Anchor of Hope (15 page)

“I’d go home right now if they’d let me. I feel fine.” Henry waved his hand through the air.

Grace spoke up. “He has to stay until Saturday, but he’ll be at the wedding. They want to monitor his vitals, seeing as he’s not a spring chicken any more.”             

“I
am
,” Henry objected.

Grace rolled her eyes.

“I’ll let you get some rest.” Ashley smiled. She turned to Jay “Are you ready to go?” He nodded and stood up.

He patted Henry’s hand. “Get some rest and I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“OK, buddy. Look after my granddaughter.”

“I will.”

Grace kissed them both and they left.

As they walked out to the car, Ashley looked at Jay. He looked happy.

“Sorry I ditched you in there.” Ashley gave him an apologetic smile. She had spent so long talking to Grace he must have felt as though he had been deserted.

“Huh? Oh, it’s cool. I haven’t caught up with Henry in a while so it was good. He’s a pretty cool guy.” Jay gave a half smile.

“Yeah, I know.”

She did know. According to Grace he had always been selfless and kind. If it weren’t for Henry, Ashley might not even be here today.              

Jay opened the car door for her. When he climbed into his seat she placed her hand on his forearm.

“Thank you for tonight. It means a lot to me. I don’t think I would have had the courage to go in if you hadn’t come with me.” Her brows pulled together.

“It’s OK. I knew you didn’t want to go in alone.”

“I . . . I was scared I’d be too late and I’ve already made that mistake once. I don’t think I could handle it again.” She fought back tears.

“Hey, he's going to be all right. If I know anything about Henry, it’s that he’s a stubborn old man. He’s going to live to a ripe old age.” He started the engine.

They drove home in silence, listening to the music playing on the radio. Her conversation with her grandmother had left her confused about her true feelings for Steven. There was so much to take in. Maybe she didn’t love Steven, not in the true sense of the word, but they did have a strong connection. They were compatible. Wasn’t that enough?

Ashley was absolutely exhausted and the soft music playing soothed her. She yawned and decided to close her eyes, just for a minute.

A gentle swaying motion woke her and she opened her eyes. It took her a moment to work out what was happening. She was moving, but she wasn’t sitting in Jays car any more. In fact, she wasn’t sitting at all. She was being carried. She looked around in the darkness and recognised the ‘Bless This House’ cross-stitch hanging on the wall: she was on the staircase at her mom’s house. She peered up and realized Jay was carrying her up the stairs. Her eyes shot open.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, struggling to keep her eyes open.

“Shh, you’ll wake your mom. You fell asleep. I tried to wake you but I don’t think you could hear me over the sound of your snoring.” He grinned, still carrying her.

“I don't snore.” He smelled of timber and an enticing cologne, which reminded her of something comforting but she was too tired to think what it was. He opened her bedroom door using his foot.

Normally this would be odd, but given the day she had experienced, nothing seemed strange any more. He laid her gently on the bed and slipped off her shoes. As he pulled the cover up over her, she said softly, “I didn’t see the gazebo.” He didn't say anything, just watched as she snuggled in.

“Goodnight,” he whispered and she heard his footsteps disappear down the stairs before drifting off once more.

Ashley awoke refreshed and full of energy. She almost put off going for her regular morning run, but decided she’d better as she wouldn’t have a chance tomorrow, considering it was the day of the wedding.

After she returned she had a quick shower, got dressed and went downstairs to make some breakfast. There was no cereal in the cupboards. Jane had cleaned out everything containing gluten, artificial colors, artificial flavours, sugar . . . pretty much anything that tasted good.

She settled for an apple and more of the cardboard-flavored gluten-free raisin toast. Through the window she could see Martin in the back garden, giving the hedges a final trim. As far as Ashley could see everything looked perfect and didn't need any improvement, but Martin, with his love of gardening, could always see room for improvement.

She could hear a faint melody and realized it was her phone. In her room. She dashed up the stairs two at a time, and retrieved her phone from her purse.

It was Steven’s father.

Ashley was surprised. She hadn't heard from Steven since he had left for Japan.  Had something happened to him?

“Hello?”

“Ashley, hello. It’s Robert here.”

“Mr Cole, how are you?”

“I’m well, thank you. I take it you haven’t heard from Steven yet?”

A wave of panic washed over her again.

“No, I haven’t. Have you?”

“Yes, I have, and unfortunately things haven’t gone quite as well as we’d planned.”

Ashley was concerned and curious.

“I’ll keep this brief, Ashley. I know you must be busy helping your mother. I understand Steven has asked you to move in with him.”

Ashley nodded, then remembered he couldn't see her. “Yes, he has.”

“Right. Steven has informed me that you are a bit reluctant to take this next step, so I would like to personally ask you to consider accepting his proposal.”

What? Why?

“May I ask why?”

“As you know, we have been in discussions regarding promoting Steven to partnership. However Graham and Michael want him to demonstrate maturity and responsibility. We were also counting on this deal with the Tokyo firm to be confirmed, but now that that seems unlikely, he is depending on you to help him prove he can commit.”

This sounds ridiculous.

“
Did Steven ask you to call me?” This felt like an ambush.

“No, and I appreciate your discretion about this conversation. Steven is a good boy. He has worked far too hard to be overlooked for this role now. All I’m asking is that you make the right decision. If he lands this position, I can assure you that you will be a happy woman. You will want for nothing. If it doesn’t work out, you can always move out down the track—once this has all been secured. But I know you won’t. You seem like a smart woman and I’m glad Steven found you. He needs you to come through for him, now more than ever. If you care about him like I think you do, say yes.”

Ashley stood there, stunned, struggling to find the words to respond.

“Are you there?” Robert asked.

“Uh, yes. I’m here. I just don’t understand how us living together would be such an important issue.”

Robert sighed impatiently, making Ashley as though she were too young and too uneducated to understand. “Because we have a reputation as being a family firm. If Steven can demonstrate commitment in his personal life, that will reflect commitment in his professional life. All the partners are married with families. It’s an attractive feature for our clients.”

They’ve all been married for a long time, but they all have frequent affairs.

“I’ll leave it with you. I need you to trust me, and think of Steven. Please don’t let him down.”

“I’ll think about what you’ve said.”

“That’s all I ask. I’ll see you at the dinner next week.” The line went silent.

For the life of her she couldn't make sense of his rationale. She would have thought their private life was just that—private. Separate from his career. Irrelevant. It seemed shallow that they would make such an important decision based on his relationship status. As ridiculous as it appeared, they
did
have to fit a certain ‘mold’ to be one invited into the partnership. This decision was more important than she’d realized.

Robert was right. If she
truly
loved Steven, she should be willing to move in with him. To take this next step, not only for his career, but for their relationship. She wanted to say ‘yes’ for Steven’s sake, although a part of her couldn’t help but feel he was asked her to move in to help him get his promotion. It was all so confusing and complicated.

“Ashley?” Martin called from down stairs.

“Yeah, I’m here.” She walked to the top of the staircase.

“I’m heading out for a bit. Did you need a lift anywhere?”

“No. I think I might be going to the Jamboree later with Jess and the kids but I’m right for the moment.” She tried to smile.

“Are you OK? You look a bit upset.” Martin frowned.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Some personal business—nothing to worry about.” She waved a hand through the air, dismissing his concern.

She sat down in the lounge. Everything was quiet except for the rhythmic ticking of the old grandfather clock as the pendulum swung side to side. She held her phone in her hands, contemplating calling Steven. But if things had gone as badly in Japan as Robert had made out maybe he wouldn’t want to talk to her right now. She would have to trust that he would call her when he was ready. She sighed. She should have known that returning to Sweet Home would only cause problems. Everything in the small, sleepy town had gone wonderfully—better than she had even imagined—but her life back in the city was being thrown into chaos.

Her phone beeped. A message. From Tania.

OMG Stephanie is driving me insane. You need to get back here ASAP, I swear if she even tries to talk to me again I'm going to claw her eyes out!

She giggled at Tania’s over-dramatic text, but couldn’t help but feel anxious about what exactly Stephanie had gotten up to while Ashley was on the other side of the country.

She didn't want to sit around anymore, so she decided to head into town. She wore her usual attire—shorts and a tee shirt. It was too hot out to wear any of the fancy outfits she had packed.

She had almost made it into town when her phone rang. Jess.

“Hey Jess.”

“Hi Ash. Just checking to see if you wanted to come to the Jamboree with me and the kids?”

“Yeah, I’d love to,” Ashley replied, smiling. She looked forward to spending time with the kids more and more with each passing day.

“Do you want me to pick you up? We’re leaving now.”

“No, actually, I’m walking towards town now. I can meet you at the gates in about five minutes.”

“Perfect. See you then.”

Sankey Park was packed with tourists and concert goers. Many returned year after year for the famous Oregon Jamboree Music Festival. The landmark Weddle Covered Bridge provided the ideal backdrop for people snapping photos on their way to seeing their favorite country music stars.

Ashley spotted Jess near the fence. Meika was trying to see the stage and Coco was running around in circles with her arms stretched out to the sides. Harley was sitting on Jess' hip, observing all the people walking by.

Jess waved as Ashley walked over and together they entered the park. They found a nice grassy spot to the rear left of the park and Jess laid out their picnic rug. Ashley could see the food vans off to the far right and assumed that’s where Bryan had set up his van to serve coffee and cakes. With the amount of people around, he’d make a killing this weekend. Meika spotted some of her school friends and asked Jess if she could go and dance with them.

“Yes, but you have to stay where I can see you and you can see me, OK?”              

Meika nodded and ran off.

Coco and Harley danced along to the music, providing great entertainment for Ashley and Jess, although the volume made conversation difficult.

Jess leaned close to Ashley so she wouldn't have to shout so loud through the noise.

“Have you heard anything about how Henry is going today?”

Ashley shook her head. “Not yet, but I'm assuming if Mom hears anything she’ll let me know.”

She hadn’t been too concerned about her grandfather since visiting with him last night. He looked well, and she knew someone would contact her if he did take a turn for the worse.

Jess nodded. “Bryan said he visited him earlier and he looks good—ready to go home, but they won’t let him leave yet.”

“It’s probably best that he gets some rest.”

“Mom,” Coco called. “Can we get a hot dog?” Coco had seen someone walking by with a hot dog.

“No, darling. Look I've got some yummy strawberries and watermelon here. Or you can have a ham and salad wrap?”

“Aww, you
never
let us have treats.”

“Those hot dogs
do
look good.” Jess licked her lips. “All right, but don't tell Daddy?”

She turned to Ashley. “He’d kill me if he knew I gave them processed food.”

Ashley laughed. If only Jess knew Bryan had given them cupcakes yesterday.

They sat, listening to the music, observing the passers-by, and applying sunscreen on a regular basis. It was almost 2 p.m. when Harley announced he had a sore tummy.

“Too much refined food and fizzy drink,” Jess said, giving him a hug and rubbing his back. He promptly vomited all over her shoulder. Ashley covered her mouth and felt her stomach churn as the smell hit her. Jess didn't seem too bothered by the fact that she had chunks of hot dog on her arm.

“Oh my gosh. What do you need? I don't know what to do.” Ashley tried not to laugh as she looked around for something Jess could use to clean up the mess.

Jess laughed too. “Don’t worry. It’s not the first time I’ve been spewed on. I think there's a towel in my bag. Could you hand it to me, please?”

Ashley did as she was asked.

“All right kids, it looks like it’s home time.”

“No, Mom, why? Can’t we stay a bit longer?” Meika asked, pouting.

“I can’t girls. Harley has a pain in his belly, and he's due for a nap. We’ve been here long enough anyway.”

“But Mom, we haven’t even see the good singer yet,” Coco whined.             

“There are lots of good singers, darling.” Jess stood up and began to pack the bag.

Coco drooped her shoulders dramatically. “No, Miss Davis said he was going to be here later on today.”

Ashley saw the disappointment in the girl’s eyes. “I can stay with them for a bit if you want to take Harley home.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m sure you’ve got other things you want to do.”

“Actually, no. I’d be happy to hang out with the girls. It’ll be fun.”

Coco and Meika cheered and hugged her.

“Are you sure, Ash? They can be a bit of a handful.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

Jess raised her eyebrows and pressed her lips together.

“Don’t answer that!” Ashley said. “You take Harley home, and we’ll hang out here for a bit.”             

“OK, give me a call when you’ve had enough and I’ll come back and pick you all up before we visit Grandpa.”

Ashley helped Jess pack the rest of her bag. Jess picked up Harley, who was looking rather pale, and headed off towards the exit.

“Dance with us, AA” Coco asked. She and Meika took Ashley’s hands and began to dance. She felt ridiculous, but she didn’t recognise any of the faces around her so she began to sway and move to the music, spinning the girls around. Country music had never been her thing, but some of it was all right. The kids seemed have an endless supply of energy and Ashley started to think they’d dance long into the night if she let them. After about half an hour Ashley collapsed on the picnic rug and the girls jumped on top of her, trying to tickle her. She laughed and struggled to fight them off.

“Still ticklish, I see,” came a familiar voice.

They all turned around to see Jay standing nearby, hands in his pockets, looking rather amused at the spectacle in front of him. He was wearing beige chino shorts with a dark blue tee shirt. Ashley sat upright, trying to catch her breath. Her hair was messy and she had a tomato sauce stain on her top.

“You’re it!” Coco squealed, tapping Meika on the shoulder and running off. Meika sprang to her feet and chased Coco.

“Stay where I can see you!” Ashley called.

“We will,” Meika called back.

Ashley stood up, brushing the grass from her knees and trying to straighten her hair. “What are you doing here?” she asked “I didn’t think you were coming.”

He shrugged. “I wasn’t going to but I saw Jess heading home and she told me she had left you here with these two. I thought you might like some help.” He plucked a piece of grass from her hair. “How are you feeling today, Sleeping Beauty?”