Hometown Series Box Set

by Kirsten Fullmer

  She inched the car forward, only to wait for a pickup coming down the highway the other direction. “I’m going to the spa for opening day. I’ve been looking forward to this for years and he’s not going to spoil it for me. No one is going to spoil it for me!”

  As if her thought had conjured it, her phone rang in her purse. Forgetting about ever pulling onto the highway, she fished out her phone, concerned about the spa, only to see her mother’s number on the screen. “Aggghhh, not now!” she cried at the phone.

  Hitting the answer button and speaker, she dropped her phone onto the center console and looked both ways. “Hello, Mother.” Finally assured it was clear, she pulled onto the highway.

  “Well, finally you decide to answer!” the woman whined on the other end of the line. “I was wondering if you’d fallen off the face of the earth!”

  “Mother, really…”

  “I was just telling your father that we should drive down to see if you are still alive. I’ve been so very worried about you. This is the longest you’ve ever been gone from the family. You never call, you never answer my calls, what a shameful way to treat your parents! I said that to your father, I said it was shameful.”

  Lizzie rolled her eyes.

  “What are you doing with yourself out there anyway? You obviously don’t have time for me.”

  “Today is opening day at the spa, Mother. I’m on my way there now.”

  Her mother made a clucking noise into the phone. “You know as well as I do, young lady, that a spa is a place that you go to, not a profession. I honestly can’t understand this obsession you have with being a servant.”

  “I’m not… never mind. How’s Father doing?” Lizzie asked in a vain attempt to change the subject.

  “Oh, he’s the same. Concerned about you, I’m sure.”

  “I’m sure,” Lizzie sighed.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing, Mother, I’m driving and I shouldn’t be on the phone.”

  “Oh my gosh! For heaven’s sake, hang up this instant!”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “I mean it, you know I’ve warned you never to use the phone while you’re driving. Have you forgotten everything I ever taught you?”

  “No, Mother, I’m going to hang up now.”

  “You do that and don’t you even think of calling me again while you’re driving!”

  “Mom, I didn’t…”

  “Hang up!” her mother shouted.

  “Goodbye, Mother.” Lizzie glanced down and tapped the off button. She felt like hurling the whole phone out the window, but instead she dropped it back into her bag and sighed heavily. Finally, she shook her head and resituated herself in the seat, determined to be in the right frame of mind before she reached the spa.

  * * *

  Elliot sat on the back stoop of Lizzie’s house, favoring his burned lip and cleaning manure off the soles of his shoes with a stick. The pant legs of the ridiculous overalls hiked up almost to his knees when he sat, and he’d managed to get another good swipe of something nasty across the sleeve of his already ruined shirt. Slivers from the old steps poked the soles of his feet through his socks. The stick slipped, and his fingers squished into the brown mix of goo and straw on his shoe.

  “Mother pumpkin!” he cussed under his breath, shaking his hand in an attempt to fling off the mess. If his friends back home could only see him now, he thought with a grimace. “They better never get those pictures…” he muttered.

  Once again, he wondered how a beautiful woman could cause an intelligent man to do such ridiculous things.

  He glanced up and did a double take, noticing Lily and Ingrid, stately and calm in their pen. The tiny valley spread out past the barn, running right up to the forest, which was multiple shades of green, yellow, red, and orange. A light breeze rustled the leaves and birdsong drifted across the yard. “This really is a peaceful place…” he mumbled, tossing the stick across the yard and standing to rub the small of his back. “Hmph.”

  Ready to find some good old-fashioned soap and hot water, he bent to place his smelly shoes back on the step.

  Chapter Nine

  When Lizzie pulled up to the spa, women were already spilling from cars, pickup trucks, and minivans. Chatter was loud and laughter rang across the lawn toward the inn. Tara stood on the front porch of the spa welcoming each guest, and through the open door, Lizzie could see Gloria in her lab coat helping the women sign in.

  She closed her car door and walked around to the passenger side to pull out a huge flower arrangement filled with antique roses and autumn branches, as well as various other autumn flowers. Struggling to see around the bouquet as she walked, she reached out with her toe to feel her way up the steps.

  Tara grinned and leaned out to bury her face in the flowers. “Mmmm, from Julia?”

  “How’d you guess?” Lizzie laughed.

  Suddenly Tara’s smile disappeared and a sickly green color drained through her face and she teetered on her feet.

  “Whoa, hey, are you okay?” Lizzie stuttered, shuffling the flowers to one hip so she could steady Tara by grabbing her elbow. “Come over here and sit down for a minute.”

  Careful not to drop or spill the flowers, Lizzie led Tara to a porch chair. A few ladies came onto the porch to see what was happening and Lizzie shoved off the flowers into one of their arms, then bent to kneel in front of Tara.

  “What’s going on, are you okay? Did you eat this morning?”

  Tara shook her head in embarrassment, then dropped her forehead into one hand.

  “Come on, honey, talk to me,” Lizzie urged.

  A commotion in the doorway drew her attention, and Lizzie glanced up in time to see Becky elbow her way through the crowd to Tara’s side, her jewelry jangling. “What’s all the commotion? Tara, what’s going on?”

  “Does she do this often?” Lizzie asked, her expression one of concern.

  “She’s not been sick a day in her life, as far as I know,” Becky huffed, moving around the chair for a better look at her friend, her bun bobbing crazily.

  Tara looked up and pulled a face. “Relax, I’m fine. I just didn’t eat breakfast.”

  “You seemed fine until you smelled the flowers,” Lizzie said. “Are you allergic?”

  “No, I’m fine now,” Tara assured her friends, pushing Becky so she could get up. “Everybody back up. I’m fine, really.”

  Not so sure but willing to cooperate, Lizzie moved to one side of the now-crowded porch to make room.

  Becky placed her plump hand on Tara’s forehead only to have the younger woman push it away with a glare. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Becky!”

  “Okay, fine,” Becky huffed, insulted that her concerns were being shoved back in her face. “Suit yourself.”

  “Let’s all go inside and relax now,” Lizzie said calmly, as she began to herd the throng of women back toward the open door. But over her shoulder, she gave Tara the eye to let her know she’d be watching her.

  Tara made a face in return.

  The day was a blur of activity as the women took turns getting manicures and spreading gossip. The lack of power wasn’t much of a problem to the ladies, who were there primarily for the gathering anyway. Justin and Elliot arrived at lunchtime toting trays of finger sandwiches, a tub of ice loaded with bottles of soda, and a vat of iced tea with lemons bobbing on the surface.

  Through the crowd Lizzie managed to make eye contact with Elliot, then was embarrassed when he smiled warmly with a nod. Even with all the activity at the spa, she’d spent the morning trying not to think about him back at her house, bathing in her claw foot tub, his long lean body covered in suds. With a blush, she turned back to her guests, determined to be sure each and every lady present felt welcome and comfortable.

  At four o’clock as she ushered the last guest out with a wave and a smile, Lizzie was exhausted and elated. She turned from the door to survey the room with a tired puff of breath.

  Gloria clapped shut the s
ign-in book. “Well, wasn’t that a crazy day! My feet are killing me.”

  Lizzie glanced down to Gloria’s five-inch spike heels and grimaced. “I’ll bet. Are you going home to soak your feet?”

  Gloria laughed. “Goodness no, I have a date tonight.”

  “Well, you’re made of sterner stuff than I am,” she chuckled. “I’m done in.”

  Gloria removed her lab coat and hung it over the back of the desk chair, then hefted her bag over her shoulder and ran her long red nails through her brilliant hair. “You need anything else before I go?”

  “No, I’m good,” Lizzie replied, trying not to gawk at the girl’s knockout figure, accented by a tight, low-cut dress. “Have fun…”

  Flashing a dazzling smile, Gloria headed for the door with a wave. “Will do, you take care.”

  Lizzie blew out another long breath and dropped onto the end of the sofa with a tired grin. The spa had been a huge success. Never in her life had she spent so much time, effort, and love, planning and working to achieve something so close to her heart. Even a power outage hadn’t ruined the day.

  She’d endured her life in the city, the never-ending movement, and the rat race of keeping up with the Joneses. But she’d truly loved the long summer days spent at her grandfather’s farm. The way neighbors helped each other, brought food when a member of the community died, or tended their fields for them when they were sick. These small-town people appealed to her, and she loved the concern and care they offered to each other, no matter the style of their clothes or the age of the car they drove. For years she’d longed to live in a community like this as she’d suffered through fancy luncheons, trussed up in stiff dresses and uncomfortable, pinching shoes.

  She had many friends here now, all of whom loved the spa and promised to come in often. On top of that, she owned a real home on a wonderful little farm, with animals she cherished. Next spring she’d have chickens and goats to add to the mix. Her life had changed in so many amazing ways, she could hardly contain the joy in her heart. Peace radiated from her like heat from a glowing oven.

  She stood and stretched. Tara had returned to the inn as the day slowed down to take care of business. Brief concern for her friend and boss passed through the back of Lizzie’s mind as she wandered toward the desk to collect her purse and computer bag. As she turned toward the door, her phone rang and she fished it from her purse. Even the sight of her mother’s name couldn’t dampen her happiness as she answered. “Hello, Mother, how are you this evening?”

  “How do you suppose I am?” her mother replied. “My only child has run away and left me here alone.”

  Lizzie plopped her bags back on the desk and sauntered over to sit on the end of the sofa. It was clear that her mother was changing her tack from ungrateful daughter to devastated mother.

  “Mom, I didn’t run away, I just moved, and you know I still adore you.” Her fabulous mood made it easier to deal with her mother. It was true that the demanding woman exhausted and frustrated her, but she did love her mother.

  “Hmph, you have a funny way of showing it. I’ve been inconsolable since you left.”

  “The spa was a huge success today,” Lizzie offered as consolation. “All the ladies loved it and we had such a lovely time. You should be proud of me.”

  “Proud of you? I’ll be proud of you when you put all these silly ideas behind you and come back where you belong.”

  Lizzie glanced across the room with a lopsided grin. “This is where I belong.”

  “It most certainly is not!” huffed her mother. “You mark my words, young lady, this is folly. You’ll come to your senses soon enough and realize that you’ve taken a very wrong step with all this nonsense. You’ll see that you’ve been a fool and that you’ve failed to live up to your full potential.”

  Here it comes, Lizzie thought, another change in tactics. She’d seen them all and she was ready. Or so she thought. “Mother, come on, don’t be like this…”

  “Don’t you speak back to me, young lady. You were such a weak and pitiful child. I’ve put aside everything I ever wanted for myself in order to help you find some modicum of success.”

  Lizzie’s brow furrowed.

  “You know you are nothing without my guidance and direction. You’ve proven that point often enough, failure after failure,” her mother continued, oblivious to Lizzie’s distress—or maybe feeding on it.

  Familiar pain crashed through Lizzie’s heart, and she sniffed, the breath knocked out of her chest. What failure? She’d earned top grades, graduated with honors, got good jobs. She couldn’t help that she’d had skinny arms, needed braces, had frizzy hair…

  “You’ll eventually come crawling back here devastated and broke, and I’ll have to pick you up once again and put you back together,” the older woman continued.

  Lizzie stayed silent, trying to remind herself that her mother was on a roll, and all she had to do was get through it. Even if she’d stayed back in Boston, her mother would have found fault with her life, her clothes, her job. It was endless.

  The older woman didn’t miss a beat. “Everyone at the club has been talking about you and it’s humiliating. Even Evelyn, who always took into consideration that you needed extra time and attention, is shocked that you ran off. Arthur will never take you back now, and your club membership is most likely in danger of cancellation.”

  The remark about her ex-boyfriend was really too much; after all, Lizzie had dumped him. “Mother, stop it.” Her hand clenched the phone until her knuckles were white.

  Hot tears burned at the back of her eyes and a lump collected in her throat.

  “Perhaps if you come home now I can smooth things over with Arthur’s parents and the club board will eventually forget your horrible behavior.”

  Not only was her mother utterly disappointed in her biggest accomplishment, but now Boston’s most upstanding citizens were wholly aghast at her actions. Would her mother never be proud of her? Even a little bit?

  How many women struck out on their own and bought a house and farm animals? How many people had the courage to drastically change their career path? How many people wanted to try something they’d never done before, then actually went out and did it? Why couldn’t her mother see her triumphs?

  With a sigh she realized that perhaps if she’d rebelled at the age of four, her mother would have grown to understand that Lizzie had needs of her own. Instead, she’d tried hard to be everything her mother wanted her to be and look where it had gotten her. The woman didn’t even recognize Lizzie’s rebellion or her complete and utter dismissal of her mother’s demands.

  Her mother’s nasal voice droned on as Lizzie’s heart sank.

  Why did she have to be so persistent and long-winded in her ranting? Probably because she knew that Lizzie would eventually crack under the strain. Well, she was right. Again. Lizzie was devastated. Not from failure, but from lack of love and acknowledgement from the one person she had always sought to please.

  “Mother, please just—”

  “Mark my words, Elizabeth, you’ll be sorry you’ve turned your back on all of your friends and treated your father and me this way!”

  The line went dead.

  Dropping the phone to her lap, Lizzie stared blankly across the room. A tear rolled silently down her cheek to splash onto the screen of the phone.

  The spa door opened and Elliot tromped in, scuffing his feet on the mat. “Hey there! Looks like today was a success—” He froze in midsentence, his smile fading to concern. “What’s wrong?”

  Dashing away her tears, Lizzie jumped up and attempted to hide her sadness. “Nothing, I’m fine. I—” She smoothed her lab coat and offered a limp grin to accompany the false happy tone of her voice. “I think today went well.”

  Elliot strode to her side and took her hand, his face filled with concern. He led her gently to sit down on the sofa. “What happened?” he asked as he perched on the edge of the ottoman facing her.

  She pulled her hand a
way and shook her head in an attempt to convince him she was fine, but her mother’s harsh words rang in the back of her mind. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, and she dabbed at them with her knuckle.

  “Did someone have an issue with the spa?”

  She shook her head. “No, no, of course not. It was a wonderful day.”

  Elliot’s brow puckered. “Then why are you so upset? Something happened…”

  Lizzie shrugged. “It’s nothing really. Nothing I don’t deal with every day.”

  He waited, his elbows resting on his knees, not wanting to press her to speak.

  Finally, she sniffed and squared her shoulders. “I’m sorry, here I am all blubbery when the spa was a hit.”

  He searched her face, waiting for her to explain.

  Fluttering her hands in front of her face, attempting to dry the tears, she continued. “Oh, it’s just—just my mom. She isn’t on board with me being here.” Understatement of the century, she thought grimly.

  Perplexed, Elliot sat up straight. “What do you mean? Why would your mother care if you’re here?”

  Lizzie snorted. “Oh, she cares all right.” Anger flashed across her face. “I’m not back home letting her run my life and that irks her no end. She has to get her digs in, make me feel like absolute garbage—” She paused, realizing she was emotionally vomiting.

  “I take it she’s—what do they call it nowadays— a helicopter mom?”

  She stared at him, a question in her eyes.

  “She hovers.”

  “Oh!” she said, getting his joke. “Yes, but more than that, she is determined that I live the life she wanted.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Her hands twisted in her lap. “Oh, you know, I went to the schools she couldn’t get into, wore the expensive clothes that she couldn’t afford before having me ruined her body, took the jobs she couldn’t have because she had to stay home with me. I had to buy the condo in the neighborhood she wanted to live in…”