peas into the metal bowl then stared at Hazel. “Really?”

“If I were a betting woman, I'd make a wager on it.”

Anna considered this. “I hope you're right. It would be a comfort to think that she's not too far away . . . in case she decides to leave and come home to us.”

“It might make it easier for you to find her if she's in Oregon. That is if you plan to look for her . . . and I'm guessing you do.” Hazel made a weary smile. “I can give you my friend's name, if you like. He could probably tell you the names and locations of the communes located in Oregon.”

“Yes,” Anna said eagerly. “I'd like that.”

Anna spent the next couple of weeks going over the list she'd gotten from Hazel's friend. Combining his information with a map that she marked, she was getting a vague sense of how many communal farms were in Oregon. However, she soon discovered that some of the communes had broken up and some of them didn't have listed phone numbers. But many of them did and, as a result, it didn't take long for Anna to cross a number of them from her list. And she was pleasantly surprised at how helpful some of the communal members were.

“I've heard about that place,” a guy told her after she described the commune Sarah and Jewel had been part of. “It sounded like a real mess to me. We're not like that at all here. Mostly we believe in group cooperation and utilizing our various individual gifts and talents. And, believe me, if someone's unhappy here, and it doesn't happen too often, they just leave. No questions asked.” He chuckled. “In fact, we're usually glad to see them go.”

“Too bad all communes aren't like that,” she told him.

“Good luck finding your granddaughter,” he said kindly. “And I'll be sure to ask around here, to see if anyone's heard anything about this guru guy you mentioned.”

She thanked him and hung up, trying not to feel discouraged. At the very least, she was getting the word out, leaving
her phone number, and narrowing her search. Of course, it was possible that Hazel's hunch was wrong and that Sarah was on the other side of the world by now. Still, Anna wasn't ready to give up.

“Any luck?” Jewel asked as Anna pored over her list and map. One of Jewel's chores was cleaning the main house, and she'd been dusting the bookshelf while Anna made her calls.

“Not yet.” Anna admitted.

“I'm sorry.” Jewel slid a book back onto the shelf.

Anna studied her for a moment. “So, tell me, how are you doing? You seem to be settling in just fine. And I know everyone's been pleased with your work. But are you happy here?”

“I love it here.” Jewel beamed at her. “It feels more like a home than anyplace I've been.”

Considering Jewel's history, Anna wasn't going to take this as too high of a compliment. “And you don't mind the work?”

“I love it. And Diane and Janelle have been so cool.” Now Jewel looked slightly nervous. “Are you happy with me? I mean am I doing anything wrong or—”

“You're doing just fine,” Anna assured her. “And it's so helpful having an extra worker. It gives me more time to help with Hazel . . . ” she glanced at her map, “and other things.”

“Oh, good.” Jewel looked relieved. “And you don't mind having your room up here in the house?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. It makes me feel like . . . ,” she paused as if embarrassed, “well, almost like I'm part of the family.”

Anna wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her close. “You are part of the family, Jewel. And if Sarah ever comes home, I'm sure she'll greet you like a sister.”

Jewel looked at Anna with tears in her eyes. “I hope so.”

As summer passed, the inn stayed busy, and Anna's search for Sarah continued. Occasionally, prompted by a good lead or just an intuition, Anna would drive out to visit a commune. But as Labor Day drew near, Anna's hopes for finding Sarah in Oregon dwindled considerably. Despite a fairly exhaustive search, none of them, not Sarah or Aaron or Misty or any of the other names Jewel had given to her, had been familiar to any of the contacts Anna had made. It truly felt like looking for a needle in a haystack.

It didn't help that Lauren was blaming herself more and more for her missing daughter. “If only I'd been more understanding,” she said one afternoon when Hazel and Anna and Jewel were having tea together. “Or if I'd taken the office work home to do. If I'd just given Sarah more space, she'd probably still be here now.”

“If you want to play the blame game, maybe I should buy a ticket, too,” Hazel told her. “If I hadn't come home from my tour when I did, booting poor Sarah out of my cabin, perhaps she'd still be here.”

“Oh, Hazel.” Anna shook her head. “That's perfectly ridiculous.”

“Or not.” Hazel took a sip of tea. “Having a place to come home to is very important—especially to young people.”

“That's true,” Jewel agreed sadly. “I hate to admit it, but I worry a lot . . . that Sarah is going to come home and want her room back. Then I don't know what I'll do.”

“You'll come live with me,” Lauren assured her. “There's plenty of room at Babette's house, and I'd love to have you.”

“And the new cabins are nearly done,” Anna told them. “Really, we'll have no lack of space. And with the season drawing
to an end, we'll have even more room. So, please, let's all stop blaming ourselves for Sarah's choices. It's a waste of time and energy. Instead of fretting over her, we should be praying for her and sending her positive thoughts, hoping that she'll remember the river . . . and us.”

They assured Anna that they were doing this, and then Lauren cleared her throat. “While I have you together like this, I have an announcement to make.”

Anna turned to look at her daughter, feeling almost surprised to see that Lauren's blond hair was now streaked with gray and that she had slight wrinkles fanning around her eyes. How was this possible?

“I've registered for classes,” she told them.

“Classes?” Anna was confused.

Lauren looked at Hazel who nodded as if she was in on this. “Hazel has been encouraging me to continue my education for several years now. So I finally applied at a business college last spring. I didn't really know if I'd actually want to go, especially at my age, but there seemed no harm in applying. Then when I was accepted, I wasn't so sure. So I didn't say anything. But after all that's happened with Sarah, well, it seemed like a good idea for me to be gone. In case she returns. I think it will simplify things for everyone if I moved on.”

“
Moved on?
” Anna felt alarmed.

“Classes start in mid-September,” Lauren explained. “I plan to do a full year.”

“But who will help me with the business?” Although Anna knew that she could easily take it over again, especially this time of year when it slowed down, she had loved having Lauren's help. And Lauren had been so good at it.

“I've been training Diane,” Lauren told her. “She's a natural, and I think she can handle it. She really wants this opportunity, Mom.”

“But Lauren, I rely on you for so—”

“I think this is wonderful news,” Hazel told Anna in a firm tone. “Lauren is an intelligent woman. It will be good for her to continue her education. Don't you think?”

Anna didn't know what to think. It was hard enough to lose Sarah, but now Lauren, too. It seemed so unfair. And yet she knew Hazel was right. This was a big opportunity for Lauren. It was wrong to hold her back. Anna made a weak smile. “I think it sounds like a very wise plan, Lauren.”

Lauren let out a relieved sigh. “Really?”

“Yes. I'm proud of you for doing this.”

Lauren made a nervous smile. “Can you imagine me, a middle-aged woman, going back to school with a bunch of kids my daughter's age?”

“Or Jewel's age.” Hazel nodded to Jewel. “And what about you, dear? Do you ever want to further your education?”

Jewel shrugged. “I don't know. It seems like an impossible dream to me.”

“Speaking of impossible dreams . . .” Hazel looked at Anna. “I have a dream, too.” Her pale eyes sparked unexpectedly, as if she were truly excited. “I want to create a Shining Waters scholarship fund.” Now she started to describe how she wanted to set up an account that Anna would manage for her. “To help out inn workers who want to attend college but lack funds. Do you think that's something that would interest you, Anna, as their employer? Do you feel you could help me with it?”

“It's a lovely idea, Hazel.” Anna nodded. “I'd be happy to help in any way I can.”

Hazel pointed to Jewel. “And perhaps you'll want to apply for it, too.” She looked back at Anna. “And, of course, Sarah would benefit from it . . . when she comes home.”