Home on Apple Blossom Road (Life in Icicle Falls)

by Sheila Roberts

  Our Christmas was nice, with everyone here on Christmas Day. Eduardo and Maria came, too. We’re going to miss them sorely when they go back to Mexico next month. They’ve been with us since the first year we bought the orchard. But Maria’s mother isn’t doing well and they feel they need to help her. They don’t have much family left and they miss them. I certainly understand the pull of home. I sometimes wish I could split myself in two, with half of me living here and the other half in Pittsburgh with you all. Anyway, Anna’s going to stay in Icicle Falls. This is where she grew up and where she wants her daughter to grow up and, of course, it’s where her husband is.

  I’m afraid I still don’t think much of Gary as a husband, though. He’s not very attentive to her. I hear rumors about him, but rumors aren’t facts so I don’t say anything. He’s out of work again and not looking very hard for a new job, so Anna’s back checking groceries at Safeway while he sits at home and lets the dirty dishes pile up. I’ve promised Maria I’ll watch out for her. I’m not sure how I can do that, but I’m going to try.

  Dylan and Colin were here by themselves. Lauren has moved out. Can you imagine leaving your child behind? Colin is the most adorable toddler. I can’t begin to understand what she was thinking.

  Dylan doesn’t like to talk about it, but from what I can pry out of him, it sounds as if his career is the problem. Young lawyers have to work long hours and that’s taken its toll on his marriage. Still, there’s no excuse for this. I’m afraid Lauren is another one I never approved of. Mother, I must have some sort of second sight when it comes to people. There was something about that woman. Too self-centered? And she never liked coming over here, was always a reluctant participant in our family get-togethers. So wrong for Dylan. He barely smiled at all this visit. It breaks my heart.

  I brought up the idea of him leaving Seattle and moving back to Icicle Falls if things go south, and setting up a practice here. Of course, he won’t get rich doing that but at least then Bethie and I could help him with Colin. It would be good for Bethie. We’ll see what he does. One thing I know for sure, he’ll never take Lauren back.

  Why do young people these days have so much trouble finding the right person? That’s a question I can’t answer. Oh, Mother, it’s so hard having grown children. Sometimes I wish I could turn back the clock to when ours were little and I could keep them safe with me here at the orchard.

  Well, life goes on, and I’m going to do my best to help it go on well for those I love. Meanwhile, I’m enclosing snapshots of the family taken in front of the tree. Aren’t Colin and little Mia adorable? I hope they’ll grow up to be good friends.

  I’d better run. I love you and miss you and can hardly wait to see you next month.

  Love,

  Justine

  Chapter Three

  It wasn’t a chatty trip down the front walk. The silence felt about as comfortable as a jockstrap two sizes too small. Hardly surprising, considering how things had gone the last time Colin and Mia had seen each other. Ancient history, just like their breakup, but it sure was affecting current events.

  That had been eight years ago, at Aunt Beth’s surprise birthday party. By then they’d both moved on with their lives, so it shouldn’t have bothered him that she was sporting a big diamond on her left hand.

  It had. Even now, remembering that day still made him grind his teeth...

  * * *

  “Congratulations,” Colin said reluctantly as he and Mia stood at the buffet table in Gram’s little dining room. It was February and she was wearing jeans, sexy boots and a red sweater that for some reason reminded him of Valentines. It looked as soft as her skin and practically begged him to reach out and touch her. He didn’t. The ring on her finger made her off-limits. “Is it Arthur?” King Arthur, king of the girlfriend thieves.

  She blushed, the sure sign of a guilty conscience. “Yes. We just got engaged.”

  Of course it was Arthur. Colin had known there was something between them when he’d gone to visit her at school. He’d been right to break up with her, and here was the proof. A tornado of emotions swept through him—disappointment, bitterness, anger. Jealousy. He clenched his jaw in an effort to keep in the vitriol he wanted to spew.

  Jaw clenching didn’t work, and it spilled out. “So why are you here? Doesn’t he have a family that can adopt you?”

  Who said guys weren’t good with words? He could tell the shot had hit home by her pained expression. She shook her head. “And to think you used to be my hero.”

  Okay, what he’d said had been small and mean. He wished he could take the words back. What a jerk. Did he acknowledge that he was being a jerk? Nope. Instead, he said, “I guess you were hard up for heroes.”

  “I guess I was.”

  Her dad certainly hadn’t been one. Colin’s family was all she’d had growing up. Say you’re sorry, fool.

  Before he could get the words out, she left with her half-filled plate and went to sit by Gram. And she stayed near either her or Aunt Beth the rest of the day, making sure Colin had no opportunity to get near her.

  What did it matter, anyway? She was engaged.

  * * *

  Now Mia was back in Icicle Falls, this time with a naked ring finger.

  His phone rang. Lorelei again. He could feel his cheeks warming as he answered, “Hey, babe.”

  Mia finally decided to speak. “Babe?”

  He frowned and turned away.

  “Are you on your way home?” Lorelei asked.

  If only. “No. There’s been a complication.”

  “What kind of complication?”

  “I have to stay here a little longer.”

  “So you’re transferring deeds.”

  “You said you weren’t with anyone,” Mia said.

  “I said I wasn’t engaged,” he corrected her. What did she think, he’d been a monk all these years? Then, to Lorelei, “Not exactly.”

  “Are you with somebody?” Lorelei asked.

  He wasn’t sure how to classify Mia now. He opted for an answer that wouldn’t piss off Lorelei. “Just an old family friend.”

  “Male or female?”

  Why did women want to know stuff like that? “She’s...” How to explain Mia to Lorelei? He couldn’t even explain Mia to himself. “Someone I knew when we were kids,” he said, hoping to sidestep the question.

  “I don’t get why you have to stay there,” Lorelei said, sounding petulant.

  “I have to look for something.”

  There was a moment’s silence as she tried to translate that. “Look for something.”

  “What I’m inheriting. It’s how the will was set up.”

  “Where do you have to look?”

  “I don’t know yet. It’s like...a treasure hunt.” He cringed saying the words. This was seriously whacked.

  “Treasure. Like...buried treasure?”

  “I don’t know. This has to do with when I was a kid. My grandma always sent us looking for stuff.”

  “But you don’t know what you’re looking for now.”

  “Could be anything.” A year’s supply of coffee from Bavarian Brews, half interest in a racehorse—who knew? Whatever it was, he hoped it had more than sentimental value. Maybe, with a little bit of money...

  “How long will that take?”

  Lorelei’s voice yanked him back into the present. “I’m not sure.”

  “Well, then, I should come up and keep you company.”

  That was all he needed, Lorelei coming to Icicle Falls and meeting Mia. She’d be bound to jump to conclusions. “No, you don’t need to do that.”

  “I don’t mind. I hear they’ve got some really cute shops up there.”

  “Yeah, but what we’re doing is kind of time-consuming.”

  “You ca
n’t bring in outside help,” Mia reminded him.

  “I know,” he said between gritted teeth. “I’ve gotta go,” he told Lorelei. “I’ll call you later. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she said, her tone of voice adding that she didn’t like this new development.

  “You are seeing someone,” Mia accused as he put his cell phone in his jeans back pocket.

  “So? The will didn’t say I couldn’t be with someone.”

  And Lorelei was the best someone he’d been with in a long time. Still, he wasn’t ready to make a commitment, even though they’d been together for a year. She was starting to hint about rings and that made him nervous. Marriage hadn’t worked so well for Dad, and the one time Colin had jumped in with a ring, it hadn’t worked out well for him, either. It was a long fall once you took the big step, and whenever he peered over the edge of Cliff Matrimony, he got a good case of acrophobia.

  The last thing he wanted was to discuss his love life. He turned the spotlight on Mia. “Looks like what you had wasn’t so serious, after all.”

  “It didn’t work out,” she said, then picked up her pace and moved on down the street.

  Yeah, good old King Arthur hadn’t been much of a king. Colin fell in step beside her. “I’m sorry.” Except he wasn’t really. He’d never liked the guy and he’d been glad when he heard they’d broken up.

  She simply nodded and the uncomfortable silence returned. Things had never been like that between them. Well, not when they were younger, anyway. The memories of their last encounter gave his conscience a sharp poke. Apologize, fool.

  “Hey, listen, about what I said last time you were home.”

  She held up a hand. “Let’s not go there.”

  “I want to go there. I’m sorry I was a shit.” Eight years after the fact, but better late than never, right?

  Wrong. “We all have to be good at something, don’t we?” she said, clearly unwilling to forgive or forget.

  Well, he had a few bruises himself. “Maybe we can try for a cease-fire since we have to do this treasure hunt together, okay?”

  “Maybe,” she said, not making any promises. Then she heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m not being very nice.”

  No, she wasn’t, and that wasn’t like her, at least not the Mia he remembered. He shrugged. “No big deal.”

  “It was a long time ago,” she added.

  Yeah, it was. Old wounds shouldn’t hurt. But they did. Why was that? And why, after all this time, did he still want to reach out and touch her?

  Another wave of silence rolled in as they walked down the street toward Gram’s house. He launched a new conversational gambit. “So, you still like Chicago?”

  She nodded. “It’s a great city. Lots of wonderful restaurants, theaters, museums.”

  Of course she’d be all over the museums, brainiac that she was.

  “The botanic garden. You’d like that,” she said, making an effort. Then she abruptly shifted gears. “Why’d you end up in Seattle?”

  “I don’t know. Inertia, I guess.”

  She frowned.

  Yes, I am a loser.

  “Aunt Beth says you’re working in a warehouse.”

  She made it sound as if he was the world’s biggest underachiever. “There’s nothing wrong with working in a warehouse.” Good, honest work as Gramps would have said. Except it was a far cry from what he’d wanted to do.

  “No, of course not,” she hurried to agree. “I’m just surprised you ended up there. I would never have left Icicle Falls.”

  “Yeah? Well, you did.”

  Her cheeks turned red. “I mean, if I were you.”

  Now his cheeks felt a little warm. He’d started out with the best of intentions. After what had happened with them, he’d buckled down and finished his two-year degree, coming out with straight As. Then he’d shocked everyone by going on to Washington State University and getting a degree in horticulture, specializing in fruit and vegetable management. Yeah, he’d had dreams.

  But after that he got off track somehow, wound up following a college buddy to Seattle on the spur of the moment and taking a job in a warehouse. Good money and all that.

  He was still at the warehouse, and the good money never seemed to be enough. Living in the city was expensive. So was having a girlfriend.

  He kept talking about returning to Icicle Falls or somewhere in Eastern Washington and buying himself a small orchard. He had that hard-won degree from WSU, but the money he needed kept evading him. Dad had helped him get through school, but contrary to popular belief, not all lawyers were rich, and it wouldn’t have felt right to hit his father up for a loan. He had to lasso his dream by himself. Anyway, Dad had done enough.

  It was probably too much to hope that this treasure of Gram’s would turn out to be real treasure, like more stock options or bearer bonds. A few gold coins would be nice, or a couple thousand bucks. That would be a start.

  “I’ll get back someday,” he said. When the time was right. He pushed away the question of what if the time was never right.

  They reached the house, and a flood of memories whooshed out at him—mowing the lawn for Gram, sitting on the front porch step drinking her homemade lemonade, picking apples from the tree in the backyard. Even though she’d downsized, she’d still managed to find a house with an apple tree.

  Gram had moved here after she’d sold the orchard to pay for Gramps’s long-term care. It must have killed her to let it go, but when he’d asked her if she was okay, she’d put a smile on her face and said, “Home is where the heart is.” She’d proceeded to prove it by gathering her family for Sunday dinners and her famous homemade pies—cherry, banana cream, blackberry. And of course, apple. Blackberry with homemade ice cream was Colin’s favorite, and she always made one for the Fourth of July. Pie and ice cream and Sunday afternoons at Gram’s, the best.

  Colin remembered those Sundays, so full of innocent fun—trying to beat Uncle Mark at badminton, slurping root beer floats on the porch, sitting around the kitchen table, drinking hot cider and playing cards with his family on a snowy afternoon, grinning across the table at Mia like a fool.

  Like a fool. Boy, that was about it.

  They stepped inside, and he swore he could smell cinnamon from Gram’s apple crisp. He looked at Mia and saw that she was caught in the same memory trap.

  “I can still feel her here,” Mia said softly. She walked into the living room and ran a hand over the blue velvet couch that had been Gram’s pride and joy. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”

  “Eighty-six is a long time to live,” Colin said, trying to console both of them.

  “It is. I just wish she could’ve lived to see...” The sentence trailed off.

  “To see what?” Colin prompted.

  “Nothing.” She walked over to the bookcase that held Gram’s scrapbooks and photo albums.

  They’d spent a fair number of wintry Sunday afternoons going through those scrapbooks when they were kids, laughing at pictures of Aunt Beth as a pudgy, bespectacled tween, and then, as an adult, with her big eighties hair. Uncle Mark’s Mohawk had cracked them up, too. Colin had especially liked the shot of Dad with his Datsun 280Z. He was smiling, something he didn’t do a lot. Colin had also been fascinated by the pictures of Gramps, young and tough looking, wearing jeans and a white T-shirt with a pack of cigarettes rolled up in one sleeve, and of Gram, slim and pretty, posing in the apple orchard. Then there’d been the pictures of her at the town’s information booth, passing out leaflets advertising the new and improved Icicle Falls to tourists, pictures of her holding a pie and a blue ribbon at the county fair, pictures of her with various foster kids. And of course, pictures of the old orchard and farmhouse, starting from when Gram and Gramps first bought it back in 1960.

  The collection of scrapbooks had grown ove
r the years, adding memory after memory—Colin and Mia waving from the tree house Dad and Uncle Mark had helped them build in the old maple at the orchard house. Pictures of them in front of Gram’s Christmas tree, and out in the backyard at that same house with their Easter baskets. He knew there’d also be an album filled with shots of them when they were older—high school dances, parties, Mia’s graduation when he gave her the promise ring. He hoped Gram hadn’t hidden a clue in that photo album.

  * * *

  Mia took one of her favorite albums and settled on the couch with it. This one chronicled Colin’s and her grade-school years. She opened it and there they were, dressed up for Halloween, him as an eight-year-old superhero, her as a seven-year-old princess. Colin as a superhero summed up how she viewed him back then. He’d been her hero ever since he punched Billy Williams in the eye after Billy called her a dumb girl.

  “She’s not dumb. She’s smart, smarter than you,” Colin had said.

  “You like her,” Billy had taunted, and Colin had socked him.

  Mia had translated that as true love. Looking back, she knew it was more a case of true embarrassment, but at the time it had seemed very heroic. And maybe it was a little, since the dispute had started over whether or not to allow her into the newly constructed tree house.

  “Boys only,” Billy had insisted.

  “She helped build it. That makes her a boy,” Colin had reasoned.

  Mia’s heart had swelled with pride at the compliment. Oh, yes. Colin had been a true hero. They’d been so close as kids, best buddies. Now here they were, barely speaking. All thanks to Colin being such a quick-tempered skunkball. How many times had she told herself she was well rid of him after he’d broken up with her? Not enough, because now as he sat next to her with another album, here she was, feeling all tingly, just like she’d felt the first time he kissed her. No tingles. Stop that right now.

  The tingles were obviously hard of hearing.