Avalee's Gift

by Linda Apple

  He rose and shook her hand. “Here’s my card. Anytime you need input, feel free to contact me.”

  With the adoring eyes of a green-eyed golden retriever, she breathlessly whispered, “Thank you so much.”

  Lexi strode to Nathan’s side. “It’s been real nice, sugar. Night, night, now.”

  Startled out of her worshipful trance, Skye glanced at Lexi. “Yes. Right. Thank you for inviting me tonight.”

  “Hey, Scott, need a ride home?” Ty tossed Skye her coat. “Pretty cold out there.”

  “Sure, thanks.”

  Skye turned to her dad. “What about Nathan? I’m sure he’d like a ride.”

  Lexi put her arm around Nathan’s waist. “He is staying here, hon.”

  A crimson blush burned Skye’s cheeks. “Oh, well, goodbye.”

  Nathan nodded and Lexi fluttered her fingers. “Bye y’all.”

  The ride home was quiet. Lord, what have we started?

  ****

  In the darkness before dawn, Momma and I nursed our first cup of coffee when Nathan gently tapped on the kitchen door window.

  “It’s Nate.” My brain hadn’t absorbed enough caffeine jolts to clear out my slumber smog. Momma, on the other hand, had coffee poured and handed it to him before he could step inside. “Morning. You look like you could use this.”

  “Bless you dear, dear, woman.” He took a long sip. “Scott ready?”

  “Ready.” Scott bustled through the door with his bag. “I smell coffee. Please tell me you have coffee.”

  “Here ’tis.” Momma handed him a to-go cup and poured another for Nathan. “Y’all need to be alert for that long drive to Memphis.”

  Nate hugged her. “Thanks again. I’ll take good care of Scotty boy for you.”

  “You do that.” She hugged Scott. “And I’ll get right to work on that list you gave me.”

  “Good. I’ll be back for the wedding. We’ll put it together then. Plan on me staying a few weeks.”

  “I look forward to it, hon.” Momma handed him a sack. “Something for y’all to snack on.”

  Scott picked me up in a big hug. “Love you girl.”

  I held onto him. “I love you, too. See you in May.” When Scott put me down, I turned to Nathan. “You, too, right? You’re planning on coming to the wedding?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it. And I hope to talk with Skye again. It’s refreshing to speak with someone who keeps current.”

  Scott looked at the ceiling then back at Nate. “What you really mean is, it’s refreshing to speak with someone who keeps current on you.”

  “Exactly. She’s a smart girl.” Nathan waved and walked outside. Scott followed him and called over his shoulder, “Bye y’all.”

  Momma laughed. “There’s hope for you yet, Scotty-boy.” When she closed the door she asked, “Now what’s this about Ty’s daughter and that Wolfe fellow?”

  “Mutual admiration, that’s about it.” At least I hoped that was all it was.

  ****

  My mental fog refused to lift. Coffee clearly wasn’t helping me wake up. I supposed two last-minute whirlwind weddings in one month and the emotional baggage handed to me by one Emma Jackson had taken their toll.

  “Momma, I think I’ll go back to bed for a while.”

  “You do that sugar. I’m going to whip up a batch of cookies for Junie and AJ. Then I might rest my eyes, too. Seems lately my get up and go has petered out.”

  “I’ll be at Ty’s this evening, so don’t worry about making me any supper. Just rest, okay.”

  “All right, hon.”

  While I trudged up the stairs, I thought about what Mom said. She really needed to see Doctor Derrick and ask him to do some blood work. Maybe she was low on iron, or had some kind of vitamin D deficiency. Or maybe she was just as tired as I was from all the holiday celebrations. I’d think about all that later. For now, I just needed to crawl under my comforter and crash.

  Hours later, I woke with a clear mind and energy to spare. I checked the time—two o’clock. I had an hour and a half to get ready before I left for Ty’s. Tonight we would dream and plan our wedding. This called for a hot bubble bath and a cold glass of chardonnay. I ran my bath before going downstairs for wine. On the way, I checked to see if Mom was in her chair. She wasn’t. She wasn’t in the kitchen either. But the plate of cookies was gone which meant she was probably playing with Junie. I wished I could have given her a grandchild. That thought was just enough for guilt to raise its head, which I quickly quenched. “Oh no. Not now. Not tonight.”

  Upstairs, I slipped out of my clothes and into the exquisite mango-pear scented bubbles. While soaking, I sipped my wine and imagined what my wedding might look like. What would be blooming in May? What style dress should I wear being an older, first-time bride? Did I want an outdoor ceremony or have it in the mansion? Who would give me away?

  My throat tightened. I missed Dad. How he would have loved to see me finally happy and married. I pictured us walking down the aisle smiling at each other, arm-in-arm. But he was gone. I stared at the faucet. A drip formed on the edge then fell into the bubbles while another formed. Gone? Perhaps from my sight, but he was still present, and I knew I would see him again. I stopped the drips with my toe and leaned back until the water grew tepid.

  Reluctantly, I climbed out of the tub. After wrapping myself in a soft, oversized towel, I slathered myself with shea butter and hummed the tunes from Jema’s reception, which made me wonder, what kind of music should I have? So much to discuss. Smiling, I hurried to get dressed.

  Mom still wasn’t home when I left the house. Could she still be at AJ’s? I had to set my mind at ease so I jogged across the street and up the steps to the porch then tapped on the door. AJ answered. “Hello, Ms. Preston. Come in.”

  “Hi AJ. And please, call me Avalee.” I noticed Momma on the rocking chair with Junie on her lap. Telling one of her stories no doubt. I turned to AJ. “I came over looking for Momma and I see my instincts were right on target.”

  He smiled in their direction. “She’s a fine woman.” Glancing around the house, he shook his head. “All of you are fine women. I still cannot believe all of…”—he gesticulated with his arms—“…of this.”

  “You are an answer to our prayers, AJ. Momma and Felix need help, and Jema needed someone to stay in her house while she is gone. And I hope when she returns, you will have decided to stay in Moonlight.

  He palmed his eyes. “You folks are a blessing for sure.”

  “Well,” I crossed my arms. “There is one little requirement to living here and it needs to be attended to as soon as possible.”

  His rich brown eyes held such gratitude. “Anything. Just tell me.”

  I pointed to Junie. “Get that girl a puppy.”

  Laughing, he nodded. “I’ll do that. We will go to the pound tomorrow.”

  Waving at mom, I called. “I’ll be at Ty’s.”

  “Okay, sugar. Take your time. Felix, AJ, and my little junebug here are coming over for supper.”

  Not surprised. Not surprised at all. How I loved my little momma.

  ****

  Ty met me at the door before I could even knock and pulled me into his embrace. While he kissed me, he shut the door with his foot. That kiss led to another, and then another. Plans? What plans? All I wanted was him.

  When at last we caught our breaths and cleared our minds, Ty poured two glasses of Shiraz. “Before we talk about our wedding, I want to show you something.”

  “Sure.” The Shiraz’s essences of spice and fruit warmed my tongue and throat. “What is it?”

  He sat beside me with his laptop. “These are the pictures I took at the reception. I tried to contrast the two dichotomies.” He pointed to the picture on his screen of a homeless woman standing against the ballroom’s heavy brocade curtains as if trying to hide her clothes while staring longingly at Lexi’s dress. “Here we have Lexi totally unaware of this woman. The woman from the tent town is very aware of her surrounding
s. But Lexi isn’t. Mainly because she has a home, a pantry full of food and a closet full of clothes. This is her normal. She truly doesn’t realize how good she has it.”

  “But,” I felt I needed to defend my friend, “Lexi is very generous and—”

  Ty held up his hand. “That’s not what I’m wanting to point out. What I tried to portray is how we take things for granted because they are commonplace. We don’t know what we have until it’s gone. Like this woman. She hasn’t always been homeless.” He enlarged the picture. “Look at her eyes. It feels as if she is remembering a time when she could walk into her closet and choose from several dresses. Now, she has to either wear everything she owns to keep them from being stolen, or perhaps she only has that one dress.”

  Ty’s photo and his words struck my very soul. I wanted to take everything in my closet and give it all to that woman. I felt sure his picture preached a better sermon than any that were given last Sunday in Moonlight’s churches.

  “We all take things for granted. For instance, did you bathe last night?”

  Where was he going with this? “Yes, and today before I came. Why?”

  “Did you stop to think you were bathing in warm, drinking-quality water?”

  “No. I didn’t.” But I knew I would from now on.

  “One billion people in this world do not have clean water to drink, much less bathe in.” He put his arm around me. “This is why I’m so passionate about photography. I can make a visual connection for people and motivate them. I believe I can make a positive difference. I just feel it deep inside me.”

  I touched his lips with my finger and gazed at his beautiful face. “I know you can. I have no doubts. I love your heart, Tyler Jackson. I believe in you, my love.” And I did, so deeply. So passionately.

  He continued to scroll through the other photos. I set my wine down and leaned forward squinting at the other images. He caught AJ being told he had a house, his dumfounded expression, the tiny tear coursing its way down the side of his face. Junie’s unmitigated joy when she was told she could have a puppy. Photo after photo told stories of hopelessness and dashed dreams to hope of new beginnings and brighter futures.

  I wiped my cheeks. “These are so incredible and so heartbreaking.

  “I know.” He closed the lid of his computer.

  An idea formed in my mind. “Would you send these to me? I want to show them to Mom.”

  “Sure.” Ty refilled our glasses. “Now, let’s talk wedding.”

  Two hours later, we had everything planned. The ceremony would be held by the lake at twilight. I made a mental note to break this news to Molly Kate. Pastor Dixon would officiate. There would be hundreds of candles. For our flowers, I decided on all varieties of tulips, one of my favorite flowers. I had chosen them for Marc’s and my wedding, too. I have to admit I struggled against being a bit superstitious about them but told myself I was being silly. We would hold the reception either at the Country Club, or maybe at Molly Kate’s. Of course, we knew who my bridesmaids would be, but for groomsmen he chose Stan, Levi, and his best man would be Glen, of course. We still didn’t know who to ask to escort Lexi. I just didn’t know about Nate. I decided I wanted Felix to give me away. I had known him all my life. He’d worked side-by-side with my dad, making him the natural choice.

  The only sticking-point were his parents. Should we invite them? I suggested we should and give them the choice of accepting or declining.

  Ty shook his head. “No. I don’t want to invite them. Even if they don’t say a word, I don’t want to see their sour faces.” So, at this impasse we decided to take a wait and see approach.

  As I prepared to leave, I had a wild hair idea. “Ty? Do you think Skye would want to be a bridesmaid?”

  “I think she would love it.”

  “Okay, I’ll ask her.” Asking her just seemed right. Right now, everything seemed right.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dreams do not always just happen, sometimes you have to give them a nudge.

  ~Avalee Preston

  January eased into a cold slumber. Perfect for sitting by the fire with coffee and a pile of gardening catalogs. It was time to put my plan for saving Preston Gardens from going under into action. After all, this was my original reason for leaving my home in New York and returning to Moonlight in the first place. I never expected to fall in love with Ty. What a wonderful surprise.

  I had come up with the idea of creating a combined flower and farmer’s market open every Saturday. The first Saturday of the month would be a festival with activities for children, all sorts of demonstrations such as floral arranging, landscaping, and cooking unique veggies, even edible flowers. We would also have plants, bushes, and trees of such unusual varieties that no other farm store, big box stores, hardware stores, or greenhouses in the south would be able to match us.

  Mom and I decided to call our event Moonlight Market—Treasures from the Earth. We felt this would give us more flexibility and give us the option to include the arts. I had my business plan ready for when we met with Mayor Campbell and the city planners about our idea and get that pesky zoning law out of the way. The town square was too small to hold this event and we had plenty of space on our property. Besides, as host, Preston Gardens would benefit from all the business generated. I had a killer pitch ready and knowing the mayor’s passion for putting Moonlight on the map as a prime tourist spot, I had no worries. Easy peasy.

  I lifted my mug to my lips. Empty. Also the flames in the hearth had succumbed to glowing coals. Time for a refill of both wood and gingerbread latte. After I had the fire roaring again and a steaming cup in my hands, I turned on my laptop and noticed a file from Ty. The pictures I asked him to send. It was time to put my idea into action and email Scott. Settling on the couch, I began my note:

  Hi Handsome!

  How is everything in NYC? Cold? As Momma would say, it is so cold here dogs are sticking to the hydrants. Before you can ask, the answer is yes. I’m getting my southern on quite well, thank you.

  The reason I’m writing is to ask a favor. Attached are a few pictures Ty took at Jema’s reception. Remember how I told you Ty tells stories with his photos? I’ve sent some superb examples. As you know, because of the friendships Levi made while living in the homeless community, he asked many of them to the reception. He was especially close to two from that community, AJ Mayfield and his little daughter, Junie. You may remember Jema offered them her home, rent free, for as long as she lives in Italy, which will be well over a year, and that Mom gave AJ a job. The pictures I’m sending were taken when AJ found out he was getting a home and a job. Also one of Junie when she was promised a puppy. Others are of contrasts, but I won’t say any more about the story Ty tried to tell. I want to see if you can guess what he was trying to portray.

  So, here’s the deal. If you agree with me that Ty has exceptional talent, would you show these to the right people? It would be beyond awesome if he received national recognition for his work if for no other reason than to prove to his parents that he has amazing talent and could be successful in his own right. I’d love to see him moved from under Marc’s shadow. Since I know you will agree with me—I know you that well—thank you in advance. :)

  I owe you…again.

  “Hi baby.”

  I looked up as Momma shuffled through the family room door. Something about her didn’t look right. “Hey. You feel okay?”

  She flipped her hand. “I’m fine. Just tired. Your momma’s getting old. I just can’t seem to get my ducks in a row since Christmas.”

  A wave of worry crossed my mind. This didn’t look tired. It looked like something much worse. It had been coming on so gradually, but now, whatever was wrong with her, had come to fruition with a vengeance.

  “Here.” I jumped up and dragged a chair close to the fire. “Sit down and rest a bit. Can I get you anything?”

  “I’d love a big glass of ice water. I just can’t seem to quench my thirst these days.” She sank down
in the chair. “And of course that means I have to go to the bathroom. Lordy, half my day and most my night is spent sitting on the pot.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Thirsty and tired. I’d read about these symptoms but couldn’t remember what caused them. Whatever it was, I sensed the urgency of it.

  When I returned, I gave Mom her water. “Momma, why don’t you make an appointment with Doctor Derrick?”

  She waved me off. “Oh pshaw. He can’t do nothing about old age.”

  I watched while she gulped down the water. “But what if it isn’t old age?”

  “Mercy, child. You worry too much.” She pointed to my Mac. “Now get on with what you were doing. I think I’ll just rest my eyes a bit.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  By the time I finished my email, Momma was sound asleep. Her head sagged to her shoulder. She’d surely get a crick in her neck if she stayed in that position. I tucked a small pillow between her neck and ear, then propped her feet on a stool and covered her with a throw. She didn’t flinch. Her purring snores were even and deep. I watched her a while. Whether she liked it or not she would soon have an appointment with Doctor Derrick if I had any say in it.

  ****

  The next morning, much to my relief, Momma seemed pert as always. She was dressed and ready for the town council meeting. “Morning, sugar. Coffee?”

  “Please.”

  She brought my cup to me. “You look mighty pretty. All spiffied up in that suit.”

  Before I answered her, I fortified myself with a deep sip. “I think our proposal for the flower market is in the bag, but it never hurts to look professional.”

  Momma carried a plate of sliced cinnamon loaf to the table and sat in a chair. “This is the last of the Christmas goodies. Best they not go to waste.”

  I reached for a piece and pointed to my stomach. “Oh, they will go to waist all right.”

  “Oh, poo. You look better than you have in months.” She nibbled at the corner of her slice. “You were so skinny when you came home, you had to stand up twice to make a shadow.”