Under a Summer Sky, page 22
As he said this, he thought about the conversation he’d had with Laney earlier that morning. She’d chatted endlessly about the wonderful time they were having—especially Asher who loved his new cousins and was especially fond of ten-year-old Laurie, who’d immediately taken him under her wing and was teaching him everything there was to know about farming—from canning peaches to making jam—and Lyle had even let him drive the John Deere up and down the driveway.
“He’s in seventh heaven,” she’d reported happily. “He’s already eaten a whole bushel of peaches. I have a great picture of him eating one with sticky juice running down his chin. His face is lit by the setting sun and it just glows. Wait ’til you see it.”
“It sounds like you’re in seventh heaven too,” he’d said. “I think you two would probably stay there forever if you could.”
“Probably,” Laney had said, laughing.
Noah had smiled. He couldn’t remember the last time Laney had sounded so relaxed and happy.
“I’m glad we came.”
“Good,” he’d answered quietly.
“Lyle said my parents are coming down after the wedding.”
“That’s a good idea. They’re coming all the way from Maine. They may as well keep going.”
“How are you guys doing?” she’d asked, changing the subject.
“We’re fine,” he’d said, running his hand over the new countertop. “Same old, same old.”
“Are you getting any projects done?” she asked, and he could hear the worry creeping into her voice.
“We’re working on it,” he’d answered honestly, opening the new cabinet and reaching for a coffee mug.
“How are the boys? Is everyone behaving?”
“Yup,” he’d said, pouring the freshly perked coffee. “No problems.”
“Okay, good. Well, I guess I should go. Laurie’s teaching Ash how to make peach hotcakes.”
“Well, tell him I expect him to make them for us when he gets home.”
“I will,” Laney said, lingering. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
They were both quiet, picturing one another far away.
Finally, Laney had broken the lonely silence. “Okay, well, I’ll call again soon.”
“Okay.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too.”
Noah had hung the phone up and looked out the window. He’d taken a sip of his coffee and wondered if Laney ever regretted the decisions she’d made. He still remembered how much she’d loved the farm when they first met—and how torn she’d been at the time. In the end, she’d been firm in her decisions—once she’d made them—and, as far as he knew, she’d never looked back.... Or had she?
Just then, the phone started to ring again, and Noah pulled himself up, wondering who was calling so early in the day. It persisted until he finally lifted it off the hook. “Hello?”
He paused. “Yes, this is he.” He slowly shook his head, absorbing the news the caller was sharing. “Yes, of course,” he answered. “I’ll come right away.”
50
“I think I might go for a run,” Asa mused, lying in bed.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Maddie asked in surprise. “You were just saying how good your knee’s been feeling.”
“That’s why I’m going.”
“Hmm,” she said skeptically. “Don’t hurt yourself or I won’t have anyone to dance with at the wedding.”
“You have two sons and five grandsons, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of dance partners. In fact, I’ll probably end up being a wallflower—there won’t be any room for me on your dance card.”
“There’s always room for you,” she said, kissing him.
Hearing their pillow talk, Harper got up, rested her chin on the bed, and gazed at them lovingly, her whole hind end wiggling.
“Are you taking your pal with you?” Maddie asked, reaching out to rub her ears.
“That depends. Are her pads better?”
“I think so.”
Asa looked over at the happy-go-lucky Lab. “Do you want to go too?” he asked, and she immediately wiggled over to his side of the bed, thumping her tail. “Okay,” he said, getting up. “You and me. Just a short one though—a couple of miles to see how it feels.”
He turned to Maddie. “Are you checking on your new charges?”
“I am,” Maddie said, getting up and pulling her robe around her. “Right after I start the coffee.”
Ten minutes later, Asa clicked Harper’s leash to her collar and walked to the end of the driveway. “Which way should we go, ole girl?” he asked.
Harper wagged her tail, and Asa nodded. “I agree, let’s go this way. There’re less hills.” And Harper just continued to wag her tail. She looked like she was smiling as she trotted along beside him.
As Maddie measured coffee, she couldn’t help but recall the loud crash, followed by the image of Asa’s naked, trembling body against the bathroom door. She wondered if the simple act of making coffee would always trigger that memory or if, now that he was better, the image would fade. Without realizing it, she sighed—it was definitely one she wanted to block out.
She turned on the news and heard the tail end of a story that was unfolding in Massachusetts. “We’ll come back as soon as we have more information. This is Mike Johnson, reporting to you from Cape Cod.” Maddie frowned, changed the channel to see if another station was covering it, and then she turned on her laptop.
She lingered, waiting for it to warm up, but even online, the only news from the Cape was a recent shark sighting off the Coast Guard Beach, and she wondered if E and Gabe had seen it. After a few more searches, she gave up and went out to the garage to check on the goslings. The last two eggs had hatched the day before, and now all four babies were nestled together in one big, downy ball. She gently stroked the back of one of them and smiled. She went back inside and poured a cup of coffee, and by the time Asa came in, she’d forgotten all about the news. “How was your run?”
“Good,” he said, dripping with sweat. He released Harper’s leash, and she splayed out on the floor with her water bowl between her paws, panting and drinking sloppily, splashing water everywhere.
“And your knee?”
“Pretty good,” he said, filling a glass with water.
“Is pretty good less good than plain good?” she asked.
“A little less,” he said with a smile. “I had a pain in my other leg, which took my mind off my knee. Not sure what that’s all about—probably a tendon.”
“Well, you need to take it easy. You did just go through six weeks of radiation.”
“Don’t worry. I am,” he said, taking a long drink.
51
“Did you know I used to sleep in this same exact bed when I was your age?” Laney asked as she tucked Asher into bed in the little room off the kitchen.
“I know,” he said sleepily. “You already told me.”
“I did?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Sayin’ your prayers?”
Asher reverently closed his eyes and whispered his prayer: “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Thy love go with me through the night, and wake me up in the morning light. God Bless Mom and Dad and E and Gabe and Ben and Seth and Halle and Mennie and Lucky and me and Uncle Lyle and Aunt Maren and Laurie and Levi and all my loved ones. Amen.
“Night, Mom,” he added sleepily.
Laney lightly kissed his forehead. “Night, ole pie,” she whispered. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” he murmured, already half asleep.
Laney sat on the edge of the bed and listened to his soft breathing. She gently brushed his wispy hair back from his forehead and softly whispered her own prayer. “Dear Lord, thank you for giving us such a sweet little boy with such a big heart. Please guide him in everything he does, protect him from the heartaches of this world, and let his life be full of joy and peace and love.” She kissed him again, lingering to breathe in his lovely, little boy scent, and whispered, “Amen.”
As she stood up, Lyle peered into the room. “Your phone’s ringing, Lane,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said, following him out into the kitchen to answer it. She looked at the screen and smiled. It said: Home calling.
She flipped the phone open and cheerfully said hello, wondering which male voice would answer.
Lyle returned to the sink to finish washing the dessert dishes, but when he heard Laney exclaim, “Oh, no!” He looked over his shoulder, turned off the water, and watched the color draining from her face.
“Oh, that’s awful,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Do they know what happened?” She paused, listening and shaking her head, her eyes glistening. “Do you think I should tell him?” she asked finally. “Okay, maybe I’ll wait. Call me back when you know more.” She nodded. “Love you too.”
Laney closed her phone, shaking her head in disbelief, and looked up at her brother’s concerned face. “There’s a boy on Asher’s bus,” she began quietly. “He’s older and bigger. And he always gives Asher a hard time—always pushing him and calling him names. He comes from a broken family, and he and his brother are famous for being mean and getting into trouble. In fact, at the end of the school year, he was kicked off the bus because he got into an altercation with his brother—who ended up getting expelled.” She paused, biting her lip. “Anyway, none of that matters now,” she said sadly, “because this morning, his mother found him in his room with a severe head injury. She called nine-one-one right away, but he died on the way to the hospital.”
“No way,” Lyle said. “Do they know what happened?”
Laney shook her head. “Noah said they took his brother in for questioning.”
Lyle gave a low whistle. “What the hell is the matter with kids these days?”
Laney sighed. “I don’t know. There’ve always been bullies even when we were kids. Remember Everett Hanson?”
“Yeah, that kid was mean. But his dad used to whip him with a belt—the buckle end.”
Laney looked horrified. “Well, anyway, the problem with kids today just seems to be escalating. They don’t even have to be in the same room to bully. They can do it online, which is actually worse because then all the other kids can read it.”
“That’s exactly why we don’t have a computer,” Lyle said, shaking his head. “The Internet is evil.”
Laney frowned. “It’s not entirely evil. It can be educational and amazing if it’s used properly. And if Levi and Laurie want to go to college someday, they’re going to need a computer.”
“Levi’s not going to college,” Lyle said, shaking his head. “He’s already said he wants to take over the farm when he’s older. Besides, he doesn’t have the grades for college.”
“He’s only twelve, Lyle. He might change his mind. And what about Laurie?”
“If she needs a computer, she can use one at school.”
Laney sighed. “You know, Ly, you’ve been talking about how hard it is to get by. If you had a computer, you could have an online presence and people would be able to find out about the farm and where it is. It would be a lot better than that old sign down the road. You could even sell products online. There are plenty of farms that do that.”
“An online presence?” Lyle shook his head dismissively. “I’d rather struggle. The way I see it, Lane, getting a computer is just putting out a welcome mat for trouble.”
Laney laughed. “Oh, Lyle, even Mom and Dad have a computer.”
Lyle just shrugged. “I’m not interested.”
“Maybe you’re right,” she said with a sigh. “Sometimes, I wish we could all go back to simpler times.”
Lyle turned back to the sink, and Laney reached for a dish towel. As she put away a plate, she affectionately elbowed her brother. “This is just like old times, though,” she said. “You washing and me drying.”
Lyle smiled. “Those were the good, old days. I’d take one of them back in a heartbeat.”
“Me too,” Laney said wistfully.
“So are you gonna tell Ash about that kid?”
“I am, but I think I’ll wait ’til we’re on our way home. He’s having such a good time. I don’t want to spoil it. In fact, I think I’m going to have trouble getting him to go home. He’d probably love to stay here so he can help Levi run the farm someday.”
“And he’d be more than welcome. After all, he is half Pacey.” He looked up and grinned. “Or so you say. . . .”
52
E wrapped his arms around Chloe. “I didn’t know you knew the Laughlins.”
Chloe nodded. “I knew Jillian. She worked at the Chocolate Sparrow when I first started, but she was constantly calling in because she couldn’t get a sitter, and they finally fired her. She worked hard, but they couldn’t count on her to show up.” She shook her head. “This is so sad. It’s like she’s losing both sons—one is dead and the other is accused of killing him. I can’t even imagine.”
E nodded. “Well, Jeff says it was an accident. They were wrestling, and Jared fell and hit his head, but that doesn’t explain why he didn’t go get help.”
“Sometimes life doesn’t make any sense. He was only ten years old. Why does God let things like this happen?”
“I don’t know, Chlo. I think God has bigger plans that we can’t see or even begin to fathom, and we just have to trust Him. It’s like everything that happens is all part of one big story, and we don’t get to see how each life is intertwined with other lives; but God sees . . . and He promises to be with us.”
Chloe stepped back. “You definitely sound like a preacher’s son.”
E smiled. “It’s how I was raised.”
“And you believe all that?”
“I do,” he said, nodding. And then he frowned—he was almost afraid to ask her. “Don’t you?”
Chloe shook her head. “I don’t know, E. I just don’t understand why God—who is supposed to be loving and caring—let’s bad stuff happen.”
“God doesn’t let stuff happen, Chloe,” E said, frowning. “Everyone faces tragedy in life. Life isn’t easy for anyone . . . but God has given us faith and He promises to be with us.”
“It’s great that you have such strong faith, E, but I’m just not as convinced.”
E sat on the hood of his car in the beach parking lot and looked up at the long wispy clouds. He didn’t know what to say. He loved Chloe with all his heart, but if she didn’t believe in God, could they really have a future together?
“Are you going to the service?” she asked.
He nodded.
“When is it?”
“Tuesday morning. In fact, my mom and Asher are coming home a day early, although I don’t think she’s told him yet.”
“How come? Isn’t Jared the one that was giving him such a hard time?”
“He is, but Asher’s pretty sensitive, and my mom is worried about how he’ll take it. It’s funny—even though Jared bullied him, Ash still tried to make excuses for him. He always said Jeff was mean to Jared and that made Jared mean. And he’s probably right.”
“He’s a smart little kid,” Chloe said, stepping between his legs and putting her hands on thighs.
E half smiled and reached for her hands.
“What’s the matter?”
“I don’t know,” he said, searching her eyes.
“Something . . .” she pressed.
He hesitated, trying to think of the right words. “I guess I just need time to think about what you said.”
She frowned. “What did I say?”
“About your faith . . . or lack of it.”
“Oh,” she said, looking surprised. “I was just being honest.”
E looked away, his heart aching. “I know.”
She started to say something more, but just then, Gabe came up behind her. “Thanks for the pizza today, Chlo,” he said, dropping his cooler in the open trunk. “Peanut butter and jelly was getting pretty old.”
Chloe smiled. “You’re welcome.”
E slid off the hood. “I’ll call you later.”
She nodded sadly and turned to walk to her car, and Gabe frowned, looking from one to the other. “Trouble in paradise?”
E just sighed and shook his head.
53
Laney looked in the backseat and smiled. They weren’t even to the highway yet, and Asher had nodded off with his new hat falling over his eyes. She’d been right about leaving. He hadn’t been happy—especially since they were leaving a day early. And he’d been especially teary when he’d wrapped his arms around Red, and again when Laurie had hugged him, but when Levi had pulled a new John Deere hat from behind his back and put it on his head, he’d beamed! Then Levi had whispered in his ear, reminding him of the plans they’d hatched for next summer—plans to which Laney had already agreed—and that made leaving a little easier too.
Before they’d left, Lyle had nestled several crates of peaches—not quite ripe—and two cases of peach jam, which Maren had suggested using as wedding favors, in the back of the Pilot. He’d checked her oil and tire pressure and then given her a long hug. “Miss you already,” he’d said with a sad smile.
“Miss you too.”
“Be safe.”
She’d hugged each of them and pulled out, waving. “Thanks for everything!”
“Bye, Aunt Laney! Bye, Ash!” a chorus of voices had sung as Red loped along the driveway, bellowing, and Halle hung her head out the window, barking and thumping her tail.
