by Joan Kilby
“No,” Sarah said, then added in a stage whisper. “They’re here.”
“Here where? Who’s here?”
“The Japanese! Two men and a woman who are representatives from our sister city. They showed up at the office a few minutes ago. They’re here for the cherry blossom festival.”
“Why are you still at work?” Brianna asked, suddenly realizing what time it was. “You should be at home.”
“I had a couple of things to finish off,” Sarah said. “I was just about to leave when a taxi dropped them off. But never mind that, they don’t speak English. What do I do with them?”
“How do you know they’re from that town I emailed?” Brianna said. “They could just be tourists.”
“They showed me your message,” Sarah said. “Then the woman brought up their town’s website which I recognized. They posted some of the blossom photos we sent and added the Sweetheart town logo.”
“That’s so cute!” Brianna said. “I love that they came all this way to be part of our festival.”
“Yes, it’s lovely, but what am I going to do with them?” Sarah demanded. “I have to pick up Jeffy from the neighbor, and I can’t take them to my place, I don’t have room.”
“They wouldn’t have come all this way without booking accommodation,” Brianna said.
“You wouldn’t think so. I asked them where they were staying but their English is about as good as my Japanese, which is to say, nonexistent.”
“Take them to the hotel. They’ll get the idea.”
“I called the Montreau already, and they’re full. So is the Lake View Motor Inn up the highway. We’ve done such a good job marketing the festival that people are pouring into town from all over.”
“Again, that’s wonderful,” Brianna said, determined to look on the bright side. “We’ll billet them out. I’ll make some calls.”
“I’m sorry, Brianna, but I seriously have to go.” Sarah lowered her voice. “They’ve got a big wooden crate with them. I have no idea what’s in it.”
“Why are you speaking in a low voice if they don’t understand you?”
“Because maybe their phone apps can. They’re downloading and trying different ones. No real communication yet but I don’t want to risk offending them.”
“Hang on for five minutes,” Brianna said. “I’ll be right there.”
“Okay, but hurry,” Sarah whispered. “They’re adorable but they smile and bow every time I say anything.”
Brianna hung up and turned to see Angus in the doorway. He’d clearly gathered from her side of the conversation that she had to go. As she locked up the house she quickly explained the situation.
“I’ll come with you,” he said. “Maybe I can help.”
She almost accepted and then thought of the long hard week he’d put in on the hall, and his early start tomorrow morning. Who knew how long it would take her to sort out accommodation for the unexpected visitors and really, what could he do?
“Thanks, but I’ve got this.” She grabbed her purse and jacket and hurried out of the cottage. “Sorry to rush you.”
“When will I see you?”
“Um…” She unlocked her car, threw her purse in then looked back at him, her mind chaotic and blank.
“Never mind. I’ll see you when I see you.” He gave her a quick hug, then got into his truck and gave her a wink through the open window. “Good luck, cherry blossom.”
Chapter Ten
Monday morning, Angus was at the build site first, as usual, checking over the drawings and the supply of materials. The plumbers had done their thing, and the electricians would be coming tomorrow, so they had to finish stacking the walls today.
He checked his phone. No reply from Brianna to his texts from last night or this morning. It was nothing urgent, he’d only been checking in to see if she’d gotten the Japanese visitors settled okay. Yesterday had been special, and their kiss felt like a gateway to a new closeness, maybe even reconciliation. It would have been nice to consolidate that with a chat or grabbing a quick cup of coffee.
Did he dare to dream she’d begun to care for him again, that they could resolve the past and put it behind them? If so, would she consider relocating to Sacramento? He’d never stopped loving her, but what he felt now was bigger, more solid. His fingers moved reflexively to the ring hanging beneath his shirt, his symbol of hope for the future.
“Let’s go, Tony,” he said, as the young apprentice slowly strolled over. “We need to get the roof on today in case it rains.” He cast a worried glance at the dark clouds building in the west.
“Not gonna rain this week.” Tony, with his bushy blond hair and dozy blue eyes, looked as if he’d just crawled out of bed. Once he woke up, though, he was a willing worker.
“How can you be so sure?” Angus asked, intrigued by his confident tone.
“My gran’s arthritis gets real bad just before the rain. I asked her this morning and she said her joints are fine. Then I checked the ants near the stream that crosses our lot, and they were going about their business as usual. When it’s going to rain, they get real busy moving their eggs to higher ground.”
“I hope your gran and the ants are correct, but you won’t mind if I check the bureau of meteorology.” Angus scrolled through his phone for the website. “What do you know? No rain till later in the week. Even so, spring is changeable. The sooner we get the roof on, the better.”
He checked his watch. Bill was late—no, his truck was just pulling up, but he was alone. Usually Jordan caught a ride with him.
“Where’s Jordan?” Angus said as Bill got out and walked over to where he and Tony were standing.
“Broke his arm falling off the roof of his parents’ house,” Bob said. “He was replacing some shakes for them and slipped. Hurt his back, too.”
“Oh no,” Angus muttered.
“He wasn’t outside when I drove by this morning so I knocked on the door,” Bob went on. “His wife told me he was in the hospital overnight.”
“I’m sorry Jordan got hurt. It’s too bad.” Angus kicked at a clod of dirt, and surveyed the half-finished building. They were already under the gun time-wise and to lose an experienced worker was a disaster. “You guys get started. I need to make a couple of calls.”
His first call was to Jordan to express his sympathy and wish him a speedy recovery. Then he called Gordon, who promised to stop by the site on his way to the office. Half an hour later, his Lincoln Continental pulled into the lot.
“Morning,” Gordon said. “What’s the problem?”
“Jordan broke his arm and we’re down to three men, including me,” Angus explained. “Even working all the hours of daylight there are, it’s impossible to get the hall finished in time for the festival unless we get more guys. Have you had any luck with other builders?”
“Not so far,” Gordon said.
“I’m going to call John Coates and ask for three more men,” Angus said.
Gordon raised his eyebrows at this high-handed assertion. “I told you, I don’t deal with John Coates.”
Angus, hands on hips, contemplated the ground. Gordon had been a good boss and a mentor, and he was Brianna’s father. But there came a time when a man had to stand up for what he knew was right. “In that case, you leave me no choice.”
“You mean you’ll quit?” Gordon looked like he couldn’t believe it.
“No, I’m not going to quit,” Angus said, startled and indignant. “I gave my word.”
“What then?” Gordon said, perplexed rather than angry. “That sounded like an ultimatum.”
“In a way, it is. I don’t like to say this, but you’re being blind and ornery.” Angus kept his voice low so the other guys couldn’t hear him chewing out the big boss, but his frustration came through nevertheless.
“How so?” Gordon asked.
“To let a grudge between you and John Coates stand in the way of your daughter succeeding in the biggest project of her professional life to date
, well, that’s just wrong,” Angus said. “She has an IT degree but she worked reception for you for a whole year just to help you out instead of getting a better job. Now she has one and this is how you repay her? She’s working her butt off for this town and deserves better. Not only that, but your refusal to deal with Coates is plain dumb, because it harms your reputation, too. Frankly, I’m disappointed. I thought more highly of you than that.”
Gordon’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. Angus dragged a hand through his hair and turned away. Oh boy. Now he’d really cooked his goose. After talking to him like that, Gordon was going to order him off the job and there would be zero possibility of the hall getting built on time.
“Are you done?” Gordon said.
Angus expelled a gusty breath. “Yes sir. I don’t want to offend you, but I won’t take back a word.”
To his amazement, Gordon chuckled. “I wouldn’t want you to. Good to hear you stand up for what you believe, and for Brianna. Go ahead and get more men from Coates if that’s what’s needed.”
“Um, he wanted you to call,” Angus said, a little dazed at this abrupt change of heart.
“All right, I guess I can do that.” Gordon started to turn away then paused. “Oh, and Angus. It’s true that John and I had a falling out years ago but it’s John’s ax to grind, not mine. I am peeved at him, but our old quarrel isn’t why.”
“Oh? What is the reason then?”
“He poached you away from me,” Gordon said. “He knew I planned to hire you after you finished college, and he deliberately offered you work while you were going to school, at a pay scale I can’t match. And now he’s hiring you full-time. I don’t begrudge you doing what’s best for yourself, or him for going after a good man, but I don’t like thinking that he did it partly to get at me. However, you’re right. I shouldn’t let that cloud my better judgement over the bigger picture.”
So John Coates really had been that petty and devious. And Gordon had been going to offer him a job? Oh, man. That was what he’d wanted all along, to come back to Sweetheart, to be with Brianna. Now it was too late. He’d given his word to Coates, and a verbal contract was as binding to him as one with a legal signature. Gordon himself had instilled that way of thinking in him. Many of Sweetheart Log Homes’s deals were done in good faith and on a handshake. In all the time Angus had known him, Gordon had never gone back on his word, or let anyone down.
“I don’t know what to say.” Angus ran a hand over his jaw.
“Nothing to say, son.” Gordon clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll call Coates and get those extra men on the payroll. Oh, and one other thing. I didn’t keep Brianna on reception a minute longer than she wanted to be there. I’m not sure why she stayed so long. Maybe she needed to figure some things out.”
“Okay, well, now I feel like a complete idiot. I’m sorry—”
Gordon held up a hand. “Don’t apologize. It didn’t do me any harm and probably did you some good to get that off your chest. I like a straight talker, not someone who kowtows to me because I’m the boss.”
“In that case, I’m glad we had this chat, Gordon.” Grinning, Angus shook hands, and got an amused smile in return.
As Gordon walked back to his car, Angus heard him on his phone. “John. Gordon Renton here. I’m going to take you up on those extra hands.”
*
Brianna sucked in the crisp morning air as she pounded the lake front path with long strides.
“Wait for me,” Sarah wailed, struggling to keep up. “You’re like a frigging gazelle today.”
“Feeling good. Feeling strong.” Brianna ran backward and pumped her fists, still euphoric after the kiss she’d shared with Angus last night. “Let’s go, you can do it.”
Then she noticed the ominous buildup of towering white clouds on the horizon and some of the high went out of her morning. The spell of sunny weather might be coming to an end. Were they in for a storm?
“Where did the Japanese delegation end up staying last night?” Sarah asked. “I felt bad running out on you.”
“At the Montreau Hotel. Turns out they had rooms reserved there. It took a while but we figured it out. The crate contains a cherry tree sapling, by the way, a present for the town.”
“How did they get it through customs?” Sarah wondered.
“Who knows? Don’t look a gift sapling in the mouth,” Brianna said. “We can have a tree planting ceremony in front of the community hall after the awards.”
“Should we take them to breakfast or something?” Sarah said. “Give them a map of the town so they can walk around?”
“I’ve asked my mom and dad to look after them, which they’re delighted to do,” Brianna told her. “Dad’s taking the morning off work to show them his beehive, and Mom is taking them to Will Starr’s orchard this afternoon for a tour and a rundown on his growing methods.”
“Do they know that the cherries we grow around here are for eating, not ornamental?” Sarah asked.
“They do now,” Brianna said. “I’m not sure if they realized that before they left home, but they don’t seem to care. They love all things to do with cherries.”
“What are they going to do for the rest of the week?” Sarah said.
“Mom says she’s happy to drive them around and show them the sights, take them shopping, whatever they want to do,” Brianna said. “Dad has a retired Japanese-American friend in Kalispell who can help with translating. It’s all sorted out.”
“All good then,” Sarah said happily.
“Certainly is.” Brianna gave a little skip.
“What’s got you so energized today?” Sarah said, suddenly curious. “Did something happen with Angus?”
“We went fishing yesterday.” Brianna smiled, remembering how dreamy he looked bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
“And?” Sarah cocked an eyebrow.
“We caught a five-pound cutthroat.”
“Go on.” Sarah gestured for her to keep the story rolling.
“We barbecued it at my place and had dinner together.”
“Cut to the chase,” Sarah prompted impatiently.
“Isn’t that enough?” Brianna said innocently.
“Brianna! You don’t get that blissed-out expression from barbecuing fish.”
“He kissed me. Or maybe I kissed him. I’m not sure which. It just seemed to happen.”
“Nice?” Sarah was wistful.
“Very.”
They reached the end of the lake path, and turned around to go back, jogging a little more slowly now.
“So is it official, are you guys back together?” Sarah asked.
“No, oh no.” Brianna frowned at her. “Don’t you dare say anything to anyone. I don’t know what’s going to happen. Maybe nothing.”
“How does he feel?”
“I think he might want to get back together, but he’s preoccupied with building the hall, and I’m run off my feet organizing the festival. And…” Brianna added, her shoulders slumping. “He’s got this amazing job to go to in Sacramento.”
“You could go with him…” She trailed away at Brianna’s agonized expression of longing and regret.
“I could—assuming he asked me to—but I love what I’m doing here,” Brianna said. “Oh, I know I’m not going to stay in the tourist department of Sweetheart forever. Once I get it set up and running nicely, I’ll move on, hopefully to bigger and better things, but locally. I don’t want to move away from Sweetheart.”
“Does he know that?”
“I’ve mentioned it, but we haven’t talked about the future. Everything is still up in the air. At the moment we’re enjoying each other’s company. It’s fun and exciting. I… I’m falling in love all over again. It’s the most amazing feeling, like walking on air.”
“Stop for a second,” Sarah said, coming to a halt. “And come here. I’m so happy for you.” She pulled Brianna into a big hug.
Brianna clung to her, laughing even as a few tears spill
ed over. Then she dabbed at her eyes. “Sorry, I’m super emotional these days. I’m happy, too, but also very aware it could end in real tears when his time here is up.”
“You’ll work something out,” Sarah said.
“I hope so.” They walked the rest of the way to their cars. “How did your visit with Len’s brother go the other day? What’s his name?”
“Daniel.” Sarah shook her head. “It’s too much to get into right now. We need to get to work.”
Brianna gave her friend a sidelong glance. Sarah had made an excuse not to talk about her meeting with Daniel the other day, too. What wasn’t she telling her?
“After the festival is over, we’ll have a girls’ night and you can tell me all about it.” Brianna opened her car door. “In the meantime, where should we display some of the cherry blossom photos?”
“I think we should hang them in the hall,” Sarah said. “If it’s finished.”
“It’ll be finished,” Brianna said. “Angus promised.”
“Do we have a backup plan?”
“Cody Starr said we could use his barn.”
“Wouldn’t that smell of cows?”
“Probably,” Brianna admitted.
“So, no backup plan.”
“I have faith in Angus.” Even as she spoke, her phone pinged. “Speak of the angel. He just texted me. ‘Worker problems solved. All systems go on the hall.’ There, what did I tell you? The man’s a genius.”
*
First thing Brianna did when she got to the office was to call Mayor Kimble.
“Jerry? Brianna Renton here. We have some Japanese guests here for the cherry blossom festival. They just arrived last night.”
“You’re certainly spreading the word far and wide about this festival,” Jerry Kimble said. “Excellent job.”
She went on to fill him in on her idea of cherry blossom sister cities. “They brought a tree from their town to plant in Sweetheart. Would you, as mayor, like to show them special recognition?”
“That’s a fine idea,” Mayor Kimble said. “I’ll present them with a key to the city. Can we give them a sapling to take home?”
“I’ll talk to Will Starr.” Brianna finished the call and then spent the rest of the morning finalizing the schedule for the festivities and getting the programs to the printer for a rush job. Saturday was going to be the big day with markets, food stalls, picnicking in the Starr orchards, an art show at the high school, and in the afternoon the tree planting ceremony, the barbecue, and, later on, the dance. They’d decided not to have a parade because the Cherry Harvest festival in July had a parade and one cherry-related parade in a year was probably enough. Sunday would be more relaxed, and with all the official events over, people would be free to tour orchards and browse the market stalls.
