Finding Promise (The Promise Series, A Small Town Romance) (12 page)

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Caroline sat on her newly installed lawn, planting the last
bit of ground cover, creeping juniper, around the bayberry and sea-buckthorn in
the newly laid beds. She had spent the first few days cleaning out the garden.
When she realised just how much work it was, she contacted Shelly who gave her
the name of a reliable garden fanatic. It was the right decision, she
reflected.

The gardener, Tom was an ex-navy officer who had retired to
Promise when his wife passed away and children moved on. He had wanted to be
close to the sea. He didn’t need the work but loved gardening, thinking it was
because he saw so little of it in his lifetime. He took fondly to Caroline
because she reminded him of his daughter, Abby and so decided to help her out.
He couldn’t take money from her and all he asked in return for the help was for
her to think of him on the odd occasion if she happened to have any baked good
on hand. Caroline made good on her promise and he went home with a good meal or
some baked goods every time he’d been to her house. It wasn’t right, though,
for a lovely woman like her to live on her own; widowed at such a young age.
Tom considered himself an old man and happy to be alone. He had the fortune of
having his Betty by his side for forty years and he wished the same love would
find Caroline. 

Caroline learnt a lot from Tom. He was strangely paternal
towards her, even though she’d spent so little time with him. She imagined that
the time she spent with him was what time spent with a grandfather would be
like. He was patient and kind and fussed after her, always asking if she was
okay. Caroline was hungry for such nurturing and lapped it up with pleasure. In
return, she spent time with a lonely, old man, showing him thought and care as
best as she could.

Luke watched Caroline with Tom, appreciating the way she
interacted with the older man. She had a kind heart, one that was naturally
inclined to please others. Seeing her settle down with Tom in the garden, a tea
picnic set out in front of them, he decided to join them.

“Hi, I hope I’m not intruding?” He enquired out of
politeness.

“Of course not, please join us.” Caroline indicated that
Luke must sit. “I’ll just go grab an extra cup and saucer from the kitchen.”

“No need, I anticipated your reaction and brought my own.”
He held up a mug sheepishly.

“Let me just get you a plate then.” And before he could stop
her, Caroline was walking towards the house.

Tom eyed Luke in a way that made him squirm. “That’s a nice
young lady there, boy. Anyone with a bit of sense can see that she’s had a
rough time of it. Now, I know that it’s none of my business.” He stopped Luke
from defending himself. “But I’ve taken to wanting to keep an eye on her.
There’s nothing wrong with a man going after what he wants, as long as he does
it with integrity. Do you understand me, boy?”

“Yes sir!” Luke exclaimed. Jeez, no wonder the man had been
in the navy, the response was automatic.

“Good.” Tom patted Luke’s knee like an adult would a young
child’s. “She needs a good, solid man she can depend on, one that sees the
inside as well as the lovely outside. If you’re that man then I have no
objection to you. Now you see that you don’t hurt her and we’ll be just fine.”

Luke was saved from responding by the arrival of Caroline with
the plate. Tom began telling them tales of his seafaring days as though the
conversation hadn’t occurred at all. Luke was sure that he embellished the
tales a bit here and there but felt that the man was entitled, besides, he made
Caroline laugh and that made it okay.

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Tom and Caroline had tilled the soil, adding compost and
nutritives to it. Together with Shelly, they’d designed her garden, keeping
most of its current shape but changing a lot of its contents to indigenous
flowers and shrubs. She looked forward to when the beach plum tree bore fruit,
thinking of the different things she could make with them. They agreed to keep
the trees though, alien species or not, none of them had the heart to chop down
something that had seen so much in its lifetime. Besides, she consoled herself
with the knowledge she’d gained from Shelly that Japanese white pine trees,
though not native to the area, were non-invasive and part of the recommended
list of non-native flora provided by the Coastal Zone Management. To compensate
she’d also planted black cherry trees, a beautiful little red maple tree that
would grow to astronomical heights and an evergreen tree called white spruce.
Tom and she had placed these indigenous trees strategically so that they would
thrive and shelter her garden from winds rising above the cliff, whilst not
impeding her view.

Looking around her, Caroline was pleased with what she saw.
Her garden held the possibilities offered by a newly planted garden. Sure,
there were gaps where the seedlings still had to fill as they grew but all in
all, it as a huge improvement from what it was. The gazebo was newly painted in
the same white as the outside of the house, its roof matching the green of the
house’s roof too. She’d done that herself even though Luke had offered to help
her. It was satisfying to know that she’d accomplish that on her own, never
before having held a paint brush. It stood there now, majestic, its white
wrought iron pillars gleaming and its green roof perfectly matching the deep
green of the lawn around it. At Tom’s recommendation, she’d planted shrubs
behind it too, nannyberries with their clumps of pretty white flowers and more
red chokeberries. Her garden wouldn’t just be for her enjoyment, she looked
forward to when the birds and butterflies started discovering the treasures
therein for them to feast upon.

It seemed strangely philosophical how everything in her life
at the moment, seemed to be about planting and then waiting, nurturing while
something grew - about promises and possibilities.

She was meeting Tom tomorrow at the garden centre so that
they could start planning the vegetable and herb garden at the back. David and
Paul, two of Luke’s crew, had finished building the barbeque area in the back
yard, so she could get started there without getting in the way. Making a
mental list of the types of herbs and vegetables she’d like to ask about, she
hoped that she could plant the herbs she often used to cook with. She was all
for being green but some things, in her opinion, were wonderful additions to
cooking. She’d love a herb garden filled with lavender for things like lavender
short bread and infused into passion fruit cordial. Rosemary and mint – the
quintessential pick-me-up’s for any lamb dish. Oh, she could go on and on.
She’d read somewhere, in one of her internet searches, that certain blueberry
trees grew well here, envisioning blueberry muffins, tarts and ice cream. And
she definitely wanted more beach plum trees in the back.

The squeak of the front gate, she hadn’t gotten around to
oiling it yet as Tom had advised, interrupted her thoughts. On the new stepping
stones, on the pathway, stood Luke. He’d left with the crew an hour ago and she
hadn’t expected him back. He looked like he’d showered and changed. Seeing him
look around for her, she called out to him, waving her arm in the air. “I’m
over here.”

He was a fine sight to see in her garden. “Is everything
okay? Did you forget something?”

“Everything’s fine. I just thought I’d come and see you. See
if there was anything you’d like to talk to me about with regards to the
house?” He didn’t want to smell like the sweat of construction, with dirt
streaked across his face when he asked her out. So, he had driven home like a
madman, breaking a few traffic laws along the short route to his house. He’d
showered, shaved and changed his clothes, planning to return to Caroline as
soon as he could. Frustration and need driving him, he knew that he had to make
a move soon. He wanted to see her while she was still working in the garden.
She seemed happiest in the garden, pottering about, almost as relaxed as she
was in the kitchen. He didn’t think he’d find her in the kitchen tonight,
though, with the huge amount of food the locals had brought over this morning.

Puzzled, she answered, “No, I’m happy with how things are
progressing but I appreciate you taking the time to ask me. I’ve just finished
up and was going to sit out here on the grass and have some lemonade. Would you
like some? Made it myself,” she joked.

“Don’t joke. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that you
make home-made lemonade. I swear your cooking skills are a real find, Caro, so
I’ll happily share a glass with you. Thanks.”

“Great.” Taking her gloves off, she took the hand he offered
to help her up. “Let me just freshen up and I’ll bring it out here.”

In the bathroom she splashed water on her face and sprayed
on some deodorant. She was human, after all and she smelled of the manure that
was enriching the soil she’d been digging in. Feeling refreshed, she got the
lemonade and made her way to him.

He was walking around the garden, staring at her handiwork.
Gosh but he had long legs. A short person such as herself always appreciated
the tall. “I didn’t get a chance to see what you did today. We were so busy
inside. This looks great.” Luke pointed to the newly laid beds, filled with
seedlings.

She sat down and gave him a glass of lemonade. “Thanks. I’m
happy with the result but I couldn’t have done it without Tom.”

Luke took a sip of the lemonade. “This is great. Just like
my momma never made it but if you tell her I said so, I’d have to kill you.” He
watched her laugh at his lame joke, feeling like he was gaining some ground.
“Tom’s a great guy. A bit reserved, but I think that’s the navy in him still.”

Knowing what he meant, she laughed again. Geez, grow up
Caroline, you’re giggling like a school girl. “That he is. When I first met
him, I was so intimidated that every time he said something I wanted to
respond, “Aye, aye, sir”. Now, I know that he is a real softie inside.”

“How did things go with Howard? I never got a chance to ask
you. We’re all so busy here during the day.” Caroline had like Howard. He was a
polite, gentlemanly sort of man.

“It went well for us. We sorted it out quickly but Howard,
unfortunately, has some water damage. Some of the crew came after their shift
and volunteered to help him sort it out. We worked a couple of nights but at
least his lodge is back to a good state and he won’t lose too much money with
cancellations.”

“I think that’s really sweet of you and your crew. I
appreciate the spirit you seem to have here in Promise of helping each other
out.”

“Yes, that’s why I love it here. I went to college. I did
three years of architecture but I was miserable. I realised that it’s not
designing buildings I loved as much as building the buildings in this town. I
provide the town with a service and my men with employment. It makes things
meaningful to me. You seem to like it here.”

“I love it here. The place, the people, this house are
great. I love the open space, being able to smell the clean air and having that
wide expanse of ocean just on my doorstep.” She pointed at the view behind him.

“Where are you from? I figured New York.”

“Yes, I’m from New York.” She answered abruptly, suddenly
weary.

“What brought you here?”

She gave him the standard answer. “My husband passed away
and I wanted a fresh start. New York held a lot of unhappy memories for me and
I was finding it hard to move on.”

Sensing her discomfort, he changed the subject. He didn’t
want her to be uncomfortable around him. “I bet the people here are real
different? I’ve only been there once, when I went to visit Matt. He’s a writer
and I went to support his book launch. I can’t say that it appealed to me. All
that traffic, people bumping into each other to just walk down the street and
then,” He expertly slid next to her and indicated the view, “they don’t have
this”.

“That they don’t. It’s really beautiful here.” She’d gone
quiet, a philosophical look on her face. 

“Speaking of Promise… did you survive the onslaught of the
welcoming brigade this morning?”

Laughing at the same description that Nate had used for the women,
she told him about the morning. He laughed when she told him about the hammer.

“Your mom and her friends are delightful though. It really
made me feel part of the town when they stopped by this morning.”

“Speaking of my mom, she told me that you wanted to come see
my place? So, I was thinking…how about coming over this Saturday. I could pick
you up and we could have a picnic. It’s different to this. Cozy and surrounded
by forest but you can still hear the ocean. I’d really like to spend some time
with you too. That is, if you’d like to?”

She was so surprised by his invitation she didn’t know how
to respond.

“Would you like to? I’m sorry if I got the wrong impression
from my mom, she’s a bit of a meddler.”

“No, no. I’d like that. Thank you. I was just surprised that
you knew about that.”

“That you told asked my mom about my place?” Laughing, he
said, “Caro, everyone finds out about everything in Promise. I’m being teased
by everyone about following you around like a love-sick puppy.”

“I’m starting to see that.” She did a double-take when his
second statement sunk in, “Wait, did you say that the town thinks you’re
interested in me?”