by Nancy Naigle
Her phone boinged. How many messages would he leave?
She turned off the phone and pushed it deep to the bottom of her purse. Out of sight. Out of mind. Leaning against the tree, she took her Kindle from her purse. She read and crunched on soft ice until someone kicked the bottom of her tennis shoe.
Jill looked up to see Connor. She lowered the e-reader and set it aside. “Hey.”
“Glad you came,” Connor said.
“You can take the girl out of the country, but—”
“—you can’t take the country out of the girl. I see. I stand corrected,” he said.
“Is your shift over?”
He held the orange vest up in one hand. “All done for the day.”
“Thanks for the premium parking spot. I appreciate it.”
He bowed. “My pleasure, Miss Fourth of July.”
“Not me. Didn’t Becky win that crown?”
“Yeah. But you should’ve won.” He squatted down next to her and took a swallow of his beer. “Seen Garrett?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m sure he’s over there lining up rockets. You can’t tear those guys away from that pyro stuff.”
“Does he know you’re here?”
“Nope.”
“Won’t he be surprised when he walks by here tonight? It’ll be like old times.”
“I figured I’d carry on Pearl’s tradition.” She nodded toward the container to her right. “I brought cookies.”
“Chocolate-chocolate chip?” Connor slid back the foil.
“Are there any other kind?”
“Well, then I do have the best seat in the house.” He flipped his wrist to check his watch.
“Shouldn’t be much longer now. Want anything before the fireworks start? I’m going to go grab another beer.”
“Tea would be great. No, you know what. Bring me a cold beer, too.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Jill tucked her Kindle in her purse. Folks picked their spots for the fireworks, and parents quieted impatient children with sparklers. Some children ran aimlessly in circles, others swept the sparklers in the sky, writing their names or making loop-de-loops.
The sun dipped lower.
In the next fifteen minutes or so it would be dark.
Chaz waved as he walked in her direction. “Hey, Jill. I thought that was you when I looked over here earlier. Mind if I join ya’?”
“Wouldn’t be the same without you.” She patted a spot on the blanket.
He took a sparkler out of his back pocket, lit the end, and handed the sizzling stick to her.
“For me? Thanks.” She accepted the sparkly stick, and immediately started writing her name in the air.
“You’re good at that,” teased Chaz.
“Just like riding a bike.” The sparkler began to sputter. “Good thing I have a short name. These sure don’t last as long as they used to.”
Connor walked back up just as the park lights began to shine.
Everyone cheered and whistled. The sound grew louder by the second and for a full minute, the cheering continued. Then, with a thunk, the lights went off and the crowd fell silent. Anticipation filled the air, and except for nervous giggles—everything was quiet.
A moment later, the ssphhhhp of the first rocket soared high into the sky over the lake. Then nothing for a two-count before the silence was broken with a series of aerial repeaters. Pop, pop-pop-pop, snap, pop, followed by a huge glowing red chrysanthemum that illuminated the starry summer night. As the fire began to fade, hundreds of sparkling flickers streamed down like a waterfall, and that was just the beginning.
“Oooooh.” Whizz, ssphhhhp, shwoosh. The next three fireworks went up together and exploded into the sky. They dazzled the crowd in red, white and blue.
“Aaah.” A loud whistler followed by a bright white bouquet of flowering lights drifted so slow it left behind a smoky fog in its trail. From there the show got bigger, faster and higher.
Everyone oohed and ahhed. A loud series of roman candles burst in the sky one after the other, over and over. The reports echoed, jolting everyone by surprise. Locals knew the extravaganza was getting close to the end of the bright display when the high school band began playing God Bless America. Everyone sang along, thankful for the day, the community, and the country they were so lucky to live in. The finale began to burst and pop in the sky above them in time with the music. The last flicker faded with the last note.
Smoke hung heavy in the humid night air. Like magic, the park lights came back on. Everyone was still in awe of the beautiful sight and tired from the events of the day. Like an army of ants, families poured into the parking lot to sit in traffic to get home.
Bugs gathered near the bright lights, starring in a show all their own. Small bats soared through the middle of the bugs, swallowing them up.
Jill stood, trying to burn off the nervous energy building up inside her. What seemed like a perfect plan earlier now left her sad. Pearl should be here. So many things would never be the same.
She half listened to Chaz and Connor as they talked with people they recognized and shared town gossip. Whoever started the rumor that women loved to gossip must’ve been a man, because it was clear the men in this town didn’t miss much.
Jill’s eyes were set on the roped off pyro-technicians area. Only the fire team was allowed back there, and Garrett had been a part of that elite group for years. Two fire trucks sat in the secure area to insure their safety. Two guys wound up the caution tape. They reused that same roll each year. Wasting it wasn’t an option.
She hadn’t spotted Garrett yet. What were the chances he might not notice her standing here and leave?
A high pitched squeal came from Jill’s left.
“I thought you left for Georgia.” Elsie bounded up with her fiancé in tow. Both wore matching stars and stripes golf shirts. “I knew that was you. Do you remember Billy?”
Jill nodded. “Billy Privet. It’s great to see you.” That short stint in the military had obviously cleaned up his act, and he sure didn’t look like a boy anymore. “You’re all grown up.”
He blushed, shifting his weight.
“Congratulations on the engagement,” Jill said.
Elsie snuggled against Billy’s arm.
He looked proud to have Elise at his side.
“I hope you’ll be around to come to the wedding,” Billy said. “Elsie has been working on every detail non-stop.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Jill said.
Elsie bounced and waved beyond Jill. “Hey there.”
Jill caught a whiff of smoke, black powder and the hint of spicy cologne. Her heart fluttered in anticipation.
“Jill?”
She turned to face Garrett. “Surprised?”
“Very,” he said.
She scooped up the container of cookies and handed it to him. The offering spoke louder than words anyway, and the words just weren’t coming.
He peeked under the top then called to the guys with a smile. “Hey guys, over here.”
“You must’ve been busy this afternoon,” Garrett said.
She wrinkled her nose. “A little.”
“Thank you.” He bit into a cookie and moaned with pleasure. “Chocolate-chocolate chip. Every bit as good as Pearl’s.”
“That’s a compliment. Thanks.” Jill stepped aside as the other guys joined them and greeted her.
“No. Thank you.” Garrett held out the container and the guys grabbed the cookies like they hadn’t had a thing to eat in a week.
“Okay. This is awkward. We sound like those polite chipmunks in the cartoons. No, thank you.” She took a step closer to him.
Garrett handed off the treats to one of the other guys and wiped the chocolate from his hands on his jeans. “Something wrong?”
“No. I tried to catch you before you left the house today.”
His face went hard and he reached for her arm.
“Oh, no. It’s nothing bad,” she adde
d quickly.
His expression immediately softened.
“I think we should do it.” Jill chewed on her bottom lip. “Okay?”
“Do what?” His eyes widened and his brow arched ever so slightly.
“Not that. You have a one-track mind.”
He lifted his shoulders, proclaiming innocence. “Hey, you’re the one who said we should do it.”
“I meant a truce and the property…five year commitment thing. Put the past behind us. No promises, but we both move forward with Pearl’s plan for the property and see what happens.”
“You sure?” Garrett eyed her curiously. “What about waiting five days to decide?
“That just means five more days I’ll torture myself trying to figure out what to do.”
“Did you tell him?” He nodded in the direction where Connor stood talking just a few feet away.
“No. I wanted to talk to you first.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” In her heart she knew this was right. “After being here for a while, I can’t let that property go. There are just too many memories there.”
“Connor,” Garrett yelled. “Come here.”
Connor walked over and Jill told him that she’d made her decision.
Connor extended a hand to Jill. “We’ll finalize the paperwork immediately.”
As they talked, the last of the cars were starting to thin out, Garrett asked Jill, “Where’d you park?”
Connor answered for her. “VIP Parking. Only the best for our little lady.”
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Garrett said.
She picked up her purse, and Garrett helped her with the rest of her things. They walked through the empty fairgrounds toward her car without a word.
When they reached her car, he opened her door for her.
She tossed her things across the driver’s seat to the passenger side before climbing behind the steering wheel.
Garrett stood between her and the open door. “I’m going to follow you home.”
“You don’t need to do that,” she said. “I’m fine, and you can’t keep sleeping in my yard either, by the way.”
“We can discuss that later.”
“Hop in. I’ll give you a ride to your truck.”
He jogged around to the passenger side and climbed in. “Nice ride.” He ran his hand across the smooth leather upholstery.
“Thanks.” Without having to ask where he parked, she drove him over to his usual spot.
He jogged to his truck and she drove off with him behind her. It was comforting to see him in her rearview mirror on the way home.
When they pulled in front of the house, the porch light was on and everything was just the way she’d left it. Clyde woofed a greeting over the back fence.
As Jill headed for the porch, Garrett went and opened the gate to let Clyde out. Clyde ran around the yard sniffing and prancing, then joined them on the front porch.
“Got news for you, Clyde.” He patted the dog’s nose. “She’s going to be hanging out for a while.”
Clyde jumped and put his paws on Jill’s shoulders. She had no defense. He was nearly a head taller than her when he was on his back legs.
“Down, Clyde,” Jill half yelled, half laughed as he tickled her ear with wet, slobbery kisses.
“He wants me to be happy too. He loves me,” Garrett said. “He’s glad you’re going to give Adams Grove another chance.”
“Down,” she said sharply, reprimanding Clyde with a tsh-tsh to a sitting position. That dog whisperer stuff really worked. Bradley’s housekeeper, Annie, had been obsessed with that television show. Jill must’ve picked up a few tips by osmosis over her morning coffee while Annie mused over the host for hours. It used to irritate Jill to no end, but now it was coming in handy.
“I wanted to talk to you about Bridle Path Estates. I’ve got to spend the day at the job site tomorrow, but how about I bring dinner by?”
“Lucky for me tomorrow is Saturday, else I might think you were trying to trick me into carrying on your dinner tradition with Pearl.”
“I think I’m clear on your opinion about that,” he said, rubbing his rear end.
She laughed, thinking of him sitting in the flowerbed. Just a thorn among the roses. Pearl would have loved having a picture of that.
“Maybe we’re starting our own traditions,” he said with a wink, and headed for his truck.
She and Clyde walked him as far as the front flowerbed. Starting a few new traditions with Garrett didn’t sound half bad. Garrett left and she and Clyde went back inside.
Exhausted, she climbed into bed, feeling a renewed energy and lift in her spirit.
Chapter Twelve
With the morning sun streaming through the windows, Jill busied herself around the house. She couldn’t stop thinking about how mad Bradley must have been at her for not coming back for the Independence Ball. Those things were so important to him. It would take him more than a day or two to simmer down. Heck, he might even fire her over it, but she’d deal with that later. She’d earned the vacation time. Although she had a feeling he didn’t expect her to take the time off unless he planned the vacation.
Jill felt more relaxed than she had for days. She clipped flowers from the yard and arranged a bouquet in a short vase for the table.
At six o’clock, Garrett drove up in front of the house. Clyde must have recognized the sound of his truck, too, because he took off through the house, sliding to a stop at the front door.
“Hello.” Garrett rapped his knuckle on the screen door as he came inside.
“In the kitchen.”
Clyde shadowed Garrett all the way to the kitchen, his lips puffing with each whiff of the big paper bag swinging from Garrett’s hand.
Garrett slid the bag onto the counter.
Jill swatted Clyde away and took inventory of the contents of the bag. “General Tso Chicken. Beef and Broccoli, sticky white rice and plenty of extra packets of duck sauce. You remembered everything,” she said with a smile.
“It hasn’t been that long.”
“Feels like a lifetime ago.”
“I brought something for you too, boy.” Garrett stooped in front of Clyde who was drooling even more than usual from the aroma coming from that bag.
“No, not food.” Garrett reached into his back pocket, pulled out a navy blue bandanna, and folded it corner to corner. He whipped the pocket knife from his belt and sliced the yarn to free Clyde from the girly pink towel around his neck. Garrett flipped the bandanna around Clyde’s neck, then tied a knot with the two corners.
“That’s more like it.” Satisfied, Garrett flipped the blade closed and pushed his knife back into the holder on his belt.
Jill walked up behind him. “What do we have here? Cowboy Clyde?”
“You can’t expect him to run around in pink and take care of you, too. It’s just not right.”
“He does do the cowboy thing pretty well.”
“You’re welcome,” Garrett said. “Both of you.”
“Let’s eat.” Jill handed a couple of the containers to Garrett to carry to the living room.
They ate from the cardboard boxes sitting Indian style around the coffee table in front of the television.
“Oh man. I love that show,” said Jill, when the commercial for the next season of Survivor came on. They’d been diehard fans since the first show.“I was so busy with the Kase Foundation I didn’t see much television last year, but no one will ever be as good as the season Big Tom was on,” Jill said.
“I think Tom was putting on that redneck act so people wouldn’t think he was a threat.”
Jill swirled a spicy piece of chicken in the air. “It worked. He made me laugh. I can still see him dancing around. Remember that?” She jumped to her feet and flapped her arms in her best Big Tom imitation.
Clyde ran around the room, excited by her antics.
She plopped down and finished eating.
“That hit the
spot.” She held the empty pint container toward Clyde who lapped the sauce from the sides of the cardboard. Then he trotted off with the box to finish. He settled on the floor, hugging the carton between his giant paws like a bear.
“You two are getting along well,” Garrett said.
“Men. All the same. You get to their hearts through their tummies, y’know.”
“You mean y’all don’t just do that to fatten us up so we aren’t marketable anymore?”
“Well yeah, that too. But we mostly do it because you love it.”
“Does that mean you’ll be doing some baking for me soon?”
She lay back, flat on the floor. “Don’t push your luck.” She lifted her knees up and groaned. “Lord, my back is aching. I might have moved a few too many boxes in the attic yesterday.”
Garrett rolled his shoulders. “You’re not the only one with a crick or two.”
“No one asked you to sleep in your truck.”
“If I didn’t, I’d worry all night.”
“Nothing has happened.”
“Maybe that’s because I’ve been sleeping in your yard?” He lifted a brow.
“Not last night.”
“That’s what you think. I came late and left early.”
“You sneak.” How could she be mad?
“You’re safe,” Garrett said. “And that’s what matters.”
“Point taken, but this can’t go on.”
“You could invite me to sleep in the house. I could sleep right here on the couch.”
“The whole town probably already thinks you are sleeping here. If they knew what was really going on they’d think you’re a crazy stalker, and people always find out around here.”
“Crazy or not, Pearl would haunt me if something happened to you. What choice do I have?”
“You can take the bed.”
“I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“No. You’re too tall for the couch. My way or no deal. Deal?”
“Deal. Sit up. I’ll rub your shoulders.” He inched closer and started kneading her back.
Jill relaxed into his strong hands, rolling her neck from side to side. “Aaaaaaaaaah. You always did give the best back rubs. I’ll give you five days to stop that.”