April Showers

by Holly Jacobs

  Mattie snagged the giant puppy, who didn’t slow down until Mattie tumbled over him and landed next to the dog. Everyone laughed, Mattie included. She sat in the dirt next to Bear, who was licking the grime from her cheeks and leaving them streaked with mud. An errant piece of straw stuck out of her friend’s blond hair.

  Mattie looked one more time in Finn’s direction, and there was no room for doubt in Lily’s mind.

  Mattie loved Finn. And as Lily glanced at her friend, Dr. Finn Wallace—who, to the best of Lily’s knowledge, never let anyone get too close—looked at Mattie with such raw emotion there in his expression that she knew he loved Mattie.

  Sophie stood beside Colton at the edge of the crowd, as if pulled next to him by some form of gravity.

  Lily sighed.

  Here were two couples who defined what love should be.

  When she saw them together, she believed that love—a gentle, lasting kind of love—did exist.

  She’d hold on to that belief.

  Not that she held on to it for herself. She might refuse to live in fear, but she also acknowledged that she didn’t think she could ever trust a man as fully as Sophie trusted Colton and Mattie obviously trusted Finn. She didn’t have it in her. Sure, she enjoyed dating, but she’d never tie herself down. Once, she’d thought she could get beyond her past and give someone that kind of commitment, but she’d learned the hard way that she couldn’t. She’d hurt herself—worse, she’d hurt someone else, as well.

  She’d decided then and there not to even try for love.

  When she’d moved here, she hadn’t given much thought to the fact that there was such a limited pool of eligible bachelors.

  That lack hadn’t bothered her, until now.

  And looking at Finn and Mattie, as well as Colton and Sophie, it suddenly bothered her very much.

  She drifted away from Sebastian and turned the corner of the house, wanting to put a bit of space between herself and everyone else. She needed a minute to regroup.

  She smiled when she saw the old swing that was strung on a huge log suspended between two trees.

  The ropes that held the swing looked a bit too old to be trusted, but everything in Lily wanted to sit down on that swing and see how high she could make it go. She gave it a tentative push.

  “I wouldn’t try it.”

  She looked behind her and saw that Sebastian had followed. She said, “I can see it’s not quite trustworthy.”

  “You like swings.” It was a statement. As if he’d learned something about her.

  She realized he was right. For her, a swing was a symbol of safety, of comfort. She couldn’t count how many times while she was growing up she’d found refuge on the swings behind her house.

  When she didn’t answer, he said, “The other night, when you were upset about Abbey, you were on the glider, which frankly isn’t in much better shape than this swing.”

  “It’s only a swing,” she said. “I—”

  “There you are,” Sophie gushed. “Oh, don’t you sit on that swing. I’ve been after Colton to either put up new ropes or take the whole thing down. I don’t want someone to swing on it and have it fall apart. Sebastian, could you loop it over a branch or something? Let’s get it out of the kids’ reach.”

  “Sure thing. I’m not sure Mattie or Finn would survive another trip to the emergency room with one of the kids.” Sebastian heaved the swing over a branch with his right arm. His left steadied it, but even that was a lot and he grunted from the exertion, or maybe from the pain.

  Lily wanted to ask if he was okay but knew he wouldn’t thank her for it, especially not in front of a witness.

  “And you,” Sophie said, grabbing Lily by the hand and tugging her back toward the party. “Come on. We need to find Mattie so we can discuss our group fitting. We have the appointment on Wednesday, if that still works. Mattie has the coffee shop covered. I thought we’d make a day of it...”

  Lily glanced back at Sebastian, who was rubbing his left hand with his right one while he grimaced.

  It had definitely been pain.

  She wondered if he had a script for pain medication or if he was medicating himself with over-the-counter analgesics.

  She’d really like to ask, but she was learning. He’d seemed so much better with her since their basketball game. Not as suspicious and certainly not as...well, mad.

  She didn’t want to rock the boat.

  * * *

  SEBASTIAN RUBBED HIS lower left arm as he watched Sophie drag Lily back toward the crowd. He glanced up to where he’d tossed the swing over one of the maple’s lower branches. He was pretty sure it was high enough to be out of the way of the kids.

  He stared at the giant trees that shaded this side of the house. There used to be two swings side by side, but only this one remained. Sebastian wasn’t surprised that Colton left it up when he’d bought this farm from his grandfather.

  When they were young, he used to come out here in the summer with Finn and Colton supposedly to help out. But helping out generally turned into playing within short order. The two swings hung from a log that stretched between the two maples, the wooden planks suspended from thick ropes.

  They’d twist the swings until the ropes groaned from the tension, then one of them would climb on and they’d let it go.

  Around and around they’d spin.

  Not a care in the world.

  Somewhere in the copse of trees behind the house there were probably the remains of their old clubhouse. They’d built it from old pallets and other scraps of wood. It sat on a hill by the creek that ran down to the lake. As an adult, it seemed logical to him that the creek feed into Lake Erie. But as a kid, he’d been curious. He wanted to know where the creek led. He’d talked Finn and Colton into following it with him. It couldn’t have been more than a mile, but for three young boys, it was a sublime and epic adventure.

  They’d packed a knapsack with supplies. Thermoses, snacks and sandwiches. They hadn’t even gone a quarter of a mile before he’d fallen into a water hole, soaking their sandwiches and snacks. But they’d made it to the lake. They’d all gone skinny-dipping, then trudged back home along the creek’s path.

  They’d returned to the clubhouse, three hungry, muddy messes, but none of the adults had ever found out what they’d done that day.

  Looking back, Sebastian realized what a great childhood he’d had. His grandfather had taken Sebastian away from his mom and kept him here in Valley Ridge. Hank had given him the opportunity to be a kid.

  Sebastian was back to thinking about his grandfather’s problems. Lily was right about Hank. Sebastian felt guilty for lashing out at her because there was something wrong with Hank.

  That thought weighed heavily on his mind as he returned to the party. He scanned the yard, looking for his grandfather, then spotted Hank down by the barn listening earnestly to something Mickey was saying.

  Finn came up and clapped Sebastian on his good shoulder. “Your grandfather’s still great with the kids.”

  “He is, isn’t he?” Something might be wrong, but maybe it wasn’t permanent. Lily was right. It could be medications or something else entirely. Just because Hank was confused a time or two didn’t mean he had Alzheimer’s.

  Finn jerked his head in the direction of a vacant makeshift picnic table that consisted of a couple sawhorses with boards on top, surrounded by lawn chairs.

  Sebastian understood the invitation and followed him over to it. They each grabbed a chair and Finn said, “So we need to talk about what we’re going to do for Colton’s bachelor party.”

  Sebastian had known he and Finn needed to plan something, but he couldn’t help but groan. “I am so past the age where a wild night of drinking is my idea of fun.”

  “So am I,” Colton said as he came up behind them, then pulled up another chair and joined them. “I know traditionally the groomsmen plan the night, but if I’m not stepping on any toes, I have a suggestion.”

  “It’s your wedding..
.your stag. We’re all ears,” Finn said.

  “I have a friend from Erie. Well, not from Erie anymore. He moved outside town to Whedon,” Colton said. “Anyway, Tyler got married a couple years ago and he didn’t have a stag. He had a Stag and Drag. It was basically a big party for male and female friends of the couple. No crazy-drinking night. No strippers. They rented out a room at a bar and hung out. I don’t think there’d be enough of us to need a room, but we could get a reservation someplace fun and go out for a night on the town.”

  “That’s what you want? You’re sure?” Sebastian asked.

  Colton nodded. “Sophie and I talked about it and we thought that rather than a stag or bachelorette party, we’d all head into Buffalo. Like I said, someplace fun. Not a ton of people. The bridal party, maybe Mattie’s brother, since he’s now my partner, and probably Ray, too. I know Maeve and Dylan might want to come, as well.”

  “What’s Maeve doing these days?” Sebastian asked. He couldn’t even count the times he’d been in the principal’s office and seen her there. No one ever knew what she’d done. Rumors swirled, and more than once, he knew he was blamed for dragging Maeve into trouble. But he’d never dated her, much less gone out with her. They’d been friendly, that was all.

  Maeve Buchanan had been a mystery then.

  “She works in Ripley at a winery and has single-handedly reopened the library,” Colton explained.

  It might strike some people as odd that the town’s bad girl was now a librarian, but in addition to spending a lot of time in the principal’s office, his keenest memory of her involved her nose in a book.

  “And Dylan?” That name didn’t sound familiar.

  “Valley Ridge’s new cop. One of three for the county,” Colton answered. “I’m not sure why, but everyone refers to him as The Sheriff.”

  “Hmm, Mr. Cowboy Hat, let’s guess who started that?” Sebastian mused.

  Finn said, “I seem to recall when we were young you were always the cowboy. Do you remember when you roped Mrs. Stevenson’s goat?”

  Colton took the ribbing with good humor. “That goat was in the garden, so I was performing a public service. As for the hat—” he took it off and tipped it “—I’m out in the field all day and needed something. It was either this or one of those wide-brimmed Amish hats that a couple of the shops have. The cowboy hat won out.”

  “You couldn’t have gone with a baseball cap?” Sebastian asked.

  Colton put the hat back on his head. “No. The back of my neck would still have taken a beating.”

  “Yeah, it’s all about the back of your neck and not that you’ve always had a thing for cowboys,” Finn teased. “Remember when he was a kid that cowboy sleeping bag he got one year?”

  Sebastian nodded. “I’m surprised he’s running a vineyard and not a cattle ranch. Do farmers in Valley Ridge ever need to rope their herds?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Finn assured him. “Colton would show those cows who’s boss.”

  “You know, I’m sitting here, hat on head, ignoring your japes and asking what you think about the Stag and Drag. I don’t want to deprive you both of a traditional guy’s night if that’s what you want.”

  Sebastian looked at Finn and they both nodded. “Stag and Drag it is.”

  “We could head into Buffalo to The Anchor Bar for wings,” Finn suggested. “I’m sure I can get us a reservation.”

  Sebastian watched his boyhood friends as they talked about the night out in Buffalo and challenged each other to a wing-off.

  For a moment, it was hard to believe he’d ever left Valley Ridge.

  For a moment, it was almost as if everything was still the same.

  Maeve Buchanan was still here, still reading books, even if she wasn’t getting called to the principal’s anymore. He’d seen the former mayor, Stanley Tuznik, as a crossing guard near the school the other day. JoAnn still lived down the street in a house that looked like Hank’s but was bigger. The Five and Dime was still where everyone shopped, despite the chain stores in close proximity.

  Finn and Colton continued to snipe and tease.

  Things changed, but they stayed the same.

  Maeve didn’t only read books; she ran the library now. Mattie’s brother was the mayor. JoAnn’s big house was now a B and B. The Five and Dime was now Quarters, due to inflation was Marilee and Vivienne’s quip.

  And Colton was getting married, while Finn was a surgeon in Buffalo.

  The same, but different.

  Sebastian glanced around Colton’s yard, admiring it and his family and friends. He spotted Hank walking by one of the fields with Finn’s nephew, Mickey, and felt a spurt of nervousness. The worry he felt for his grandfather reminded him that things were not the same with Hank. They’d changed and not for the better.

  Lily was talking to Mattie and Sophie, but she gave him a look and a slight nod toward the field, and he knew she’d seen Hank, too, and that she was worried.

  “Where do you think they’re going?” he asked the guys.

  Colton followed where Sebastian was pointing. “Oh, I bet Mickey’s showing Hank my surprise for Sophie out beyond the fields. There’s not anything Mickey can get into...or Hank.” He laughed, not realizing that Hank getting into trouble was exactly what Sebastian had been concerned about.

  Sebastian gave Lily a slight nod to let her know it was okay.

  And he realized that things had indeed changed, but he was lucky. Lily was one of the changes, and despite the hard time he’d given her initially, she was a good addition to Valley Ridge.

  * * *

  “SO WILL THAT WORK for you, Lily?” Sophie asked.

  Lily had been so caught up with worrying about Hank that she’d lost track of the conversation. She struggled to remember where they were....

  “Sure. I’ll do some juggling with appointments and should be fine. That’s one of the bonuses of working for myself.” She smiled as if she didn’t really mind the juggling. She only had a couple patients who had to be seen on Wednesday, but she’d simply see them after the dress fitting. Miss Helen was particularly fond of wedding plans. She’d love being the first to hear how beautiful Sophie looked in her dress.

  Lily didn’t need to wait until Wednesday to know that Sophie would be stunning.

  “Great. Call me if you have to reschedule for a weekend when Finn’s around to help with the kids.” Sophie seemed about to explode with happiness. “I can’t believe it’s almost here. Me and Colton. Getting married. I never thought I’d be doing this. I never thought I’d be a bride. A bride who practically oozes her bride-ishness all over her friends. I will probably squeal and cry a bit when I put on the dress. I know, you both will be shocked when I do.” She gave a little prequel squeal, as if she wanted to be sure she was prepared.

  “Sophie, I don’t think you’ve ever met an emotion you didn’t embrace wholeheartedly,” Mattie said, smiling indulgently at their friend.

  Lily had to agree. But suddenly Sophie’s bubbles of excitement popped and she got more serious than Lily had ever seen her. “When I was younger, I wasn’t permitted to do either. Proper young ladies didn’t giggle. They certainly didn’t cry in public or dance with glee. I was a good daughter and tried to obey all my parents’ rules, but they...” Sophie let the sentence fade, but it was easy to see that whatever her parents had done had deeply hurt her.

  Lily understood that no matter how hard you tried to walk away from your past, it could haunt you.

  But the moment passed and Sophie smiled, though it was an expression that didn’t quite reach her eyes, as if the pain, once remembered, took some time to forget. “I vowed when I got older and could do what I wanted to that I’d never be a proper young lady. Thankfully, a certain farmer who’s fond of cowboy hats doesn’t mind that this is the result.” And just as quickly as the bubbles popped, they were back as she bowed with a flourish. It was as if thinking about Colton wiped away whatever pain she still carried.

  “So let’s talk about We
dnesday,” Sophie said. “I think we should go to the fitting first. That way I won’t be tempted to pass up dessert in order to fit into my dress. I so hope it fits. That it looks the way I thought it would look. I know getting married here at Colton’s doesn’t require a Cinderella gown. The one you two helped me pick out is simple and it...”

  Sophie talked about dresses and lunch. Her excitement and joy were overflowing, and Lily felt...happy.

  Lily knew that Sebastian mocked the fact that she looked for the bright side—that she concentrated on sunshiny rainbows. To be honest, sometimes finding that silver lining was hard.

  She’d seen her friend struggle to let go of her past and regain her bubbly side.

  Well, Lily might not wear every emotion she had on her sleeve, but she could ignore her past and embrace glasses half-full and clouds with silver linings.

  Maybe, someday, she’d be able to get Sebastian to look at the bright side again.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ON MONDAY SEBASTIAN picked up his first official shift at the diner—it was only a four-hour one. Lily had scheduled him for washing dishes, which included busing tables. Washing the dishes wasn’t so bad after he worked out a trick. He put a rubber mat in the sink. It held the dishes in place with very little input from his left hand while his right hand scrubbed them.

  And when he bused the tables, he propped the handle of the bus pan against his left forearm, using that, more than his hand, to carry it. His hand still hurt, and it was awkward, but it worked.

  “How’d it go?” Lily had asked with a smile, as if she was sure it had gone swimmingly.

  Well, Sebastian guessed it could be counted as a success if he ignored the fact that his hand was aching.

  “Pretty good” was all he’d said.

  “Still looking to pitch in, or did we break you today?”

  She was teasing, he knew it, but he couldn’t help but bristle because he felt more than slightly broken. “Sure, I’ll help,” he said with more enthusiasm than he felt.

  “Great. Red wants tomorrow night off, and none of the other cooks can work it. It’s been a while since you’ve handled the cooking, but this would only be a four-hour shift.”