The Hearts We Mend (17 page)

“That's why I brought Raine with me. She'd like a part-time job, but she's afraid no one will hire her when they find out she has to quit at the end of the summer. I talked to her on Saturday night, and she would love to watch Lily during the day.”

The lines in Jack's forehead eased slightly. “Really? Lily said she doesn't mind hanging out in here until I get off work, but I'm sure she'd much rather be playing outside.”

“Raine claims it will be good practice. And John Moretti, Dan's dad, hired Cody at the lumberyard, so I think Raine would enjoy Lily's company. She doesn't have many friends in Banister Falls yet. If you don't mind though, Raine would like to watch Lily at her house. She and Cody have a big backyard and their house is within walking distance of the park.”

Evie waved at Pauline as they walked through the foyer. The secretary waved back and then did a double take when she saw Jack at Evie's side.

“Lily would love that.” Jack held the door open for Evie and followed her outside.

“Uncle Jack!” Lily's laughter flowed over them. “Look what Raine is teaching me how to make!”

She and Raine were sitting in the grass, making chains out of long-stemmed dandelions. Lily already wore one in her hair like a crown.

Jack didn't even have a chance to ask Lily what she thought
about the sudden change in plans. She vaulted to her feet, scattering flowers everywhere.

“Can I go to the park with Raine and Diva today, Uncle Jack? Please?”

“I guess that answers my question.” Jack smiled at Raine. “I really appreciate this.”

“No problem. Evie told me how much fun she had with Lily on Saturday, and I could use something to take my mind off the fact that I can no longer see my feet.”

“We're going to get ice cream cones at Quigley's too!”

“You know she won't want to come home with me.”

Raine grinned. “I'll give you my cell phone number. You can call anytime for an update.”

Jack bent down until he was eye to eye with his niece. “Have fun and be good for Raine. I'll pick you up at four o'clock.”

“Okay.” Lily pressed a limp bouquet of dandelions into his hand and linked her arm through Raine's. “Can we go now?”

“I'll race you to the car.” Raine pointed to the light-blue Datsun and Lily took off.

Jack looked a little uncertain as he watched Raine waddle after his niece.

“Don't worry,” Evie said softly. “Lily is in good hands.”

“It's not that.” Jack turned to look at her. “I don't know what to say.”

“You don't have to say anything. If it doesn't work out for some reason, Raine will understand. She knows there have been a lot of changes in Lily's life.”

A shadow passed through Jack's eyes. “That's true.”

“How is she doing?”

“A lot better than I expected.”

“Isn't that a good thing?”

“It makes me wonder what was going on between Cheryl and
Trav before they got arrested.” Jack saw her expression and shook his head. “Trav isn't like Nicki's ex. He would never lay a hand on Cheryl, but when things aren't going well, they tend to argue a lot. That kind of environment is hard on someone as sensitive as Lily.”

Evie imagined it must be hard on Jack too. “How are
you
doing?”

“I'm fine.” A smile edged up the corners of Jack's lips, and it took Evie a moment to realize he was repeating the answer she'd given him after Betty had confronted her on Cody's wedding day.

Evie smiled back. “Should I take it that means you need a cup of coffee?”

“You probably should.” Jack's gaze dropped to her lips a split second before he looked away, but it didn't matter. Evie's memory made the leap from the comforting warmth of the coffee mug to the warmth of Jack's fingers tracing the curve of her jaw.

And the warmth it ignited inside of Evie . . . hurt. The kind of sweet, prickly heat when the blood began to flow through your veins after a long time spent outside in the cold.

Something Evie had never expected to feel again.

She and Max had started dating when they were fifteen. Max had been her first love. Her first everything. After he died, it felt like her heart had died too. Evie had never been attracted to another man. Couldn't imagine being held in someone else's arms.

Until now.

She looked away.

Not because she was afraid of what she might see on Jack's face, but because of what he might see on hers.

Evie didn't recognize the petite brunette who stood outside her office, studying the posters pinned to the bulletin board that advertised upcoming events.

All Pauline had been able to tell her was that someone named
Maggie McClain had called and wanted to meet with her at noon if she was free. Evie had cut short her early lunch date with Gertrude Fielding to make it back to the church on time.

“Are you Maggie?”

The young woman, who looked to be in her midtwenties, whirled around.

Evie couldn't help but wonder if the woman's outfit—a crisp button-down shirt, navy skirt, and matching blazer—wasn't a deliberate attempt to downplay her pixie-like features.

“That's me! And you must be Evie.” The lilt in the woman's voice complemented the sparkle in her blue-green eyes as she shook Evie's hand. “I know I'm a few minutes early. A client canceled at the last minute so I thought I'd come over and take a look around until you were available.”

“That's fine. Please come in.” Evie ushered Maggie into the office. “You can sit anywhere you like.”

Maggie sank into one of the chairs by the window and kicked off her shoes. Her sigh of relief made Evie smile.

“I have to wear heels on the days I appear in court.” Maggie wiggled her bare toes. “Even though I happen to know for a fact that Judge Bernhardt wears flip-flops underneath her robe.”

Evie sat in the chair across from Maggie's instead of the one behind her desk. “What can I do for you?”

“A friend invited me to the picnic on Saturday, and I overheard some of the women talking about a garden walk. I wanted to know more about it, so one of them gave me your name.”

“It's an event we put on every summer, usually the last weekend in July. We have several master gardeners who love to share their gardens with the community, as well as some women who just enjoy growing flowers as a hobby. Afterward, Marie's Bistro sets up an old-fashioned ice cream social for the women who sign up. We sell tickets, but all the money is given to a women's shelter in India.”

Maggie's forehead puckered. “I wish I'd heard about this sooner.”

“The tickets are available right up until the day of the event, so you have plenty of time to get one.”

“But you have all the gardens lined up?”

“We typically schedule five, but at the moment we're still waiting on a response from one of the past hostesses. Do you know someone who might be interested in putting their garden on the tour?”

Maggie grinned. “That's why I'm here.”

There was something infectious about the woman's enthusiasm, and Evie decided she liked Maggie McClain.

“Well, then I'll get a form for you to fill out.” Evie rose and walked back to her desk. “The tour starts here at nine o'clock on Saturday morning. We have coffee and pastries available and hand out a brochure with a map and a description of the gardens on the tour. If you have a photograph, we can include that too.”

She pulled up the document on her computer and tapped the print button. “We try to offer a variety of different types of gardens to keep things interesting. Last year, we had a water garden and someone who had turned their entire front yard into a natural prairie. Does your garden have a theme?”

Maggie shifted in the chair. “It's not quite a garden . . . yet.”

“I know we haven't had a lot of rain this summer, but by the end of the month, most of the flowers are at their peak. I'm sure your garden will be beautiful.”

Maggie expelled a long breath. “I meant it's not quite a garden because it's still in the planning stages. I'm hoping that next summer it will be a reality.”

“I'm afraid I don't understand.” The printer spit out the last page of the form, but Evie ignored it as she turned to look at Maggie.

“I can tell you this because I know you won't look at me like I'm crazy . . . but I believe that God wants me to start a community garden in Banister Falls. Last week He provided the perfect spot. An
abandoned building burned down a few years ago, and the owner didn't have insurance. He turned the land over to the city, and they ended up having to cover the cost of the cleanup. The lot was finally cleared in the spring, and I found out the city officials are willing to lease it out for the cost of the taxes.”

Now Evie was beginning to understand. “You need donations.”

“And volunteers.” Maggie flashed an engaging but completely unrepentant grin. “But first I need people to catch the vision.”

“I can bring it up to the women on my team, but I'm not sure it would be appropriate for the garden tour,” Evie said slowly. “The women who attend have a certain expectation. If your committee has some literature, a flyer or a brochure explaining the program, we could certainly make it available for women to take home with them to read that day.”

Maggie's smile slipped a notch. “I don't have anything like that yet. I'm not part of a committee, Evie. I was hired last year to oversee New Horizon, the local women's shelter, but I've been pursuing this on my own time. Every day I meet senior citizens . . . single moms . . . teenagers . . . who are struggling. Financially. Emotionally. Spiritually. I spent a summer with my grandmother when I was thirteen, and she told me that a garden was God's classroom. ‘You have to get on your knees, Maggie. Get your hands into the soil and work it. Sweat a little in the tending and the weeding . . . and then you'll see things grow.'” Maggie leaned forward. “That's what I want, Evie. I want to see things grow. Good things.”

Evie felt the air around them practically hum, sparked by Maggie's vision. Which made it that much more difficult to state the obvious. “But right now it's a vacant lot, not a garden.”

And in the spirit of the event, the women who attended dressed up for the occasion. Straw hats. Flowing dresses. Evie tried to picture Victoria picking her way through a vacant lot wearing her Kate Spade heels.

“Would you be willing to take a look at it before you make a decision?” Maggie asked. “I've already signed a contract with the city, so it's definitely moving into the planning stages. I've been going over there in the evening to pick up the debris.”

“I thought you said the lot was cleared.”

“It was . . . but it's a work in progress. There's always going to be something that needs a little TLC.”

“A work in progress.”

Evie heard Jack saying the same thing. No explanations, no apologies. Just a simple acceptance of the truth.

“What's the address?” she heard herself say. “I can drive by the lot and take a look at it.”

“Thank you, Evie—”

“But I can't promise anything,” Evie interrupted. “Some of the women who sign up for the tour are quite elderly. The lot would have to be safe to walk around.”

“It will be.” Evie's caveat didn't dim the sparkle in Maggie's eyes. “It's a few blocks from the Leiderman plant. Fairview Street. Do you know where that is?”

Evie managed a nod.

“The lot is right in the middle of the block.”

“I've seen it.”

Right across the street from Jack's apartment building.

C
HAPTER
21

J
ack heard a familiar giggle as he got out of his truck. He followed the sound to the backyard.

Lily was running around the sprinkler with two girls who looked to be around Ava's age.

Raine was perched on the picnic table next to a stack of towels, watching the girls play. A golden retriever was sprawled in the shade of an oak tree, a safe distance from the splash zone.

“Uncle Jack!” Lily broke away from the circle and ran toward him. She was soaking wet, but Jack let her plow into him anyway. “That's Amanda and Emily. We're chasing rainbows.”

Jack envied a child's ability to live in the moment. A world focused on what
was
—blue sky, sunshine, a rainbow in the grass—not regretting what had been or longing for what could be.

“Did you catch any?”

“Nope.” Lily took off again, and Jack walked over to the picnic table.

Raine handed him a towel. “I'm sorry! I meant to have her dried off and ready to go when you got here, but Emily and Amanda came over and I totally lost control.”

The admission made Jack smile.

“No big deal.” He pressed the towel against the wet spot on the front of his shirt. “It looks like she's having fun.”

“There's a story time for kids at the library tomorrow morning. Do you mind if I take Lily? Ms. Davenport, the librarian, has a craft and a snack afterward.”

“I'm sure she'd love to go, but only if you don't mind.”

“Are you kidding?” Raine grinned. “Glitter and a glue stick? I'm in.”

The screen door swung open and Cody jogged up to the picnic table, waving a spatula. “Can you stay for supper, Jack? I can throw another burger on the grill.”

For a moment Jack was tempted. But the backseat of his car was loaded down with some of Cheryl and Travis's things. He'd used his half-hour lunch break to check on the house and found Phil, their elusive landlord, prowling around the living room.

He'd seen the article featuring Travis and Cheryl's arrest on the front page of the newspaper and told Jack it was his “civic duty” to search the premises for the local police. He'd also informed Jack that because the lease went month to month, he wanted all of Travis and Cheryl's personal possessions out of the house by August first.