Orchard Hill: Volume One
Chapter One
Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
—Luke 12:27
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…
—Ecclesiastes 3: 1 & 4
She was dancing. A soft, slow song was playing and someone’s arms were around her. Lily looked up and saw his face. It was Ian O’Neil. She knew it would be. The dream was always the same—she and Ian dancing together at the New Year’s Eve dance.
That part had actually happened. Lily had avoided things like dances and parties since she’d moved to Orchard Hill, but she’d gone to the New Year’s Eve dance for Grace, her best friend. Grace had been jilted by her fiancé not a month before. Lily thought going out would be good for her.
At the dance, Grace had ended up with longtime friend Riley O’Neil and Lily, not wanting to intrude, had asked Riley’s brother Ian to dance. A dance was nothing, she figured. She could handle it.
Wrong, wrong, wrong! From the moment Ian had pulled her close, he made her feel special—cherished. That was why she had to avoid him now. Because those were the kind of feelings that led to dependence on someone, and Lily had learned it was better to only depend on yourself.
She’d succeeded fairly well in avoiding Ian in real life but not in her dreams. In her dreams, they danced every night. His arms held her tight, and she rested her cheek against his broad chest where she could feel the steady beat of his heart. Then the music would fade away, but Ian would still hold her to him. She’d look up, and his green eyes would gaze back at her through his gold-rimmed glasses. He’d lower his head and her eyes would drift shut waiting for his kiss…
And that’s where the dream ended every time.
The stupid dream had kept Lily tossing and turning all night. When she finally drifted off, Lily slept so soundly she didn’t hear the alarm. She came awake some time later, noting the beams of light shining through her curtains. She rolled over to check her clock: 8:30! Lily threw off the covers and jumped out of bed. She was going to be late for church.
After a quick shower, she dressed and dried her hair. Even though she ran a beauty salon, and knew how to do all sorts of complicated hair styles, Lily was glad she kept her own dark hair in a simple layered cut. It was easy to deal with on mornings like this. She grabbed a granola bar and was out the door of her small apartment which sat over her shop, Gilding by Lily. It was small but at least it was included in the rent she paid for the shop. She had to watch her pennies.
The Orchard Hill Community Church was only a few blocks from her shop. Lily walked there as quickly as she could in heels and a straight skirt. She hurried into the narthex, grabbed a bulletin and slipped into the sanctuary. The congregation was already singing the opening hymn. No time to look for Grace. Luckily there was an empty spot near the back.
As she slid into the pew, Lily noticed with annoyance that she was sitting directly behind Ian O’Neil. Just great.
The hymn ended, and Pastor Isaac began to speak. Lily forced her mind away from Ian and onto the service. Her willpower was successful; she managed to forget about the man in front of her by concentrating on the words and music of worship, until…
It was time for the passing of the peace. Everyone rose and exchanged handshakes or hugs with those around them. Lily shook the hand of the person to the right, and then turned to greet the people behind her. When she turned toward the front again, there was Ian holding out his hand to her.
Lily felt her smile freeze upon her face. She couldn’t let him see how she felt about him. She steeled herself for the warmth of his touch when his much larger hand enveloped hers.
“Peace be with you,” said Ian solemnly.
“God’s peace,” Lily mumbled back. There. That wasn’t so bad. She could handle Dr. Ian O’Neil. With a jolt, Lily realized that everyone was sitting down, and she was still standing there holding Ian’s hand.
She snatched her hand from his grasp and sat down quickly, glad she wasn’t prone to blushing. If she were, she’d be beet red right now. As Ian also turned to sit, she noticed a small smile of satisfaction on his lips. It took all her self control to keep from kicking him under the pew.
At the close of worship, Pastor Isaac reminded everyone of the coffee hour to be held in the fellowship hall, and then he said, “I’ve been told that Riley O’Neil and Grace Randall have an announcement to make.”
Lily watched as Grace and Riley stood up, holding hands. Riley cleared his throat. “Grace and I would like to announce…”
“That we’re getting married,” finished Grace. Riley held up her left hand so everyone could see the sparkling ring she was now wearing. Applause broke out, and those nearest the happy couple offered hugs and hands to shake. Then the organist began to play the postlude hymn and people started gathering their things and filing out of the sanctuary.
Lily sat there, stunned. She had no idea things were that serious between Riley and Grace. They’d been dating a little less than two months.
“Did you know about this?”
Looking up, she saw Ian standing there, towering over her.
“I had no idea.” Lily grabbed her purse and stood. “I guess I’d better go congratulate them.”
“Good idea. I’ll go with you.”
She stifled a groan, but didn’t protest, not even when he took her arm to help steer her through the throng. In the fellowship hall, there was already a crowd of well-wishers surrounding Grace and Riley. Lily and Ian hung back until most of them had moved away. Then, Lily approached first, holding out her arms to hug her friend.
“I can’t believe this,” she told Grace as they embraced. “You’ve been dating such a short time.”
“Yes, but we’ve known each other all our lives,” Grace explained. “So it didn’t take us long to make up our minds, I guess.”
“Once I got her to consider me at all,” added Riley, hinting at Grace’s initial reluctance to date him for fear of ruining their friendship.
“Congratulations,” said Ian, offering his hand to his brother. “I think you guys are perfect for each other.”
Then, he turned to Grace and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “If I have to have another sister, I’m glad it’s you.”
“Thank you Ian. It won’t be so bad having you for a brother.”
Reluctantly, Lily turned to Riley while Grace and Ian exchanged their good wishes. “Congratulations, Riley.”
“Thank you, Lily,” he answered. “And don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Grace.”
She forced a smile. “I know you will.”
“But you’re not happy about this.”
How could he tell? “I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
“Hey, you two,” Grace broke in. “Come to brunch with us. We want to talk to you.”
****
The Apple-a-Day Café was a homey place in the downtown, busy now with the after-church crowd. The walls were painted green and hung with apple plaques, apple clocks, and pictures of apple trees or bowls of apples. The tables had red checked table cloths and the salt and pepper shakers were shaped like apples, with the salt being a red apple and the pepper a green one.
Ian cast a sideways glance at Lily who was sitting next to him. She seemed tense and ill at ease. He wondered what the problem was, but knew he wouldn’t ask. She was touchier than a nervous cat and just as likely to lash out.
Small talk prevailed until the waitress, a teenager with the mandatory green and white checked apron, came to take their order. When the waitress swished away a silence descended over the table.
Riley and Grace were holding hands on the opposite side of the table, and Ian wished he could take Lily’s hand like that. Most likely she’d smack him if he tried. He was annoyed with himself because he could
n’t get this crush on her out of his system.
“We want to get married this summer. In August, maybe,” Grace announced, bringing Ian’s attention back to the matter at hand.
“Why the rush?” asked Lily. “Won’t it be hard to arrange everything that fast?”
“I don’t think so,” Grace replied. “We want a simple wedding, and that doesn’t take so much planning. The church is free on several weekends over the summer, and we can have the reception in my parents’ back yard if the weather is nice.”
Lily arched an eyebrow. “And if it isn’t?”
Riley waved a hand dismissively. “We’ll deal with it. Hey, maybe we could have it at The Grace Place.”
“It might be big enough,” Grace considered. “It depends on how many of your relatives from out of town decide to come, Riley.”
“Wherever you have it, I’m sure it will be great,” Ian assured them, hoping to cut off any tendency Grace might have to go on and on about dresses, flowers and the like.
“We also won’t have a hard time coordinating the schedules of the wedding party,” Riley said.
“Oh, why is that?” asked Lily.
“Because we’re only going to have a maid of honor and a best man. No other couples,” he finished.
“That simplifies things,” Ian said absently, his attention already wandering to the ads on the placemats. Should he put one in for his veterinary clinic the next time the printer called?
Grace took up the thread of conversation. “And we want you two to be them—our maid of honor and best man.”
Ian’s attention snapped back. “Me, Riley? Your best man?” While Ian didn’t have much use in general for all the fuss associated with weddings, he was touched that his brother was asking him. As Grace had already pointed out, they had no shortage of relatives.
“Yes, you. Will you do it?”
“Of course I will. Wait a minute. What exactly does a best man do?”
Riley grinned. “Plan the bachelor party.”
Lily rolled her eyes, and Grace elbowed him in the side.
“That’s only one of the best man’s duties,” she reminded her fiancé tartly.
“I bet that will be his favorite, though,” Riley teased.
“No, it won’t,” Lily broke in. “Ian hates crowds and loud noise. Be prepared for a small, quiet party if he’s planning it.”
Everyone stared at Lily. “How do you know that?” asked Grace.
“I pretty much figured that out at the New Year’s Dance.”
Ian didn’t say anything, but secretly he was pleased. Lily had been paying attention. He thought she might like him if she let herself.
“You never answered me, Lily.” Grace reached across the table and covered Lily’s hand with her own. “Will you be my maid of honor?”
“You know I will.”
It suddenly occurred to Ian that if he and Lily had to stand up together at his brother’s wedding, they may have to spend some time together. This best man thing was starting to sound good, in spite of the bachelor party. Maybe Lily would finally let her guard down and he could get to know her.
On the other hand, it could mean a whole lot of awkward silences.
TITLE
Orchard Hill: Volume One
Chapter Two
“I’m so glad you could fit me in on short notice,” said Pansy Parker as Lily lead her to her stylists’ chair. “Betty, my usual stylist, has the flu today, and I do hate to miss an appointment. Appearance is important, and I do represent the church in my job, you know.”
“It was no problem, Mrs. Parker,” Lily assured her. It was a relief actually. Mondays were usually a little slow, and that had left Lily with far too much time to think about Riley and Grace—and especially about Ian.
“Isn’t it wonderful about Grace and Riley,” Pansy exclaimed. Lily nearly groaned out loud. “I wasn’t expecting them to make an announcement so soon.”
“You don’t think it’s too soon, do you?” Lily began to comb through Pansy’s hair, which she’d already washed and was about to set in curlers.
“Not at all,” Pansy said, obviously delighted in the situation. “They’ve been friends forever. I’m only surprised that it took them so long to figure out that they were perfect for each other.”
“Well, there was Steve, you know,” answered Lily, referring to Grace’s former fiancé.
Pansy sniffed. “It definitely took her too long to figure out he wasn’t the one.”
“When your boyfriend skips town and takes another woman on your honeymoon, it’s pretty obvious he’s not the one.”
“Definitely.”
Lily opened a drawer filled with curlers. She selected one and began to roll Pansy’s hair.
“And what about you, dear?” she asked. “How long have you been with us here in Orchard Hill?”
“A little over two years.” Two years, three months and five days of freedom from her ex-husband, but who was counting?
“You must be settled in pretty well by now.”
Pinning another curl in place, Lily answered, “I think so. I like it here a lot.”
“Yes, but living all alone, don’t you get lonely?
What was Pansy getting at? “No, not really. You live alone, don’t you?”
“My…my son Perry is living with me now.” The cheer in Pansy’s voice suddenly sounded a little forced.
“That’s nice. Do you enjoy having him home?”
“Yes. Of course.” She answered with a complete lack of enthusiasm. “But enough about me. What about you, Lily? Don’t you wish you had someone to come home to at night?”
“No. I’m happy by myself.” Surely the woman wasn’t suggesting…
Pansy sighed. “That’s too bad. I thought you might be interested in adopting a pet.”
Relief seeped through Lily. So that’s what this was about.
“The animal shelter is organizing a spring adoption fair.”
“That’s nice.” She was almost done rolling up Pansy’s hair. “All pets deserve a good home.”
“I just knew you’d feel that way,” Pansy gushed. “I told Mary you would.”
“Mary? Who’s Mary?”
“Mary Kingsley. She’s the volunteer coordinator at the shelter. Such a lovely woman.”
Forty-five minutes later, Pansy’s hair was its usual cotton candy perfection, and Lily was a member of the planning committee for the adoption fair. How did that happen? In the end, Lily just decided to be glad that Pansy wasn’t one of her regular customers.
****
Riley and Ian played basketball in a community league on Tuesday nights. Afterwards they usually shared a pizza before going home. Tonight was the first time in a while that it had been just the two of them at the pizza place.
“Where’s Grace?” asked Ian. “She hasn’t missed a game since you two started dating.”
His brother grimaced. “She’s at her mom’s place. Wedding plans.”
“Aha,” he laughed. “It’s begun.”
Riley slouched down in the booth. “Geez, who knew there was so much to do for a simple wedding? I suggested pot luck for the reception yesterday, and Grace just about bit my head off.”
“See what you got yourself into?”
“It will be worth it,” Riley assured Ian. “to have Grace as my wife.”
Ian’s amusement faded, and he was hard-pressed not to notice a prickle of jealousy. Would he ever find someone he could feel that way about? Lily’s face flitted through his mind, but he mentally squelched that idea as he picked up the menu. “The usual?” he asked.
“Sure, why not?”
The conversation turned to a rehash of that night’s game, and then to sports in general. They didn’t talk about anything more personal until they were on their last slices of pizza.
“You know,” said Riley around a mouthful of pizza, “this wedding stuff may help you get to know Lily better.”
Ian shrugged. “So?”
�
��So, you like her.”
He thought about denying it, but figured it was a waste of time. “She doesn’t seem to like me.”
“Lily is kind of against the male species in general, in case you haven’t noticed.” Riley’s half smile softened his criticism. “She doesn’t dislike you more than anyone else as far as I can tell.”
“Thanks. That’s encouraging.” Ian pushed away his plate. “I’m stuffed.”
“Me too,” Riley admitted, leaving his last slice half eaten.
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