Grady chuckled. “We’d still need a grownup manager. There are enough funds in the trust to pay someone for that, at least a few hours a week.”
“My mom needs a job,” Maisie announced. “She doesn’t get enough hours at work. If she had another job, maybe we could get a house and I could get a puppy.”
“Maisie.”
“Well, it’s true. You are good at managing things.” She grimaced at Joanna. “That’s why I hardly ever get to be the boss of anything.”
Joanna glanced at the woman, whose face was flushed. “Let me see if I have everything straight so far. You think we should use these greenhouses to grow food for the soup kitchen—”
“We’ll need gardens outside, too,” Maisie interrupted.
“You will find volunteers to do all the work, and your mom will be hired to keep things coordinated. Is that what you’re thinking?”
“Yep. You got it.”
Joanna exchanged a glance with Grady. He looked about as dubious as she felt. Not that it was a bad plan, exactly, but there were holes big enough to drive a tractor through.
Grady cleared his throat. “I like the idea of giving to charity. To helping provide food to those in need but, at some point, a bit of money would need to flow in, as well. There are funds in the trust, but they will eventually disappear.”
Joanna had seen the numbers. It would take a good long while to run out, but maybe it cost more to heat the buildings than she thought.
“I tell you what. Today is Tuesday. Let’s meet back here on Saturday afternoon at one o’clock.” Grady turned to Joanna. “Does that time work for you?”
She nodded. Guess that meant there wouldn’t be a repeat date on the weekend, but the project had to come first.
He looked back at Maisie. “I’ll have some flats, soil, and seeds here. If you bring twenty people with you who promise to help once a week until fall, we’ll give this a trial run.”
“Twenty?” Maisie smirked. “That’s easy.”
“Ten of them need to be grownups,” put in Joanna. She could just imagine an army of pre-teens disappearing to swim in the creek at the first sign of summer.
“Good thought.” Grady nodded.
Joanna glanced at Evelyn. “Is that okay with you?”
The other woman didn’t look at all concerned. In fact, a small smile played at the corner of her mouth. “Sure. Count me in. I don’t have to work on Saturday.”
“Okay.” Grady reached out and shook Maisie’s hand then Evelyn’s. “We’ll meet back here in five days. If you can pull this part together, we’ll figure out the rest of the details. If not, then Joanna and I are back to looking for a solution elsewhere.”
Maisie shrugged. “Don’t lose any sleep. We’ll be here. You’ll see.”
Somehow, Joanna didn’t doubt this was a kid who could make things happen.
* * *
Grady watched Maisie and her mom mount their bikes and ride away before turning back to the greenhouse. Joanna was still inside. His pulse sped up.
She stood at the sales counter with her phone open, tapping away, but looked up when he closed the door behind him. A sweet smile curved her lips and warmed her gaze. She’d come a long way since that day a few weeks ago when they’d met at the church board meeting.
He crossed the space and stopped across the counter from her. “What do you think?”
“Maisie is really something else, isn’t she? I can’t help but think she’s a junior powerhouse. If she sets her mind to it — and it looks like she has — there isn’t much she couldn’t accomplish.”
“I tend to agree with you, though I’m not sure why.” Grady pursed his lips. “Why does a child that age care about hungry people? Any I’ve ever known before only thought about sports or video games.”
“I know.” Joanna turned off her phone and set it down between them. “I’m curious about the same thing, but I didn’t feel I could just come out and ask. She talked about the kid in Memphis, but why did it impact her?”
“It’s cool to see a youngster with compassion, though, however it happened. I wonder what happened to her dad? You notice there was no mention of him from either her or Evelyn.”
Joanna raised her eyebrows. “Evelyn looks younger than I expected. Prettier.”
Grady forced away the grin that wanted to peek out. “I agree. She is quite pretty. Seems nice, too.”
“Yes.” Joanna reached for her cell.
He covered her hand. “She can’t hold a candle to you, though. She might be pretty, but you are prettier. She’s nice, but you...”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Are nicer?”
Grady chuckled. “You are far more intriguing and, quite possibly, nicer.” He ran his thumb across her wrist and lowered his voice. “I long to gaze upon beauty.”
Joanna tugged her hand away. “Grady...”
“Want to go out for a slice of cheesecake? L’Aubergine is open until ten.”
“We could.”
They strolled out of the greenhouse. Grady turned to lock the space behind them then glanced around. “I don’t see your car. Did you walk over?”
“It’s just a few blocks. I spend too much time at my desk as it is.”
“I hear you. Maybe we should get bikes like Evelyn and Maisie. Arcadia Valley is small enough and flat enough to ride just about anywhere.”
“I wonder if Evelyn has a car.” Joanna hesitated. “I don’t know why, but I got the idea they’re just half a step from needing that soup kitchen themselves.”
“Hmm.” Grady shuffled through the clues. “You might be right. But they have enough that Maisie can share her lunch with that old woman.” He held the van door open for Joanna. One of these days he should start driving the Eos to work instead of taking the van back and forth. At least, if he was going to keep inviting Joanna places.
A few minutes later they sat across from each other in the candlelit restaurant and placed their order.
“Tell me about your family,” invited Joanna.
She’d told him quite a bit about hers on Saturday. “There’s not much to tell. My dad took over the garden center from Granddad when I was a kid. When they moved and expanded, my mother started Blossoms by the Akers from the same premises. There’s just me and my younger sister, Kenia.”
“Have I met her?”
“Not that I know of. She works at my aunt’s bookstore downtown.”
Joanna’s eyebrows rose. “Not at the family business?”
He shook his head. “Turns out she has allergies. She was interested in the flower shop, but handling the plants covered in pesticides and herbicides triggered eczema.”
“Oh, no. That can’t be any fun.”
“No. It was a big disappointment to her. To our parents, as well. The only one who was thrilled was our Aunt Irene.”
“I’m sure.” She eyed him across the table. “What was it like to never doubt what your future would hold?”
Grady caught her hands. “I only knew one part of my future. The rest has always been a mystery.”
The flickering candlelight reflected in her eyes before she glanced away.
“Sometimes it is hard to wait until the clues to the mystery reveal themselves,” he said softly, caressing her fingers. “Good thing I’ve been a patient man.”
The waitress chose that moment to deliver their dessert and herbal tea. “Can I get you anything else?”
Grady released Joanna’s hand. It would be difficult to manage a fork while clinging to her. “I think we’re good, thanks.”
The waitress winked and turned away.
“I’ve lived in a lot of places.” Joanna dug her fork into the tip of her cheesecake. “There were never expectations for my life, other than that I’d be a good Christian girl and follow God’s leading.”
“That’s a decent start.”
“I suppose. As far as it goes, anyway.” She popped the bite into her mouth, and her eyes widened. “This is amazing.”
Grady gr
inned, taking the opportunity for a bite of his own. He didn’t come often, as it seemed too romantic for a guy on his own or with buddies. The last time he’d been here, he’d brought Vanessa. The smile faded from his lips. No. No more thinking about her. The only thing she and Joanna had in common was being female.
“What are you thinking?”
Joanna must have caught the change of expression on his face. He needed to be more careful. Grady lifted his fork with its bit of cheesecake. “Want a taste of the plum?”
She searched his face. “Sure. It was hard to decide which kind to try.”
He held the fork across the table, and she leaned, lips open, and accepted his offering. Her gaze stayed riveted to his. “That’s good. Tasty.” She sounded breathless.
Grady could relate, and it wasn’t because of the decadent dessert. “We can come back every week and work our way through the menu.” And after that, they’d start again at the top.
“Every week?”
“I want to keep seeing you, Joanna. To keep dating you.” I want to keep wooing you. Keep gazing upon your beauty. “I don’t ever want to stop.”
Her eyes widened.
He realized those last words had been audible. He meant them all the same.
Chapter 8
“You didn’t have to come.” Joanna met Cameron and the twins just inside the greenhouse doors.
Her brother grinned. “Sure, we did. You told me to get a life, and this was the first opportunity I’ve seen since you gave your orders. I’ve been conditioned since birth to obey you.”
“As if.” She rolled her eyes. “Seriously. Why are you here?”
“Hey, give me some credit. It sounds like a cool project, and I remember what you said last week. That the boys might be more interested in veggies if they were involved in growing some.”
That she’d thought the same of Cameron wasn’t worth bringing up.
“Unless you think they’re too young to help?” Cameron glanced at the half dozen adults milling around the common area.
“No, I’m sure they’re fine. And if Maisie comes through, there will be more kids.” But would she? She’d sounded so confident Tuesday evening — and Joanna had seen some hand-written signs around town — but where was she? Where were all the promised helpers?
“There’s Mr. Grady.” Oliver let go of Cameron’s hand and darted into the greenhouse, Evan on his heels.
Grady crouched and talked to the boys, his focus shifting back and forth between them. Then he chuckled and tousled Evan’s hair. When he looked up, his gaze met Joanna’s.
Not for the first time, it felt like her heart would stop on the spot. Suddenly she hoped Maisie and her cohorts would stay far away. It would mean she and Grady would need to keep meeting until they found a solution, right? Did they have enough foundation now to keep going out, even if the project resolved today?
His gaze warmed as a slow smile curved his lips.
Joanna’s heart started again, this time at double speed. The living trust might have provided the circumstances for their meeting, but their relationship didn’t need it anymore. It was an entity of its own, now. A living, brea—
“You gonna stare at the guy all day?” came Cameron’s dry voice from beside her.
Oh. Joanna’s hands flew up to cover her warm cheeks.
Her brother snickered. “And here you let me think that bouquet he sent was all about the consulting business. Evidence declares otherwise.”
“Shh!” She turned her back to the greenhouse and looked up at Cameron. “Just because I happen to find him quite attractive doesn’t mean you need to make a public announcement.”
“You pretty much made it yourself, sis. If you could only see the gob-smacked look on your face.” He feigned a beatific expression.
Joanna swatted his arm. “Stop it!”
“You’re the one who said he was quite attractive.” Cameron batted his eyelashes.
“Who’s quite attractive?”
Joanna groaned inwardly as intense heat shot up her face. She didn’t dare look at Grady. “Hi. I didn’t hear you come up.”
Cameron elbowed Grady. “I could possibly be bribed to tell my sister’s secrets. How badly do you want to know?”
“I’ll take my chances that she was talking about me.” Grady’s warm fingers slipped around hers. “If she’s talking about some other guy, I don’t want to know about it.”
Was she going to let him do this in public? In front of her brother? Her nephews? And why not? She was an adult, and she’d done nothing wrong. Grady had told her several times he thought she was beautiful, so what was weird about saying she found him appealing, too? Joanna raised her chin and squeezed his hand. “Who else but you?”
Cameron laughed. “I never thought I’d live to see the day. Well, good for you both. Remember to behave, or I’ll have to play the brother card.”
“Oh, now that worries me—” Joanna’s words were cut off by a commotion at the door. She turned to see Maisie leading in a group of probably thirty children and teens, and at least a dozen adults. The kid had a mighty smug look on her face.
“Told you she’d come through,” whispered Grady, his breath warm on her cheek.
“Wow,” Joanna murmured.
Grady squeezed her hand and stepped up beside her. “Hi everyone! It’s one o’clock now, so I’d like to take a few minutes to explain what we’re doing before we get started. Maisie here has invited a lot of you to participate in this pilot project. Others of you found out from posters around the neighborhood and downtown. Either way, I’m thrilled you’ve come. I’m Grady Akers, and my grandfather’s property here is now being operated as a living trust through Grace Fellowship a couple of blocks away. The church hired Joanna Kraus to help navigate the legalities and opportunities of the living trust.”
He lifted Joanna’s hand, and she gave a wave with her other hand, along with a little smile. It felt pretty good to be acknowledged as though she belonged, not just to the project, but with him.
“There are two greenhouses here, but we thought we’d start with one of them. Along each row of tables are all the supplies you’ll need. Come on in and find a place in front of a planting tray. I’ll demonstrate what you need to do, okay?”
Kids and adults alike flooded into the greenhouse and poured down the gravel paths. It looked like Cameron wasn’t the only parent who’d decided to make a day of it with his kids.
Joanna watched Grady make his way to the head of the central row of tables and hold up a tray. He was good at this.
“What do you think?” Evelyn asked from beside her.
“I’m amazed, actually. It’s far beyond what I expected. There must be over fifty people here, and I was braced for about ten.”
Evelyn laughed. “When Maisie gets a notion in her head about something, there’s not much that can stop her.”
“You must be really proud of her.”
“I am. She’s amazing. The best thing that ever happened to me, though I sure didn’t think so when I was sixteen and pregnant.”
Joanna glanced at the other woman. “I bet. What happened to her dad? I notice she never mentions him.”
Evelyn shrugged. “He was a high school kid, like me. A few too many raging hormones after a football game, and bam, I was pregnant. He didn’t want to hear about it.”
“So he’s never had contact with her? With you?”
“No. His parents tried to help out for a while, but they were killed in a plane crash when Maisie was two. That was the end of that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I had a lot of stuff to learn, a lot of growing up to do, but without those rough patches, I’m not sure when I’d have felt a need for a Savior, you know? God has promised to be a father to the fatherless. I know He has made an immeasurable difference in our lives, so all I can say is ‘thank you’.”
Along the tables, people began scooping potting soil into the divided trays and patting it down.
> Joanna nodded slowly, gaze fixed on Grady as he leaned over to help Oliver. “I’ve had some hard times, too. God has sown seeds in my life that I can’t wait to see how they grow.”
“The weeding and pruning can be painful.” Evelyn turned to face Joanna. “But it’s worth it. We just need to stay rooted in Him, like in the parable of the vines.”
“I’m glad to have met you.” Joanna squeezed Evelyn’s hands impulsively. “You and Maisie both. I needed a friend here in Arcadia Valley.”
Evelyn smiled. “I’d like to be friends. But it looks to me like you already have found at least one or two.”
Joanna glanced at Grady to find him watching her, a smile on his face. “Maybe, but a girlfriend to hang out with is something different. Something every woman needs.”
“Most women my age don’t feel like friend material.” Evelyn’s smile faded. “Most don’t have kids. They’re focused on careers and waiting for Mr. Right.”
Like Joanna had been. But now, having true friends seemed more important.
* * *
Joanna paused outside the doorway of Frank Sinatra pod. “What if your grandfather doesn’t like what we’ve done?” she whispered.
Grady had no such doubts. He rested his hand on the small of her back. “He’ll love it. You’ll see.” He pressed the buzzer.
A moment later the door swung open, and he nudged her inside. A quick glance around the common area did not reveal Granddad in his usual spot.
“He’s lying down,” said an aide. “He’ll be happy to see you.”
“What if...” whispered Joanna.
“No what ifs,” Grady murmured, grasping her hand and tugging her toward the bedroom. “We’ll let him speak for himself.” He tapped on the door, which stood ajar, then poked his head around. “Granddad?”
The form curled on the bed jerked slightly. “Wh-what?”
“Hey, Granddad. It’s me, Grady.” Just in case one of these times the old man would look at him without recognition. “I brought Joanna with me. Remember her?”
Granddad tried to get his elbow under him. Grady let go of Joanna and reached for the button at the foot of the bed. “Here, let me help you sit up.” He waited until Granddad looked comfortable with the incline. “How’s that? Is it okay, or would you like a pillow?”
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