A Glimpse of the Dream Read Online Free

looked a bit uncomfortable, and I knew he was feeling it too when he changed the subject. “You doing okay?” His question surprised me. As did his steady stare. Maybe studying me was a better word, since he looked like Mrs. T looked when she was reading through a problem in my math book.
    “About my parents?”
    “Yeah.”
    “I miss them, but when I think about them, I don’t feel like I have to cry as bad as I did before.”
    “That’s good.”
    “What about you? Are you still sad when you think about your mom?”
    His head turned away, and I think he was trying to hide tears. “She left me, and I don’t know why, so it’s still as hard now as it was then.”
    I reached for his hand, and his closed tightly around mine. “I’m sorry she left you, Kane, but in some ways I’m not.”
    His head jerked to me with tears in his eyes. “Why did you say that?” He sounded mad.
    “Because if she hadn’t, we probably wouldn’t be as close as we are.”
    I watched as his anger faded and a little smile curved his mouth. “Looking at it that way, I’m glad for it too.”

    Mr. Clancy was sitting in the kitchen having tea when I came home from one of my walks on the beach. Kane was off at the boatyard, shadowing Mr. Miller to learn about boat building, a dream of his. He had invited me to join him, but the few times I had previously, I could tell he felt as if he needed to entertain me. He didn’t, of course, but that was Kane’s way. Mr. Miller was willing to apprentice Kane, so he needed to focus on that, not me.
    “Teagan, would you like a cup of tea?”
    I never drank tea. My parents had been coffee drinkers, but I was willing to give it a try. It smelled good. “Okay.”
    With the skill of someone who did it often, he poured the fragrant liquid into a china cup. “Milk? Sugar?”
    “I’ve never had tea,” I confessed.
    “Have a touch of sugar.”
    Seemed like a good plan to me. “Okay.”
    He smiled at me as he prepared my tea and then studied me as I took my first sip. It was delicious. His smile turned even wider. “Good, isn’t it?”
    “Yes.”
    “It’s a special brew I get from Harrods in London.”
    “Tea all the way from London. Fancy.”
    Mr. Clancy winked.
    “Can I ask you something?” I asked.
    “Sure.”
    “How long have you worked here?”
    “I grew up here. My father used to be the butler when Mrs. Marks’s father was alive. As I do now, he lived here with my mother and me.”
    “You’ve lived here your whole life?” I liked the thought of that, being connected to the same place through your entire life’s journey.
    “Yes. Back in the day, the house was filled with people—immediate and extended family. Almost every room was occupied, but it didn’t feel crammed, just the opposite, in fact. Mrs. Marks had two brothers who were significantly older than her, but we all played together when we were kids. Some of my fondest memories are the days the four of us had our adventures.”
    “Where are her brothers now?”
    “They died in World War II. I remember when the telegram came for Robert, the younger of the two. I’d never seen her father cry, but he cried that day. Only two weeks later, a telegram came for Gerald. The house had always been one of laughter, but after their deaths, a solemnity settled over it and never really lifted until Kane’s arrival.”
    I wanted so badly to know more about Kane, but I didn’t know if I had a right to ask. Mr. Clancy obviously had no trouble reading my thoughts.
    “Kane’s mother worked here. Rebecca kept the house—cleaning, doing the linens. When she learned she was pregnant, she was thrilled and terrified because she was a single woman who needed her job. But there had never been a question that we would all help with Kane so that she could have both. I remember the first day she brought him here. Even as an infant, his eyes were the exact shade of blue they are now. Watching him grow, hearing laughter in the house again,