“My mom…” Romy stopped for a moment, cleared her throat and went on. “My mom made salsa, relish, spicy tomato juice, you name it.”
“What are you going to do with them?” Jamie lugged her bucket another few feet and reached into a caged tomato plan that stood taller than she did.
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll probably share them, if anybody wants any. I have the recipes and the time, but it’s just such a big job.” Romy blinked back tears and she laughed softly. “Sorry. This garden just brings back so many memories. I don’t mean to get all emotional.”
“My turn to be bossy, I guess.” Violet reached across the row and touched Romy’s shoulder. “Don’t apologize to us for missing her. And like Jamie said, it’s our pleasure to help you out here. My mom hated the idea of you trying to harvest everything yourself.” She wanted to make a pointed comment about filling in for missing siblings but she didn’t dare.
As if she read Violet’s thoughts, Romy said, “Silas called right before you two showed up. He and Luke should be here in a few minutes. They’re just putting the boat away.”
Violet froze. “Coming here?” she repeated.
“To help out. And he’s picking up some meat at Deli’s Sausages for dinner. You’re staying for dinner, right?”
“If he didn’t know we were coming, there won’t be enough. We’ll just head out as soon as we’re done here.” Something in her expression must have raised Romy’s suspicions.
“There’ll be plenty. They caught some nice fish, too. Are you worried about Loki? She’s not territorial at all and wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Romy glanced back at Thor.
“No, she’s great. And they already met.” Violet shot a look at Jamie but her friend was halfway inside a tomato bush. Maybe they could quickly pick the rest of the garden and slip away before Silas showed up. Violet scanned the area and her heart sank. There was at least another two hours of work, not including washing or laying them out on a tarp.
Her mind raced, grabbing possible excuses and then discarding them. Violet looked down at her clothes, grimacing at the sight of her ragged T-shirt and cut-off jean shorts. She would have worn something without holes if she’d known they’d be entertaining. Ducking her head and searching for more tomatoes, Violet reminded herself that Silas lived there and if he came to work in his own garden, he was hardly required to give advance notice.
They worked in silence for a long while, moving buckets up and down the row. Violet felt the peace of the garden seep into her heart and her muscles relaxed, even as she used them to carry the heavy loads.
“There they are,” Romy said, and Violet heard the smile in her voice.
She resisted looking up for as long as she could. Maybe if she just kept working, Silas would see her and decide to work on the other side of the farm. She’d seen plants dotted with brightly colored produce, probably peppers. Maybe Luke and Silas would just wave and move in that direction.
“Hi, everybody.”
Violet tried not to sigh at the sound of Luke’s voice. He was such a friendly guy. There was no way he would let Silas drag him past without saying hello. Now that she thought about it, Violet wondered why Luke was friends with Silas anyway. They were nothing alike.
“Hey,” Jamie said. “Come on in and join the fun. Violet’s got the extra buckets at the end of her row.”
She had no option but straighten up and face them. The first thing she noticed was Silas’s expression. Surprise, confusion, and something else she couldn’t define. She’d probably wear the same expression if she came home to find Silas in her garden.
“How’s your nose, Violet? I heard about your accident,” Luke said as he walked toward them. “Or should I say your eye?”
“I’m fine,” she said, and hated the shaky sound of her voice.
Luke peered at her face. “Did you go see a doctor?”
“No, it’s really nothing. Just a bloody nose and a little bit of a black eye.”
“You could have fractured a nasal or lacrimal bone. Or even the zygomatic arch.”
Violet remembered that Luke was a pediatrician and for a moment, she worried that she’d been walking around with a skull fracture. “Wouldn’t I know?”
“Not necessarily. But there’s usually a lot more swelling at the site, so it’s probably okay. And no headache or blurred vision? No trouble breathing or numbness?”
“No.” Violet wondered what Luke would say if she asked how to treat a bruised tailbone. He’d probably give her lots of advice without even blinking. If they were alone, she might have asked. As it was, she was intensely aware of Silas just a few feet away. She cleared her throat and looked over at Thor. He was busy sniffing Loki and wagging his tail harder than he probably had in his whole life. “Just a little sore.”
“Well, make sure to get some x-rays if you don’t feel better or something changes. And Silas won’t be running around corners anymore. Right, Silas?”
Silas didn’t respond. He was looking at Romy, as if he wanted to ask her why she hadn’t mentioned the guests in the garden. But then again, Romy wouldn’t have known Violet and Jamie were coming. Violet felt a little bad for the girl, caught in the middle of an old feud that didn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.
“So, what’s the plan?” Silas asked, looking around. “Are we canning today?”
“No, there’s not enough time for that. Mom always picked one day, and then canned the next. It’s too much for one afternoon.” Romy didn’t seem irritated that her brother knew so little about the process.
Luke walked past Violet and grabbed two buckets. “I’ll start at the other end and pick towards you guys.”
“I’ll go with you,” Romy said. Violet wondered if it was her imagination or did she volunteer a little too quickly. Was she trying to get out of the way? Did she expect Silas and Violet to start arguing? She watched Romy walk with Luke to the far side of the garden and felt her face go warm with embarrassment. Whatever was between them, Romy certainly didn’t need to be afraid of them making a scene. She was here to help, not to cause trouble.
“Is it okay if I go get a glass of water?” Jamie said, brushing off her hands.
“Of course. Help yourself to anything in the fridge,” Silas said.
“Can I grab you guys something?”
“No, I’m okay,” Violet said.
Silas shook his head. “No, nothing for me right now.”
After Jamie had left the row, Violet put her head down and picked as if the only thing that mattered in the world was finding the most perfect tomato. She could hear Thor letting out deep, playful woofs and Loki answering him. It would have made her very happy if it had been anybody else’s dog. She wondered if this is what a mother felt like when her kid made friends with her enemy’s kid. Awkward.
They picked in silence for a while, Romy and Luke’s conversation drifting over to them. Romy let out a laugh, and Violet looked over, suddenly understanding why she’d been so eager to leave their row.
“Oh,” she said softly.
Silas followed her gaze to Romy and Luke. “Not sure how I feel about that,” he said.
Violet was tempted to pretend she hadn’t heard him, but she’d never been very good at giving someone the silent treatment. “I thought you were friends.”
“We are. Sort of makes it worse. I know him better than she does.” He shrugged a little as if apologizing for being protective.
“He seems like a good guy,” she said as she crouched beside a large plant and stretched her arm into the bush. She could see an enormous, orange tomato hanging like a mango in the shady interior.
“He is, really.” Silas plucked the tomato from the other side and offered it to her.
“Thanks,” she mumbled. It was hard enough to work side by side. She wished he would just focus on his own plants and not be so helpful.
“It just means he has a better chance.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Violet wasn’t sure why she was still talking.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for any more changes.” He smiled at her, but it was a rueful sort of smile.
“Ah,” she said and hauled her bucket to the next plant. She got it. She really did. As a grown woman with a good job, her own place, and her own friends, she should be secure enough to handle any kind of changes life threw her way. But Violet had always struggled with change. She’d recognized that fact about herself way back in college. Sometimes even the changing seasons made her a little sad. It was hard to say goodbye to something she loved, even if she knew something wonderful was coming. “But maybe it won’t work out.”
Silas glanced over at Luke and Romy. They were kneeling across from each other, talking as they picked. “No, it will. If it gets a chance.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.” He looked at her. “Haven’t you ever seen two people together and known they would fall in love?”
Violet stared into his eyes, trying to remember back through the years. She thought of all her friends who had become couples and gotten married. At this time in her life, she felt like every summer was filled with wedding after wedding, bridesmaid dress after bridesmaid dress. “I don’t think so. You have?”
“Sure. It’s just something about the way they look at each other, as if nobody else in the world matters.”
She frowned at him. “Doesn’t everyone act like that when they first meet someone they like?”
“Nope. Romy dated a guy last year and I knew it wouldn’t work out. She liked him, but she wasn’t…” He looked up at the sky, a tomato in one hand, searching for the right words. “Entranced. Sometimes he would say something and she’d miss it because my mom was talking or Loki was barking. But she never misses anything Luke says or does.”
Violet looked past Silas toward the Luke and Romy. For just a moment, she wondered what it would like to feel that way. They were in the first stages of a relationship and they only had eyes for each other.
“Are― are you okay?” Silas asked.
She turned back to him, preparing to make some excuse for what must have shown on her face. But as she met his eyes, she felt her answer evaporate, and in its place a new response formed. “I’m just jealous. No big deal.” She added a smile to soften her words.
His brows went up. “Jealous of Romy because of Luke?” His tone was casual.
Violet had to laugh a little at the idea of her fighting Romy for Luke. “No, not that way. Luke is great, but I’ve never thought of him like that.”
Silas visibly relaxed. She imagined how awful it would have been for Silas to discover a love triangle brewing between his best friend, his sister, and the girl who couldn’t stand him.
“Then what are you jealous of?”
“People in love. People wanting to be in love.” She ducked her head and looked inside the shady interior of the plant. Her cheeks felt warm and she wished she hadn’t said anything.
“Doesn’t everybody want to be in love?” His voice was muffled. She could hear him tossing tomatoes into his bucket.
“Not me.” She sounded confident in her answer but a sudden rush of doubt filled her. She lifted her bucket and walked a little away from him, giving herself space to think. She examined her heart, tried to call up her deepest wishes. In that moment, Violet realized that there was a bright line drawn across her life, a line that separated it into two separate parts: before Silas returned, and after.
Last year Violet had worried about her students’ test scores, her mother opening a restaurant, and Thor getting enough exercise. The idea of falling in love with anybody hadn’t really been on her radar. She’d thought it would happen sometime down the road, in a few years, when she was ready.
Now, she was fighting a rising tide that threatened to sweep her along with it, whether she wanted it or not. Silas had come back into her life with the same power he had wielded ten years ago.
“Oh, no.” Silas grunted out the words and bolted past Violet, running toward the house.
She stood up in shock. Her gaze traveled beyond him to the house. She searched for Jamie, suddenly afraid that Thor or Loki were attacking. It made no sense, but animals were sometimes unpredictable.
Her heart jumped into her throat as she rushed after Silas, trying to see past his height, tripping repeatedly on the vines in the path.
She finally reached the gate and stopped suddenly, her mind struggling to understand what she was seeing. Jamie had walked out the back door and was standing on the porch, a hand to her mouth, laughter in her eyes. Thor and Loki were a few feet away, clearly having moved from puppy love to something more serious.
“Oh, no,” she said, echoing his dismay. “She’s not spayed?”
Silas turned back, concern on his face. “No. She had all her shots but I made an appointment next month for the spaying. What should we do? I didn’t even think― I mean, don’t dogs show signs of being in heat? She hasn’t acted any differently.”
Violet shook her head. “I’ve only had a boy dog. I think males can make puppies any time.” It was like a train wreck. She wanted to look away but couldn’t seem to make herself focus anywhere else. She certainly didn’t want to look at Silas. And to think she’d been irritated that Thor and Loki had become friends. If only that had been the worst thing to happen. It looked like she had a lot more to worry about than Thor wanting to play with Loki at the park.
Chapter Ten
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Luke and Romy came to stand beside Violet. Romy giggled a little and then cleared her throat, as if trying not to act like a sixth grader. “I don’t think you guys want to get in the middle of that. Better to just leave them alone. They’re not mean, but if you try to force them apart, they might turn on you.”
“Maybe they’re just… having fun. Maybe it doesn’t mean they’ll have puppies.” Violet wondered why she knew so little about dog breeding. She’d had Thor for years but had never taken the time to really learn about it. Having him neutered hadn’t seemed a priority since he wasn’t aggressive and didn’t seem interested in other dogs. As she stared in shock at the scene before her, she realized how very stupid that had been.
Jamie very carefully walked around the dogs and joined them near the garden. “So, looks like you guys are going to be grandparents. Congratulations!”
Violet shot her a look. “Not funny.”
“Too young to be a grandma, eh?” Luke was clearly finding it all very amusing. “I think a lot of parents feel that way. At least you got a heads up. Sometimes it comes as a total surprise.”
“I just…” Silas shook his head, not seeming able to finish his sentence. “Puppies.”
“Maybe,” Violet added. “We don’t know that.”
“There are so many jokes I could be making right now,” Luke said.
“And we all appreciate your self-control.” Romy nudged him with her elbow.
Violet thought of how easily they touched each other and how comfortable they were trading barbs. She wondered what it would be like to fall in love with someone who was a friend first, before anything else. That was the best way. No drama, no tears.
“We should get back to work,” Silas said. As Romy, Jamie and Luke walked back into the garden, Silas gestured to Violet. She hung back.
“I’m sorry. If I had known they would―”
“Me, too. And you had no way of knowing. If anything, I should have gotten Thor fixed a long time ago. It just didn’t seem necessary since he’s so calm and he’s not around many other dogs.” For some reasons she could feel her face heating up and she glanced toward the garden. “I guess we’ll wait and see what happens. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe it’s just…” She didn’t quite know how to end that sentence.
He cleared his throat. “Right. I wonder when we’ll know.”
Violet knew a lot about human biology but she had no idea how long it took for a dog to show. Or how they would f
ind out before Loki started to get fat? “Do they do a blood test? Those can be expensive. I’ll help with the cost, of course, since it’s Thor’s fault. Or my fault.” She wanted to put her hands to her cheeks but she didn’t. Maybe he would just think she was sunburned and overheating after all the work in the garden.
For the first time, Silas smiled. “I don’t think it’s always the guy’s fault. I think they bear equal responsibility here.”
“True. We should make them help pay for all the medical bills. Maybe Thor can get an after school job and Loki can help out in your shop.”
“Tough love,” Silas said. “I approve.”
“But whatever happens, we’ll love and welcome the grandbabies,” Violet said. She was trying hard to make light of the situation but she wasn’t laughing inside. She really didn’t want to be dealing with a batch of puppies and was hoping they wouldn’t need to split any costs at all. They’d just go on as before. Acquaintances. No real connection besides the past.
They stood there smiling at each other for a few moments. Loki wandered into their line of sight and they both turned. “I’m going to take her inside now,” Silas said.
Violet nodded as he moved away, but then reached out on a whim. She meant to get his attention, as he had gotten hers just a few minutes before, but instead touched his arm. He froze, eyes questioning.
“I really could have prevented this by being a more responsible pet owner. Thanks for not making this all my fault.”
He shook his head. “We’re equally to blame. Really. No apology necessary. I guess it’s one of those things we should have talked about when they first met. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.”
As he walked away, Violet thought back to that first day at Fire and Brimstone. She knew why she hadn’t thought to ask if Loki was fixed. She’d been so consumed by her own anxiety and worries that there hadn’t been room for anything else. Maybe there was a message there for her. Maybe the bad memories she carried around were skewing her judgment in more ways than she realized. Maybe it was affecting a lot of areas in her life that needed perspective.
Summer's Glory: Seasons of Faith Book One (Arcadia Valley Romance 2) Page 8