The Orchard at the Edge of Town Read online

  “It’s possible,” she conceded.

  “I guess you had a reason for that?”

  “I guess I did.”

  “I don’t suppose you’d like to explain it over ice cream? I told the girls we’d stop for some on the way home.”

  Would she?

  Probably not, but ice cream sounded better than going back to Rose’s place.

  “Sure,” she finally responded, and Simon offered a smile that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It almost did away with the hollow, empty feeling in her stomach.

  “Great! Do you know the place on Main Street? Sweet Treats?” he asked.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “It’s a half mile north of Riley Park. We can grab some cones and go for a walk. That should help you avoid another incident with Handsome. We wouldn’t want you to get a reputation as a crazy cat lady.”

  “I think it’s too late for that.”

  He chuckled, tucking the glasses into her purse. “Everyone has a reputation for something in Apple Valley. That may as well be yours. See you in a few.” He chucked her under her chin the way her eldest brother used to, but being around him felt nothing like being around Sky.

  She slid into King Henry, shoving Handsome back into his bed and starting the truck. It purred to life thanks to Willie and some old parts she’d claimed had been lying around her father’s mechanic shop. Apricot had doubted the parts for the old Ford had just been lying around anywhere. She suspected Willie had ordered them with the express purpose of doing justice to the vintage car. That was fine with Apricot. King Henry had needed a tune-up and Willie had done great work. Now the old boy purred and gleamed. Even the seats were brighter.

  A few years ago, she and Lionel had driven King Henry to the Oregon coast. Lionel hadn’t been happy about it. He’d been all for trading the truck in for something prettier and fancier. When they’d returned to LA, he’d insisted on visiting dealers and tried to convince her to do a trade-in. King Henry for a beautiful 60k Jeep. She’d agreed to buy the Jeep, but she’d kept King Henry. He’d been her very first vehicle. One she’d bought with money earned on her trips with Rose.

  Lionel hadn’t been happy.

  They’d had a fight about it.

  Which she’d kind of forgotten about until just that moment.

  She pulled onto Sherman Road, listened to the GPS voice on her phone guide her out of downtown Spokane. Distant mountains butted up against a pristine summer sky. It wouldn’t be long before they were tipped with snow. She could imagine the sun rising above the mountains to the east, setting below the mountains to the west, clouds tinged purple with sunrise or sunset. No smog. No noise from LA traffic. No friends who’d eye her skeptically as she claimed that she was just fine. No clients who’d come to the nursery just to see if she was fading away from a broken heart.

  No chance of ever running into Lionel and his new wife.

  The thought of that was enough to make her want to puke.

  She didn’t. Mostly because she didn’t want to mess up all the hard work Willie had done on Henry’s interior.

  Up ahead, Simon merged onto the freeway. Apricot was pretty sure she saw two arms waving frantically from the backseat of his car as she followed.

  Sweet Treats was exactly what Simon had envisioned when Charlotte Garrison had talked about opening a storefront on Main Street. Mostly homemade baked goods, the shop also had a few flavors of homemade ice cream. Charlotte made large batches of vanilla and chocolate and added cookie pieces or bits of cake into it. The girls loved Charlotte’s ice cream almost as much as they loved her.

  He held the door open and ushered the girls into the small shop. Once a soda shop, the place had a 1950s feel, the old booths and tables from a bygone era. Every time he entered it, he thought of Megan. It was the kind of place she’d loved. A little different, a little quaint, but with great quality items. She’d loved vintage fashion and old books. She’d believed in fairy tales and magic in a way that was both naïve and charming. She’d had problems. More than Simon had realized, but she’d been sweet and tender with a romantic soul that had made Simon want to do everything in his power to protect her.

  “Afternoon, Simon! Girls!” Charlotte smiled from behind the old-fashioned soda fountain. A transplant from Billings, Montana, she’d been through a lot, but she’d found a place for herself in Apple Valley. As far as he could tell, the town accepted her, loved her, wanted the best for her. It also wanted her baked goods. Most days, Sweet Treats sold out before its five o’clock closing time.

  “Sit yourselves down,” Charlotte called. “I’ll bring pop and coffee.”

  “Water for the girls, Charlotte. I’ll take the same,” he said as the girls scrambled into a booth near the counter.

  The girls looked crestfallen, but they didn’t dare complain. A trip to Sweet Treats was a rare occurrence. One that he usually saved for special occasions. He’d planned to buy a half gallon of ice cream from the grocery store and give the girls cones at home. He’d changed his mind after seeing Apricot stomp her sunglasses into pieces.

  She’d been about to cry.

  No doubt about that.

  He figured that was something to do with her ex. He also figured the fancy sunglasses she’d smashed to bits might be something to do with the same. He could have left her to cry it out or stomp it out. Or both.

  He hadn’t, and he wasn’t quite ready to admit the reason for that.

  “It’s a nice day for a walk in the park.” Charlotte set water glasses on the table. “Is that what you guys are planning?” She had a pretty smile, porcelain skin, and dark hair that framed her face. Quiet and unassuming, she wasn’t the kind of woman Simon would have imagined attracting the attention of someone like Maxwell Stanford, but she’d not only attracted him, she’d managed to turn the guy into a family man.

  Or maybe Maxwell’s daughter had done that. Having kids had sure changed Simon.

  “We’re waiting for Apricot!” Evie offered, eyeing the water glass like it was filled with the vilest of poison. The girl knew how to be dramatic. Simon would give her that. “Eden says that drinking too much water can make a kid drown,” she commented.

  “I take it Eden is one of your friends from school?” Charlotte asked.

  “Yes.” Evie nodded. “She knows a lot of stuff.”

  “I don’t think she knows about drowning, though,” Rori cut in. “Because I don’t think you can drown from drinking too much.” She eyed her glass suspiciously.

  Simon had visions of water boycotts and trips to the ER. “A glass of water isn’t going to cause problems. Your sister is just trying to get a soda pop.”

  “I do want soda, but that’s not why I’m saying what I’m saying.” Evie took a sip of water. “Ms. Randall says that—”

  “How about we stop repeating what other people say and start thinking for ourselves. Okay?” He rubbed the back of his neck and tried to hold on to his patience. He loved Evie more than life itself, but the girl wore him out. While Rori sat with books and little craft kits that Daisy kept her supplied with, Evie bounced off the walls, asking questions about anything and everything that caught her attention.

  “Or,” Charlotte suggested, “you could think about what kind of treat you’re in the mood for. I’ve got coconut cupcakes today. Butterscotch bars. Pecan praline cookies.”

  “Ice cream?” Evie asked.

  “Now that you mention it, I do have ice cream. Chocolate brownie bit, strawberry cheesecake, and peach cobbler. Interested?”

  “I want—”

  “We can’t order yet,” Rori said, looking anxiously at the door. “Apricot isn’t here.”

  “Is that the lady who is staying in the old Shaffer place?” Charlotte stepped behind the counter and opened a chest freezer that stood near the wall. “Max said she’s probably not going to be in town long.”

  “Did he?” Simon wasn’t sure where Max had gotten the information. Rumors were flying about Apricot. Simon wasn
’t much for rumors, so he’d tried not to be pulled in by it. Not an easy thing, seeing as how Daisy had been talking nonstop about Apricot since she’d arrived.

  “I guess she’s got money and lots of it.” Her voice was muffled as she reached into the freezer. “Not that I’m much for what people say, but I’ve got to admit I’m curious. If she’s got that much money, why’s she hiding here and not in some fancy resort where she can get massaged and pampered?”

  “Her fiancé dumped her,” Evie responded before Simon could. “He just up and said, I don’t want to marry you. You’re just not pretty enough for me.”

  “Evie! What kind of story is that?” Simon barked.

  “The kind that Aunt Daisy said is pit-i-ful. She said that—”

  “No more!” He held up a hand. “We are done telling stories about other people. It isn’t nice.”

  “I told her that, Daddy. I told her that when she told everyone on the playground at school all about poor Apricot. It’s not Apricot’s fault that her boyfriend is a scoundrel,” Rori offered, her eyes big and wide and filled with the kind of innocent indignation that only she could manage.

  “Good God! How many kids were on the playground?” Simon groaned. He was tempted to bang his head against the wall. He was going to have to talk to Daisy, and he was going to have to do it sooner rather than later. That was a problem for him, because he hated having discussions with Daisy about the girls and what they should not do. Much as he appreciated his sister-in-law’s help, he didn’t approve of some of her child-rearing methods. Filling the girls’ heads with gossip was one of them.

  “Just everyone in our class, Daddy. Seventeen kids and Ms. Chandler,” Rori said.

  “She’s our aide,” Evie added. “She does stuff Ms. Randall doesn’t want to do. Like take us outside when it’s really hot. Ms. Randall doesn’t like hot weather on account of her hot flashes. She says that’s what happens when you’re old. You get hot flashes and wrinkles.”

  Charlotte laughed as she approached the table. “You two girls sure do know how to make a person smile.”

  “Only if that person is not their father,” Simon muttered.

  “Cheer up, Simon.” She handed the cups to the girls, snagged little plastic spoons from a box on the counter. “They’ll grow out of the talking-about-everyone phase and grow into the talking-about-boys phase.”

  “Is that what I have to look forward to?”

  “That and a lot of other things.” She handed each girl a spoon. “Probably the best thing to do is just focus on today and face the rest as it comes.”

  Good advice, but he could never quite shake the worry about the girls. Was he doing things right? Doing them wrong? Making mistakes that would impact the girls for the rest of their lives?

  Was he missing something big? Overlooking some tiny detail that meant something huge?

  Like that bottle on the windowsill?

  Like Megan’s deep sleep and the slurred speech that he’d thought were from exhaustion but had really been from drug use?

  He was a police officer, for God’s sake! He should have known that his wife was an addict, but he’d missed it because he’d loved her, because he’d trusted her and himself and the life that he’d thought they had.

  He didn’t want to make that mistake with the girls, couldn’t make that mistake.

  The door opened, a tiny bell above it ringing as Apricot walked in. Warm air floated into the shop, filling it with the scent of flowers and fresh mown grass.

  “I made it!” she announced, her skin dewy from heat, her cheeks tinged pink from it. Strands of wet hair stuck to the back of her neck and framed her face, a few droplets of sweat glistening in the hollow of her throat. “I thought LA was brutal in the summer. Apple Valley takes the cake! If it doesn’t cool off soon, I’m going to have to break down and get a car that has air-conditioning.”

  “You wouldn’t really trade Henry in for a little cool air, would you?” Simon handed her his water glass and she gulped greedily.

  “Not in a million years,” she said as she swiped moisture from her lips. Not the plumped-up lips of an LA starlet. Just full, soft-looking pink lips that were probably very, very kissable.

  Simon’s gut tightened at the thought, his gaze dropping for a fraction of a second and landing on the slim column of her throat. Kissable too.

  “I just like to threaten him every now and again.” She smiled at Charlotte. “You must be Charlotte. Just about everyone I’ve met has told me I need to come to Sweet Treats. I’m glad I’ve finally listened. It smells wonderful in here.”

  “Does it?” Charlotte inhaled deeply. “I think my nose is immune after so many years of baking. Can I get you another glass of water?”

  Apricot didn’t think water was going to cool the heat that seemed to pour through her blood every time she looked in Simon’s eyes.

  She shook her head. “No. Thanks. I think we were going to get ice cream. Is that right, girls?” Apricot asked, doing everything she could to avoid Simon’s gaze. He was studying her with the kind of steady assessing look that made her feel . . .

  Uncomfortable?

  No.

  More like . . . anxious. Antsy. Just a little unsettled.

  “So, what’ll it be?” Charlotte asked, and Apricot realized she’d been so focused on avoiding Simon’s gaze that she’d missed every word the pretty brunette had said.

  “Um . . .” She glanced around the cute little shop. No list of ice-cream flavors. No menu. “What are you girls having?” she finally asked.

  Evie spoke up first. “I want the chocolate brownie ice cream. Three scoops.”

  “One,” Simon corrected, his voice gentle.

  So, of course, Apricot had to look. She couldn’t miss the softness in his eyes, the worry etched into his brow. It had to be a big responsibility raising a couple of kids on his own.

  “May I please have the strawberry cheesecake ice cream?” Rori asked.

  “Of course, sweetie. And you two?” Charlotte asked, her gaze jumping from Apricot to Simon and back again. No doubt she was wondering what they were to each other. Apricot wanted to let her know in no uncertain terms that they were nothing, but that might seem like protesting too much.

  “I’ll take the same as Evie,” she said instead.

  “That sounds good. I’ll have the same.” Simon smiled into Apricot’s eyes, and her mouth went dry, her pulse racing just a little faster than it needed to be.

  He was a handsome guy. A mature guy. A guy with kids and responsibilities. What he wasn’t was a rebound relationship waiting to happen.

  “One scoop for everyone?” Charlotte asked as she walked behind an old-fashioned counter. The shop had a 1950s vibe, a glass display case offering a view of a couple dozen different baked goods. Pretty white shelves lined one wall, each displaying old-fashioned jars filled with penny candies. One shelf had been painted azure blue, the crystal vase that sat on it containing a pure white feather.

  Not a goose feather. Apricot had seen plenty of those in her life. Not a chicken feather. She moved closer, ran a finger along its soft edge.

  “Interesting, right?” Simon murmured in her ear, his breath ruffling her cropped hair. “They say that it came from an angel.”

  “Really?” She tried to laugh, but he was so close she could feel the heat of his chest against her back. It seeped through her tank top, made her insides melt like butter on a hot skillet. That was no laughing matter.

  “They also say that whoever has it will be blessed with love and happiness.”

  She did laugh then, because that was the kind of thing Grandma Sapphire would have said. Portents. Signs. Good-luck charms. Those were her specialty.

  “You sound like my grandmother,” she said as she sidled away from Simon and his all-too-tempting heat.

  “Do I?” His eyes crinkled at the corners, his smile easy and inviting. She had no choice but to return it. To touch the feather again and imagine that she could feel just a little of
the happiness and love rubbing off on her.

  “Sapphire sees signs in the clouds and in the creeks that run through Happy Dale.”

  “That’s where you grew up?”

  “Yes. My father bought a hundred acres in the Pennsylvania hills and started a commune there about forty years ago.” It wasn’t something that she told many people, but the information just kind of slipped out as she looked into Simon’s forest-green eyes.

  “Must have been an interesting place to grow up.”

  “That’s one way to describe it.”

  “You didn’t like it there?”

  “I didn’t not like it. I just . . .” She shrugged. She’d never even told Lionel why she’d left Happy Dale. Not that he’d ever asked. He’d assumed that she’d been too sophisticated for her family, too smart to stay in a village of free-thinking hippies. In reality, she’d just gotten tired of being a square peg shoved into a circular hole. No matter how much she’d tried to understand her family’s chaotic and over-the-top lifestyle, she hadn’t. She’d grown up feeling dull in comparison to the brightness of her parents, her aunts, her grandmother, her siblings.

  “Needed to figure out who you were when you weren’t part of what you had there?” Simon suggested.

  “Something like that,” she admitted.

  He studied her for a moment, his head cocked to the side. “Did you?”

  “What?”

  “Figure out who you were when you weren’t part of your family.”

  “I’m twenty-nine, Simon. Way past finding myself.” She laughed, her throat tight and dry. Of course she knew who she was without her family. She was a businesswoman. A successful one. A friend. A . . .

  Lover? Girlfriend? Fiancée?

  Those were the words that popped into her head, and just about every one of them had to do with her relationship with Lionel.

  The problem was, Lionel wasn’t part of the equation anymore. Without him, she’d reduced who she was by three-fifths.

  “Twenty-nine.” Simon nodded as if that answered the question better than anything else she’d said. “It seems to me, you have a lot of years left to do your figuring out. Maybe being in Apple Valley will help you with that.” He touched the feather, running his finger along the outer edge just like she had.