Change of Heart

by Judith Keim

  “Being a mother to a six-year-old is going to be very new to me,” Em admitted. “I appreciate any help you can give me.”

  “No problem,” said Clara. “I’m glad you’re back in town and happy that we’ve become friends again.”

  “Me too.” She and Clara hadn’t been especially close in high school, but talking with her now, Em wondered why not. She liked her a lot.

  “Is Penny your only child?” Devin asked.

  “We have a two-year-old boy and a baby girl at home. We hired a babysitter to stay with them,” said Jake.

  “Being out of the house like this feels like we’re on a date,” said Clara, and she and Chip laughed.

  Em smiled at their obvious affection, and wondered what it would be like to have three children so close in age.

  “Hey, Doc,” said Chip, getting to his feet. “Let’s go get a beer. I’ll introduce you to some of the guys.”

  After Devin and Chip left the table, Clara beamed at Em. “Looks like our families are going to be friends.”

  Pleased, Em said, “That makes me happy.”

  “Absolutely. You’re engaged to a hunky guy, about to officially become a mother, and you own a couple of businesses. You’re something else, Em.” She laughed. “I’m here to take advice from you, not the other way around.”

  Elena came over and joined them. “What are you two talking about?” she asked as she lowered herself onto the picnic bench beside Em.

  “We’re going to give each other advice,” said Clara. “I’ll help her with Ava, and Em will help me with finding things to do outside the home, like running two businesses at once.”

  Elena laughed. “Sounds good to me.”

  Em joined in the friendly laughter, wondering if Clara would like working at Rainbow’s End someday. She was such a pleasant, easy-going person.

  Ava came running over to them and hurtled herself at Em. Crying softly, Ava threw her arms around Em’s neck and clung to her.

  “Hey, sweetheart, what’s the matter?” She looked up as Penny approached her mother.

  “What’s going on?” Clara asked her.

  Em studied Penny’s troubled expression.

  “I don’t like Ashley anymore.” Penny glanced at Ava and back to her mother.

  “Did Ashley do or say something mean?” Clara asked.

  Penny nodded. “She told Ava she can’t play with us. She said Ava didn’t belong here.”

  “Ahh, that’s it.” Clara took hold of Penny’s hand. “That wasn’t a nice thing to say. It hurt Ava’s feelings. Of course, she belongs here. She’s a new family friend.”

  “I tried to tell her.” Penny walked over to Ava and tapped her on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go on the swings again.”

  “I’ll walk you over,” said Clara.

  “Me, too,” said Em. “I don’t know Ashley or her mother.”

  Both girls accompanied them over to the swings, where Ashley was playing by herself. Seeing them approach, Ashley ran over to her mother, who was standing and talking to another woman.

  “You girls go on and play,” said Clara before turning to the women. “Hi, Jeanne! Hi, Brie. This is Emerson Jordan, Donna and David’s daughter, and this is her daughter Ava. Em, this is Jeanne Wethers, who works at the library, and Brie Kendall, Ashley’s mother, works at the Anderson Insurance Company. I believe they’re in the same book club as your mother.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” said Em.

  “Jordan? You’re the owner of the flower shop,” said Brie. “I sometimes buy things there.”

  “Thanks. We appreciate your business,” said Em automatically, though she could swear she’d never seen Brie there.

  Jeanne frowned at Ava. “That’s your daughter? She speaks Spanish. Is she Mexican?”

  “No, she’s not,” said Em, bristling at Jeanne’s condescending manner. “Would it matter if she was?”

  “Well, this town is changing so much I can’t believe it. When I walk down the street, I hardly recognize anyone anymore with all the foreigners here.” An older woman, Jeanne frowned and shook her head.

  “Jeanne, I know that you’ve lived here a long time, but it doesn’t mean you can decide who can or cannot choose to live here too. Your mother, bless her, was one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met. I don’t believe she would agree with your thinking.” Though Clara’s words were said softly, there was no mistaking the anger in her voice.

  “Wait a minute,” said Brie. “That’s not fair. I don’t want my daughter playing with just anyone. And until I meet the parents, and she gets approval from me, I want Ashley to stay away from kids like ... well, like some others.”

  Em swallowed hard. She was so tempted to tell Brie where she could stuff her attitude. Instead, she searched for words. “You know, Brie. I feel the same way. I don’t want Ava mixing with children who come from such unaccepting homes. They have so little to offer her.”

  Brie’s face flushed with anger and her mouth opened in surprise when she registered the insult. “Why you ...”

  Before Brie could follow-up with that thought, Devin approached them, along with Elena, Andrew, and Chip.

  “How’s it going, darling?” Devin said to her, and bobbed a greeting to the other ladies.

  “You’re engaged to him? The new doctor in town?” Brie said, blinking her eyelashes with surprise.

  Ava ran over to Devin, “¡Papi! Papi!”

  He swung her up in his arms. “Are you having fun?”

  Ava shook her head. “Not with Ashley. She’s not nice. But Penny is my friend.”

  “I see,” said Devin, sweeping his gaze over the two women with disapproval.

  “We’d better get home,” Chip said to Clara. He gave a little wave to everyone. “See you all tomorrow, no doubt. I’m one of the judges for the parade.”

  “Have fun,” Em said. “The annual parade is one of my favorite things.”

  Chip and Clara left with Penny.

  “C’mon, Em,” said Elena, ignoring the other two women. “Let’s go see what’s happening back at the house.”

  Em took hold of Ava’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  “I want water,” said Ava.

  They walked back to the house, and Em took her inside to get a glass of water. As they entered the kitchen, Em heard someone say, “It’s lovely to see Em so happy. I was getting worried about her finding someone. And to think Devin is going to be a new doctor in town. Maybe now she’ll settle down.”

  Em cleared her throat in warning and entered the kitchen to find two of her favorite women.

  “Oh, Em, we were just talking about you,” said Isabel Porter. “We’re all happy for you, dear. I had no idea you were dating and to think of Devin becoming part of the community. It’s wonderful.”

  “Yes,” said Stacy Greene. “Now you can settle down here.” Her glance rested on Ava. “Such a sweet, pretty child.”

  “Thank you. We’re here for a glass of water.” She led Ava over to the sink, grabbed a glass and filled it with water. “Here you go, Ava. Agua.”

  Ava smiled up at her. “Si. Agua.”

  Em laughed. “I’ll be speaking Spanish in no time.”

  “She’s such a smart little thing,” Isabel said. “My granddaughter is another smart girl. The other day she told me she was going to be an astronaut. You know what I said? I told her, ‘Go, girl. We’re all counting on you.’ Such dreams young kids have today.”

  Gran entered the kitchen. “There you are, Em. I think I’ve found another customer for you. On his way out, Jake Robertson said we need to dress up the downtown area. I suggested he see you about it.”

  “It has been looking a bit down lately,” Stacy said. “Why don’t you talk to Marty Caster?”

  Hands on hips, Gran glared at her. “Because my Em does a better job at design than he does. Besides, Em does most of the landscape designs Marty works with.”

  “Oh, sorry, Julia, I didn’t mean to offend you,” said Stacy, backing away. “Gu
ess I’d better see if Rich is ready to leave. The afternoon has flown by.”

  “We’ve got to go too,” said Em, amused by the irritated look that still remained on Gran’s face. She kissed Gran goodbye and waved to Isabel before taking Ava’s hand and leading her out of the kitchen.

  “There you are,” said Em’s mother. “I want Ava to come with me. It isn’t every day I get to introduce not one, but two granddaughters to my friends.”

  Ava took hold of Em’s mother’s hand and left. Watching them go, Em decided to find her sister. She’d seen her head upstairs with Lillibet.

  She found Elena in her bedroom nursing the baby. Observing them, Em thought of the wonder of childbirth and the bonding of mother and baby.

  Elena looked up and saw her. “Hi,” she said softly smiling. “How are you, ¿Mami?”

  Tears blurred Em’s vision. She’d waited a long time to hear those words. Now that it was happening, she hoped she was ready for all it meant.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  That night Em and Devin tucked Ava in for the night together. “Sleep tight, sweet girl,” Em said softly, kissing her on the cheek.

  Ava nodded solemnly and then hugged Devin.

  “See you in the morning,” Devin said, turning to go.

  “¿Papi? Am I too small?” said Ava, making him stop.

  “You’re the perfect size, why?” he said facing her.

  “A lady said I needed to grow bigger,” Ava said. “She called me poor little thing.”

  Devin looked to Em.

  “It’s probably one of my mother’s friends,” she said, wincing. Sometimes, the most well-intentioned of remarks stung. “You don’t have to worry about that, Ava. Like Papi says, you’re the perfect size and the perfect little girl to us.” In truth, she was small for her age, and would, no doubt, put on a little weight in the coming months as she was given regular, healthy meals and settled into a more stable existence. But Em never wanted Ava to think she wasn’t exactly right as she was.

  Em turned on the new nightlight they’d purchased for the room and hugged Ava. “There now. You’re all set. Get lots of sleep. We have an exciting day ahead of us.”

  “¿Mami? Another hug?”

  Em’s heart filled with love. “As many as you want.” She loved them as much as Ava.

  ###

  Downstairs Em and Devin sat at the kitchen table with their computers and calendars. It was time to sort out a number of details.

  “I like your condo, but realistically we’re going to need something different—something with more space inside and out.”

  Together they made a list of things they were looking for in a house and searched online for housing in the area. When they had no luck finding anything that felt right, she said. “Don’t worry. I’ll call Barbara Arnold, my real estate agent, and tell her to keep an eye open for anything of interest that might come up. In the meantime, you can bunk here.”

  “Okay. But let’s leave for Florida right away. We’ll get set up at Seashell Cottage and wait for your family there. There’s a three-day waiting period after getting our marriage license. I’ve already got the cottage rented so we can move in anytime.” Devin clasped her hand in his strong fingers. “Thanks for being so understanding. I can’t imagine many women willing to go to such lengths to make things happen so quickly.”

  She smiled. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”

  Devin grabbed hold of her elbow and pulled her up from the chair. “Let’s dance.”

  A giggle of surprise escaped her. “Really? Now?”

  “Sure. There’s soft jazz playing in the background. That’s all we need.”

  He placed an arm around her and drew her to him. Moving to the beat of the music, he began to sway with her. Em sighed with pleasure. She felt so at home, so safe, so eager for a future with him.

  “Now, do you remember me from Elena and Andrew’s wedding?”

  A memory of once dancing like this with Jared evaporated. “It was you,” she said softly.

  Devin gazed down at her. “I’ve never forgotten that one dance with you.”

  “I was such a fool,” Em said.

  “You were ... adorable!” Devin said. “All those flirty glances at your boyfriend.”

  Em nestled against him, thankful for the way things had turned out. They continued to move to the music until it became obvious that they both wanted a dance of a different kind.

  ###

  After breakfast the next morning, Em hurried Devin and Ava out of the house. She’d already opened up the top of her VW convertible, packed folding chairs in the backseat leaving a place for Ava, and placed bottles of water in a canvas bag to carry with her.

  “I’ll park behind the flower shop, and we’ll set up the chairs in front for Gran and my parents.” Elena and Andrew had opted to skip all the noise and excitement, worried about the effect on Lillibet.

  “It’s awfully early, Em,” Devin complained. “Why the rush?”

  “You’ll see.” She never grew tired of the annual parade that always inspired her.

  The curbs along Main Street were already filling with people and chairs when she led Devin and Ava to the front of the store and helped Devin place the three chairs along the curb.

  From their places, they could see the reviewing stand set up in the small central park farther down the street. Em strained to see Clara and Jake in the distance and was rewarded with a wave from Clara, who headed their way with Penny in tow.

  The sound of horns and other brass instruments being tuned danced in the warm, summery air, a hint of what was to come. Ava hung by Em’s side until she saw Penny, and then she ran over to her.

  “Hello, there,” Clara said smiling. “Beautiful morning for a parade.”

  “Indeed,” said Devin. “I haven’t been to a parade since I can remember.”

  “We may be a small town, but we do the Fourth of July up big,” said Clara. She held up the tiny bouquet of flowers from Rainbow’s End. “I’m ready for this year’s Princess of the Parade.”

  At his puzzled look, Em explained. “When the young princess goes by, we all wave the flowers at her or toss them into the car she’s riding in. A tradition Gran started years ago.”

  Devin grinned. “I guess the two of you were once the Princess of the Parade, huh?”

  Em and Claire looked at one another and grinned. Ellenton was small enough that several young girls were given the honor. It was generally the highlight of their teen years.

  “I’ll be right back,” said Em. “I have to get our flowers from the store.”

  She unlocked the door, stepped inside, and grabbed six beribboned bunches of flowers she’d made for them earlier.

  When she stepped outside again, she noticed the frown on Devin’s face.

  “What’s up?” she quietly asked him.

  “The daughter of one of the women I met yesterday was rude to Ava. I don’t like it. The mother overheard it, but never reprimanded her. I hope living in Ellenton isn’t going to be a problem for us.”

  “There’s prejudice everywhere, Devin. We will have to deal with it the best we can. I don’t like it. You don’t like it. Our job is to explain other people’s prejudices to our daughter, to prepare and show her the good in people,” said Em. “Look at how well she and Penny are playing.”

  “You’re right, though it makes me angry to see such treatment.”

  “I know.” She handed him one of the small bunches of flowers. “Here. Thought you’d like to be part of the fun.”

  He grinned. “How about I toss it at you instead?”

  She laughed. “My days of being the princess are long over.”

  “We’ll see about that,” he said, and turned as the sound of marching feet grew closer.

  Em greeted her parents and Gran and handed them flowers. “Got your seats all saved.”

  “Good,” said Gran. “I’m ready to enjoy the day.”

  Standing beside Devin, remembering it was jus
t a year ago that Jared had been at her side, Em marveled at all the changes in her life. She’d always been fanciful and a dreamer, but in all those years of being that way, she could never have imagined the fairytale she was living now.

  Ava came and stood by her side. Em handed her one of the flowers. “When the princess passes by, you can toss these to her, okay?”

  Eyes shining with excitement, Ava nodded.

  Small as it was, the town parade had everything one could imagine—three marching bands, a fire engine with siren going softly, several floats—one loaded with Cub Scouts giving out candy—baton twirlers, Girl Scouts marching together, a veterans’ group, two clowns handing out coupons to the ice cream store, a group of kids riding bicycles decorated with crepe paper streamers and on and on, one group following another.

  Ava was alternately delighted and overwhelmed by everything. But when it came time for the Princess of the Parade to pass by, Ava tossed her flowers like everyone else into the backseat of the antique, red convertible on loan from the Chevrolet dealer.

  “Pretty,” gushed Ava at the young teen wearing a fancy blue dress and a tiara in her hair.

  Em laughed, certain in her mind that Ava would be the princess one day, betting she’d love wearing a sparkly crown.

  After the last group had marched by followed by a number of horseback riders, people picked up their chairs and other belongings and began to move away.

  “Well, what did you think?” Gran asked Devin.

  “It was nice. Really nice. A slice of Americana.”

  “I’m glad you liked it. Next year, your medical practice will be tapped for donations. Just saying,” said Gran.

  Devin returned her smile. “We’ll be glad to help.”

  “I want to be the princess,” said Ava to Gran.

  “Sweetie, you already are,” Gran said. “But to be the Princess of the Parade will take a few years of growing.”

  Ava nodded solemnly. “Okay.”

  Amused, Em exchanged glances with Gran and turned to her mother, who was saying goodbye to Clara.

  “We’ll save you blanket space next to ours for the fireworks,” said Clara to Em. “See you then.”