Home on Apple Blossom Road (Life in Icicle Falls) (24 page)

“You’ve always eaten for two,” Mia teased. “I don’t know how you stay so skinny.”

“Great sex,” Bailey said. “Speaking of sex, have you met anybody in Chicago?”

Mia hedged. “I’ve made some friends.”

“Friends with voices lower than yours?” Bailey persisted.

“Maybe I will have a cookie,” Mia said. She grabbed one and took a bite. “Oh, wow. This is cookie heaven.”

Her feeble attempt to change the subject failed. “So there’s nobody amazing in Chicago?”

“There are lots of amazing people in Chicago.”

Bailey frowned. “I mean men.”

“There are. I just haven’t found the right one.”

“How hard are you looking?”

“Not very,” Mia admitted. “Honestly, I’m so busy with work, I don’t have time.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

Mia shrugged. “Well, in a way it is. I’m really doing well at the company.”

“I’m glad.” Bailey chose another cookie. “I hope you can come back and visit more often, though. You know, hop on your private plane.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.”

“Seriously, everyone would love to see more of you.”

“Don’t worry. I plan to make more visits in the future.”

“And when the baby’s older, we’ll come see you in Chicago and stay in your penthouse.” Bailey gave her shoulder a playful nudge. “How’s the treasure hunt going?” she asked.

“It’s been awkward,” Mia admitted, “but...” She could feel her cheeks burning. “But good.”

“Good as in something’s happening between the two of you?”

“Maybe.” Hopefully.

“Cecily was right! Did Colin tell you he ran into her in Bavarian Brews?”

“No.”

“Well, he did. And she said she had this feeling that you two might get back together.”

“Maybe we will,” Mia said. Maybe this time things really would work out between them.

They chatted for another twenty minutes, Bailey catching Mia up on how her sisters and their families were doing and Mia talking about life in the corporate world.

“I don’t think I’d want your job,” Bailey said. “Sounds stressful.”

“It’s hard work, and I still get nervous when I have to give a presentation, but it’s satisfying, too. I like seeing a product I’ve helped promote catch on.”

“Well, I’m going to check out Sprouted Bliss,” Bailey promised.

“And I’m going to like Tea Time on Facebook,” Mia said. Then she sobered. “I’m sorry I haven’t done a better job of keeping in touch.”

“That’s okay. We’ve both been busy. We’ll do better in the future. And who knows? Maybe you guys will end up moving back here.”

“Maybe,” Mia said again. Right now that word summed up her whole life.
Maybe.
Maybe at some point, she’d figure out what she was doing.

She returned to Aunt Beth’s and joined the family for Sunday dinner—ham and baked beans and coleslaw and a peach pie for dessert. Uncle Mark complimented her. “That was the best dinner this side of heaven,” he said.

“Great meal, sis,” Dylan agreed, passing his plate to Colin, who was clearing the table.

“And now it’s time we got serious,” Mark said. He walked to the kitchen junk drawer and produced a pack of cards. “Hearts.”

Oh, yes, just like the old days. Except Grandma Justine and Grandpa Gerald weren’t there. For a moment Mia wanted to cry. But then the play began and soon she was caught up in the challenge of not taking any points and even shooting the moon, dumping points on her opponents. There was smack talk and laughter, and it felt as if she’d stepped back in time. Until she saw Dylan looking speculatively at her. Oh, yes. Just as if she’d stepped back in time, and not in a good way.
Did anyone tell you I got a raise? Will I ever be good enough for your son?

After a couple of games, Colin suggested a walk and Dylan decided he needed to go home. Uncle Mark was saying something to Colin, and Dylan pulled Mia aside and lowered his voice. “Don’t break his heart again.”

What about
her
heart? “I wasn’t the one,” she began.

Dylan stopped her. “I know the story. Just remember, you women have more power than you realize.”

Colin was looking at them now and Dylan dropped the subject, along with Mia’s arm, kissed his sister and hurried out the door.

“What did Dad say to you?” Colin asked as they went down the front steps.

Part of her wanted to tell him, but that would be tattling, and she didn’t want to cause problems between Colin and his father. “Nothing. He just said not to give up on the hunt.” He’d probably like nothing better than if she did give up, if she went away and stayed away. His son loved her. Why couldn’t he?

Subject: The funeral

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: September 9, 2006

Thank you for the beautiful flower arrangement, dear.

The funeral was lovely. So many people turned out to honor Gerald. I was quite overwhelmed. And now I’m quite exhausted. I feel as though I’ve lost my anchor, and I’m adrift with Gerald gone and another family harvesting our Galas. But life goes on, doesn’t it? One set of players leaves the stage and a new cast begins a new story.

As for the rest of my story, I have no idea what it will be. The thought of making a new life is overwhelming, but thank God I have the children. We’re all helping each other through this difficult time. Please pray for me.

Love,

Justine

Chapter Sixteen

I
t was a perfect evening for a walk, the mountain air fresh and cool, making it easy to forget the heat of the day. Colin took Mia’s hand as they strolled away from Aunt Beth’s house. Neighbors were out on their porches, enjoying the evening, and called out greetings as they strolled past.

“You know, that’s one of the things I like about this place,” he said. “People know you. They care about you.”

“No one cares about you in Seattle?” she teased.

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great city. Lots of stuff going on—the Seahawks, the Mariners. But this...” He wasn’t sure he could put it into words. There was something about this place that made him feel connected, as though his life somehow mattered.

“I know what you mean. Icicle Falls is special.”

“As special as Chicago?” Did she actually prefer the city to this?

“More special,” she admitted. “But Chicago’s where my job is. I can’t just quit.”

Maybe Mia didn’t want to quit at all. She was going places. How far could she go if no one held her back? She deserved to find out. He sure didn’t want to be the one to stop her.

He remembered what Hildy Johnson had said. Did all women end up feeling that way, as if men had somehow messed up their lives? Would Mia feel like that if he asked her to come back to Icicle Falls?

There was no point in asking. It wasn’t fair. She was the one with the big important job.

“I have a nice apartment,” she ventured. “It’s right downtown.”

“Downtown,” he repeated. Not much room to spread out in an apartment. He’d found that out living in Seattle. Of course, he didn’t have much to spread—a minimal amount of furniture and his kick-ass sound system, a mix-and-match mess of dishes, some books on horticulture and a couple of Stephen King novels, his bicycle. A guy alone didn’t need much space.

But a man with a family, that was different. A man needed tools and a garage and a yard where he could toss the ball with his son. Most of Colin’s ball tossing had been done with Uncle Mark, but his dad had gone out with him occasionally. He wanted to be able to do the same thing with his own kids someday. He wanted to help them build a tree house, too. You couldn’t build a tree house without a yard. You couldn’t have even one measly apple tree without a yard.

How far his life was drifting from what he’d had growing up.

He could adapt. He’d get a good job and they could save up for a house. He had a degree. People didn’t care what your degree was in as long as you had one. The important thing was to build a life with Mia.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“Huh? Oh, nothing.”

“You can’t think nothing,” she reminded him.

That again. Okay, what
was
he thinking? “Downtown Chicago. Great nightlife.” They could go dancing and go out to eat. He’d found places to ride his bike in Seattle. He’d find places to ride in Chicago.

He wouldn’t find any orchards, though. No farms, no ranches. There would go the last of his dreams. That realization was like being in a small plane with a failed engine. Here came the ground.

But never mind. You didn’t get to keep the life you had as a kid. That was what being a grown-up was all about. He could let go of those old dreams, find new ones. He’d never find another Mia. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. They could live in the city and come back to Icicle Falls for holidays.

Only holidays. Yes, he could do this. He offered her a smile.

She was looking pensive. “Okay, now what are
you
thinking?” he asked.

“I’m wondering if we
can
start over. Maybe we’ve...grown apart.”

He stopped and pulled her to him. “Do you really believe that?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Just because we were friends growing up doesn’t necessarily mean we were meant to be a couple. Maybe we got it all wrong and it was for the best that we broke up.”

“I don’t believe that,” he said. “If we were supposed to be with other people, don’t you think we would be by now?” He hurried on before she could answer. “Breaking up was the dumbest thing we ever did. I’m not gonna be that dumb again. I’ll get a job in Chicago. We’ll make it work this time.”

“You told Lorelei you wanted an orchard.”

“I want you more.” And to prove he meant it, he took her face in his hands and kissed her. Ah, Mia’s lips. They were why kissing had been invented. He caught the faintest whiff of her perfume, and it was headier than alcohol. He would follow her to Chicago, to Timbuktu, to the moon.

He kept her standing there on the sidewalk for long minutes as he savored the taste of her mouth, the smell of her hair, the feel of her body pressed against his. There was nothing more important than being together, and he wasn’t going to waste time on anyone or anything else.

She was smiling when they finally ended the kiss. Seeing her smile, he felt a swell of emotions that was almost too big for his chest. That feeling, he’d only ever experienced it with Mia. He’d never felt it with Lorelei or with any of the girls he’d dated since they broke up. They were definitely meant to be together.

They turned back to Aunt Beth’s house and settled on the porch swing, holding hands and talking the night away, remembering all the good times from their childhood and reliving the highlights of high school.

They didn’t go too far into the future, simply agreeing that they’d be together. No matter what, that wasn’t going to change.

He gave her one more kiss before finally going home, running his fingers through her hair, imagining that hair spread out on a pillow. Her next to him in bed every night for the rest of their lives. Waking up beside her every morning. Starting weekends with great sex. Oh, yeah. He’d make breakfast on Saturdays—pancakes, his specialty. They’d find some crazy old Formica table like Aunt Beth’s to eat at, stick a vase of flowers in the middle of it. Then, someday, there’d be a couple of kids sitting at that table, a boy and a girl. The girl would look exactly like Mia. They’d be happy.

He was smiling when he walked back down the street and turned the corner to his dad’s house, smiling when he strode up the front walk, smiling when he let himself in the door.

Dad was in his library, seated in one of the leather chairs, a book in his lap. He looked up at Colin and he wasn’t smiling. “Long walk,” he observed. It wasn’t a pleasant observation.

“Sort of,” Colin said evasively, then he started for his room before the bad vibes could devour his happiness.

“Stay a minute,” Dad said.

Less than a minute. He sat on the edge of the chair opposite his father. “Dad, whatever you’re going to say—”

“You don’t know what I’m going to say.”

“I can guess.”

“You remember how it was the last time you and Mia broke up. You want to get on that merry-go-round again?”

It didn’t have to be a merry-go-round. They’d both grown up. “I love her. I always have.”

“I loved your mother. Love’s no guarantee.”

“It is for us,” Colin said and stood. He clenched his jaw and tightened his fists.

Dad looked at him with his usual sober expression. “I’m not saying this to piss you off, son. I’m saying this because I want you to think carefully before you act. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

The fight went out of Colin as quickly as it had entered. “I understand that, Dad. But things didn’t work without her. I tried.”

“Maybe you both know what you want now.”

“I think we do.”

Dad suddenly took a great interest in studying the bookcase on the opposite wall.

“It’s your life. You have to live it.”

These last words were hardly a vote of confidence, but they were said with fatherly love, and Colin could at least appreciate that. “Yeah, I do.” Then he laid a hand on his father’s shoulder to show there were no hard feelings and went upstairs to bed.

He wondered if his father realized that one of his biggest mistakes might have been not giving love a second chance. There were many things he admired about the man—his smarts, the way he looked like he’d stepped right out of the pages of
GQ
, his commitment to his family. Dad had always been busy with work, but he’d also found time to help when he was needed. Colin could still remember him and Uncle Mark up on the roof of the old orchard house for several weekends, laying shingles in the summer heat. He’d helped Gram find the nursing home for Gramps, managed to get Colin through school. And Colin knew he’d helped some of the older people in town, often pro bono. Heck, Dad could’ve stayed in Seattle and become a hotshot trial lawyer, could have made partner in some firm and pulled in a butt load of money. Instead, he’d come back to Icicle Falls to make sure his son had a good childhood. Yeah, he’d done a lot of things right.

But not love. Dad knew about broken hearts but he knew nothing about mending them.

* * *

Mia lay in the old brass bed, watching as the moon and the trees outside cast a shadow puppet show on the ceiling of her old room. A summer breeze danced into the room, tickling the lace curtains at the window and caressing her cheek, whispering, “Welcome back.”

What an incredible turn her life had taken. She’d returned to Icicle Falls, her heart laden with grief, and now, tonight, she was brimming with happiness. She touched her fingers to her lips in an effort to bring back the memory of Colin’s kisses. His words floated gently at the back of her mind.
We’ll make it work this time.

Of course, he hadn’t said
how
they’d make it work. What if they couldn’t?

Don’t think about that
, she told herself. Not tonight. She wasn’t going to let so much as a drop of doubt contaminate the way she was feeling now. It had been a long road back to love, and the last thing she wanted was to put up a roadblock just when everything was working out. “More adventures lie ahead today,” Aunt Beth said the next morning as they sat at the kitchen table, enjoying early-morning lattes and scones.

Mia finished her scone and Aunt Beth nudged the plate of goodies closer to her. At the rate Mia was going, she’d soon be standing in line behind Hildy, asking Beth to let out her clothes. But now wasn’t the time to worry about that, she decided, and helped herself to another.

“Are these going in your cookbook?” she asked.

“So you heard. Pat must have told you.”

“I think it’s a lovely idea,” Mia said. “I hope I’ll get a copy.”

“You’ll get the first one,” Beth promised. “It’s been great having you back, sweetie.”

“It’s been great to be back.”

Aunt Beth toyed with the rim of her mug. “Would you ever consider moving home for good?”

“After I’ve had a chance to prove myself with the company.”

Aunt Beth nodded. “Ah, yes. The promotion.”

The way she said it made it sound more like an inconvenience than an accomplishment. “I worked hard for it,” Mia said, stung. Aunt Beth had always been her biggest fan.

“Of course you did.”

Maybe she was worried that Mia was somehow deserting Colin. “Colin would be willing to move,” she added.

“So, you two have already gotten to that point, have you?”

Mia could feel a flush creeping up her neck. She nodded.

Aunt Beth laid a hand on her arm. “I’m glad. You belong together.” She gave a decisive nod. “Whether that means on the East Coast or out here, you’ll have to decide.” She took a sip of her latte. “I don’t think he’s meant for the city, though.”

“He lives in a city now,” Mia pointed out.

“He’s drifting in a city now. That’s not the same thing.”

The sunshine streaming through the kitchen window suddenly didn’t seem as warm. Mia sat back and regarded her. “Is there something you’re trying to tell me?”

“No. Not really. I suppose, when it comes down to it, Colin’s drifting has nothing to do with his location. He needs an anchor and that anchor is you. His grandmother tried to tell him as much.”

Obviously, he hadn’t listened.

Aunt Beth smiled. “My mother always saw what was best for people long before they did. She also knew what was important.”

What did Aunt Beth mean by that? Mia didn’t get a chance to ask because her phone rang. Glancing at caller ID, she tensed. She’d been dreading this call, afraid her voice-mail message wouldn’t be enough. It was nine in Chicago. She was surprised Andrea had waited this long. She excused herself and left the kitchen, saying a leery hello on her way to the front porch.

She opened the door and found Colin standing there, about to knock, a grin on his face. He looked good enough for a Vanessa Valentine book cover, casual in jeans and boots and a brown T-shirt that lovingly hugged a fine set of pecs.

“Hi,” he said just as Andrea said, “Mia, I got your message. What on earth is going on? We expected you back in the office today.”

“I know. I’m terribly sorry.” She stepped aside to let Colin in.

“Not as sorry as I am. We put you in this position because we thought we could depend on you.”

“You
can
depend on me,” Mia assured her.

“This is a company that’s going places and we expect our employees to be dedicated enough to stay on for the ride. You are dedicated, aren’t you, Mia?”

“Of course I am.” The way Colin was studying her made Mia feel like a bug being dissected in front of an audience. She turned her back on him. “But there are extenuating circumstances...”

“Someone new has died?”

“No. But like I said, the will—”

Andrea cut her off. “Has, I’m sure, been read by now. Whatever you need to handle can certainly be handled by email.”

“Well, not exactly. It’s complicated.”

“Life is not that complicated when your priorities are in place, Mia, and the only people who make excuses are the ones who aren’t team players. Now, are you a team player or aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am. Of course I am.” Hadn’t she proved it these last five years?

“Good. I’m sorry for your loss and I’m glad you were able to see your family, but now I expect you back here. Find a flight that’s going out later today. I need you in the office tomorrow. Actually, I needed you here today.”