“Hey Speedy Gonzalez!” Kate yelled down the street towards Parker. “Two more minutes, okay? I’m getting cold. And it’s getting late – I should probably start dinner.”
“Yay, dinner!” said Todd. “What are you making for us?”
Although Kate loved to cook, she also knew her audience. Sure, she could spend hours in the kitchen making the perfect macaroni and cheese from scratch, with four kinds of cheese, tiny pieces of crispy bacon mixed in, and toasted bread crumbs sprinkled on the top…or she could open up a box of Kraft mac and cheese and be done in 15 minutes. And with kids the general rule was the more neon the orange, the better the mac and cheese. “Mac and cheese from a box!” she yelled in reply.
Parker came barreling down the street at the mention of one of his favorite meals. As he started to turn towards the house, the front wheel of his bike got caught in a crack in the road and he was catapulted to the ground. Kate jumped up and ran over to him. “Parker! Parker! Oh my goodness, are you okay? Show me where it hurts.”
Parker sat up slowly, obviously biting back tears. She could tell he was trying to be brave. “It hurts here,” he said, lifting up his arm. His entire left forearm was scraped from his slide across the gravel. “Oh, sweetie. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
As she led a hobbling Parker back towards the house, Todd came running up behind him and grabbed his right hand. “Poor brother,” he said sympathetically in his sweet four-year-old voice. Kate smiled at the obvious bond the two had with each other and felt a fleeting twinge of sadness that she never had a sibling. When I get married, I’m going to have a whole bushel of kids, she thought.
Kate ushered Parker into the bathroom. “This might sting a little,” she warned him as she ran warm water over a washcloth. He winced as she gently patted the washcloth on his arm. “Now hold this here for a minute,” she said to him, placing his free hand on top of the washcloth. She rummaged through the medicine cabinet and found a box of bandages. She scanned the different tubes and bottles looking for an anti-bacterial cream and grabbed a store-brand tube labeled “anti-itch cream”. She loaded up a q-tip with the cream and began to spread it on Parker’s scrapes. She was about to start bandaging his arm when she looked more closely at the tube.
At that moment, Kate’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She grabbed it and flipped it open after seeing Ian’s name flash on the screen. “Hi,” she said quickly. “I’m babysitting the kids right now and we’re in the middle of a minor trauma. I’ll call you back later.” Hanging up and setting her phone on the counter, she ran the washcloth under warm water once again and began to clean Parker’s scrapes.
“Why are you doing that again?” asked Parker.
“Oh…well…I just really want to make sure it’s clean before I put the bandages on. You know, so it won’t get infected.” What she wasn’t telling Parker was what she had discovered after taking a closer look at the tube of cream. Written in small letters were the words “Same active ingredients as Vagisil™.” She was having a hard time hiding her smile as she finished bandaging Parker’s arm. “There, good as new!” she said. “You were very brave. I’m proud of you. You can go play with Todd while I make dinner, okay?” Kate giggled and shook her head at her faux pas.
Parker scurried off and Kate made a mental note to file this story away in her memory as one she could tell in her toast at Parker’s wedding in the future.
After the boys had their fill of their bright orange dinner and their tongues had turned different colors from the popsicles she gave them for dessert, the three of them headed to the living room to watch a movie. Kate instructed the boys to go put on their jammies while she took every pillow and cushion off of the couches and piled them up on the floor. When they came back, they immediately jumped onto the plush pile and snuggled under their matching Superman blankets. A few minutes later, she heard a knock at the door. She got up and swung the door open to find Ian on the stoop with a concerned look on his face.
“Kate! Is everything okay?” he asked, stepping into the house. “Are the boys okay?”
“Yes, we’re fine,” she said, confused. She suddenly remembered his phone call earlier and slapped herself on the forehead. “Oh! I was supposed to call you back, wasn’t I?”
“Yes!” he said, “You were. I’ve been so worried. You sounded so frazzled on the phone, and I’ve been calling and calling but you never answered.”
Kate felt her empty pocket. “I must have left my phone in the bathroom!” she said. “Ian, I am so sorry to make you worry. Parker fell off his bike and scraped his arm; that’s all. He’s okay. We’re all okay. I…I can’t believe you drove here from Raleigh just to check on us!”
“Of course I did,” he said quietly.
Kate looked at Ian and gave him an appreciative smile. “Well, you’re here now. Want to stay awhile? I’ll be putting the boys to bed before too long.”
“Perfect,” he said. She felt a tingle go up her spine as he followed her into the house with his hand on the small of her back. After the movie had ended and the foursome played a quick game of Chutes & Ladders (in which Todd creamed them all), Kate sent the boys upstairs to brush their teeth and get into bed. While Ian brewed some coffee, she followed the boys upstairs to tuck them in.
They begged her for a story. “Not tonight, kiddos. It’s late.”
“Will you pray with us? Mommy always prays with us before bed,” said Todd’s little voice from the bottom bunk.
“Of course I will.” She sat down next to Todd’s pillow and grabbed one of his small hands. “Parker, can you reach?” she asked as she raised her other hand up to the top bunk.
“Yes, with my good arm!” He slipped his hand into Kate’s and she squeezed both tight as she started to pray.
“Jesus, thank you for this day that I got to spend with Parker and Todd. Thank you for bringing these wonderful little boys into my life. I pray that you will watch over them and that they will learn to know you better every single day.”
“Psst, Kate, don’t forget to pray for my arm.”
“And God, please help heal Parker’s arm. I pray that the ointment, specifically the anti-bacterial ointment, will do its job and that he will heal quickly. Amen.” She got up and kissed both boys on the forehead before turning towards the door.
She was surprised to see Ian standing there. She walked out of the room and left the door open a crack. Putting a finger to her lips, she led Ian down the stairs before speaking. “You spying on me, Rutherford?”
“Maybe a little,” he said. He poured two cups of coffee and they headed into the living room. “You know, you’re going to make a great mom someday.”
“You really think so?”
“Oh, sure. You’re so great with these kids. They obviously love you. You were made to be a mother.”
She thought about her words carefully before responding.
“Well…I hope I get that chance. It’s something I’ve always wanted.”
“You’ll get the chance,” he said, smiling.
Ian and Kate sat at opposite ends of the couch with their feet stretched out towards the middle as they surfed through the cable movie channels to find something to watch. As they got more comfortable, she could feel his feet touching hers ever so slightly. I wonder if he can feel that too, she thought. I wonder if he’s doing that on purpose.
They didn’t move from that position until Rick and Amy walked into the living room a couple of hours later. “Hey, Ian!” said Rick. “This is a nice surprise. Good to see you, man.” He gave Ian a firm handshake.
Amy turned towards Kate and raised an eyebrow. Ignoring her, Kate threw her hands up in the air. “Oh my gosh! Ian, I forgot to tell you the funniest thing that happened tonight. Ames, Rick – you’re going to love this.”
“I love funny stories,” said Amy, perching on the arm of the couch. “Especially if they involve my children.”
“Oh, this one definitely does. Okay, so the boys were outside riding their bikes, and w
e were about to go inside and Parker totally ate it. He took a bad spill. He completely scraped up his arm, but he was being very brave. Anyway, we were in the bathroom and I grabbed a tube out of the medicine cabinet, thinking it was an anti-bacterial cream. It wasn’t until after I had smeared it all over his arm that I realized it was…well…it was something else.”
“Oh no,” said Amy.
“Oh yes. I put anti-itch vaginal cream all over your oldest son’s arm.”
They all howled in laughter at the thought. “Kate, you didn’t!” cried Ian.
She shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, I never claimed to be the world’s best babysitter.”
After the laughter had died down, Amy looked at Rick. “Can I tell them?”
He glared at her. “Amy, you promised,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I know!” she said. “But come on! This is too perfect.” Rick said nothing and Amy turned to Kate and Ian. “Okay, remember last summer when we took the boys to the beach house? I packed for all of us, and I packed all of my toiletries in the same bag as Rick’s. The first night there, it was late and it was dark in the bathroom. Rick grabbed his toothbrush and put some toothpaste on it, and then I heard him freaking out and spitting into the sink. Apparently vaginal cream is also sometimes mistaken for toothpaste.”
Kate covered her mouth to try and stifle her laughter. Rick stood there sheepishly as the other three laughed at his expense.
“Okay, okay, it’s true. I tried to brush my teeth with vaginal cream, okay? Now you all know.” He looked at his giggling wife and the contagious laughter was too much for him. “I guess it is pretty funny,” he said.
Ian wiped a tear from his eye. “Oh, man,” he said. “Remind me never to share a toiletry bag with my wife.”
Chapter 3
Olivia Henry woke up early that Saturday morning to make her monthly trip to the cemetery to visit her mother’s grave. She died when Kate was only four, and Olivia had been incredibly close to her. Part of her was glad that her mother didn’t live to see the day that her husband left her. It was almost more than Olivia could bear to see how destructive that time had been for her daughter, but to have her mother around to witness the devastation would have been altogether too much.
Her daughter Kate. Olivia was so proud of her one and only child. Life hadn’t been gentle with Kate, but she never let anything break her down. She was amazed by what a strong, beautiful, and loving person her daughter had become. She missed her daughter terribly, but was so glad to see her happy and doing what she loved, even if it was on the opposite side of the country. Olivia knew that Kate longed for a husband and a family of her own, and she never stopped asking God to give that one wish to her daughter.
Olivia pulled into the parking lot and pulled her sweater tight around her body to protect herself from the chilling ocean breezes that often blew through Carmel at this time of year. With a small bundle of flowers in one hand, Olivia approached her mother’s grave and kneeled down in front of it.
“Hi, Mom. Can you believe how beautiful these tulips are? I know how much you loved yellow. Things have been going well…I just had the kitchen remodeled, and you would absolutely hate it. White cabinets. I know, you love dark wood. But trust me, it looks fantastic. I’ve been working out in the garden a lot. It’s started taking a toll on my knees and my back, but I just love it. It’s such a good escape for me – there’s just nothing better in the world than working with what I think is the most beautiful of all of God’s creations. It’s just so peaceful, and it makes me feel closer to God in a way. I mean, he made all those beautiful flowers and plants, and why else would he have made them if not for us to enjoy them? Flowers make me feel like God wants my life to be full of beauty.
“Speaking of beauty, I wish you could see Kate. She’s 27 now, and she is the loveliest young woman I know. Some might say I’m biased, but I don’t care. I love her so much, Mom. Well, you know what it’s like to love a daughter. My greatest desire in this life is to see her content. I know she’s scarred from her father abandoning her, even though she doesn’t like to talk about it. I just pray that she is able to let someone into her life who will love her and never leave her.”
Olivia plucked a tulip from the bunch and held it tight to her chest. “I miss you, Mom. I miss you every day.” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she lifted herself off the ground and began to walk back across the cemetery towards her car. Suddenly she heard a man’s voice shout out, “Ma’am! Ma’am! You forgot your purse!”
She turned and saw a figure running towards her clutching two bunches of flowers and her purse. “Oh my goodness!” she cried. “Thank you so much. I am becoming such a silly woman.” The man caught up to where Olivia had stopped in her tracks and gladly accepted the purse that she hadn’t even noticed was missing.
“I saw you get up and walk away without it,” said the man, who was slightly flushed from his sprint across the cemetery.
“What’s your name, dear?” Olivia asked.
“Jacob. Jacob Patterson.”
“So nice to meet you, Jacob. I’m Olivia Henry.”
“Pleasure, Mrs. Henry.”
“Those flowers you have are remarkable,” said Olivia. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen roses that shade before!” The roses he was holding almost resembled a flame, deepening from a soft yellow to a vibrant orange on each petal.
“Thank you. This is a variety I started growing not long ago called Tuscan Sun.”
“Growing?”
“Yes.” Jacob pointed to the truck in the parking lot, which was emblazoned with Patterson & Son Design on the side. “I’m the son. My dad and I have a landscape design business.”
“Is that so? Jacob…do you believe in fate?”
“Not really, ma’am.”
“Good. Neither do I. But I do believe that I am in need of a landscape designer. I have a garden at my house that I would love to expand, but I’m afraid that some of the work is a bit beyond what these two hands can do. How would you like a job?”
“I’ve never been one to turn down work, ma’am. Can I stop by sometime and see what we’ve got to work with?”
“I’ve got to run a couple of errands in town, but why don’t you stop by this afternoon? I’m on Lavender Court. Do you know where that is?”
“Yes ma’am. I live over on Myrtle; not too far from there.”
“Splendid! Let me write down my address and phone number for you, and I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Jacob? One thing. If you’re going to work for me, you’ve got to stop calling me ma’am.”
“Yes, Mrs. Henry.”
Olivia smiled. “Hmm…we’ll work on you, son.”
Jacob took the piece of paper that Olivia handed to him and walked back into the cemetery carrying his flowers at his side. She seems like a nice woman, thought Jacob. I think I’m going to enjoy working for her.
~~~~~
“Meredith, I’ll be back in the recommended reading room for awhile, okay?”
“That’s fine, Kate. Anna and I have got it covered here.”
Meredith stood behind the counter with a high school student whom she had hired to help out in the store several afternoons after school. As Kate walked down the hallway to what used to be a spare bedroom, she could hear Meredith say, “Yes, Anna, that’s right. Now count out their change, dear…good. You’ll be running this place in no time.” Kate smiled at Meredith’s encouraging way of training new staff, and remembered how gracious she had been when Kate had first started working for her and was having trouble learning the inventory system.
Kate could be found in the recommended reading room on the last day of every month. It used to be utilized as a storage room but not long after she started working for Meredith, Kate had convinced her to let her do some reorganizing to set aside a room just for those customers who were browsing for nothing in particular. Filled with every genre, from classics to contemporary lit
erature, bestsellers to little-known gems, Kate had made it her pet project to update the room with new choices each month. She paid special attention to a tall, narrow bookcase over in the corner that was labeled Kate’s Picks. She picked ten books per month to highlight to the community as must-reads. An avid reader herself, she loved to introduce others to books that she loved. She was placing a stack of self-help books focused on positive psychology next to the stack of the classic French novel The Count of Monte Cristo when she heard a familiar voice.
“Is this the Shopaholics Anonymous meeting?” Amy was leaning against the doorframe, holding up a credit card in one hand.
“Hey! What are you doing here?”
“Oh, I decided I need a new outfit,” she said, stepping into the room. “And we all know I shouldn’t be allowed to pick out clothes alone. Come with me?”
“Um, of course I’m coming with you. I don’t want a repeat of The Great Orange Sweater Incident.”
Amy winced. “Ugh, don’t remind me. Can you go now?”
Kate glanced at her watch. “I get off work in fifteen minutes. I just need to finish up a few things in here, and then I can go.”
Amy set off to go visit with her grandmother while Kate finished setting up her display. “I hope you all find good homes,” she said to the books on her shelf before leaving the room.
Several minutes later Kate and Amy entered one of their favorite boutiques in town. Amy pulled an orange blouse off the rack and held it up to her body. “What do you think, Kate?”
“I think you should back away from the orange. I repeat, back away from the orange before someone gets hurt!”
Amy chuckled and continued to browse through racks of clothing. Pulling out a teal cardigan, she shoved it at her friend. “You have got to try this on. I love this color on you.”
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