Blueberry Hill, #1

by Cynthia Luhrs

  Tara finished her bowl of peaches.

  “I’m thrilled I’ll be able to have the attic finished. I was thinking a large bedroom suite. That way I’d have the bedrooms down here for when my kids come to visit.”

  “You could use the greenhouse for your workspace. It’s in great shape. What are you doing with the other one?”

  “My daughter wants it. I think she wants to cover the entire property in flowers.”

  The house was approximately eleven hundred square feet, so it wasn’t like she was adding much square footage with the extra bathroom. The house had good bones and lines, so Tara didn’t want to make any dramatic changes to the look of the house.

  Will looked around.

  “Is your husband here with you?”

  Her smile vanished as she told him the story.

  “… so that’s the condensed version. Harry and I are over. Evan and Emily live in Seattle, and Christina, my youngest, still lives in Miami. Ally moved here from Milwaukee. She’s staying with me while she figures out what to do next with her life. She moved here after she lost her job and broke up with her boyfriend. It’s been so nice to have her here with me. I wish all my kids were here.”

  Tara carried the empty bowls inside and put them in the sink. She brought out a second pitcher of tea when she went back outside. It was odd to see a man sitting on her patio.

  “How about you? Married? Kids?”

  Will leaned back in the chair as he told her the story.

  “… it’s been seven years since Emma passed from leukemia.”

  He refilled their glasses.

  “I’m sorry. Do you have children?” Tara hoped he did, since his parents were no longer living. He’d said people in his family died young.

  Will shook his head. “She couldn’t.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  They relaxed in the sun, in the background they could hear kids laughing and splashing in the lake.

  For the first time in a long time, Tara was content to sit in companionable silence, not feeling as if she had to fill the quiet.

  “You broke my heart.” Will watched her face.

  The glass skittered across the metal table as Tara jumped.

  “I don’t think so. The way I remember it, you broke my heart.” She frowned.

  “Then again, it was so long ago, who can say for sure?”

  She tried to remember, but couldn’t conjure up what had happened. All she remembered was riding around in his old truck on back roads with music playing as the wind blew through her hair.

  “High school was a very long time ago.”

  Will brushed a hand through his hair. “You’re right. The past is the past.”

  He held up his glass.

  “To a fresh start?”

  She clinked her glass to his. The sun hit the glasses, sparkling and turning the tea amber, the ice cubes suspended in time.

  “I’d like that.”

  The sound of a car coming up the drive made Tara turn. She put a hand up to shade her eyes.

  “Ally’s back from the store. Come meet my daughter.”

  They met Ally in the drive, her vehicle stuffed full of bags.

  “Did you buy out the store?”

  Her daughter laughed.

  “The farmer’s market was in the square. I may have gotten a little carried away. I thought we could make peach jam and homemade ice cream. You make the best ice cream.”

  “That would be fun.”

  Tara smiled at her daughter. The dark circles had faded from under her eyes, she was tan, and looked happier.

  “Ally, this is Will. We knew each other back in high school.”

  She turned to Will.

  “Will, this is Ally.”

  He nodded to her. “Nice to meet you. Give you a hand with those?”

  Ally grinned.

  “We could use a strong man around here.”

  Will took an armful of groceries, carried them into the house, careful to wipe his feet on the mat before he went inside.

  “High school?” Ally mouthed.

  A smile on her face, Tara whispered, “I’ll fill you in later.”

  Her daughter hadn’t been kidding, they’d have to make jam and can the peaches to use up everything she’d purchased.

  When the kids were young Tara used to make jam or can fruit to put in their oatmeal or pour over ice cream in the winter. The canned fruit wasn’t nearly as good as fresh, but when it was cold it brought a bit of summer to the dark and the cold. When you lived in Florida year round, fifty was freezing.

  Will ran a hand over one of the kitchen cabinets.

  “How about we talk more when I put together an estimate for you? By then I should know if the kids can take on the project. Any idea on how you want the bathrooms to look?”

  “I saved pictures to my phone.”

  Tara pulled her phone out of her pocket. Since she’d moved, she kept it with her in case one of her kids called.

  “Text them to me?” Will grinned. “Then I’ll have your number.”

  He recited the number. Tara avoided looking at her daughter, knowing she was making faces that would make her bust out laughing.

  They followed Will out to his truck.

  “Are you two planning to attend the 4th of July parade next week?”

  Tara looked at Ally, who shook her head no.

  “We didn’t know there was a parade.”

  He opened the door to his truck.

  “Main Street will be closed to traffic. Vendors set up in the park selling produce, crafts, all kinds of food, and homemade ice cream.”

  He grinned at them.

  “There’s even a watermelon seed spitting contest.”

  He looked from Tara to Ally.

  “I’d love to take you both.”

  “We’d be delighted.” Tara said.

  “Great.”

  Will hopped in his truck, one arm out the window. “I’ll pick you up so you don’t have to try and find a parking spot.”

  He waved out the window.

  “Put it on your calendar. Nine sharp, so we get a good spot. I’ll bring the chairs.”

  As he drove away, Ally waggled her brows at Tara.

  “That is one fine looking man.”

  Tara rolled her eyes at her match-making daughter.

  “I’m not ready for a relationship. After thirty-five years with the same man, I need time to myself to figure out who I am. Will and I might have history, but people change. I’ll have to get to know him all over again.”

  She smiled as the pickup truck disappeared from view.

  “But it would be nice to have a friend, especially one who’s handy around the house.”

  Her daughter just shook her head and smiled.

  Chapter 9

  It surprised Christina to get a call from Mandy inviting her over to see the new baby. Especially after her dad had basically told her ‘don’t call us, we’ll call you’, before he walked her to the door.

  As of today, the baby was a month old, Mandy said he came early, that she must have mixed up the dates. Christina couldn’t wait to see her little half brother.

  There was a store on the way to Mandy’s that carried all kinds of baby stuff. Everything from clothes, to strollers, to pictures for the nursery. Christina picked out a couple of onesies, and the most adorable bright yellow sun umbrella to hang over his outdoor crib. She’d wrapped the gifts in the car, using a wrapping paper printed with little yellow ducks.

  The nanny answered the door, a bit of spit up on the shoulder of her shirt.

  “You must be Christina. Come on in out of the rain. Mandy and Edward are in the nursery.”

  “Thanks.”

  Christina shook off her umbrella and left it in the entryway so it wouldn’t drip water all over the floors.

  She followed the nanny up to the nursery, resisting the urge to tiptoe across the carpet.

  Mandy blinked awake as they walked into the brightly colored room.
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br />   “I’m so glad you could stop by.” She yawned as she stood.

  Christina handed her the baby gifts, inhaling the sweet baby scent filling the room.

  “I’m so excited to meet him. Thanks for inviting me over. Is my dad still at work?”

  She peered over the crib to look at the baby. Why did babies always smell so good? Well, until they spit up or pooped all over you.

  Little Edward was sleeping, but he looked different. They were all fair-skinned in her family. She’d often been jealous of her olive-skinned friends who tanned so easily, and the baby definitely had that beautiful skin tone, along with a full head of hair. He didn’t look early to her, but what did she know? Maybe Mandy or someone in their family had Italian or Middle Eastern ancestors? Ally might know since she’d taken one of those DNA tests. Normally she’d ask her dad, but he’d been distant since he told Christina to give him space with his new family.

  “He’s beautiful.”

  Mandy stood beside her, a soft smile on her face.

  “He is, isn’t he?” She nodded to the nanny. “We’re going to the kitchen.”

  Her soon-to-be stepmom sighed.

  “I need a break from this little guy.” Mandy picked up the gifts and led the way downstairs.

  With a last wistful look at the baby, Christina followed her down to the enormous living room wondering how on earth they were going to baby proof this place?

  When they were settled on the coral sofas, Mandy opened the gifts, exclaiming over the outfits and the sun umbrella. The housekeeper brought sparkling water out to them.

  “You’ve been so nice to me.”

  Mandy stretched out on the sofa, facing Christina.

  “Not many people would have been so nice given the circumstances. Especially with us being the same age.”

  Not sure what to say, Christina waited, wondering where this was going.

  Mandy hesitated.

  “Because you’ve been so sweet and nice to me, I wanted to tell you myself.”

  She took a breath.

  “I told your dad I don’t want to marry him.”

  Christina sat up so fast she almost knocked the goblet of water over.

  “What happened? I thought you two were really happy?”

  Mandy rolled her eyes.

  “He expects me to do everything, all the emotional labor in this relationship falls on me.”

  She threw up her hands.

  “Thank goodness Ellie cooks and cleans. Did you know your father can never find his keys? He thinks I should know where he put the remote or that I should help him decide what to wear. And he keeps telling me what to do, like I’m a child. I know this is my first baby, but I can’t imagine he did all the work when your mom had you. It’s incredibly annoying.”

  Mandy huffed.

  “I finally gave in and told him we can stay together for now, but he has to move out and find his own place.”

  She sat up and sipped her water, admiring her manicure.

  “Daddy agrees. He’ll keep your dad on at the firm, but he can’t live here with me, he’s driving me up the wall.”

  “I’m sorry.” Christina stood, knowing Mandy wanted her to go.

  “Thank you for telling me, and for letting me see Edward. He’s such a beautiful boy. I’ll give my dad a call.”

  She was grateful Mandy let her meet her half brother, and yet sad that she wouldn’t be a part of his life. While Mandy didn’t say it was totally over with her dad, she might as well have.

  As soon as she was back in the car, Christina called her brother and sister to tell them the news. Her dad and Mandy were on the rocks. If she had to bet, she’d give it a few months.

  When she called her dad, it went straight to voicemail. In the message Christina didn’t let on that she knew he’d moved out, instead congratulating him on the new baby, and that she hoped they could get together soon.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a 4th of July parade.”

  Ally sat in the chair next to Tara, looking like a kid again.

  Tara finished applying sunscreen to her arms and handed the bottle to her daughter.

  “Small towns have great parades. When I was younger and visited my aunt, we went to the Christmas parade. It was snowing, we drank hot chocolate, and with the smell of the trees and snow in the air, it was a scene straight out of a Hallmark movie.”

  Will had saved them seats in the front. He’d picked out the spots, then picked them up that morning. There were several food trucks doing a good breakfast and coffee business. The trucks set up in the parking lot of the grocery and hardware store so they’d be out of the way of the parade.

  Everything in town was closed for the parade, though several shops would reopen when it was over. Those that had people in the parade would stay closed for the day. It was nice having the entire town turn out to watch the parade, a welcome change from the constant demand for stores in Miami to stay open all the time. As she was thinking about how different it was here from Miami, Will returned bearing coffee.

  “Sugar and milk with a splash of coffee for the ladies, as requested.”

  He laughed as he handed a cup to her and then to Ally.

  “I can’t believe the two of you ruin your coffee like that.”

  Tara tapped her cup to Ally’s.

  “We like our coffee sweet.”

  “Like our men.” Ally cackled as Will’s ears turned pink.

  People were talking with each other as children ran through the crowd, laughing and shrieking. The people in the back row brought umbrellas to shade them. Not wanting to block the view from the people behind her, Tara simply applied plenty of sunscreen, and put on a floppy beach hat.

  While she loved being on the lake, there were times she’d really missed the ocean. The crashing waves, the smell of sunscreen, the salt-scented air, and the cries of the gulls, she missed all of it… but not Harry.

  She’d been unhappy for so long she’d forgotten what it felt like to be happy. To be in the moment, not worrying about how she looked or what to wear.

  If Patty had asked her before everything happened, Tara would have said she was happy. Content with her life. But she’d simply been going through the motions.

  Day by day, she felt a little better, until one day soon Tara hoped she wouldn’t wake up thinking about the hurt and betrayal, the dissolution of her marriage, and how she’d been sleepwalking through life for so many years.

  Will introduced them to the local doctor and eye doctor, pulling Tara from her memories, and back into the moment. They met the owner of Sweet Magnolia. The florist offered a weekly special, either a bouquet or a plant to his newsletter subscribers. Ally had come home several times with both.

  A woman with the most beautiful hair Tara had ever seen made her way over to Will.

  “So nice to see you here.”

  Will stood. “Thanks for getting me that book on crows.”

  He looked over at Tara.

  “Francesca owns The Lonely Pen.”

  Tara smiled at her.

  “This is my daughter, Ally. We love your bookshop. Though I think we have more pretty notebooks than we’ll ever fill up.”

  “Can you ever really have too many notebooks?” Ally laughed.

  Francesca smiled at them both, her long auburn hair in a complicated braid down her back.

  “Wait until you see the pens I have coming in next week. They have colored crystals in the top half, and come in all kinds of colors.”

  “Everyone needs pretty pens.” Ally grinned.

  They said goodbye, promising to check out the weekly book club, watching as the bookstore owner stopped to talk to several people.

  The parade brought back memories as the high school band marched down the street. There were red, white, and blue floats, several old cars in pretty pastel blues, greens, and yellows, and the Woman’s Club had a float with four women playing bridge. The Girl Scouts and other clubs like 4H, and the local gardening club were all rep
resented.

  When the parade was over, everyone gathered in the park for a picnic. The vendors set up tables and chairs, some in the sun, others in the shade for everyone to relax. Some people brought their own picnic lunches, while others purchased lunch from the various food trucks and vendors.

  “Tara.” Mary called out, waving. She wove her way through the crowd, making her way over to Tara.

  “Want to join us?” Tara motioned to the empty spots at their table.

  “I’ve been meaning to call you, I sold out of your shorts and sundresses again.”

  “Mom, that’s great.” Ally grinned around a bite of fried chicken.

  “Can you make more? There’s a festival in Boone next month and we always get overflow tourists coming to wander through town.”

  Mary was wearing a pair of the navy blue shorts Tara made. She’d noticed a few women walking around in her shorts and dresses, but hadn’t realized so many had sold. It wasn’t enough to live on, but it was a start.

  Tara looked across the table at her daughter. Ally looked more relaxed lately, Tara thought it was because her daughter had finally ended her relationship with Jason, and had left the city. There was something about getting back to nature that soothed the spirit.

  She turned to Ally. “What do you say? Want to help me make shorts and sundresses?”

  “I’d love to.”

  Ally got up from the table, turning around in a circle.

  “Mom made these too. Aren’t they cute?”

  The shorts were bright pink with white flamingos on them. Her daughter paired them with a white tee shirt and white sandals. With the tan she’d gotten from sitting outside every day, Ally glowed.

  “I’m going to get homemade ice cream for dessert. Who wants some?”

  Mary wiped her mouth.

  “Better hurry, they always sell out fast. I’d love strawberry.”

  Tara looked at Will. “How about you?”

  He patted his stomach.

  “I can always make room for ice cream. How about chocolate?”

  Tara couldn’t agree more. “Me too.”

  On her way to the ice cream stand, Tara watched as Ally stopped to speak to several people. They’d gotten to know several people in town over the past two months.