Page 48 of Her Hidden Smile

Chapter Eleven

June, Jasper Creek

Ever since he said he had to talk to Harvey, he hadn’t called me. I didn’t understand what I had done wrong. I thought about calling him, but I wasn’t brave enough. The only good thing going on was that Lisa and Little Grandma knew I was sad, so they stepped up their visits. I had to admit that it was hard to be sad when I was around little Bella Clark.

I meandered out to my lavender field and basked in the soft summer sunlight. Then I took deep breaths of the heavenly smells as I checked the new growth. The scent calmed me.

“You’re doing well,” I smiled as I knelt down and caressed my babies.

I broke off a sprig and rubbed it between my palms, praying that the scent would last throughout the day. I looked up and saw two clouds drift toward one another. One of them looked like it was reaching out to the other. I continued to watch until I saw it envelop the smaller cloud.

I wiped away a tear.

Getting up, I wandered over to my orchard. The peach trees were heavy with fruit. It would soon be time to start the harvest, but not quite yet. Irv and I had talked, and the trick was to let them get ripe and sweet, but not too ripe. Irv was thinking of July for harvest.

I plucked a peach from the tree, took a bite, and groaned.

“So good.”

I continued to eat my prize as I walked back to my house. Maybe I could be brave. Maybe it was time to call Renzo after all.

When I got inside, I washed my hands and put on some mascara.

“Foolish girl.”

But I wanted to look nice when I called him. Even if he couldn’t see me, it would give me confidence, and maybe he’d hear it in my voice. I picked up my mobile phone from the charger and pressed his number. I wanted to cry when it immediately went to voicemail. Had he seen my name and pressed decline, or was his phone off?

I couldn’t bring myself to leave a message, so I hung up.

I called Lisa.

“Hi, Millie. You read my mind. I was thinking of you.”

I gave a half-hearted smile. “You were?”

“Yeah. I’m not going to be able to bring Bella over. She has a playdate, so it’ll be just you and me on Saturday.”

“That sounds wonderful. Maybe we can binge watch some shows with good-looking men,” I suggested. Anything to get my mind off Renzo.

“That’s not a bad idea. I need to refocus my brain,” Lisa admitted.

“Is this about Roan?” I asked.

Lisa huffed out a breath. “Maybe.”

“Care to talk about it?”

“Just have cookie dough ready when I come over.”

“You’ve got it.”

She said goodbye, and just with that brief phone call I felt better. It was nice having women friends who were going through some of the same things as me. With that thought in mind, I was able to head over to my desk and get started on work.

Three hours later I pushed back from my desk and pulled my hair back from my neck. I was back where I started the day, in an unsettled and almost cranky mood. The usual donors were not returning my calls, just like Renzo.

I needed to get a new perspective on things. I powered off my computer and shut off the power strip that my monitor and computer were connected to, then snagged my cell phone. I got up, stretched, grabbed my tote bag, and headed to the mudroom. I put on my thick boots, then went outside.

I aimed straight for the peach trees. Even now, the smell of peaches about knocked me over. I took deep breaths with every step I took. I never could decide, was it the smell of peach blossoms I liked the best, or was it the smell of peaches? Today I decided it was peaches. Definitely peaches.