by Marie Landry
“You got it.” She pushes her chair back and gets to her feet, dropping her napkin on the table. As she comes around to my side, I hop up and step into her open arms, closing my eyes as she wraps me in an apple-and-cinnamon-scented hug. “You’re amazing. Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
“Every day. But feel free to expand more on the ‘amazing’ part.”
The mood is lighter after that. Mom is back to her usual levels of Energizer Bunny instead of bunny hopped up on speed. As I finish my second bowl of soup, she tells me about Emilio’s cabin in Northern Ontario, which is where he plans to take her for their Thanksgiving getaway. It sounds idyllic—it’s on a small lake that’s surrounded by trees, which will be a riot of fall colors by then. He’s promised to cook all their meals, take her hiking, and go on drives in the country. By the time we gather our dishes to clear the table, I’m half tempted to ask if I can come along, although I suppose having your almost-thirty-five-year-old daughter along would put a damper on a romantic getaway.
After loading the dishwasher, I slip out of the kitchen to check my phone. Because Mom and I spend so little quality time together these days, I always make sure my phone is out of reach when we’re together so I’m not tempted to incessantly check Cravings’ social media or fill my notes with recipe ideas and marketing plans. Mom is preoccupied with dishing up apple crisp and ice cream, though, so I don’t feel guilty about opening the text that’s waiting from Gwen.
Hi lovely, hope you’re not in a food coma after dinner with your mom. Just wanted to let you know Sherée had the baby a few hours ago! Malcolm kept Evan updated with texts over the last few hours, and he just sent one that was simply a pic of him, Sherée, and their sweet baby girl with the word ‘perfection’ and a bunch of crying and heart-eye emojis. Will text when I have more details. Give my love to Mama Stewart and be sure to keep some for yourself. Xoxo
The picture Malcolm sent Evan is attached. My eyes prickle when I open it to see Malcolm and Sherée’s exhausted yet glowing faces pressed close together with a swaddled bundle held between them. The baby’s tiny pink hat is riding up enough to show a glimpse of thick black hair underneath.
I take my phone to the kitchen to show Mom the picture and tell her the news. After she gushes over the photo, I quickly type out a reply to Gwen. Congrats Aunt Gwen and Uncle Evan! Please give my love to Malcolm, Sherée, and Baby Girl Perry. Keep me posted. Love you! xoxo
As I’m going out of my texts, I hit my contacts by accident and Jasper’s name pops up as the last incoming call. Is it weird I want to text him to congratulate him? Even weirder that I kind of want to call him? Normally the thought of calling someone would make me shudder. Especially someone I literally just met last week. He did spend a night on my couch, though, and we will be seeing a lot more of each other in the next month…
“Ready for dessert?” Mom asks. “I gave you a big enough helping to put you in that food coma Gwen mentioned.”
Laughing, I tuck my phone into my pocket and follow Mom back to the kitchen table. She’s a rapt audience as I tell her about some of the plans I’ve been cooking up for the last quarter of the year at Cravings. When we finish with dessert, I rise to help her clean up, but she shoos me back to my chair, telling me to relax for a few minutes while she tidies up and puts together a few things for me to take home.
After being on my feet most of the day for the last three days straight, I don’t argue. In fact, I’m tempted to ask if I can crash upstairs in my old room. Between my over-full belly and the fatigue creeping in, I’ll be lucky if I don’t do a faceplant onto the table and fall asleep right here.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out. It’s only an email, but having my phone in my hand reminds me of my earlier desire to get in touch with Jasper. The sound of Mom’s quiet humming paired with things being moved around comes from the walk-in pantry. She’ll be a few more minutes at least. Before I can second guess myself, I hit Jasper’s number and raise the phone to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Hi Jasper, it’s Willow. Gwen texted me a while ago to tell me Sherée had the baby, so I wanted to call and congratulate you.” My face is hot and prickly. The moment I opened my mouth and started speaking, I felt like a complete idiot. It gave me instant flashbacks to the time I called my eighth grade crush and he asked how I got his number and why I was calling him, and then proceeded to tell the whole class the next day. I’m still haunted by the mocking laughter of snotty thirteen-year-olds.
“It’s so nice to hear from you, Willow. What a thoughtful gesture.”
My cheeks are officially on fire, only now it’s from pleasure rather than embarrassment. Jasper’s soft, deep voice in my ear has me closing my eyes, although I’m suddenly not as tired as I was a minute ago.
“Not that I’m not grateful for the call, but I thought you were a text-only type of woman.” If I’m not mistaken, I believe there’s a hint of humor in Jasper’s voice. He sounds like he’s smiling, or at least as close to smiling as he gets.
“Such a momentous occasion in the Perry clan warranted a phone call,” I tell him. “I know how excited you were about becoming an uncle. The baby is early, isn’t she? Is everything okay?”
“Sherée’s due date was the first of October, but the baby had other ideas,” Jasper says. I can definitely hear the smile in his voice now. It makes me wish I could see his face. “She’s in perfect health, and Sherée is doing well. Malcolm called me on the way to the hospital and, when I asked him to keep me posted, he said I should meet them because they wanted me there. I stayed in the waiting room and they asked me to come into the room shortly after Elizabeth was born.”
My heart gives a little tug. After seeing the tension between Malcolm and Jasper last weekend, the fact Malcolm asked Jasper to be at the birth of his first child seems like a big deal. “How special,” I murmur. “And Elizabeth? What a beautiful name.”
There’s a beat of silence and then he says, “It was my mother’s name.”
Now my eyes are really stinging. I don’t get a chance to say anything before he speaks again.
“Her full name is Elizabeth Jasmine Perry.”
“Beautiful,” I say automatically, then the middle name sinks in. “Jasmine?”
“Sherée joked about them trying to find a feminine form of Jasper and how she heartily vetoed Malcolm’s suggestion of ‘Jasperilla’.” He laughs softly.
I can sense Mom moving around in the kitchen, but I don’t turn to look at her. I’m afraid one look at my face would raise questions and possibly even prompt teasing about heart eyes.
“I thought about you earlier,” Jasper says suddenly.
“You did?”
“It didn’t escape me that Elizabeth was born on the first day of autumn, even though she wasn’t due until the first of October. I suspect you two will be kindred spirits for that reason alone.”
There’s that tug in my heart again. “Maybe I should make her a tiny leaf crown to wear at Gwen and Evan’s wedding.”
“I think she’d like that,” he says. “Or would if she were at all aware of her surroundings, which, of course, she won’t be since she’ll barely be a month old, but the sentiment is nice.”
I can’t help but laugh under my breath at how he takes things so literally. “Are you still coming this weekend or will you be sticking close to home to be near Elizabeth?”
“I’ll be spending the weekend in Bellevue, as originally planned,” he says. “I’ll see you for the autumn fair?”
“Definitely. I’m looking forward to it.”
After a slight pause, Jasper says, “As am I.” The soft rumble of his voice sends a giddy little shiver through me. “I’ll see you soon, Willow. Thank you again for calling.”
We say goodbye and I disconnect the call, slipping my phone back into my pocket as I rise from my seat. I inhale deeply and brace myself as I turn to face Mom. The smile I had while talking to Jasper is stuck on my face and my cheeks are warm
, so I expect to be met with a barrage of questions. Mom is still packing things into a tote bag—there’s already a full one off to the side—and despite having her lips pressed together, I can see the grin she’s attempting to hide.
“Everything okay?” she asks.
“Yeah, that was Jasper, Evan’s oldest brother. I wanted to call and congratulate him on becoming an uncle.”
“That was nice of you,” she says as I join her at the kitchen island. “Your mama raised you right.” She lightly pinches my cheek, then leans in to kiss me as I laugh and bat her hand away. “Sounds like you’re going to have a lot of fun this weekend.”
I think about what Gwen and Evan have planned, and about getting to spend part of the weekend with Jasper. “I hope so.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
On Saturday morning just before noon, I head downtown for the first of the Perry pre-wedding events. Downtown Bellevue is hosting its annual Fall Festival, complete with food stalls and a sidewalk sale from local eateries and shops, games and activities for kids, and live entertainment. All of Front Street is closed for the event, but I manage to snag a parking spot near the library, which is the group’s designated meeting spot since it’s one street over from the action of the festival.
I spot Gwen, Evan, Ivy, and Hugh in a loose huddle outside the library doors. They greet me with smiles and hugs. Even though my friends are wonderful and never make me feel like a fifth wheel, I’m glad I won’t be the only single one on today’s adventure. It’s not that I can’t hold my own among couples, but sometimes being the only singleton gives me a bittersweet feeling mixed with a case of FOMO. Especially with super loved-up couples like my friends.
“Where’s everyone else?” I ask.
“Lina dragged Hadley into the library because she wanted to make sure they’ve got copies of her book,” Evan says. “And Jasper got a phone call and wandered away.”
The words are barely out of his mouth before his sisters exit the library. Hadley catches Evan’s eyes and rolls her own, prompting a knowing grin from him. Her attention shifts to me, and she smiles. Before she can speak, Lina jumps in.
“The library has several copies of Moonlight Over Silver Lake, all of which are currently checked out!” She claps her hands excitedly before clasping them in front of her chest. “The head librarian isn’t in today, but the lovely woman I spoke to is a big fan and she said she’s sure they’ll be interested in having me in for a speaking engagement and signing early next year. She mentioned they were talking about doing a series on local authors, so I’d be a perfect addition.”
As she turns to Ivy and asks her about Pied Piper’s Books and the Village Bookshop, both of which Ivy is a partner in, I realize it’s a good thing Evan and Gwen warned me about how much Lina loves to talk about herself and her writing career. She still hasn’t even noticed me standing here.
“Hello, Willow.”
I whip around to find Jasper a few feet behind me. He’s tucking his phone into the back pocket of his jeans. His unironed jeans. Almost more shocking than that is the blue-and-green plaid flannel shirt he’s wearing, and the wind-tousled appearance of his hair.
“You look different,” I say. Because why greet someone like a normal person when you can comment on their appearance? “And hi. Sorry. You just took me by surprise.”
He peers down at his clothes and gives the hem of his shirt a quick tug. “Gwen offered to take me shopping when I arrived in town this morning, and I agreed. She suggested I might find greater comfort in more casual clothes, especially for what she and Evan have planned the next few weeks. I’m not sure it’s quite me, though.”
He does seem to be holding himself stiffer than usual. And he keeps fiddling with the bottom of his shirt as if he’s resisting the urge to tuck it in. Other than that, he looks pretty damn good to me. “For what it’s worth, I think the look suits you. And since we’ll be spending a lot of time outside, I’m sure you’ll appreciate having comfortable clothes, even if it’s an adjustment.”
“Thank you, Willow. I’m sure you’re right.”
Gwen catches my attention and waves me over to where she’s now standing beside Lina. “Since you two are the only ones who haven’t met yet, I wanted to introduce you before we get going,” Gwen says. “Lina, this is Willow, one of my oldest and dearest friends. Willow, this is Evan’s sister, Lina.”
“So nice to meet you,” I say, holding out my hand for her to shake.
“Always a pleasure to meet friends of Evan and Gwen,” she says with more warmth than I expected, considering all I’ve heard about her. She’s grinning broadly too, which means Jasper is the only Perry whose smiling muscles are rusty and underused. “Gwen tells me you’re a fan. We’ll have to find time to chat later.”
Before I can reply, Hadley says, “Now that everyone’s here, can we get this party started?”
We set off toward Front Street. Various food scents, along with the sound of happy chatter and laughter fill the air, making me smile. After living in Toronto for years, I grew accustomed to noise, even though it was sometimes overwhelming: constant traffic, honking horns, loud voices, people talking on cell phones everywhere you went. I enjoyed hearing the mix of languages and accents, especially since Bellevue is nowhere near as diverse a city as Toronto, but it felt like there was never a pause in the noise or the movement.
This is different, though. As I look around, I see people who appear to be present in the moment rather than hustling somewhere. Naturally, there are people who seem distracted and some who are glued to their phones—you can’t escape that no matter where you go these days—but the general vibe here is less chaotic. Moving back to Bellevue was the best choice for so many reasons. Toronto will always have a special place in my heart—it was the city I escaped to, got lost in, and found myself in—but I think I’m meant for quieter living. I planted a lot of seeds in Toronto, and Bellevue is where they’re really starting to bloom.
Speaking of blooms, my eye is drawn to a stand outside the flower shop. The variety of blossoms boast a rainbow of colors, but the clear theme is autumnal hues. I eye the sunflowers wistfully; I only have about thirty dollars to spend today, and I plan to sample as much food as possible. To make the festival more accessible to the general population, the eateries that have outdoor stalls are offering samples for two dollars apiece. My purse is currently weighed down with toonies, Canada’s large gold and silver two-dollar coins. There have been a lot of changes to downtown Bellevue in the three years I was gone, so I’m curious to check out all the new-to-me restaurants and find new favorites for when I can afford to enjoy them.
“I need food,” Gwen says, eyes wide as she takes in all the stalls and tables lining the street.
“I second that,” Ivy says. “Where to begin?”
We each point out different things within sight of where we’re standing. My stomach gurgles at all the possibilities. Even if these are just samples, I haven’t had this much choice in ages.
“Okay, I’ve decided where I’m starting,” Hadley says, fishing a toonie out of the pocket of her jeans. “That booth across the street with the purple awning has pumpkin cheesecake. And before you say I shouldn’t start with dessert—” She rounds on Jasper, pointing her finger at him as he purses his lips. “One of the perks of being an adult is getting to have dessert first if I want.”
“I didn’t say a word, nor did I plan to,” Jasper says, holding up his hands. I’m guessing this is a fight they’ve had before. Cautioning against spoiling your appetite with sweets does seem like something sensible Jasper would do.
“I’ll join you,” I tell Hadley. “I’m doing all things pumpkin at the café, and I’m always looking for inspiration.”
“Ivy and I are going to try the chickpea curry at the Indian place,” Hugh says. The way he says ‘curry’ with his Scottish accent makes me grin.
“I spy mushroom risotto over there,” Lina says, already drifting away from the group.
“The spot
next to the Indian food has squash soup,” Gwen says. “Evan and I have been craving that since Willow mentioned it the other night. Let’s all get our food and meet back here.”
I’m halfway across the street with Hadley before I realize Jasper never said where he was starting. I shoot a quick glance over my shoulder and find him standing where the group was a moment ago, his gaze still roaming up and down the street. Hadley is already a few steps ahead of me, so I call out that I’ll meet her in a minute, and I return to the sidewalk where her brother is.
Jasper’s slight frown clears as he sees me approaching. It returns when I skip the preamble to ask, “Your therapist has encouraged you to step outside your comfort zone, right?”
“Uhh, yes, she has…”
“I’m guessing this whole situation is outside your comfort zone.” I sweep my arm out to encompass everything around us. “So many people, so much action. You get a gold star for being here and being willing to participate…which is something my friends and I say to each other, but I realize might sound patronizing to you. I swear I mean it in the least patronizing way possible.”
Jasper’s lips twitch at my rambling. “Thank you?”
“Now, since you’re already stepping outside your comfort zone just by being here, why don’t you really live dangerously and have dessert first with Hadley and me?”
I expect him to decline. To say it’s irresponsible or highly irregular or something else that sounds highbrow and, well, Jasper-like. But he simply inclines his head toward the street. “Lead the way.”
Hadley is waiting to the side of the booth with the purple awning, holding two small containers of pumpkin cheesecake and a pair of tiny wooden spoons. “I went ahead and got both of ours,” she says to me as we approach. Then to her brother, “Still can’t decide where to start?”
“Willow has convinced me to start with dessert,” Jasper says.
Hadley’s mouth drops open. Actually drops open like a nutcracker with a hinged jaw. It’s one of the most comical things I’ve ever seen. She snaps her mouth shut and thrusts one of the cheesecake cups at Jasper, then hands the other to me. “I’ll get myself another one. This one’s my treat.” As she turns back to the booth, I hear her murmur, “Jasper starting with dessert. Never thought I’d see the day.”