The Chesapeake Diaries Series 7-Book Bundle: Coming HOme, Home Again, Almost Home, Hometown Girl, Home for the Summer, The Long Way Home, At the River's Edge

by Stewart, Mariah

  “Right.” Lucy assured him. “We’ll stop by your office when we come in.”

  Daniel headed inside and Lucy turned to Jason. “We’re going to need some rosebushes planted around the base of the gazebo. Medium pink, fragrant, preferably one that will climb up the sides of the structure. Is it possible to buy roses now, in April, plant them, and have them mature enough to be climbing and blooming by the end of June?”

  Jason whistled. “That’s going to be tough, unless I can find a grower who has bushes to sell that are already very well established. I can make some calls. There is a grower in Pennsylvania that might have what you need, but they’re going to want top dollar.”

  “Go ahead and contact them, see if they have them in sufficient quantity, and see what they’d want for them.”

  “Are you thinking of a structure about the same size as the one you already have?” Jason asked.

  She thought that over. “Maybe slightly bigger.”

  “For a structure that size, you’ll need maybe …” Jason appeared to be mentally calculating. “Maybe four good-size bushes on each side, one on either side of the doorway.” He nodded as if to himself. “And you wanted a medium pink climbing rose … maybe Social Climber. Maybe a David Austin …” He turned to Lucy as if remembering that she was there. “I’ll call around and see if I can find something that will suit. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. We want to move on this, though, if we find your rose. You’re going to want the plants to get their roots into the soil and start putting out a good display of flowers.”

  “Here’s hoping you can find what we need.” Lucy crossed her fingers. “Now, we’re also going to want some flower beds.”

  Jason looked around the expanse of lawn. “Where were you thinking of putting them in?”

  “I think along this side”—she gestured—“and maybe over there. The greater part of the lawn will have a tent for this wedding coming up.”

  He studied the areas she’d indicated. “Annuals or perennials?”

  “Both, if possible. I’d love to see a lot of bloom here, spring to fall.”

  “Any particular style?”

  She thought about it for a moment. “Maybe something structured for the area closest to the inn, something more casual, sort of cottage-y for the side.”

  “How big? What color family do you have in mind?”

  She walked off the beds with him. “Maybe mostly soft. Pinks, lavenders, peaches, creams. We want to use this area for weddings, so we want colors that can blend with just about any color scheme.”

  “Got it.” Jason nodded. “I think I know what you want.”

  “Great. You’ll work up an estimate for us?”

  “I’ll start on it this afternoon, and I’ll get you some sketches as soon as possible.” Jason gazed up at the inn. “It’s a beautiful building. The landscaping you have here—all the shrubs and those ancient trees—it’s all perfect. But you’re right that you need more color.”

  “I agree. Shall we go in and talk to Daniel?”

  Jason nodded. “Lead the way.”

  They were almost to the inn’s door when Jason said, “So you’re Clay’s Lucy. I’ve heard a lot about you. Mostly from Clay.”

  Her hand on the door, she paused. “Oh. Of course you’d know Clay. You’re Brooke’s …” What had Brooke said?

  “Brooke’s late husband, Eric, was my brother,” Jason told her.

  “Right. And you’ve moved to St. Dennis to be near Logan.”

  “My nephew. Last of our line.”

  “I met him the other night. He’s seems like a terrific kid. I know Clay dotes on him.”

  “We all do. And thanks, he is a terrific kid. He’s my brother all over again.”

  They crossed the lobby and knocked on Daniel’s office door. Lucy outlined the landscaping plans that she and Jason had discussed, then sat back while Jason and her brother went over them. After a few minutes, her mind began to drift.

  “Clay’s Lucy,” Jason had called her. She thought about it for a moment, then realized that yes, that’s exactly who she was. She hadn’t set out to be his, or anyone else’s for that matter, but sometimes life throws you a curve.

  Clay’s Lucy. She actually liked the sound of it.

  As soon as Jason left, she went back into her own office, her phone already in her hand, her fingers dialing Clay’s number.

  “Hi,” he said when he picked up.

  “Hi, yourself. Are you busy?” she asked.

  “I’m at Logan’s T-ball game and I … Justin, bend your arms just a little, don’t hold them out so straight. That’s better … Sorry, Lucy.”

  “No, no. I’m sorry. I interrupted your game. I’ll let you get back to it.”

  “Not before you tell me why you called.”

  “I was just wondering if, well, if you were free tonight, that maybe …”

  “Yes.”

  “I haven’t even said what—”

  “Doesn’t matter. If it involves me doing something—anything—with you, the answer will always be yes.”

  “I was thinking dinner, maybe someplace with music.”

  “I’ll pick you up.” He paused. Maybe something a little different tonight. “I’ll come for you around six-thirty. Dress casually.”

  “How casually?”

  “Very.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  Lucy wrote up her notes on her meeting with Jason on her electronic file, checked in with Corrine to assure herself that all was well on the West Coast, then turned off the laptop and headed directly for the second floor, where she changed into running clothes. She’d missed her morning run, but she’d make up for it now.

  She made it as far up Charles Street as Bling, where Vanessa had just stepped outside.

  “Isn’t this a gorgeous day?” Vanessa waved to Lucy.

  “Glorious,” Lucy agreed. “And don’t you look fabulous. Pregnancy clearly agrees with you.”

  “Oh, thanks. I feel terrific now, but I have a way to go yet. We’ll see how fabulous I look by July.” Vanessa rolled her eyes and laughed. “Now, are you into serious exercise, or can you stop and chat for a minute? We’ve been really slow today …”

  “I’m serious about my running, but not so serious that I’d pass up an opportunity to stop by and visit for just a few.” Lucy followed Vanessa into the shop. “You’re on my list of people to see. I was going to stop in one day this week.”

  “So it’s true. You are staying for more than the weekend. Steffie said Wade told her you’d be here for the whole week.”

  Lucy nodded. “I’m trying to get everything lined up for this wedding at the end of June, and there’s so much to do and so many people to see.”

  “Can’t you get someone local to help you?” Vanessa asked.

  “I’m going to talk to the event planner that Daniel hired for the inn, see if she can pitch in. She’s off until Monday since there’s no event this weekend.”

  “Wade said that you were going to be around a lot this summer,” Vanessa continued.

  “I have events at the inn, July and September, that will keep me around for a while.”

  “We’ll have to get together while you’re here.”

  “I’d love to.” Lucy opened the bottle of water she’d carried with her on her run and took a drink. “By the way, congratulations on your wedding. You were a gorgeous bride, and your house looked beautiful. I wish I could have been there.”

  “I wish you could have been, too.” Vanessa paused, and then frowned. “Where did you see …”

  “The pictures? Clay emailed them to me.”

  “That was nice of him.” Vanessa looked as if she wanted to say more, but did not.

  “It was. I really enjoyed seeing them.” She took another sip before screwing the cap back onto the bottle. “Before I forget, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Our June bride wants to give her wedding guests th
e royal treatment, including a week’s stay at the inn and a very lavish welcoming gift bag. One of the things she wanted was to offer her women friends tokens that could be used for discounts at various shops here in town, and I was wondering—”

  “Is this June bride the one who’s marrying Robert Magellan?” Vanessa’s eyes widened slightly.

  Lucy nodded.

  “And she wants to draw shoppers into Bling by offering them discounts?”

  “Right. I don’t know how you feel about that, so if you’d rather not—”

  “Are you kidding? Of course I’d rather. I don’t know who’d pass up an opportunity like that.” Vanessa’s eyes took in the shop’s inventory in one quick swoop. “I’ll make sure there’s all fresh stock in that week. Lots of cute walking shorts and skirts. Tennis clothes. Oh, and I have some really sweet knit dresses on order that can be very casual or a little dressy, depending on how they’re worn.” She smiled at Lucy. “This could be really fun.”

  “Then I’ll put you down as a yes.”

  “An absolute yes.”

  “Oh, and one other thing. For the gift bags for her guests, my bride wanted to do canvas totes with a map of St. Dennis on them. Any idea where I could get something like that? I could do a search and have them made myself, but if someone local is already doing them, I’d just as soon use the time for something else.”

  Vanessa tapped her fingers on the countertop for a moment.

  “You can ask Jackie at the gift shop where she gets her things, you know, the coffee mugs and the T-shirts.”

  “I’m going to need to get a bunch of those to go into the bags.”

  “Talk to Jackie. I’m sure she can order whatever you want.”

  “Great. Thanks for the suggestion.” Lucy noticed the time on the wall clock. “I should get going. I want to finish my run with enough time to get back to the inn and take a shower …”

  “Hot date?” Vanessa asked as if she knew.

  She probably did, Lucy thought. This was St. Dennis, and Vanessa’s best friend, Steffie, was married to Clay’s business partner.

  “Just dinner.” Lucy tried to make it sound as casual as possible but didn’t think Vanessa was buying it.

  “Have a good time.”

  “Thanks.” Lucy started to the door.

  “Hey, Lucy,” Vanessa called to her just as Lucy was about to push the door open. “Everyone’s happy that you’re going to be around this summer.”

  “Thanks, Vanessa. So am I …”

  And growing happier by the day, Lucy admitted as she finished her run through town and headed back to the inn. It seemed that every day there was one more reason why she was glad to be back.

  She chatted with her mother for a few minutes in the family’s second-floor TV room, then took a shower and dressed for her date. Clay had said very casual, so she pulled on a pair of jeans and a knit top in a soft shade of gray that had fabric flowers around the slightly dropped neckline. She slipped her feet into a pair of ballet flats and started out of her room just as her phone began to ring.

  “Luce, would you mind driving over instead of me picking you up?” Clay asked when she picked up.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No, no, I just got a late start.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” she told him. “I’ll be there in five minutes.” She hesitated. “Are you sure everything is all right?”

  “Positive. I’ll see you when you get here. Just park out back and come in through the kitchen.”

  Lucy said good night to her mother and her nephew, who were watching a movie.

  “Where’s Diana?” she asked.

  “She’s at a friend’s for a sleepover,” her mother replied, her eyes still on the TV screen.

  “Gramma, wouldn’t it be cool to have a magic wand like Harry Potter’s?” Lucy heard D.J. ask.

  “Very cool, dear. Though magic isn’t something to be taken lightly.” Grace turned to Lucy. “Have fun. Tell Clay we said hello.”

  Lucy made a mental note to add “Magic isn’t something to be taken lightly” to the list of things to discuss with her mother one of these days.

  “Will do.” Lucy kissed the top of her mother’s head, ruffled her nephew’s hair, and left the room. She bustled down the steps, waved to the night clerk who had just come on duty, and went to her car wondering what was up with Clay. He’d sounded distracted on the phone.

  She parked near the back of the farmhouse and walked to the porch, enjoying the soft evening air that was perfumed by a mass of tulips that ran along the side of the house. There were large clumps of peonies that were a few weeks away from opening, and a huge lilac that was just about to bloom. The sun was drawing down, its fading light casting a golden glow across the fields where the grain was already up and moving gently in an easy breeze. Lucy paused for a moment on the steps to take it all in.

  “I thought I heard a car.” Clay appeared in the doorway. “What are you doing?”

  “Just looking.” She turned and smiled. “It’s so peaceful and quiet here.”

  “Well, right now it is. About an hour ago, there were fourteen eight-year-old boys running around out there playing …” He stopped for a moment. “I don’t really know what they were playing, but they were loud.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “Brooke and two of the other T-ball team mothers took them all out for pizza.” He opened the screen door. “Come on in.”

  “Thanks.” She climbed the steps and followed him into the kitchen, where he put down the wooden spoon he’d been holding to give her a welcoming hug and a kiss on the side of her mouth. “Whoa, look who’s cooking!”

  “I thought we’d eat in tonight.”

  “Something smells amazing.” She sniffed appreciatively at the air.

  “Roasted asparagus, baked halibut, and brown rice,” he told her.

  “Sounds delicious. I’ve never had roasted asparagus, but I’m game.” She glanced around the room. “What can I do to help?”

  “You can set the table in the dining room, if you want,” he suggested.

  “These plates, I’m guessing?” She lifted two plates from the counter.

  “Right. Knives, forks, spoons are in the first drawer there on your left.” Clay pulled on an oven mitt and opened the oven door.

  “Got it.”

  Lucy went into the dining room and turned on the wall switch for the overhead light. The ancient chandelier came to life and enhanced the now-pale light that filtered through the back window. She’d always loved this room, and felt oddly pleased that so little had changed. The walnut dining room furniture was the same; the china cupboards held the same dishes she remembered the Madisons using for Sunday dinners, and the sideboard held the same glass candlesticks. The red Oriental rug that was worn from years of footsteps still covered the wide plank floor, and the lace tablecloth was the same one she remembered. She set the table, then stood in front of the china cupboard.

  When she sensed Clay in the doorway, she said, “I like that nothing’s changed.”

  He shrugged. “When my mom and dad moved to South Carolina, they were going into a small place in one of those over-fifty-five communities and couldn’t agree on what to take and what to leave. So they basically took nothing with them and bought smaller furniture for their condo. Then, when my mom bought her town house here last year, she bought all new furniture for herself.”

  “I’m surprised that she didn’t want the antique pieces,” Lucy remarked.

  “She said they’d all come down through my dad’s family and she’d never had a chance to have her own things. I expect Brooke will probably take some stuff, now that she’s starting to get settled over in the tenant house.”

  “It was nice to walk in here and see the room the way I remembered it. It makes me feel … I don’t know, like I’m home, in a way.”

  “I didn’t see any reason to change things,” he said. “I admit that decor isn’t much of a priority.”

&nb
sp; Lucy laughed. “If you saw my apartment, you’d say it wasn’t mine either. I’ve never really had the time to do much more than buy some furniture. I spend more time in my office than I do the apartment.”

  “You probably need to take a little time off now and then.”

  “I know. But look who’s talking. You have more going on right now than anyone I know. You have all those crops in the ground. Stuff for the restaurants and stuff for your brewery, and then there’s the orchard. Do you really think you’re going to have time to pick everything you planted?”

  “I’m hiring day pickers to do that part, ’cause you’re right. I won’t have time to do everything myself,” he confessed. “But still, I take time to do other things. I walk into town around seven every day for my morning meeting with Wade. I coach Logan’s T-ball in the spring and soccer in the fall.” He grinned. “And I cook the good stuff I grow, and I’m damned good at it.”

  “Oh, aren’t we the cocky one?” She laughed.

  “You can judge for yourself in about—” Clay turned to look at the timer on the stove. “Five minutes. I need to get busy.”

  Clay returned to the kitchen, and moments later, Lucy joined him.

  “There’s a bottle of wine opened on the counter there and two glasses,” he said. “Would you mind pouring for us?”

  “Not at all.”

  Lucy poured wine into the glasses and took one to Clay at the stove, pausing for just a second to watch him at work. What, she wondered, was so appealing about a man in jeans and a pullover standing over a hot stove, his sleeves pulled up to his elbows?

  She handed him his glass and took a sip from her own. The wine was delicious and she looked at the label. She took another sip and let it roll around on her tongue, and wondered if it was offered at the inn. She’d have to check.

  “You look lost in serious thought,” Clay noted.

  “I was thinking about this wonderful wine, and wondering if it was served at the inn.”

  Clay nodded. “I had it there over the winter. It’s from Hunter’s vineyard in Ballard.”

  “I had one of their wines at Vanessa’s.” She picked up the bottle and studied the label. “I might have to look into this for the wedding. Maybe I’ll drive over this week and pick up a few bottles for the menu tasting.”