by Arlene James
“I love you, too,” she said.
Humbled and warmed, he watched her descend the few remaining steps, cross the tiny foyer and walk out the door. How God had blessed his once-blighted life by bringing him to this place and these people! Surely, the Father would work out everything else to his benefit.
Now all he had to do was find the courage to tell Jessa everything.
Just as soon as they’d gotten past the grand opening.
He tried to imagine what words he would use, and couldn’t come up with anything that seemed remotely sensible. He wished that Magnolia had given him some tips, but then Mags was so much older than Jessa.
His sister, Bethany, came to mind. She and Chandler would be attending the wedding in a few days, so he’d discouraged her from making the drive, three hours each way, for the opening. That, he decided, had been a mistake. He could be excused for wanting his sister here on one of the biggest, most important days of his life, couldn’t he? And after she met Jessa, Bethany could advise him on the best approach to take when telling Jessa about his past. Comforted by that plan, he turned and went into his room. Once there, he closed the door and took out his cell phone.
The grand opening exceeded all of Garrett’s expectations. It seemed that the Chatams had recruited their every friend to patronize the Willow Tree shops. Customers were lined up at the nursery door well before time to open it, and they hadn’t come just to drink free coffee and eat Hilda’s ginger muffins. They exclaimed over the tall, glassed-in area with which Garrett and Dale Bowen had connected the garage and shed, but they hadn’t come to gawk, either. They, happily, had come to purchase. Garrett quickly saw that he would be hard-pressed to keep up until the two high-school seniors he’d hired as part-time afternoon employees could arrive. Mags, bless her, jumped in to help out, quickly learning the peculiarities of the electronic cash register, and Garrett realized belatedly that Chester had been loading plants into cars all morning.
When Bethany and Chandler arrived, along with their son Matthew, who was trying determinedly to walk at only ten months of age, Garrett hardly had a moment to greet them, let alone visit. When Chandler started carting out the bulkier plants for customers, Garrett began to realize that he was going to need full-time assistance on a regular basis.
From what he could tell, Jessa’s business was also doing well. Jessa had called on her friend, Abby, to assist her. A pleasant woman a decade or so younger than the Chatam sisters, Abby seemed perfectly willing to help out, but she was definitely frazzled when he and Magnolia, at the latter’s firm insistence, crossed the lot to the floral shop. Bethany stood at the counter, Matthew on her hip, chatting with Jessa as Hypatia and Odelia watched expectantly.
“Come! Come, come,” Kent urged, waving them over as soon as Garrett and Magnolia stepped up through the door.
Magnolia all but dragged Garrett to the counter. “Kneel. Kneel,” she directed. “You’re too tall.”
“No, no! Behind the counter!” ordered a man’s voice. Only then did Garrett see the fellow with the camera. As Bethany moved off, Garrett hurried around to stand beside Jessa, looping his arm lightly about her shoulders.
“What’s going on?” she asked as lights flashed.
“Not sure,” he admitted, hearing the shutter click repeatedly.
“It’s our grand-opening gift!” Odelia exclaimed. “You can each have a photo to frame and hang over the counter.”
Jessa glanced up at him then smiled brightly for the camera. Garrett pulled her a little closer to his side and did likewise. Several moments of flashing and clicking later, the man tucked the camera into a bag and produced a pad and pencil. He stepped away with Hypatia, jotting down whatever pertinent information he needed. Garrett slipped over to his sister, who had taken Hunter in charge. He sat on the floor amongst the adults, laughing as Matthew, who stood in front of him, gripped his shaggy hair with tiny, eager hands.
“Don’t let him hurt you,” Bethany instructed.
“He won’t,” Hunter replied confidently.
Garrett smiled at the two boys playing together and bent his head near his sister’s ear. She smoothed back her sleek, dark hair, ready to listen.
“What do you think?” he asked.
Bethany glanced around the shop, and he prepared himself to be a bit more direct, but then she turned a smile on him and said softly, “I like her very much.”
Garrett relaxed. “I knew you would.”
“So do you,” she surmised wisely.
“I need to ask you something.”
“Okay.”
Before he could speak again, however, the door opened and Chandler poked his head inside. Spying him at once, he said to Garrett, “Better get out here, bro. Someone’s trying to buy your potted willow.”
“Not the one out front!” Garrett yelped.
“She says she wants something dramatic.”
“I have to go,” Garrett muttered, and began weaving through the throng. “We’ll talk later!”
“No need!” Bethany called, giving him a thumbs-up.
He smiled, glad to have her blessing, but he still needed her advice. As soon as he rescued his willow.
As diplomatically as possible, he denied the woman her prize then proceeded to sell her a pair of pin oaks and an ornamental holly. His teenage helpers arrived, freeing Chester and Chandler but requiring several minutes of Garrett’s attention. Then a new wave of customers necessitated the making of a fresh pot of coffee. Before Garrett knew it, the sun had set. He vaguely remembered Bethany waving goodbye a few hours earlier, Matthew asleep on her shoulder.
The boys began straightening the rows of plants in the greenhouse while Garrett turned the sign on the door from Open to Closed. When they had gone, Garrett cleared out the register, amazed at the day’s take, and set the timer on the misters. Exhausted, he locked the doors and trudged across the now-empty lot in the deepening gloom of an oncoming night.
The sign in Jessa’s window also read Closed, but she hadn’t shut the interior door and when he pulled on it, the outer glass door swung open easily. Carrying the bank bag with the day’s substantial earnings, he stepped up into the shop just as she tucked a stack of bills into a similar bag. She looked over at him, fatigue pulling down her shoulders and dulling her gaze, but then she burst into laughter. He joined her as he dragged himself to the counter.
“Can you believe it?”
“I have to restock already!” she exclaimed.
“Even if this is three times what I can expect on a normal day,” he said, hefting the bag, “I need full-time help.”
She nodded her understanding. “I never dreamed business would be this good.”
“It’s going to be better,” he promised, adding softly, “everything’s going to be better.” Her gaze held his, glowing softly, until his stomach rumbled loudly.
“Sorry! Magnolia brought me a burger for lunch, but I only managed a bite or two of it.”
“Same with me,” Jessa told him. “I ordered pizza a couple minutes ago.”
“Good thinking,” Garrett praised. “Where’s Hunter?”
“He left with the Chatams earlier. I was just too busy to watch over him. They said they’d get him home again.”
Garrett nodded, and while Jessa finished tucking the few unsold arrangements into the cooler in the workroom, he locked the outer doors and turned off the display lights. They had just finished their respective chores and were moving into the house when a knock sounded at the front door.
“That’s either Hunter or the pizza,” Jessa said, leaving Garrett to shut and lock the door connecting the shop to the house.
It turned out to be neither. Chester stood on the porch, smiling while the town car idled in the drive. “The misses require your presence for dinner at Chatam H
ouse,” he announced formally.
Jessa began to protest. “But I’ve ordered pizza.”
“They’ll be most disappointed if you don’t attend,” Chester warned. “Hilda has prepared a special dinner in your honor.”
Garrett looked to Jessa and saw agreement in her eyes. “We have to swing by the bank and make deposits,” he said to Chester.
“Not a problem,” Chester insisted.
“I’ll get the bank bags,” Garrett told Jessa, handing over his phone. “You can call the pizza shop from the car.”
As he settled into the car, it occurred to Garrett that his revelations would have to wait. He wasn’t unhappy about that, truth to tell, but he promised himself that he would speak to his sister as soon as possible. Then, after receiving her input, he’d confess all to Jessa. And pray that it didn’t change her feelings for the worse.
A special dinner proved to be an understatement, as Jessa learned the instant they stepped through the dining-room door at Chatam House and a rousing cheer went up. It was a real party. A tired-looking Abby was there, along with the carpenter Dale Bowen, as well as several Chatam relations, including little Gilli and her parents, Anna and Reeves Leland, and Kaylie and Stephen Gallow and one of Kaylie’s brothers, Morgan, the college professor. Chandler and Bethany, Garrett’s very sweet sister, hadn’t been able to stay, according to Hypatia.
Given that Bethany and her cowboy husband lived nearly three hours away, their presence at the opening made a clear testament about their affection for Garrett. Obviously, the feeling was mutual, and Garrett had undoubtedly told his sister that he and Jessa were forming a personal relationship. Bethany had made that clear when she’d smiled at Jessa and said, “I’m so glad you can see past my brother’s difficulties to the very fine man that he is.”
Jessa wondered about those difficulties, but she hadn’t had time then to discuss the matter. Probably Bethany had meant no more than the confusion over the lease. Jessa bit her lip, wishing that she’d felt comfortable enough to invite her sister, Mona, to the opening today, but Mona had caved to pressure and given Wayne information about Jessa and Hunter once before. Jessa simply couldn’t take the chance on it happening again. Maybe someday she could contact Mona again, she thought wistfully.
The staff joined everyone else at the dinner table that night, Garrett being one of their own, as Hilda put it. Garrett whispered to Jessa that it was staff preference that kept them from joining the family for dinner every night. Jessa could understand that, given the dignity and formality with which the sisters routinely conducted their meals.
Hubner Chatam, the retired pastor and elder brother of the triplets, spoke a long, detailed blessing over the meal, seeking God’s continued blessings on Jessa and Garrett and their respective enterprises. Jessa felt strangely conspicuous afterward. No one, to her knowledge, had ever prayed for her publicly by name before this. She felt as if God’s eyes were clearly focused on her for perhaps the first time. Or was it this house and those within it that drew His benevolent gaze?
With the massive dining table extended and filled, the mood became quite jovial and lighthearted. Looking around at the happy faces and knowing that all those smiles were owing in part to her success that day, Jessa wondered how she could have ever believed that she would walk away from this Chatam world and lose all ties with it. She was glad that it hadn’t turned out that way. Being here like this was almost like having real family again. And perhaps, she thought, gripping Garrett’s hand, that would someday be the case.
Chapter Thirteen
After a couple of hours, Garrett leaned close and murmured, “I don’t know about you, but I’ve about had all the fun I can stand.”
Jessa chuckled and sent him a scolding glance, but she agreed. He had to be as exhausted as she was.
For once, Hunter did not sit between them. Instead, he sat to her right, and he obviously didn’t like not being privy to the conversation. Leaning forward to look at Garrett, he fairly shouted, “What?”
Most around the table stopped to see what was happening in their little corner, smiles and laughter signaling that they expected it to be something humorous. Garrett cleared his throat.
“I was just telling Jessa that, as lovely as this is, I’m about to fall asleep on my plate. I feel like a puppy with a full belly.” Everyone laughed as he patted his middle.
“In that case,” said Hypatia, rising to her feet, “I have an announcement to make. Then you two may rest up for another successful day of commerce. We have gifts for you.”
“The photos,” Garrett surmised. “That was fast.”
“No, no, those will come later,” Magnolia said with a dismissive wave.
“This is much better!” Odelia trilled.
“Our gift to each of you,” Hypatia said, “is a quarterly ad in the local newspaper.”
Garrett’s jaw dropped. Jessa knew he’d priced the ads earlier and found them a bit too expensive. She hadn’t wanted to pursue it, and he’d dropped the matter. She realized now that she should’ve taken the time to tell him why she preferred not to advertise in the newspaper, then perhaps he could have stopped this. As it was, no one here but her knew that Wayne worked for a statewide publication and routinely tracked dozens of Texas newspapers daily. He would pay attention to any advertisement for a new florist shop and perhaps follow up on it. Still, Willow Tree Floral showed no outward connection to her. She wasn’t really worried—until Hypatia sprung the second half of the surprise.
“But that’s not all!” she went on delightedly. “The two of you will be on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper! With a full story about how you met and both came to open your businesses at the same location.”
People clapped even as Jessa felt the color drain from her face. Did Wayne scan every newspaper? She had no way of knowing that. He’d rarely talked about his work except to complain. Please, God! she silently cried.
Garrett wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Jessa? Honey, are you all right?”
She stared at him dumbly for a moment then realized that voicing her fears now would hurt and dismay the Chatams, who had acted only from kindness. She managed a nod and wan smile.
He pushed back his chair. “You’re tired. I’ll take you home.”
“You’re as tired as she is,” Magnolia objected. “Chester will drive her.”
“Yes,” Jessa agreed, getting to her feet. “You rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He seemed disappointed, even troubled, but she didn’t want to blight his day with her fears.
“Thank you all so much,” she said warmly, taking Hunter by the hand and pulling him up. “I am stunned and flattered by your generosity and good wishes.” She squeezed Hunter’s hand, saying, “I was just thinking to myself how like family you all seem to us. I so appreciate and love you all.” She couldn’t help looking at Garrett when she said that last.
Quickly bidding everyone a good-night, she got Hunter and herself out of there. Chester, Garrett and Magnolia trailed her, but she simply dispensed smiles and left the latter two standing on the porch. You’re overreacting, she told herself. Please God, she prayed, let that be the case.
Uneasy, Garrett watched the taillights of the long sedan as they receded down the drive.
“Now, don’t worry,” Magnolia said from the darkness at his side. “I made very sure that the newspaper story would cover only the day’s events.”
“Oh. Thank you,” he said, realizing for the first time how damaging it could be if the newspaper dredged up all the old story. “I know you don’t like using the Chatam influence.”
“What else is it for?” she said dismissively.
“Did she seem all right to you?” he asked.
“Tired,” Magnolia said with a shrug.
Garrett shifted around to face her. “You don’t
think that story could put her in danger, do you?”
Magnolia gasped. “From her ex-husband? That never even occurred to me. But surely it won’t matter. I mean, why would her ex have reason to read the Buffalo Creek Daily Record?”
“You’re right,” Garrett agreed, relaxing marginally. “He has no way of knowing that she came here.”
“We only wanted to give you both a good start,” Magnolia pointed out.
Garrett smiled. “I know that. And if today is any indication, you’ve done so. In spades.”
Magnolia turned back toward the open front door, asking wryly, “Do you still think you’ll be working here part-time?”
Sighing, Garrett followed her inside. “I think I’ll be putting up a Help Wanted sign first thing tomorrow morning.”
Chuckling, she led him down the hallway back to the party. “Hub may have a few names for you. He’s seeing more and more people in search of work at the Single Parents Ministry.”
“I’ll speak to him,” Garrett said. “Then I’m done. I’m off to bed while I can still make it that far.”
“You go right ahead, dear,” Magnolia said, pausing to pat his cheek. “You’ve earned your rest.”
Giving in to impulse, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. “And you, my lovely, have earned many jewels in your heavenly crown.”
“If so,” she told him with a smile, “you are definitely one of them.”
Day Two proved as exhausting as Day One. Between unloading the new plants he’d ordered, handling customers, updating his computer ledger and just walking the Chatam estate to make sure that nothing needed his immediate attention, Garrett barely had a moment to himself. He managed to pop in on Jessa a couple times, but she was too busy restocking, handling customers and working on the flowers for the wedding to do more than send him a distracted nod. If she seemed worried, he chalked it up to the fact that she was working as hard as he was, but he promised himself that he’d be on guard. Thankfully, one of his teen employees casually mentioned an inexpensive software package that would link his computer and his cash register so he wouldn’t have to manually update his ledger.