Community Gardens (Community Garden Series Book 1) (8 page)

“
How
was it?” she asked as Zack jumped from his kayak.

“
We
saw an osprey Mom! Soaring over the bayou.”

“
Really,
they're so rare.”

“
Indeed
it was,” Cal's voice loomed behind them.

Zack tugged at his kayak pulling it up on the beach. “I love
this Mom. It's cool, paddling and sitting right on top of the water.”

“
I
can see you love this.”

“
Ya
gotta come next time.”

“
He's
right Joan, we'd loved to have you along,” Cal said as he
stepped beside them.

“
Well,
I...” Joan tugged at her sun visor. “Did you see
alligators?”

“
Oh
Mom, they won't bother you.”

“
No?”

“
Mom,
we only saw one, his name is Marshmallow. He was sleeping way over on
the shore.”

“
That's
true Joan,” Cal grinned. “I've kayaked these waters for
twenty years with no problems. Gators don't like people and we leave
them be.”

“
Hmm,
I suppose I could try sometime, but only in the open waters.”

“
Yeah,”
Zack spun around in a dance.

Cal collected Zack's paddle and PFD. “With that said, how would
the two of you like some ice cream? I know a place that's perfect for
unwinding and we can tell you all about our trip.”

Joan looked at Zack flush with sweat and joy.

“
Can
they add caramel syrup and nuts too?”

“
Anything
you desire.”

“
In
that case, it's a go.”

* * *

The ice cream outing was the perfect end to a busy afternoon. Zack
ordered a double chocolate waffle cone. Good energy replacement, Cal
had said, since kayaking takes a lot of endurance. Joan had ordered
vanilla with caramel topping and Cal ordered banana crunch. While
licking the drips from his cone, Zack talked about using his knees to
steady his kayak. Cal talked about the animals and plants he'd seen
in the bayou. They told stories until the last bit of ice cream was
gone.

On the way home, Zack dozed off in the car. Leaving him undisturbed,
Joan lugged the beach gear from the trunk to the porch. At the top
step, her legs froze and a chill crept up her spine. She ripped her
gaze away from the porch and yelled, “Zack!”

He stirred from the car.

“
Get
the shovel.”

Zack ran toward the shovel at the bottom of the steps, grabbed it
then handed it to her.

“
Be
careful.”

“
What
is it?”

“
That,”
she pointed at a large clump of grey fur with a skinny, hairless
tail. Then, with a huge thrust, she whacked it with the shovel. It
bounced and landed two feet away. Zack scurried to look at it then
picked it up by the tail.

“
Oh
my God, don't touch it,” she whimpered at the sight of a dead
rat swinging from Zack's fingers. She swung her head back and forth,
searching frantically. “Where is Willie?”

Zack bounced the rubber blob like a ball on a string. “Mom it's
fake.”

“
No
way,” she leaned forward and examined the fake rat she had just
clobbered. Color crept back into her cheeks as she recognized the
sight and smell of plastic.

“
Want
me to bury it for you Mom?” Zack looked directly into her eyes
and grinned.

The school hallway was
empty exposing shiny clean floors and tidy rows of metal lockers.
Classroom activity hummed behind closed doors. Joan had arranged a
meeting with Principal Stone to discuss Zack. This time though, the
discussion would be upbeat and pleasant, unlike the last time they
had met. At the office, Della smiled and waved like an old friend.

“Thanks
for seeing me on short notice.”

“Glad
to, you sounded so enthusiastic on the phone. How can I help?”
Della tidied the papers spread over her desk calendar.

“Zack
of course. He's taken an interest in biology. In fact, he fell in
love with the junior marine biologist group after a kayak trip. You
should hear him talk. Now he's studying marine animals, not Xbox.”

“Wonderful.
I'm familiar with the group too. You probably saw my daughter,
Stephanie. She loves the group. They keep her so busy and she's
motivated to keep up with them. Isn't it great when they discover
what they love to do?”

“It
is. But...” Joan smoothed her hands over her jeans.

“A
problem?”

“Nothing
like that. Here's what I wanted to tell you. Zack wants to leave the
baseball team. He's already stepped down as assistant coach.”

“I
see. And Cal's take on this?”

“They
decided Benny would be assistant coach.”

“Benny?
That's unique.” Della eased back in her chair. “I
wouldn't have thought of him. He can be a bit of a spoiler sometimes.
Cal agreed with this?”

“Yes,
he seemed warm to the idea.”

“Well
I suppose it's for the best. Anyway, it's only till year-end. You
knew Cal was leaving at the end of the school year?”

A
thin smile swept over Joan's face. Finally, someone confirmed what
she suspected. Cal was quitting. Her concerns were valid. When she
realized Zack could still see Cal regularly, since he choose marine
biology over baseball, the room seemed to get brighter.

“I'd
heard something about an Eco-tourism company.”

“Sort
of. It's a great opportunity. Especially since he's landed a research
contract with the Marine Biology Lab. Those group tours help him
gather information for the lab. He's getting paid to be outdoors and
do what he loves.” Della sighed. “We're going to miss
him.”

“I
understand that.”

“Well,
I appreciate the heads up. Was there anything else to discuss?”

“That
was all.”

“Good,
may I walk out with you? It's so sunny today.”

As
they walked outside, Della talked about the junior marine biologists
achievements. But her pace and voice were more reserved than usual.
She wondered if Della had found a replacement for Cal, but decided
not to ask when Della squinted her eyes against the sun. It didn't
matter who the coach would be. All those baseball concerns were gone
now that Zack had found something he loved. He could move on to a new
hobby and something more fitting.

When
she got back to the shop, Roz greeted her with a to-do list hidden
beneath yellow sticky notes.

“I
am glad you are back.” Roz set her bifocals down, picked up the
list and waved it front of her. “By the way, Blaine's called
twice and is dying to hear about your kayak adventure. Says he'll
bribe you with scones if you call him.”

“
My
adventure? You mean Zack's adventure. Anyway, how do you think he
knew I was there?”

“That's
Blaine. If it happened in Sand Hill Cove he knows. Speaking of that,
how was the beach, oh quiet one?”

“Absolutely
marvelous. Sun, sand, warmth and Zack loved the group. Cal even
brought him ice cream afterwords.”

Roz
rummaged through a basket of herbs packets. “Kayak? Ice cream?
This sounds serious.”

“Sounds
like fun to me,” Joan dipped into the herb basket and grabbed
some packets to organize. “Besides, that's not the most of it.”

“Oh
do tell.”

“Well,
you recall our buddy Sara, the one who dumped us and made us look
like fools?” Roz shuffled her packets while Joan carefully
loaded hers into the seed displays. “I finally let her have
it.”

Roz
stopped shuffling. “You grew some balls!”

“I
call it spine.”

“OK,
as you say. But how did she take it?”

“She
disappeared after I told her to get her act together. She kept trying
to blame me for all the confusion. She even blamed Peterman! I didn't
give her an inch. I think she's hiding her relationship with Cal.”

“Wait,
weren't you with Cal yesterday?”

“Zack
was with Cal. Besides, I was there for Zack and taking a much
deserved break at the same time.”

“So
be it. Wish I'd been there though. You know how I love ice cream,”
Roz grinned then glanced at her to-do list again.

“Oh,
I almost forgot. Do you remember Ivy, the garden club president?”

Joan
nodded as she reached for the coffee beans. “She sent us
referrals, right? And aren't these referrals the same people
interested in renting our box gardens, if we ever get that
accomplished?”

“Correct.
And now she wants to discuss community fundraising with you.”

The
coffee grinder whirled as Joan held down the see through lid. “I
don't know. I haven't been successful at that, at least not yet.”

“Maybe
she knows something we don't.” When the coffee started to drip,
Roz held out her empty mug. “Can you hold my cup under there. I
haven't had any this morning.”

“Fine,
impatient one.”

“I
call it attentive, you know early bird grabs the worm.”

“Whatever.
Anyway, so don't you think it's premature to talk fundraising before
we get approved?”

“Absolutely
not. Besides she's already helped us once. Could happen again. And
speaking of the meeting. We're all set. Chloe and Lindsey are looking
forward to watching Zack again. They can't wait to see the kayak trip
pictures. And, I thought we could have supper here, special delivery
pizza, before we leave.”

“Perfect,
so we're all set?”

“So
set that you can start making these calls.” Roz put on her best
'please-help-me' smile.

Joan
obliged, picked up the to-do list and headed for the nursery. Inside,
she breathed the pure air that only baby plants can emit. Trays of
young plants, some just beginning to bud, set on top of the old
wooden tables. Green sprouts blanketed the rows of tables like a
meadow of spring clover. The plants were all healthy. No die-off or
disease existed in this nursery. She took a moment to feel a sense of
accomplishment wash over her. But the clang of the entrance bells and
Roz's boisterous hello interrupted the moment. She stepped into the
nursery and focused on the work ahead.

That
evening, when they arrived at the planning committee meeting, the
conference room doors stood wide open. This time, the members greeted
Roz and Joan. They asked questions about the gardens. They mingled
like butterflies on garden phlox. Peterman even helped set-up Roz's
clunky overhead projector.

They
glided through the presentation without effort. They promptly
addressed all the questions raised by the council members. Near the
end, Peterman stated that they may finally get to enjoy the knock-out
roses hiding underneath the weeds. By the time he finished talking up
the project's benefits, everyone had agreed the gardens would be good
for the community. He asked for a motion to accept the proposal. He
got it. He asked for a second motion and got it. They all said aye
and the box gardens of Sand Hill Cove were born.

After
the meeting, Joan walked behind the library to look at the site where
the box gardens would be installed, but it was too dark to see. “How
long had the street lights been broken,” she wondered. It felt
strange that a lot next to the public library had no lights. She made
a mental note to report it and headed back to the car.

With
everything loaded, Roz closed the trunk and declared, “we are
rocking.”

“Incredible.”
Joan smacked her hand for a high-five. “Celebration time?”

“You're
on, whiskey and coke?”

“Hmm,
Bailey's and coffee?”

“How
'bout both. Think Blaine's got some?”

“Of
course, after all, he and Buzz have to get the news somehow.”

Roz
chuckled. “How much you want to bet Buzz is already
broadcasting the news?”

“For
sure. They always know everything ahead of schedule and I think we
should find out how they do it.”

Roz
clicked the remote until she heard the car lock beep. “This is
one night I'm going to remember for a long time.”

The morning fog rolled
across the park and lifted through the dense canopy of the live oak
trees. The morning was warm and moist. Even so, Joan sat outside on
an Adirondack chair munching on a huge cinnamon roll. After
yesterday, she designated this morning hers to enjoy with any treat
she wanted. Fresh baked cinnamon buns, as her mother had called them,
proved the perfect choice. Creamy cinnamon dripped between the flaky
dough as she peeled away a small layer then popped the morsel in her
mouth. Indeed, it was worth the fuss.

After
leaving the library last night, they had walked to Holden's. Patrons
had jammed into the store. Near the sofas, a group played backgammon
on a thick oak coffee table. Several customers hung around the
stacks, browsing through books. The pub tables were full of customers
sipping lattes and reading computers. Jazz music, smooth and quiet,
hummed in the background.

As
soon as they entered the store, Blaine introduced them to the crowd.
“It's the community gardeners of Sand Hill Cove,” he
bellowed before they even had time to tell him about the meeting.
This time she did not ask him how he had found out they'd been
approved. He would never divulge his sources anyway, at least not
without considerable chiding. She suspected he knew someone on the
planning board well enough that they had reported their plans to him
before the meeting even took place.

Tonight,
she just wanted to enjoy the huge sense of satisfaction and pride
welling up inside her. So she recounted every minor detail of the
meeting, including who didn't like the idea and how they'd won them
over. Roz filled in with graphic tidbits about how easy it had been
to get them to agree. They talked until it was time to close.