Chasing Dreams

by Deborah Raney

  “It starts tomorrow.”

  Her sisters and Quinn chuckled, and Joanna smiled at Luke over the boy’s head before taking another stab at it. “Are you excited about going into seventh grade?”

  “I guess.” Mateo almost looked at her. “I’m happy I get to play basketball.”

  “Basketball, huh?” Quinn jumped into the conversation. “That was my sport. Not that I was all that good at it.”

  “Oh, yes you were.” Phee nudged him. “Don’t be so modest.”

  “Well, okay, I might have been all-state, all-conference, and an all-around all-star.”

  “And so modest too,” Jo teased.

  Luke laughed and Mateo’s eyes grew round. “Were you really? All that stuff?”

  “No,” Quinn said, tongue firmly in cheek. “I just said I might have been—if I’d practiced harder.”

  They all laughed and Luke tried—unsuccessfully—to explain the joke to Mateo.

  The boy gave a half-hearted laugh, then looked up at Luke. “Can I have some more bread? Please?”

  “I think you’ve had enough, buddy. Finish the rest of your lasagna and then we’ll talk. And what do you tell Miss Joanna about the food. Wasn’t that lasagna good?”

  Mateo nodded and spoke around a wad of half-chewed bread. “It’s good, but not as good as Bella Italia, right Luke?”

  Luke stopped chewing, looking like a raccoon caught robbing the corn bin. “Mateo. Manners. That’s not really an opinion you needed to share when Joanna has spent all day making this meal for us.”

  “It’s okay.” Jo gave a wry smile. “Honesty is a good quality too. So, what do you think of my lasagna, Luke? Not quite as good as Bella Italia?” She tilted her head, enjoying watching him squirm.

  “I’ll tell you what’s good,” he said, picking up a slice of buttered bread from the edge of his plate. “This bread! I think I could eat a whole loaf on my own.”

  That broke the ice and they all cracked up.

  Jo rolled her eyes, but she was laughing too. “Nice save.”

  Luke at least had the decency to look sheepish.

  The rest of dinner went exceptionally well. Quinn and Luke had hit it off that day of the walk-through for the reception, and now they picked up where they’d left off, talking sports and music and housing construction.

  Quinn scooted his chair back and stretched. “If you’d like—if everyone’s finished—we can take a walk down the lane and I’ll show you what’s happening at the site. It’s beginning to look—”

  “Quinn …” Phee spoke his name softly, but he turned to her. “I think Jo had some board games she wanted to play.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Jo. Didn’t mean to hijack the activities. Board games sound good to me.”

  “I really don’t care. We may as well go outside while it’s still light. But”—she frowned at her boot—“I don’t think I’ll try to hop too far just yet.”

  “I’ll drive you up to the house,” Luke volunteered.

  “You don’t mind?”

  He smiled. “I don’t think the tenth of a mile up there and back is going to cost too much in gasoline.”

  “Okay then. I’ll take you up on that offer. It’s about killing me to be confined to the front porch. My sisters said the clearing is beautiful about now.”

  Mateo’s face lit. “Is that where the wedding was? Can I climb up to there again?”

  Jo looked to Luke for permission.

  “Fine by me.” He touched her wrist briefly. “If you’re sure you didn’t have your heart set on board games.”

  “I really don’t mind at all. We were having trouble deciding what game to play anyway. And besides, it looks like a perfect evening. Not as hot as they said it would be. Let’s go outside.”

  “Just don’t forget there’s dessert later,” Phee said. “Britt made a cobbler from the cherries on our trees.”

  “I barely got to them before the birds did. But we have ice cream to make it go further.” Britt scraped her chair back.

  The rest of them followed suit.

  The men helped clear the table and the sisters hurriedly rinsed the dishes and put the food away before they all headed for the front door.

  “Can the cat come with us?” Mateo reached to stroke Melvin’s tail.

  “No, sorry, honey.” Jo looked Mateo in the eye. “Melvin is an indoor-only cat. He got lost up in the clearing once and poor Britt was a basket case.”

  “What’s that?”

  “A basket case?” Jo laughed. “I guess that sounds kind of funny, doesn’t it. It just means she was about to go crazy with worry.”

  “Oh.” His expression said her explanation still didn’t make sense, but he trotted toward the front door, looking eager to get outside.

  Luke helped her into his car and drove slowly down the lane. As he helped her from the car, she discovered a silver lining in having to wear the stupid boot: She needed someone to hang on to on the uneven terrain, and Luke seemed happy to provide support.

  Despite a bright August sun, the breeze off the water kept the air cool, and if they stayed in the shade it was quite pleasant.

  Mateo headed straight for the trees that hid the wooden stairway up to the clearing, but Luke pulled him back. “Let’s go see the construction site first, and then we can go up there.”

  Apparently the word construction was enough to entice the boy because he happily tagged along. Jo hadn’t seen the progress on the house since she’d gotten home from the hospital, and while there wasn’t much to see of the house itself, Quinn had been busy with a project behind the house overlooking the tributary.

  He’d laid a flagstone patio with a pathway winding down to the water’s edge. A wide pergola covered the patio and Jo could just picture it next summer draped in wisteria or trumpet vine.

  Quinn was in his element showing off the site. “Of course, until they get everything framed out, we can’t do any landscaping too close to where the house will be, but Phee has plans for some flower beds and over here”—he pointed to the far side of the plot where it was sunniest—“maybe some of those raised vegetable gardens.”

  A look passed between him and Phee, and Jo was positive then that Quinn knew.

  Luke seemed enthralled with all the details. “Does the water ever get higher than it is now?”

  Quinn laughed. “We wouldn’t mind if it did.”

  “Just not too high,” Phee added quickly.

  “For sure. We had to sandbag the cabins late last winter when we had all that flooding. But this was a dry bed when we bought the place. We’re just hoping we can keep it running. Worth a lot more—both for the property and as an Airbnb rental—if it’s a waterfront lot.”

  “I can see why,” Luke said. “It’s a beautiful spot.”

  Quinn pointed down to the water. “Of course, we’ll fence in the yard a ways back from shore. For safety.”

  Again that look passed between him and Phee, and Jo felt her heart swell. She could just see a toddler skipping down that flagstone path going to help mommy pick green beans. Maybe someday her own children would play with their cousins in this yard and up in the clearing. Of course, by the time she had babies, Phee’s children might be … Mateo’s age.

  She let that thought—and all it implied—settle inside her. And for the first time, it felt comfortable.

  “Oh! Jo, you should show Luke what you’ve done with your little garden.” Phee was playing matchmaker, and Jo didn’t care.

  She turned to Luke, pointing. “It’s behind the cottage. And it’s not really anything to brag about yet, but you should come and see it … since your backyard was the inspiration.”

  Mateo tugged at Luke’s sleeve. “I thought we were going to go up those stairs.”

  “We will, buddy. In a little bit.”

  “We’ll take him.” Quinn stood behind Mateo and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “You two go on and see Jo’s garden. We’ll be down in time for dessert.”

  Apparently Phe
e had gotten her husband in on the match-making gig.

  “Okay. If you’re sure.” She turned to Luke. “Is that all right with you?”

  “Mateo?”

  “I’d rather go up in the clear-in with them. If that’s okay, Miss Joanna?”

  Jo smiled at his pronunciation. And his use of her name. She thought that might be a first.

  Britt took a step back. “If you guys don’t mind, since I’ve already seen the clearing and Jo’s garden, I think I’m going back to my cabin. I have some bookings I need to respond to.”

  “I’ll save you some dessert,” Phee hollered as Britt strode across the lane.

  Left alone with Luke, she gave him her best smile. “Shall we go?”

  He pointed to his car where he’d parked it along the lane. “Your chariot awaits, Miss Joanna.”

  CHAPTER 38

  THIS IS GOING TO BE wonderful.” The genuine admiration in Luke’s voice lifted Jo’s spirits. “And sweet peas will do nicely here. They should get just enough sun.”

  “I hope so. I loved how they made your whole backyard smell.” Luke’s reaction to her little project had been better even than it had played out in her imagination. Somehow, they’d managed to rediscover that same comfortable, yet exciting tone they found that night after the Fourth of July fireworks. Before everything had gotten so difficult and confusing.

  Luke looked at her now, as if deciding whether to say something. “It’s really been a great evening, Jo. Thank you.”

  She felt like he had more on his mind, but the sound of lively voices coming from the lane made them both turn. “They must be back from their adventures.”

  “I think it’s time for dessert. I must admit, my mouth is watering just thinking of that cherry cobbler with ice cream.”

  Jo laughed. “Men! Always thinking with their stomachs.”

  She was disappointed that their time alone was over, but her mouth was watering too. And besides, getting back inside would give her an excuse to take Luke’s arm again.

  An hour later, the cherry cobbler pan sat empty on the counter and all five of them worked to clear the dishes from the table. Luke asked for a broom and Jo watched, oddly touched as he showed Mateo how to sweep the floor and whisk the dirt into the dustpan.

  Melvin thought it was a game and pounced on the broom, then swatted at the dustpan with one paw. Mateo’s giggles over the cat’s antics were contagious and laughter filled the cottage.

  Melvin eventually lost interest and wandered away. Seeing Mateo’s disappointment, Jo opened a drawer and pulled out a package of cat treats that Britt had bought for Melvin. She poured half a dozen into her palm and handed them to Mateo. “If you want Melvin to be your friend forever, just give him one of these every so often.”

  Jo showed him how to hold a treat flat in his hand and wait for the cat to sniff his hand and then snatch the treat from him. Grinning, Mateo tucked all but one of the treats into the front pocket of his shirt and went to find the cat.

  He returned a moment later, Melvin in tow, and the broom game—and the giggling—started again.

  Jo surveyed the scene feeling deeply satisfied. The evening had flown by, but it couldn’t have gone better. Excitement bubbled inside her for what could be—if she could simply find a way to open her heart to something very different than she’d always imagined.

  After a while, Luke glanced up at the clock above the fireplace. “Buddy, I hate to break up such a great party, but you’ve got school tomorrow, and it’s going to be a big day.”

  “Can’t we stay a little longer? I can sleep in the car on the way home.”

  “You’ll just have to come out here again soon,” Jo told him. “Melvin’s going to miss having you to play with.”

  “Can we get a cat?” The imploring look on Mateo’s face made them all laugh.

  “Now see what you’ve done,” Luke teased. He nudged the boy. “You need to go gather up your things so we can let these ladies get to bed.”

  Mateo frowned. “You mean get me to bed.”

  “Right after you shower and wash that hair.”

  Mateo groaned and started toward the backpack he’d left by the front door, but then turned back and cupped his hands, standing on tiptoe to whisper in Luke’s ear.

  “Oh. Good idea.” Luke winked at Jo. “Can you direct this young man to the powder room?”

  Mateo rolled his eyes, but he followed Jo’s directions and headed down the short hallway.

  Luke turned to Joanna, but also included her sisters. “Thank you for this evening. We both had a great time, and the food was amazing. Even your lasagna, Joanna.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I know better than that. And don’t think I’ll ever try to make barbecue for you two either. I know how you feel about Dexter’s, and I refuse to compete.”

  “Maybe we’d best quit eating out altogether then.”

  Quinn stepped forward to shake Luke’s hand, then turned to Jo. “I think we’re going to head home if that’s okay. Britt said she’d stay and help you finish up.”

  “There’s hardly anything else to do. You guys go on. And thanks.”

  Quinn held up the foil-wrapped care package Jo had fixed for him. “Thank you for the leftovers.”

  “You’re welcome. That ought to keep you fed for a—”

  “Why do you have my mom’s jewelry box?” Mateo’s voice boomed from the hallway, accusing, and made them all turn to stare at him.

  He stopped beneath the arched doorway and stood there, feet planted, cradling the mother-of-pearl trinket box in both hands—the box Jo had paid thirty-six dollars for at the antique store that day.

  “What’s the problem, Mateo?” Luke went to him and bent to eye level with him.

  “Did you give it to her?” He glared at Luke.

  “Hey, slow down, buddy. I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “Did you give Mama’s jewelry box to her?” He turned his laser gaze on Jo.

  Joanna looked from Luke to her sisters, but they all shrugged and shook their heads.

  Quinn pointed toward the front door and mouthed, “I think we’ll go.”

  He and Phee waved tentatively and slipped out silently with Britt close behind.

  Jo waited for Luke to sort things out with Mateo, but the boy clutched the box, his jaw set, his face red. “This is Mama’s jewelry box.”

  “Where did you get it, buddy? I’ve never seen that box before.”

  Mateo shifted the box to the crook of his left arm and pointed at Joanna. “It was in her bathroom! In plain sight.”

  Still squatted down in front of the boy, Luke glanced over his shoulder and gave Jo a questioning look.

  “I—I bought it at an antique store.” Why would Mateo think it belonged to his mother? “It’s the one I told you about that day we ate at Muy Caliente, Luke. Remember? You were teasing me about being a shopaholic?”

  He nodded, remembrance coming to his expression. He turned back to Mateo. “Miss Joanna bought this at a store, Mateo. Maybe it’s just like the one your mom had?”

  “No! This is Mama’s. It’s exactly like hers.” He fiddled with the clasp, growing frustrated when it wouldn’t open.

  “Mateo.” Luke’s voice grew stern. “That belongs to Miss Joanna. You don’t open it unless you have permission.”

  “It’s okay,” Jo said. “You can open it. I just keep supplies in it—aspirin and first aid stuff for our guests.”

  Mateo looked at her again, as if making sure he had permission.

  “It’s all right. I don’t care if you open it. It’s a little tricky.”

  “I know. I remember.” He worked the clasp and looked inside the box. “Yep, this is hers. The handle turns the same way. And it had this little chunk out right here.” He scraped a fingernail over a chipped shell.

  Joanna moved closer to see what he was focusing on. There was, indeed, a tiny chip broken from one square of the shell inlay. Was the kid just making this stuff up as he went? If so, he was an Osc
ar caliber actor.

  “There are probably a lot of jewelry boxes like this one around, Mateo.” Luke spoke evenly. “They mass market these and sell them in stores.”

  Joanna cleared her throat. “Actually, I’m pretty sure this one is handmade. There might be others similar to it, but … the woman who checked me out at Annie Laurie’s thought it was an artisan piece.”

  Confusion shadowed Luke’s expression. “Then how—”

  “Annie Laurie’s?” Mateo looked up. “Is that the one with umbrellas all over the ceiling? Mama liked that store.”

  “Yes, that’s the one,” she whispered.

  Without warning, Mateo’s face scrunched into a grimace. He clutched the jewelry box to his chest and charged past them toward the front door, almost knocking Luke off balance.

  “Mateo!” Luke scrambled to his feet and started after the boy.

  Jo trailed him to the door, but when it slammed behind Mateo, followed by the slap of the door to the screened porch beyond, Luke turned and lifted a hand. “Let him go. He needs a few minutes to calm down.” He peered through the window.

  Jo followed his line of vision and saw Mateo jogging up the lane toward Poplar Brook road. “Luke … I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was hers or I never would have—”

  “Of course you didn’t know. How could you? This isn’t your fault, Joanna.”

  “I feel awful though.” The pain on the boy’s face had wrenched her heart.

  Luke put a hand lightly on her forearm. “It’s kind of been two steps forward, one step back for Mateo. The grieving thing. This must have dredged up some memories.”

  “I get that.” Jo shook her head. “It’s been the same with Mom. The littlest thing will remind me of her and it’s like losing her all over again.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head, feeling like a selfish jerk. “No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it about me.”

  “You didn’t, Joanna. You were just expressing how you do understand what Mateo’s feeling.”

  She gave him a wan smile she hoped expressed her gratitude and turned to look out the window again. Mateo had disappeared from sight. “He won’t try to walk to town or anything, will he?”