Orchard Hill Volume One

by Kara Lynn Russell

  “Jeff and I wanted to know if you two wanted to go out to dinner with us, like a double date.”

  “A double date? You know Ian and I are just friends, don’t you?”

  Angel’s face showed her surprise. “Really? You seem like more.”

  “No. Just friends.”

  Ian pulled out the chair next to Lily and sat down. “Yes, that’s us,” he muttered. “We’re pals.”

  This was the second time in a week he’d heard her insist that they were just friends. It grated on his nerves.

  Pansy Parker wandered into the room and over to the threesome.

  “Are you lost Pansy?” asked Angel. “This is the Adoption Fair Committee meeting.”

  “Of course I’m not lost,” the older lady replied. “My book club is meeting across the hall. But I saw you three in here, and I thought I’d ask you something.”

  “All right,” replied Ian. “Fire away.”

  “We need more workers for the Easter Breakfast. Can any of you serve?”

  “Jeff and I are spending Easter with his parents,” said Angel.

  “That’s nice, dear,” said Pansy, barely sparing her a glance. “What about you two?”

  Ian shrugged. “Sure. I think Riley and a couple of my sisters are serving. Might as well make it a family thing.”

  Lily shook her head. “I can’t. I’m having a guest for Easter.”

  This was news to Ian. “A guest? Who?”

  Pansy looked irritated. “Maybe your guest would like to help, too.”

  Lily looked alarmed. “Oh no, I couldn’t ask…This is someone special. I just want them to enjoy the day.”

  Someone special? Who could that be, Ian wondered.

  Lily turned to him. “It’s someone I want you to meet, Ian.”

  “Who is it?”

  Her smile held a hint of shyness. “It’s a surprise.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t serve then, Ian. Maybe you should just sit with Lily and her guest,” Pansy suggested.

  “Oh no, I can still help out.”

  Before Pansy could say anything else, Mary banged her gavel for the meeting to start. Pansy left abruptly, shooting a dark glance at Lily.

  Ian had trouble attending to anything that was said at the meeting. It was a good thing he was an old pro at this adoption fair. He wondered what Lily meant by “someone special.” Usually that sort of comment meant a significant other. Where would Lily come up with one of those? If she were dating someone, all of Orchard Hill would know about it. Maybe it was someone from out of town. But why would she want Ian to meet a boyfriend?

  A sudden nasty thought chilled him. She wasn’t getting back together with Ted was she? No, that was ridiculous. They couldn’t even have a civilized conversation. He knew it was a farfetched idea, but somehow, he couldn’t shake it. He left as quickly as possible after the meeting.

  TITLE

  Orchard Hill: Volume One

  Chapter Nine

  The day of the adoption fair was sunny and warm. The calendar page had turned to April, and shoots of green had started to appear in the gardens around town. Lily hoped they would have flowers by Easter. She loved the colorful daffodils and tulips that came with the spring.

  She and several other volunteers arrived at the shelter early that morning. They bathed and groomed all the pets before placing them in carriers so they could be transported to the park downtown where the fair would take place. Ian was there, too, doing a last minute check on all the chosen animals, making sure they were healthy and ready to be seen.

  Lily was busily brushing a white and grey lop-eared rabbit when Ian stopped by to give him a look over. In spite of the need to hurry and finish grooming all the animals, she took a moment to speak to him.

  “I haven’t seen you lately. What have you been up to?”

  Ian shrugged as he ran his hands over the rabbit. The nervous animal squirmed in Lily’s grasp. “Nothing much.”

  She’d hardly seen him since he gave her the new phone. That moment had changed everything. To her, the phone with the caller ID had been a fantastic gift. It told her that he cared about her well being, but that he also trusted her to take care of herself. He wasn’t trying to control her or contain her on the pretext of keeping her safe.

  In that moment, Lily knew she was ready to move on in her relationship with Ian. She wanted to be more than friends with him. And then, he’d suddenly disappeared from her life. She hadn’t seen him since the last meeting. Even at church he ducked out immediately after the service.

  She took a deep breath and gathered her courage. “Ian, are you avoiding me?”

  His head jerked up to look at her, and the rabbit took the opportunity to wiggle out of their grasp. It propelled itself from the table to the floor, scratching Ian in the process.

  Another volunteer scooped up the fugitive and put him into a carrier. Lily picked up Ian’s hand. Blood was welling up from a long scratch there. “Let’s get this fixed up.”

  “I can take care of it.” Ian grumbled and walked away. He didn’t look back, but he could feel Lily’s presence behind him as he walked to the deserted laundry room where the first aid kit was kept.

  “You’d have to do it one-handed. Let me help.” She pushed him down on a tall stool that sat by the washer.

  He held himself stiffly as she washed his hand and dried it. Then, she rummaged through the first aid kit and brought out some salve and bandages.

  “I’ve really missed you, lately,” she said, as she rubbed the salve gently over the scratches.

  He laughed, and it came out as a harsh sound. “Why would you miss me? I’m just a friend.” He couldn’t afford to forget that. And it wasn’t likely that he would after what he’d seen earlier in the week. He’d stopped at the hardware store to talk to Riley, and when he’d come out, he looked down the street toward Lily’s shop. A man he didn’t know was getting out of a car. Lily came out of the shop and greeted him with open arms. The man hugged her so hard that he lifted her up off her feet. When he set her down, Lily lead him into the shop.

  Ian felt a sharp pain in the region of his heart. He’d been patiently waiting for Lily, hoping that their friendship would become something more, and now he knew it never would.

  She looked up at him, surprise on her face. “Just a friend? How can you say that? Ian, you’ve done so much for me. You’ve really helped me get my life back on track. There’s no way I can ever thank you enough.”

  “You don’t need to thank me,” he said gruffly. He wanted to ask her about the man, but she was holding his hand and standing close to him. It was affecting him more than he cared to admit. He had to put some space between them. “Slap some band-aids on here, and let’s get back to work.”

  She reached up and smoothed the creases from his forehead. He kept his eyes averted, not wanting her to read what must be clearly written on his face. Her hand slid from his forehead and down to his cheek.

  “Lily, are you done? We have to…” Before he could finish his sentence she leaned over and kissed him. He froze with shock. The feathery brush of her lips against his had been so brief he wasn’t sure it has happened at all.

  Then slowly she brought her lips up to his again. Having used up all his restraint, he put his arms around her and kissed her back.

  They were interrupted by the sound of a woman clearing her throat loudly. It was Mary leaning in from the hallway. “As cute as you two are,” she said “we do have work to do. Save it for later.”

  Lily pushed away from him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

  Mary smiled. “I understand. I was young once, too.”

  Lily hurried away before Ian could move. He was stunned. What had just happened? Was he wrong about the man he saw her with being a boyfriend? If it was a boyfriend, then why would she kiss him?

  Ian remembered what she’d said right before she kissed him. “There’s no way I can ever thank you enough.” Was that all the kiss was? A thank you?

  “Y
ou too, Ian” Mary said. He’d forgotten she was there. “We have a lot to do yet.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  He managed to put the band-aids on himself one-handed. Then, he went back to his duties as veterinarian, pushing the questions he had about the kiss to the back of his mind.

  It was a long day, but a good one. The fair received a large amount of visitors, and many families applied to adopt the animals on display. Lily felt a huge sense of accomplishment by the end. A few families lingered. A young boy, perhaps thirteen years old, was reluctant to leave the energetic terrier type dog he’d apparently bonded with.

  The couple whom Lily assumed was his parents patiently waited for the boy. The woman had brown hair, softly curling. The man’s silver hair made him look older but his face was still fairly youthful.

  “Mom, can we adopt him, please.”

  The woman smiled at him. “I’d like to, but I’m just not sure.”

  “He’s old enough to be responsible,” the man spoke up. “Give the boy a chance, Faith.”

  When Lily came over with the dog’s carrier the boy asked if he could apply to adopt the dog. She smiled at him. “Sure, if your mom and dad say it’s okay.”

  “That’s not my dad,” the boy replied. “But I wish he were because he’d let me have the dog.”

  “Kevin,” the woman said, “I’m not saying you can’t take care of the dog, I’m just not sure if you’ll have time. And we don’t know if he’s housebroken or has had obedience training or anything.”

  “I promise to feed him and walk him every day. And I’ll teach him to sit and stay and everything.”

  “He’ll do it, Faith,” the man insisted.

  “That’s easy for you to say, Andrew. You don’t have to live with the dog.”

  Lily watched the threesome argue. She wondered who the gentleman was if he wasn’t the boy’s father. They certainly seemed like a family.

  Ian ambled over. “Hello Andrew, Faith. Looks like Kevin has his heart set on that dog.”

  Faith smiled. “He certainly does. What do you know about him, Ian?”

  “He’s a fairly young dog, housebroken but not well trained. If Kevin is willing to work with the dog, he’ll do fine.”

  “I will work with him, Mom, I promise.”

  “I’ll help him,” the man, Andrew, added. “I’ve trained a puppy or two in my time.”

  With a shrug the woman gave in. “Let’s go get the forms.” Kevin said good-bye to the dog and ran along with his mom to the table that held all the forms and information on caring for pets. Ian and the man talked for a few more minutes, and then Andrew followed the woman and her son.

  “They aren’t a family?” Lily asked Ian.

  “No, Andrew is the school principal and Faith is his secretary. They’ve worked together for years.”

  Lily shook her head. “They seem like more than co-workers.”

  Ian shrugged. “As far as I know, that’s all they are.”

  She wished she were brave enough to say, “What about us? Are we friends or more than friends,” but she couldn’t. Kissing Ian had taken all her courage. It was up to him to make the next move.

  Lily coaxed what seemed to be Kevin’s new dog into the carrier. When she’d shut the door, she turned to Ian. “What are you doing when we’re done here?”

  He looked at her for a few seconds and then said. “I’m going to make it an early night. I think I’ll just go home and crash.”

  “Oh. Okay. That sounds like a good idea.” A lump of hurt rose up in her throat. That answered her question.

  For the next week, Lily tried very hard not to think of Ian. She gave her apartment an extra thorough cleaning in anticipation of her mother’s visit. She even bought a bouquet of spring flowers. Her mother hadn’t seen the apartment before, and Lily wanted it to look perfect.

  Her shop was busy, too, as it always was before a holiday. Everyone wanted to look their best for the family gatherings. It was with a sigh of relief that she flipped the sign to closed on Friday. She was done until after Easter.

  And, she just had enough time before her mother arrived to change the sheets on the bed for her mom, and to put sheets on the hide-a-bed in the sofa for herself.

  Just as she was about to head upstairs, there was a knock on the door. She turned and saw Ian standing outside her shop. Lily rushed back to the door and unlocked it.

  “Hi Lily,” he said gruffly. He didn’t look happy to be here.

  “What can I do for you, Ian?”

  “I know you’re closed and all, but…”

  “But what?”

  “Pansy Parker just told me I needed to get a hair cut. She said I couldn’t serve Easter breakfast looking like a cave man. Can you give me a quick trim so I don’t have to hear about it all morning tomorrow?”

  Lily glanced at her watch. “Sure, but it has to be quick. I have to get ready for my guest.”

  “Who is this mystery guest?” asked Ian as he sat in her chair.

  She put a plastic cape over him. “Someone you gave me the courage to reach out to.”

  “That’s me. I should hang up my stethoscope and become a counselor.”

  “Ian, sit up straight or you won’t be able to give you a good cut.”

  She wondered why he seemed to be in such a bad mood. Was he mad at Pansy for sending him to get his hair cut, or was it her? Was he uncomfortable because she’d kissed him last Saturday?

  Lily was silent as she finished cutting Ian’s hair. Internally she debated whether she should talk to him about it or not. She thought he was interested in her as a potential girlfriend, but she must have misread him. She should reassure him that she was okay with that.

  She wasn’t okay with that, but she’d rather be friends with him than go back to nothing at all. She needed to let him know that things hadn’t changed.

  Finished, she took the cape from Ian, and he practically jumped out of his seat. Pulling out his wallet he asked, “How much do I owe you?”

  “Nothing, Ian. It’s on the house.”

  He looked like he wanted to argue, but then he shoved his wallet back into his pocket. “Thanks. I have to go now.”

  “Ian, wait.”

  He turned and looked at her expectantly.

  “About last week. The kiss…”

  Silence thickened between them.

  “I just wanted to let you know that nothing’s changed between us. I’ll always be your friend.”

  It broke her heart, but if that was what Ian wanted to hear, that’s what she would tell him.

  Only he didn’t look happy to hear it. “I know Lily. We’re still friends. Just friends.” He turned on his heel and left the shop.

  Lily locked the door behind him and went upstairs to make up the beds. Tears fell on the crisp clean sheets, and she let them. Some things hurt too much to hold back.

  ****

  On Easter morning, Lily woke early. The hide-a-bed was uncomfortable, but she was glad to be sleeping there if it meant her mother was visiting.

  Her mom had arrived on Friday afternoon. It didn’t take long for Lily to show her mother the shop and the apartment. They even peeked under the bed for a look at Maria. Then Lily had given her a tour of Orchard Hill and taken her out to dinner that night.

  On Saturday, they met Grace for breakfast, and then Lily’s mother insisted that they needed to go shopping.

  “Shopping?” asked Lily. “What on earth for?”

  “I need to get you a house warming gift. I didn’t know what to get you before, but now that I’ve seen your place, I have some ideas.”

  She had ideas all right. Lily took her mother to a mall in Green Bay. Her mother bought her new towels, new dishes, a new comforter. She would have bought Lily a new set of pots and pans if she hadn’t protested.

  “Mom, you’ve bought me too much already.”

  “No, I haven’t. I can see who got the better half of your divorce settlement.”

  “I didn’t want
anything that reminded me of Ted,” Lily admitted.

  “I don’t blame you,” her mother said. “I’m so glad he’s out of your life.”

  “I’m sorry I let him come between us, Mom. I just didn’t want you to know how bad things were.”

  Her mother’s eyes misted with tears. “It’s all right. Let’s forget the past and look to the future.”