Page 35 of Wish You Faith (Christmas Sweethearts #1)

“On my only day off?” Rosie could count Sunday as her day off, but she’d be in church all morning for Sunday school and the morning service, and then back to church again for the evening service. Sunday was a busy day for her. It wasn’t a day she could stay home and do nothing all day.

“You live here now with your mom, right?” Chevy pressed.

“Yes.”

“So it won’t take you long to drive here from your apartment.”

“No.” In fact, it took longer for her to get out of the condo and walk downstairs to the parking lot than it took for her to drive from there to here.

“How about just a couple of hours on Saturday, at your convenience?”

“What do you need to consult me about?” Rosie knew that by asking that question, she had opened the door to entertaining a side job. She didn’t need a second job, but until her family home is rented out to offset the SSLR condo rental, she shouldn’t turn away opportunities to earn extra income.

Besides, she liked this greenhouse. Mei was right. Her happy place was among the plants. This greenhouse was different from the Christmastown greenhouse.

Chevy also reminded her of Dad. On his off days, Dad would plant a garden for Mom to enjoy. He could plant anything, and it would grow. Since Dad had passed away, their garden had been bare.

Seeing Chevy now, Rosie wondered how much time the seventy-year-old botanist had. He’d worked for many decades in the field. Perhaps Rosie could learn a thing or two from him.

“What’s on the horizon? Why do you need a consultant now?” Rosie asked.

“We’re entering a spring competition, and I want our greenhouse to win best in class,” Chevy answered right away.

“Of course.”

“Last year, we didn’t even place. I talked to Roger about hiring a consultant to help us make this greenhouse a winning one.”

“I have no experience with competitions.”

“You have connections in the industry. You’re still in contact with your professors at UGA, yes?”

“Ah, yes.”

“So this year, I want us to win—or at least get placed.” Chevy put away the fish food. “Walk with me?”

They rounded the corner to a section where Chevy’s beloved orchids were housed. It was more humid there, and Rosie had to remove her jacket.

“We can’t pay much,” Chevy said.

Rosie felt bad that she had thought earlier about the extra income.

“But it’s a fulfilling job.” Chevy opened the door for Rosie to go through. She pushed the cart for him. On the cart were plant tags and markers, and a black felt tip pen. Even though Chevy could have printed them on the printer, he had chosen to handwrite them.

“I do love working with plants.” Rosie tied the jacket sleeves around her waist. “Sure, I could use the extra income, and Saturday is the only day I can stay at home and rest. However, if I could stop by here a couple of hours before or after lunch time, then I don’t think it would be a big deal.”

Chevy was about to say something when Mei and her assistant approached them.

“They’re putting you to work already?” she asked Rosie, who was still pushing the cart for Chevy.

“No. I volunteered.” Rosie smiled. “Mei, this is Chevy Farrell. He’s the horticulturist and head gardener at SSLR.”

Mei and Chevy shook hands.

“Would you like a tour?” Chevy asked.

“No, thanks, but someday when I return to town, maybe.” Mei looked around. “This is a big greenhouse.”

Chevy nodded. “It’s almost as big as the main building. The residents enjoy it, but at this moment, they’re busy at the community center.”

“Do you have bonsai here?” Mei asked.

“Are you a collector?” Chevy asked.

“My son bought me a bonsai for Christmas.” She turned to Rosie. “I think it was from Christmastown?”

“A dwarf pine?” Rosie asked.

Mei nodded. “Evan doesn’t know much about bonsai, but I was very moved by his gift.”

“That came from Chevy.” Rosie pointed to him. “He and his wife are bonsai experts.”

“I do the lectures, but my wife does a lot of the work at our nursery. In fact, she’s there now holding down the fort while I’m here feeding the fish.” Chevy sounded happy that he’d met yet another customer.

“I would love to meet your wife and get some pointers from her.” Mei stepped closer to Chevy. “Do you have a business card?”

“Not with me today, but you can go to my website.” Chevy gave Mei a web address.

Mei’s assistant wrote it down on her phone.

As Rosie watched, she thought that it must be nice to have a personal assistant. Then again, Rosie preferred to do things herself.

“I’d like to buy more bonsai trees,” Mei said. “I want to give them to my friends. Maybe as prizes for winning in mahjong.”

“Speaking of which, how did it go?” Rosie asked.

“I won, of course.” Mei beamed. “But your mom is a fast learner.”

“I’m what?” Mom’s voice came up the path.

“Fast learner,” Mei repeated.

Rosie wondered if Mom wore her hearing aid today. She’d forgotten to ask.

“Come to Seattle and play mahjong with me, Sonya.” Mei talked like she was new fast friends with Mom. “We can talk about motherhood and raising kids.”

“Sorry I don’t travel anymore, but we can still talk over the phone.” Mom didn’t sound sad or anything.

“Don’t tell me you’re just waiting to die.” Mei frowned. “I just found you, my new friend. You have to live!”

“Of course, I’ll live.” Mom laughed. “Next time, I’m not letting you win.”

“That’s the spirit.” Mei gave Mom a hearty hug.

Rosie wondered if the path to Mei’s heart was through Mom. While Rosie had taken after her introvert Dad, Mom had always been the extrovert of the family and the life of the party. It had been why Rosie had encouraged Mom to volunteer at the tree farm and participate in activities at SSLR.

Mom had made a new friend today.

Rosie wondered what Evan would say about that. Speaking of Evan, Rosie hadn’t told him yet about his mother’s surprise visit to Savannah. If he’d known about it, he would’ve texted Rosie to warn her, right?

“What lovely flowers.” Mei leaned over to check out the vibrant purple hues of a hydrangea brush. “Let’s get a family photo.”

Family?

Mei and Mom flanked Rosie in the middle, each holding her arm. Chevy took the photo for them.

“How long are you staying in town?” Mom asked Mei.

“I’m flying home this evening.”

“So soon?”

“Yeah, I have mahjong tomorrow afternoon.” Mei paused. “Say, why don’t both of you come with me? Stay a few days. I have two guest rooms.”

Mom turned to Rosie. “You do have tomorrow off.”

“I teach Sunday school, so I can’t be gone on Sunday,” Rosie said to Mei.

“She teaches third grade,” Mom added.

“Oh? Do you like kids?” Mei asked.

Rosie nodded. “But I’m not entirely sure. I’m an only child. Without younger siblings, I don’t know what it’s like to have little kids around me. I teach third-grade Sunday school, yes, but only once a week.”

“I hear you.” Mei sounded pensive. “You never know what kind of mother you’d be until you become a mother.”

“That’s right,” Mom agreed. “It’s by experience, and even now, I’m learning.”

The two mothers chatted a bit, and then Mom’s eyes brightened.

“If we get back by Saturday, maybe we could go,” Mom suddenly said.

Rosie was a bit surprised because Mom hadn’t wanted to go anywhere of late. However, Mei seemed to have injected some vigor into her. Perhaps God had used mahjong in a special way to bring Mom out of her cocoon.

Truly, Rosie wanted Mom to enjoy life and not wait for cancer to return.

Her second thought went to their bank account. How much were two last-minute round-trip tickets to Seattle?

Mei must’ve noticed her hesitation.

“It’s my plane so you don’t have to pay for the flight out to Seattle,” Mei said.

“Oh wow.” Mom was impressed.

“You didn’t know that, did you?” Mei asked Rosie.

“Not at all.” Rosie wondered what else Evan hadn’t told her.

“I’ll pay for your flight back on Saturday since you’ll have to fly commercial and this is my invitation.” Mei made it sound like she desperately wanted their company.

“No need. If you’re flying us out there tonight, then we only need to pay for one-way tickets. Let me look and see.”

Half price sounded good to Rosie. If they flew home to Savannah on Saturday, it would be akin to two one-way tickets for the price of one round-trip ticket.

On her phone right away, she searched for flight deals, and found a morning flight from Seattle for a couple of hundred dollars per ticket.

They would arrive in Savannah in the evening.

There would be time to rest before church the next morning.

Mom was elated to hear it. “What timing. Just so happens that Rosie has two days off plus the weekend.”

“Isn’t this what you Christians call divine appointment?” Mei asked.

“Indeed.”

Rosie felt a little bit nervous at the thought that she might see Evan again so soon.

“I need you to do one thing for me.” Mei lifted an index finger in front of Rosie.

Rosie waited.

“Don’t tell Evan you’re coming home with me. I want you to surprise him at work tomorrow morning.” Mei’s eyes looked mischievous. One corner of her lips turned up.

Rosie didn’t recall Evan being tricky like this.

One of the reasons she liked Evan was that he was straightforward and no-nonsense with her.

He didn’t play pranks on her or use double-speak.

He also didn’t purposefully use verbal ironies on her by saying something that was the opposite of what he really meant.

Rosie could always expect honesty and respect from him.

But now his own mother had asked Rosie not to tell Evan that she was going to see him on Friday.

“He goes to work at eight in the morning.” Mei calculated with her fingers. “If you pop into the office shortly after that, he would be so stunned and shocked.”

Rosie didn’t know what to say.

“Sometimes you need surprises in a marriage,” Mei added.

“We’re not married yet.”

“You’re engaged. From what I heard through the grapevine, Evan would marry you today if he could.”

“Oh?” Mom and Rosie both said together.

Rosie didn’t want to get into the prerequisites to be married at Riverside Chapel, such as weeks and weeks of premarital counseling.

For now, she had to deal with today’s event.

“Just turn off your phone until tomorrow morning,” Mei said to Rosie. “Then you don’t have to lie to Evan. Is that what you’re concerned about?”

“Well, he’d be worried about me if he couldn’t get ahold of me.” It was the truth. Rosie didn’t want Evan to worry at all. He had a lot of pressure at work as it was.

“I will talk to Connor while you and your mom pack. He will make sure Evan doesn’t freak out if he can’t talk to you tonight. That should be enough. You’ll see him in the morning at work.”

“How about I see him tonight?” Rosie suggested. “Then neither one of us has to prolong this.”

“Fine. We won’t leave for another couple of hours, so by the time we get to Seattle and drive to his house, it will be after work hours.”

Rosie remembered Evan saying that he had to work late tonight. Maybe she could surprise him at work after all, just this evening instead of the next morning.

Her heart skipped a beat thinking about the surprise early reunion.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for wonderful surprises.