Page 21 of Love’s Harvest (Lilace Lake #3)

Sunday afternoon, Lucy arrived at the house with her friend, Millie Harriman. Millie was tall and thin with gray hair cut short in a bob that suited her sharp features. But her eyes, a pretty green, held such warmth that Sarah was immediately put at ease.

She called to the girls to come greet the women.

They dashed into the front hall and stopped.

Lucy said, “Mia and Emily, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, Ms. Millie. She’s going to help me take care of you from time to time. I told her you were wonderful girls. I hope you show her how truly special you are.”

Wide-eyed, the girls said, “Hello,” together.

“Oh, my! That hello sounded musical to my ears,” said Millie. She lifted a harmonica out of her purse. “I bet we can have some fun together.”

Sarah grinned at the two older ladies. “You didn’t tell me there would be music. That’s terrific.”

“We’ll see how it goes,” said Lucy. “Millie and I have a lot of things to share with Mia and Emily. It should be fun.”

“I won’t be gone long. The store closes at five. Enjoy yourselves. The girls and I made cookies for you.” She kissed the girls and said, “Okay, now you can have more cookies.”

“C’mon,” said Mia, tugging on Lucy’s arm.

Emily and Millie followed them into the kitchen.

Before any trouble could begin, Sarah called out, “Goodbye,” and left the house.

###

At the store, she spent some time rearranging items, doing a quick look, and making a list of things to order tomorrow.

Dani, who’d opened the store, stood by as Sarah told her what she was doing and why. Display was such a big part of marketing. It was something Sarah loved to do.

Sarah took advantage of this quiet time to talk to Dani about running the store, the changes she’d made since coming to town, and what she envisioned for the future.

Dani listened and made some suggestions of her own.

Sarah realized it was too soon to ask, but she had to know. “Would you be interested in having part of the business? I haven’t spoken to my parents yet, but it might be beneficial to all of us.”

“Do you mean buy into the business?” asked Dani, surprised.

“Maybe,” Sarah said. “I might be thinking too far ahead. But now that Aaron and I are seriously dating and you’re trying for a family, it might be right for me to have another partner going forward. Think about it. I don’t want to mention it to my parents unless I know it’s of interest to you.”

“Wow! It’s something I hadn’t thought about. Bullard’s Hardware Store has been a part of Lilac Lake since I was girl coming here. How would your parents feel about having an outsider in the business?”

“I’m not sure,” Sarah said honestly. “But your family has been part of Lilac Lake longer than mine, so you aren’t exactly an outsider.”

“I’ll talk it over with Brad and get back to you. But initially, I’m excited about the idea,” said Dani, giving Sarah a hug.

“Wonderful. It’s something to think about. That’s all it is at this point,” said Sarah.

“Agreed. In the meantime, a mob of people are headed to the store.” Dani hurried behind the cash register, while Sarah went to usher them inside.

###

The days were busy with the added time commitment to learn more about what her mother did to help run the store behind the scenes.

April and Wyatt turned out to be a compatible team working together. They were taking care of receiving the shipments, entering items into the computer system, and tagging the merchandise.

One afternoon, Sarah brought them into her office to discuss their procedures.

“I’m very pleased to see how hard you’re both working, dedicated to getting the job done, even staying late some days. I know how important it is to have some extra cash at the holidays, and you’ll find a bonus in your paycheck this week.”

April and Wyatt smiled at one another.

“Thank you, Ms. Miller,” said April. “I appreciate it.”

“Yes, me, too,” said Wyatt.

“You’re welcome. Keep up the good work. That will be all,” said Sarah.

As April and Wyatt left her office, a young female approached them.

It took Sarah a moment to realize it was Lindsay Legget, Wyatt’s girlfriend.

“Hi, Lindsay,” said Wyatt. “What are you doing here? This is a private area.”

“You promised to meet me at the library,” Lindsay told Wyatt. “Instead, I find you here working with … with April Loomis of all people. What’s going on with that?”

Wyatt made a face. “You know perfectly well I work here. April does too. We work together.”

“I don’t like it. You’re spending more time with April than you are with me.”

“It’s a job, Lindsay. That’s all it is,” said Wyatt.

Sarah watched something like disappointment flash across April’s face and disappear and realized that April really cared for Wyatt.

She got up from her chair and went to speak to Wyatt and Lindsay. “Is there a problem here?” Sarah asked, studying the tall, thin blonde who’d teased April at school to the point of downright bullying.

“I’m just talking to Wyatt,” said Lindsay in a dismissive way that irritated Sarah.

“Wyatt is at work. I suggest you converse with him when he’s not doing his job. How did you get up here? There’s a sign marked ‘private’ clearly posted at the bottom of the stairway.”

“I knew Wyatt was up here,” said Lindsay, stepping back as Sarah continued to approach them.

“I’ll walk you downstairs,” said Sarah. “We don’t want to interrupt the work Wyatt and April are doing.”

“I’ll call you later,” Lindsay said to Wyatt. “You’d better answer.”

Wyatt gave me a look of embarrassment and turned away without responding to Lindsay.

At the bottom of the stairway, Sarah spoke quietly to Lindsay. “Don’t come back to the office area again. Like you said, you can always phone Wyatt.”

Sarah watched Lindsay walk away, head and shoulders high. She knew high school was tough for a lot of kids. People like Lindsay, so entitled, so mean, made it even worse for some like April who was sweet-natured. She didn’t know the Legget family. They were among the newer residents.

Sarah went back to work and decided not to say anything about it to either Wyatt or April.

###

Sarah freshened up after work to attend her last group grief counseling meeting.

Being with other people who were dealing with loss had helped ground her.

Talking about Jesse to a non-judgmental, sympathetic group of relative strangers had put her feelings in better perspective, allowed her to cope with a lot of her anger, disappointment, and guilt.

As part of the process, she was eager to thank the friends she’d made in the group for their help.

Her mother was staying with the girls and gave her a big hug as she left. “I’m really proud of you, Sarah, for dealing with this issue. It was a wise idea to repeat the counseling you had earlier. You’ve grown a lot.”

“Thanks, Mom,” said Sarah, letting out a long breath. “I needed this. Aaron and I knew we had to wait to date exclusively until it felt right. Now, we have a chance to start over with one another. I’ve always loved him.”

“I know. This time it seems right.”

Sarah studied her mother, seeing how much she cared. She hoped to be as supportive to her daughters as they went through the ups and downs of life.

###

Sarah walked into the meeting room carrying a plate of cookies the girls and Lucy had baked. It was a tradition that when someone in the group felt ready to stop attending, they would treat others as a farewell gesture.

Seeing her, Blake grinned and walked over to her. “I’m glad for your progress. I need to stay for more meetings, but this group is terrific about encouraging people to leave when they’re ready.”

Sarah asked him, “How are things with you and Poppy?”

“Okay. She moved into Misty’s cabin this past weekend, as you may know.

Now that the sale of the house has gone through, I’ll begin work on the renovations.

I figure I can take my time. I’ll still be living with April and my mother while the work is being done on the house.

I’m going to move my mother into The Woodlands sometime soon.

It’ll be easier for all of us, especially April. ”

“I’m glad to hear it. She’s a lovely girl.” Sarah debated whether to tell him about Lindsay confronting Wyatt about April but decided not to interfere.

At the end of the meeting, Sarah shared a few hugs with a couple of people she felt close to and left the building glad she’d realized she needed to deal with her grief and guilt. She knew the ordeal wasn’t over, but she was on the right path.

As planned, Aaron met her outside the meeting. She rushed to him and threw her arms around him. This relationship is what she’d been fighting for.

###

On Sunday, while Dani handled the store, Sarah took the day off.

Aaron was coming to pick her and the girls up to go get a Christmas tree.

The girls were old enough to count down each day until Christmas, marking off the days on the special Christmas calendars Sarah’s mother had given them.

Now that they were getting a tree, their excitement grew.

Wilson’s Tree Farm was an institution in the area, a convenient place to find and cut your own tree.

It was a festive place with Christmas music and a roadside stand that served hot cocoa and coffee by helpers dressed up with Santa hats.

Much to the girls’ delight, a big spruce growing near the stand was decorated with colorful lights that blinked off and on,

Aaron parked his truck, and they headed out.

Each year, different sections of the tree farm were opened up for cutting. Though the area had had some light snow, the ground was clear and hard, making the trek into the woods easy. The girls raced ahead as Aaron and Sarah walked hand in hand behind them.

Aaron carried a chain saw and Sarah held onto an empty wagon to haul the tree back to the stand to be trimmed and paid for.

The girls raced from one tree to another, declaring each one was the best.

“Okay, Mia and Emily, you can choose between this tree or that one,” said Sarah, making it a simpler choice. “Which one do you want?”

After much guessing back and forth, they chose the smaller tree Sarah wanted, and Aaron went to work cutting it down.

They loaded the tree onto the wagon and tied it down, then hurried out of the cold back to the stand for hot drinks.

This ritual was such a simple thing, but Sarah knew the girls would remember it always. All the way home, they chatted, describing every detail.

###

Later, after Aaron had put the tree in a stand and placed all the lights on it, the decorating began. Though she liked it to look pretty, Sarah decided she’d let the girls place the ornaments where they wanted. If later, they needed to be moved around, she’d do it after they were in bed.

“Will you place the star on the top of the tree?” Sarah asked Aaron.

“Sure. Who’s going to help me?” he asked the girls.

Patiently, he lifted one girl and then another to make sure the star was just right.

Watching him, tears stung Sarah’s eyes at how sweet, how gentle Aaron was with her daughters.

When she and Aaron collapsed on the couch, Mia crept into Aaron’s lap and Emily climbed into Sarah’s. Luke lay at their feet. This scene seemed so right.

Later, waiting for dinner to be cooked, the girls played in their room while Sarah and Aaron sat in the kitchen enjoying a glass of wine.

“Thank you for all you’ve done for the girls and me,” said Sarah, clicking her glass against his. “You’ve made it very special for all of us.”

“I enjoyed it,” said Aaron. “This time of year always makes me remember my mother. I think she’d be pleased for me to be with you and the girls.”

“Did you celebrate the holidays in the same way as a child?” Sarah asked.

Aaron shook his head. “For one thing, we never cut down our Christmas trees, but decorated a living one for birds and other animals. Remember, I grew up poor in things, but rich in blessings, even after the Collister family took me in.”

Sarah went to him and wrapped her arms around him. “That’s why we, who know you, are so lucky to have you in our lives. You make us better people.”

Aaron drew her closer before giving her a long, deep kiss that left her reeling.

“You’re kissing!” came a cry beside them.

“Are you Mommy’s boyfriend?’ asked Emily, standing by her sister looking up at them.

“Aaron is special to all of us. Right?” asked Sarah, pulling herself together the best she could.

Mia and Emily nodded solemnly.

“Okay, we’re about ready to eat. You may set the table.”

Sarah put placemats, napkins, and silverware on the table. “Remember how?”

“Yes,” said Mia. She took the placemats and set one in front of each chair. Emily followed, placing a paper napkin in the center of them. Together, they figured out where the silverware went.

Sarah oversaw them, proud of the way they worked it out between them. She’d vowed to begin early to teach the girls some basic living habits.

After Aaron and the girls were seated, Sarah dished up the meal—baked chicken with a creamy sauce, peas, and mashed potatoes on each plate.

“Remember, no complaining about the food. You must have at least a bite of the peas,” said Sarah.

Aaron looked on without commenting, but Sarah saw approval in his eyes. Having her daughters be part of the equation of getting back together with him was a challenge not many young men would agree to take on.

They finished the meal in relative quiet, and then Sarah instructed the girls to get ready for a bath.

As Sarah stood at the sink rinsing dishes, she felt Aaron come up behind her and sighed happily when he nibbled on her neck. She turned around and nestled against him. After feeling so alone, so unsettled for such a long time, she filled with contentment.

“Thanks for dinner,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Sorry, but I have to go.”

She looked up at him. “Thanks for a great day. It was special for so many reasons. I wish you could stay.”

“Me, too,” said Aaron, “but ask me again, and I’ll arrange things so I can say yes.”

“That’s a deal,” said Sarah, accepting another kiss before he pulled away.

Later, after the girls were in bed and asleep, Sarah wondered what it would be like if the day came when it was right for Aaron to spend the night. She could hardly wait.