The Last Bloom

by Roberta C. M. DeCaprio

  She arched a brow, suddenly serious. How could she have overlooked such an important factor? “That’s a good question, and one I’ve no answer for.”

  Nora’s face lit up, reminding her of all the times her bright ideas started out wonderful, but ended up with them in trouble. “I might have a solution.”

  “Nora Granger Dodd, keep me in suspense any longer, and I might find a wooden spoon.”

  Her friend laughed. “Remember, I can run faster than you.”

  She leaned forward in her seat. “Yes, but I pull hair harder.”

  Nora held up a surrendering hand, “All right, all right, you win. I was thinking how Mama’s little apartment, the one she occupied before she married Papa, might work out nicely for you and Brodie.”

  She frowned. “Are you referring to the quarters behind the General Store?”

  Nora nodded. “I’ve come to think of it as Eagle’s Landing’s rite of passage home for newlyweds.”

  “And why is that?” she prodded.

  “Right after Mary McCrea wed Jake Mulligan, they moved into the space, before permanently moving to Brooklyn, New York, that is,” Nora explained.

  “One of my classmates in England, by the name of Celeste Foster, was from New York City. She was the person who introduced me to nail polish,” she reflected. “I wonder how far away Brooklyn is from where Celeste lives in the city?”

  Nora shrugged. “I haven’t a clue, but New York sounds fascinating. Mary writes me about an underground railway system that takes folks all over the city, as well as an amusement park called Coney Island, which has all sorts of grand attractions to enjoy.”

  She sighed. “I miss Mary. The three of us always had so much fun together.”

  “I miss her too,” Nora agreed.

  She frowned. “How did Mary meet Jake Mulligan?”

  “Jake is my mother’s nephew by marriage,” Nora explained. “As you probably heard, my mother was a widow when she came to America.”

  “Yes, I’ve known that since I was a little girl,” she admitted.

  “Well, Mama’s first husband’s name was Colton Mulligan. After he died, Mama came to this country to be with the only family she had left, your sister-in-law Riley, who is one of her long, lost cousins,” Nora went on.

  “So, Jake Mulligan is related to Maggie’s first husband?”

  “Yes, Jake Mulligan is one of Colton’s brother’s sons,” Nora confirmed. “And a cop who came to America for a new and better opportunity. He looked Mama up, since she was kin and came for a visit about four years ago. That’s when he met and fell in love with Mary, and then six months later, wed her. It was Michael McCrea who found him a policeman’s job in Brooklyn.” Nora shrugged. “Anyway, back to the apartment.”

  “Sorry for getting you off track,” she apologized. “Go on, I’m listening.”

  “Mary and Jake lived there until their daughter was born, so they had room enough for a baby.”

  Cassia giggled. “Well, there will be some time before we need to address that situation. With both of us working, starting a family isn’t something that will happen right away.”

  “But it’s good to know there’s room for a baby, right?” Nora countered.

  She nodded. “There’s no harm in always being prepared.”

  “Cameron and I lived in the apartment for a time after we were wed.” Nora paused a moment.

  “Since there was enough room there for a baby, why did you and Cameron move out?”

  Nora sighed. “Cameron’s father thought it would be wise for us to invest in a home, with being in the law field and all. More prestige, I suppose. My father-in-law helped with the down payment. Now Cameron has the room for a home office, to see client’s now and then on off hours, and that sort of thing. Also, this house affords us the room to hold work-related dinners.”

  “I would say, for the sake of Cameron’s career, the move was a wise decision,” she said.”

  “Then living at the apartment could be a wise career move for you and Brodie too, since you’d be living right next door to Doctor Sean’s medical office.”

  “Yes, it could,” she agreed.

  “It really is quite nice and very cozy. You could fix it up, like I did, to be a little love nest, as it has lots of potential.”

  Her frown deepened. “It’s been eight years since I’ve been back there, so I can no longer picture the floor plan.”

  “There is a nice sized parlor area, a decent kitchen with a small dining space, two adequate sized bedrooms, and a bathroom which was added when Mary and Jake moved in,” Nora explained. “Right now, the space is being used for storage. But a lot of what’s there can be thrown out, as it’s just broken items. And the rest of what isn’t trash can be moved to the new storage area, which was added on two years ago to expand the store as well as to furnish a bathroom for customers.” Nora frowned. “Haven’t you been in the store since you returned from England?”

  “No, truth be told, I haven’t. I’ve been so busy with work, and since my mother does the shopping, I really had no need to stop,” she explained. “Even though it is so close to the medical office, as you pointed out.”

  “You should take a look, perhaps after you get done with a shift at the office,” Nora urged. “All in all, I think the place just might fit your housing needs.”

  “What about privacy?”

  Maggie Granger still managed the store daily. Though she was a nice enough person—helpful and caring—she was also the town snoop and gossip. The last thing Cassia needed was for Maggie to hear and repeat all of her and Brodie’s private business.

  Nora cocked her head sideways. “It would be very hard to hear anything beyond the long breezeway connecting the apartment to the store.”

  She frowned. “Breezeway…what breezeway?”

  Nora’s brows rose. “Cassia, you seriously should take a gander at the place and refresh your memory.” Then Nora did a bit of refreshing for her. “Don’t you remember the breezeway where you, Mary, and I hid the bucket of frogs?”

  Sudden recollection filled her thoughts. “Yes. Yes, I do now.”

  “Well, that keeps store sounds away from the living quarters, and vice versa,” Nora said. “And when Mary and Jake lived there, they had a private door built off the side of the breezeway so they wouldn’t have to enter the living quarters through the store, as Mama always had to do when she occupied the place.”

  “Then the apartment really sets off from the store, like a little home all in itself?”

  “It does at that,” Nora confirmed.

  “If we decided upon this place, we’d want to change the locks, though.”

  “I can’t blame you there. Mary and Jake installed a new set, as did Cameron and I when we moved in.” Nora smiled. “So, what do you think of my idea?”

  She pondered the notion further. “Well, I’ll have to talk it over with Brodie first, of course. But otherwise, if he agrees, it sounds like this could be an answer to our housing problem.”

  Nora beamed. “And to think, this time my bright idea didn’t end with me getting a thrashing.”

  She giggled. “I’d say there’s hope for you yet, my friend.”

  When P.J. arrived to escort her home, they took a detour to the O’Clarity homestead. P.J. hoped to sample some of Sadie’s molasses cookies he’d heard she baked fresh that morning, and Cassia hoped she’d be able to talk to Brodie about the apartment.

  As the two of them rode up to the house, P.J.’s professionalism flew right out the window, along with him, dropping his bicycle and flying up the stairs for those molasses cookies. She shook her head and smiled. He was after all just a typical eleven-year-old boy. She secured her wheels and then properly did the same for P.J.’s bike, before making it into the house herself.

  The O’Clarity home, in all the time she ever entered it, was usually in a state of calamity and more times than not filled with happiness and good old Irish cheer. So, it was a complete and utter shock to enter t
he abode today and find the place subdued and the occupants morose. Even Irish wakes were livelier than the atmosphere she stepped into. Scanning the faces of those seated in the parlor, her heart sank. Sadie was wiping tears from red-rimmed eyes. Sean, seated beside her on the sofa, had one arm around her shoulders while patting her arm with his other hand. Brodie stood by the fireplace, holding a letter—his face ridged and pale. Everyone was very quiet, the house still except for the sounds of P.J. helping himself to the molasses cookies in the kitchen.

  Immediately the excitement and euphoria of what she talked over with Nora left her heart, as it sank to her toes. “What is it? What’s happened?”

  “We’ve lost a grandchild today…a little boy, and his mother,” Sean explained in a shaky voice. His words started Sadie’s tears once again.

  Her first thought was of Betsy and her unborn babe. Had she miscarried and then lost her own life as well? Was the letter Brodie held news from Willow Creek? Panic and nausea assailed her in one blow. Quickly she sought out a seat and took it, calming herself to keep from fainting or getting sick. Her thoughts flew. Why would the news come by post when it could be relayed by phone? And at this point in Betsy’s pregnancy, it would be too soon to decipher the sex of the child. Finally, finding her own voice she broke the silence. “I don’t understand, who…?”

  “The letter is from Tucker.” Brodie folded it neatly and placed it upon the mantel. After clearing his throat of emotion, he continued, “Jessica miscarried two weeks ago. The baby was…was a boy.” He paused, swallowing hard. “She hemorrhaged to death.”

  Cassia gasped, tears filling her eyes and spilling over. “Oh, no—no.”

  Aggravation, anger, and disappointment were etched upon Brodie’s face. “And my beloved brother, good enough to at least get a letter off to us, has left Phoenix for San Antonio, Texas.” He chuckled sarcastically. “I’d say he couldn’t even wait until the poor girl’s body was cold to leave her.”

  “Enough, Brodie,” Sean scolded. “Yer attitude’s not helpin’ matters in the least.”

  “I’m sorry Pa…sorry Ma.” He combed his fingers through his russet curls.

  P.J. entered the room. “Can I please have a glass of milk with my cookies, Grandmamma?” With his mouth caked in cookie crumbs, he glanced around the room. “Why’s everyone so sad?”

  Cassia stood. “Come, P.J., I’ll pour you a glass of milk.”

  “Nay, let me.” Sadie rose from the sofa. “I think ’tis best I stay busy.” She placed an arm around P.J. “Come, Lad.”

  “But why is everyone so sad?” P.J. asked again.

  “Let’s get ye that milk, and I’ll try to explain.” Sadie escorted P.J. into the kitchen.

  Sean sighed and stood. “I’d better be callin’ Betsy and Shailyn. ’Tis only fittin’ they hear this news as well.” He took his leave to use the wall phone in the hallway.

  She made her way to Brodie, wrapping her arms around his waist. He buried his face into her neck and pulled her close. “I’m so sorry for your loss, honey,” she whispered. “Sorry for all of you, Jessica, the baby, and her family.”

  “I wonder if my brother is all that sorry,” he muttered.

  “I’m sure he must be hurting as well.” She pulled back to search his face. “Why, don’t you think he is?”

  He arched a brow. “If anything, he’s probably more relieved, since he didn’t want to marry the poor girl to begin with.”

  She frowned. “Surely you must give your brother more credit than that, my love. His not wanting to marry Jessica and not feeling sorrow over her death are two very different things. And what of his son? He has to be grieving the loss of his baby.”

  He shrugged. “Perhaps he grieves for the baby, but I doubt he’s all that heartbroken over Jessica’s death.”

  “We mustn’t think the worst, Brodie,” she tenderly cautioned. “He’s still your brother, and family has to stick together. If Tucker comes back to Eagle’s Landing, needing to be surrounded by the support of his family during this difficult time, you must be in the frame of mind to comfort him.”

  “He won’t be back, Cassia,” he said flatly. “He’s on his way to Texas, and I doubt we’ll hear a thing from him for a very long time.”

  Sadie poked her head into the room from the kitchen doorframe. “Ye’ll be stayin’ for dinner, right Cassia?”

  “Oh, no, please don’t go to any trouble…”

  “Nay a bit o’ trouble, and I won’t be takin’ no for an answer,” Sadie returned. “Like I said before, keepin’ busy is best for me.” She forced a smile. “Now, give a call to yer mother, so she won’t be frettin’ ye’ve been snatched by the derelict roamin’ about, and then come help me peel potatoes. I’ve got a recipe or two I’ve been meanin’ to share with ye, anyway.”

  Cassia admired Sadie O’Clarity. Even in the face of sorrow, she pulled the family together with her skill to be organized, clear-headed, and supply sustenance. She was a strong yet tender woman. Fierce love for her family and friends made her a trusted being, always able to be counted on and responsible to carry through in all situations. She hoped she’d be the sort of wife and mother Sadie was. As well as her own mother, who lived through all sorts of adversities, yet remained centered and strong for those she loved and cared about.

  P.J. also stayed for the delicious Irish stew dinner. His presence helped the atmosphere, as he rattled on about his expertise in frog catching and his assessment of the critters before he mercifully granted them release.

  “Nora, Mary, and I liked to catch frogs,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “We hid a bucket of them once in the breezeway behind the General Store.” She frowned. “I’d forgotten all about the ordeal until today. Nora reminded me while we were having tea.”

  Sean chuckled. “Seems like a strange thing for ye women to be discussin’ over tea.”

  She replaced the napkin on her lap and sat back in her seat. “Well, actually we were discussing the apartment behind the store. In fact, that’s why I had P.J. escort me here instead of my house this afternoon, so I could talk to Brodie about the place.”

  Brodie frowned. “Why is that?”

  “Nora thought it would work out well as our first living quarters, after we’re married.”

  Brodie’s frown deepened. “Is it even livable?”

  “According to Nora, all it needs is a cleaning, as there are some items stored there, and then a bit of decorating.”

  “Aye, I remember Mary McCrea movin’ in there when she married Jake Mulligan,” Sadie chimed in. “Went to visit them a few times, after their baby was born, and thought the place was quite nice.”

  “And ’twould be a real convenience to ye both, being ’tis next door to the medical office,” Sean added.

  Brodie sighed. “And also convenient for Maggie Granger to know all of our business.”

  “I thought the same thing,” she agreed. “But Nora said the distance between the store and the apartment is separated by a long breezeway which keeps the store activity and the apartment dealings private from each other. Nora also said when Mary and Jake moved in they had a private door built on the side of the breezeway so the apartment dwellers don’t have to go through the store to enter their quarters. And we could always change the locks, should we decide to take the place.”

  “It sounds promising,” he pondered.

  “That’s what I thought. Perhaps we can go over there in a few days, and look around the place, before we make a decision,” she offered.

  “And if ye like what ye see, perhaps we can all get together, clean it out, give it a paint job, and furnish it,” Sean countered.

  “Aye, I’ve got lots o’ furniture ye can have,” Sadie offered. “As I’m sure Shailyn and Amanda do as well. So, ye’ll be up and housed in no time.”

  “Might be a grand idea if Brodie moves in as soon as the place is ready,” Sean added.

  “Aye, ’twould probably be best that he does,” Sadie agreed.

&n
bsp; Brodie chuckled. “Are you two trying to get rid of me?”

  Sadie and Sean smiled devilishly at each other.

  She giggled. “Oh, Brodie, it looks like your parents could use some privacy too.”

  “Why do they need to be private?” P.J. questioned.

  Sadie strategically changed the subject. “Have ye room for dessert, laddie?”

  “I sure do,” P.J. strongly confirmed.

  Sadie took her grandson by the hand. “On yer feet, Lad,” she coaxed. “Come into the kitchen with me, then. Ye can help me slice the peach pie I made, and brew us all a wee bit o’ tea.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  A weekday service was held at the church. Though no one really knew Jessica Matthews O’Clarity, or the son Tucker named Daniel Sean O’Clarity, many of the town’s folk attended. Cassia teared up several times, as Reverend Joshua Holmes’s comforting and moving words came forth from the pulpit, easing grief and ensuring courage for those left to carry on. Often she wondered how he did it…saw the positive and cherished sides of unhappy and negative situations. Truly he was a man of strong faith and conviction for the Lord, and all serving Him meant. His link to the Almighty was amazing and inspiring. Whenever she questioned her own faith and strayed far from hope, her father was there to help her back on the right path.

  He taught her many times by quoting scripture. “As Psalm 16:8 reads, ‘I have set the Lord always before me,’ ” he’d begin. “Do you understand what that means, Cassia?” And before she could answer he’d tell her. “It means to set the Lord between you and your fears. Visualize Him protecting you, keeping you safe, and linking you to His abundant grace and glory.”

  Another inspiring virtue he had was complete trust in God. Whenever Joshua Holmes was asked to meet at a place, he’d say, “I’ll be there, God willing.”

  Once she asked, “Papa, why do you say, God willing?”

  “Because, Cassia, none of us really have the foggiest notion of what tomorrow might bring, even with all our careful planning,” he’d explain. “No one expects to die today, but somewhere, someplace, someone has taken their last breath.”