Blueberry Hill, #1

by Cynthia Luhrs

  “Mom?”

  “Hey, sweetie. Congratulations on the new job. Are you excited?”

  Christina let out a sigh.

  “I’m happy I’ll be getting a steady paycheck and paid health insurance, but I’ll miss the freedom I had. Not to mention now I have to wear grown-up clothes to work every day.”

  Her mom laughed. “You’ll be kicking your shoes off as soon as you come in the door. I remember Patty used to take her shoes and bra off as soon as she got home from work.”

  She caught her mom up on her life, started to tell her, then stopped when her voice broke.

  Her mom used her soft mom voice, the one Christina remembered as a child when she used to crawl into her mom’s lap after something bad happened, whether it was a skinned knee or a friend she’d fallen out with, her mom always made things better.

  When had they grown so far apart? Christina thought it was when she turned thirteen and wanted her first bikini. Her mom said no way, but her dad took her shopping.

  “What is it? I can tell there’s something wrong. Whatever it is, just tell me.”

  The sound of ice hitting the glass made Christina picture her mom out on the patio or the front porch with a glass of her Sunshine drink of half iced tea and half lemonade. Her mom said it was usually called an Arnold Palmer, but since she added mint or basil, or sometimes orange and honey, she named it Sunshine.

  “I have a brother. His name is Ryan.”

  She blurted out the story from how he’d found her, up to him finding Angus.

  “I didn’t know how to tell you.” Christina blew her nose. “I can’t believe dad wants nothing to do with him.”

  “Your dad has issues he needs to work through. I’m sorry for Ryan. That poor kid, losing his mom in such a violent way. I can’t imagine how he’s coping. It’s quite a shock to know he’s been out there in the world all this time, but after Mandy, I guess I’m not surprised. Tell him we’re all here for him. Why don’t you bring him here to visit?”

  Her mom hesitated, then added, “you know, your sister is starting a flower business. I’m sure she could use the help. I can help you and Ryan until you get on your feet if you want a change of scenery.”

  Christina smiled through her tears. Her mom was always trying to make everyone feel wanted.

  “I really liked it there. But I just got this new job, so I need to think about it. And I’ll need to talk to Ryan.” She cleared her throat. “I love you, mom.”

  “I love you too, honey. I’m looking forward to meeting Ryan.”

  By the time Ryan returned from walking Angus, Christina thought she could talk to him without getting teary.

  She told him that she’d told her mom and siblings and they all wanted to meet him. The relief on his face made her want to cry. He’d been so worried they’d reject him, just like his father had.

  He was a good kid, and she wanted him to have a place to belong. There had to be books that would help her to know what to say to him, to help him deal with losing his mom.

  Ryan needed stability in his life. He was the reason, as much as Christina wanted this job, and as much as she loved the beach, that she was seriously considering her mom’s offer.

  After Christina told her about the incident with Patty being unable to recognize her own vehicle, Tara worried about her friend. She called to ask if she could move up their visit, instead of Patty coming for Thanksgiving. Could she come sooner?

  Patty barely hesitated. “With the boys away at college, Matt and I just rattle around in the house. He can go to Vegas with his buddies and we can have some girl time. I’ll come for a long weekend.”

  Tara could hear her friend inhaling, and worried that she still hadn’t quit smoking.

  “I’d love to see you. I’ve really missed you.” Tara worried about her friend flying by herself with whatever was going on with her, but Matt told her not to worry, that Patty had eaten little that day. The forgetfulness wasn’t serious.

  “I’ll text you when I’ve booked my flight. Don’t worry about picking me up, I’ll have a car bring me to the cottage.”

  A week and a half later, Tara made sure she had plenty of cereal in the house. Her friend loved a bowl of cereal in the afternoon, said it was her snack, the more sugary and bad for her it was, the more she liked it.

  That afternoon, the sound of a car pulling in the drive had Tara running down the stairs. She’d been busy working on the fabric designs for her first collection. There would be three fabrics to complement the shorts and dresses she was designing for the high-end boutiques.

  “It’s absolutely even more beautiful here than I imagined.”

  Patty hugged her, smelling of cigarettes and the citrus perfume she always wore.

  “It’s so good to see you. When does Matt leave for Vegas?”

  “In a couple of days. I froze meals for him, but knowing Matt, he’ll eat out. Thank goodness for Cathy keeping everything clean, or the house would be a disaster by the time I get back.”

  Tara picked up one of the bags to show Patty to her room. Her friend exclaimed over the cottage and the furnishings.

  “This is your room.”

  Tara opened the door to the serene guest bedroom, then showed her to the new bathroom.

  “And this is your bathroom. It’s small compared to what you’re used to.”

  The black and white bathroom sparkled. Tara had cleaned the house from top to bottom. She’d always had a housekeeper, but when Harry lost everything and she moved here, Tara did her own cleaning. Now she found it helped her think, and she usually came up with her best ideas while she was cleaning.

  Patty sat on the bed, smoothing her hands over the quilt.

  “It’s lovely. I may never leave.”

  “Why don’t you unpack and I’ll pour the wine. I thought we could relax out on the dock and catch up. There’s a cute restaurant in town we can go to for dinner.”

  Patty zipped open her suitcase.

  “Would you mind if we stayed in tonight? I’ve eaten out a lot recently.”

  “Not at all. I made an apple pie from the apples in the orchard and I can make that spinach feta salad you like.”

  Patty kicked off her heels, rubbing her feet. She’d worn a simple sheath dress to travel. Her friend always looked so well put together.

  “That would be perfect.”

  “Um, what’s with the shoes?” Tara picked up the red heels. They were similar, but obviously different shoes.

  Patty looked at them and red spread across her chest, up her neck and cheeks.

  “How could I have missed that? I can’t believe Matt let me leave wearing two different shoes.”

  Tara laughed.

  “Men. He probably didn’t even notice.”

  But she wondered again what was going on with her closest friend. Later, when Patty had settled in, she’d find a way to broach the subject.

  By the time Patty joined her on the dock, Tara had a glass of wine waiting. She was wearing jeans and a sweater while her friend was bundled up in jeans, a sweater, and one of the blankets from the sleeping porch.

  “It’s cold. There’s no way we can go swimming tonight.”

  Tara pointed to the house through the trees.

  “We’re only going next door, and the pool is heated. It will be cold getting in and out, but it’ll feel like bathwater once we’re in the water.”

  They spent the rest of the afternoon catching up. When they went inside to fix dinner, Patty went out front to smoke while Tara set the table.

  She opened the refrigerator to get the butter out to soften, stopping with her hand in the midst of reaching for the ceramic dish.

  Patty’s keys were sitting on the top shelf along with her phone.

  The keys jingled as Tara picked them up, her hand trembling. She put the phone and keys on the counter, unsure if she should say anything after the car incident with Christina.

  Everything seemed fine during dinner, so Tara kept quiet, not wanting to em
barrass her friend. They changed into swimsuits, wrapping beach towels around themselves to walk next door to the pool.

  By the time they got back, Tara had chalked up the incident to Patty being tired from a day of travel. But as she came out of her room to take a shower, Patty was standing in the hallway, shaking, her eyes wide with panic.

  Tara went to her, grasping her hands and rubbing them.

  “What’s wrong? Tell me what I can do.”

  Patty looked at her, a horrified expression on her face as if she were drowning.

  “I wanted a glass of water. I can’t find the kitchen.”

  When Tara tried to lead her, Patty pulled away.

  “No, not that way. The kitchen should be here.” She opened the door to the bathroom.

  No matter how much Tara tried to move her from the hallway to the kitchen, it wouldn’t work.

  “Let’s go in here and sit for a minute. Then we can find the kitchen together.”

  Patty nodded, gratitude filling her face as Tara led her to the bed. They sat next to each other in silence until with a gasp Patty turned to her.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Two days ago, I couldn’t remember how to get home.”

  Tears ran down both their faces as Tara shook her head.

  “We’ll figure it out.”

  Twenty minutes later it was like nothing had ever happened. Tara slipped away to call Matt, to tell him about what had happened. He told her there’d been several incidents, but she’d refused to go to the doctor. At first he’d thought it was due to menopause, but with the worsening of the incidents, he now thought it might be something else. Instead of letting her fly home alone, he would meet them at the airport and fly back with her.

  When she said he was welcome to stay a few days, he declined, saying he had to cancel the Vegas trip and get Patty to see someone, that he should have taken the incidents more seriously. He promised to let Tara know when they found out what was wrong.

  Chapter 23

  The first week of classes went well. It was the end of September and she was teaching three classes that would run until the end of the year with breaks for the holidays. A basic cooking class, sewing basics, and financial literacy.

  The cooking class would start with simple easy meals and progress, adding more complicated recipes and canning basics. Tara hoped if things went well to offer a class where students could come to her house and have their own garden plot, taking part in the process from seed to harvest, and canning or freezing.

  For the sewing class she planned to start with pillows, pillowcases, tote bags, and other items. Later she’d teach basic garment construction.

  And for the financial literacy class? At first she’d laughed, given her own situation, but while she’d let Harry manage everything, Tara knew how to track expenses and make a budget, how to save for an emergency fund, and how to cut corners like going to a school to get your hair colored instead of an expensive salon.

  Her daughter had watched a video on cutting hair and had been cutting her own hair. Ally said she wouldn’t have tried it if she had short hair, but with long hair she didn’t think any minor mistakes would be too noticeable.

  The three classes were full with a mix of teenagers, young adults, and older adults. It was a fun bunch, though she was exhausted after this first week.

  Ally had been busy with her own fledgling business. Her field of sunflowers was doing well. Tara had helped her daughter make jam and applesauce from the fruit trees on the property. Next year she’d try to sell the goods, but this year they’d kept what they’d canned for themselves and for Evan and Christina. The Crimson Crisp apples were her new favorite. She and Ally had eaten them daily, right off the tree and baked into apple pies.

  It was nice that Ally came over for breakfast most days, a good way to start the day with a bit of companionship and good coffee.

  The cool air at night and the sounds of the lake had Tara sleeping out on the sleeping porch several nights a week. Soon it would be too cold unless she ran the heater, but for now it was heavenly.

  Her daughter had grown a great deal, no longer trying to find her way, she’d found something that was hers. Flowers and plants made her daughter happy. Tara told Ally how proud she was of her, that it filled her heart to see her happy. And that Ally didn’t need to make a lot of money or get married unless that’s what she wanted.

  Life was short. All that really mattered was that Ally was content with her life.

  No one comes to the end of their life, looks back and wishes they’d worked more hours.

  Will had left to teach a furniture class in Asheville for a week. It surprised her to realize how much she missed seeing him. Tara had been planning to tell him she was ready to start dating after Labor Day, but then she got busy completing plans for her classes and Will had a large order that took him out of town a couple of times, so they hadn’t discussed it.

  Ready for a break after switching all the summer decor to fall, Tara went down to the dock, dressed in jeans and a heavy sweater, drink in hand, and settled into the chair to relax. As she looked out on the water reflecting on how different her life was here in Blueberry Hill, she idly spun the antique ring in the shape of a rose, around and around on her finger. She’d given Ally her aquamarine ring to celebrate Ally starting her own business. It had always been Ally’s favorite ring, so Tara wanted her to have it.

  The band with the stones from the children’s birth months had room for two more stones. When Emily had her daughter, Tara would add another stone.

  She was halfway through her beverage when the phone rang with a particular ring tone she dreaded. For a moment she considered letting it go to voice mail, but then she’d have to deal with him later. With a sigh, she answered.

  “Harry.”

  He made small talk, talking about himself, saying how much he missed her. Never once mentioning Mandy, baby Edward, her kids, or Ryan.

  He droned on. “My new place—”

  Enough was enough.

  Tara interrupted him.

  “Stop.”

  Harry was so shocked, he actually shut up.

  “What you’re telling me is that Mandy dumped you, and kicked you out?”

  She held up a finger as she went down the list.

  “She found someone new, or actually someone from before you. Her father fired you. And you want nothing to do with your son. Ryan.”

  Tara glared at the phone.

  “Does that about sum it up?”

  He spluttered into the phone.

  “Mandy didn’t just leave me, she married the guy. The same guy she was dating before me. They’re taking my trip to Greece,” he complained.

  “To make things worse, it wasn’t even my kid. Edward is the other guy’s kid, but he wouldn’t commit, so she told me it was mine, hoping he’d come around. She was using me.”

  He blew out a breath, his words slightly slurring.

  “We were good together, Tara. You kept my life running smoothly.”

  He tried to put the charm in his voice, but it no longer worked. Tara was immune.

  “I’ve moved on. Started a new life, one I love.”

  Tara no longer cared about him enough to expend the energy a fight would take. A part of her would always love the children they’d made and raised together, but she didn’t love him anymore, and never would again.

  “I’m not interested in you anymore. You’ve shown me who you really are. I don’t want any part of that man.”

  He yelled into the phone.

  “What do you mean ‘who I am now?’”

  “Once a cheater, always a cheater. Instead of trying to go back in time, why don’t you work on rebuilding your relationships with our kids? Christina worshipped you, and you threw her love away like trash.”

  Tara was free. While she didn’t have her entire life figured out, she knew what kind of man she didn’t want in her life.

  “If you would’ve asked me a couple weeks after y
ou left me, who knows, maybe I would’ve wanted you back. But now? I don’t. When we were together, I thought our lives were perfect.”

  She sipped her drink, enjoying the breeze, unwilling to let her ex-husband ruin her mood. Things needed to be said so they could close this chapter of their lives and move forward.

  “I used to feel sorry for those women sitting alone at tables with a book in front of them to pass the time. Trying to look like they weren’t lonely. When we were out with other couples, I always felt sorry for a widowed woman or a divorced woman that was all alone. When we were together, all I wanted was for you to retire so we could travel the world.”

  Tara shrugged.

  “Now I can take Ally. Or Christina or Patty. I can go alone. But you know what I’ve realized, Harry? I don’t need you to be complete. I’m a complete person all by myself. I like the person I’ve become.”

  Instead of waiting for him to try and change her mind, Tara hung up the phone, closed her eyes, and thanked Aunt Frida for giving her a second chance at life and happiness.

  Ally and her mom had gone to Asheville for the weekend to attend a flower show so Ally could get an idea of what was popular and would sell next season.

  They stayed in a cute bed-and-breakfast near the Biltmore House, and took the time for a tour. Ally couldn’t believe people used to live in such opulent homes.

  They had fun checking out the quaint shops, trying new restaurants, and hitting a few antique stores. Her mom was glad Blueberry Hill was tiny compared to bustling Asheville. There were so many people around. It was prime leaf season, nevertheless; it was way too crowded for her mom. And a funny thing? Ally had grown to love the quiet town too, no longer missing the bustling city. She was having too much fun digging in the dirt.

  Her notebook was full of ideas and there were tons of pictures stored on her phone, giving Ally plenty of inspiration for her endeavors. That night, she and her mom went to dinner at a restaurant that only served fried chicken and biscuits. It had been so delicious that Ally thought she’d try to replicate the meal back at home.