Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
" A nd who is this?" Kate said, as she pointed to what was obviously a person in Lilly's drawing. Kate had decided to do art therapy, trying to draw Lilly out a little, figure out what was going on in that head of hers.
Lilly looked up at her with sad eyes. Because it looked like there were earrings in the person's ears, Kate guessed that it was a woman.
"Your mother?"
Lilly's eyes widened in surprise, and then she nodded.
"She was very beautiful—that's what gave it away," Kate said, looking again at the picture that Lilly had drawn.
"Would you like to write a sentence about your mother at the bottom?" Kate asked gently, hoping that she could stir a little bit of something else in Lilly, but Lilly shook her head.
"That's fine. You don't have to. The picture is beautiful the way it is. Your mommy was a very special person."
Lilly nodded slowly and looked down at the picture, her mouth twisting a bit, but she still didn't say anything.
Slow, baby steps, Kate reminded herself.
"I think that's enough for today. You did an excellent job, and I'd love to be able to hang this picture up somewhere, unless you would like to hang it on your refrigerator?" Kate asked.
Lilly nodded eagerly.
She reached for the picture. Apparently Lilly wanted to hang it on her own refrigerator.
Kate hid her smile.
"Let's ask your dad and see what he says."
They pushed back away from the makeshift table that they had set up at the side of the candy cane shop, and Lilly grabbed the paper, running over to her dad and waving it.
Jack, looking rather handsome in his white apron and rolled-up sleeves, glanced down at his daughter, saw her animated and excited expression, and his own face brightened in a huge smile as he looked up and his eyes found Kate's, questions in them.
Kate shook her head and then said, "Lilly drew a picture of her mother, and we were hoping it would be okay for her to go up and hang it on your refrigerator?"
"Of course. I should have thought of that before.
We have lots of pictures of Mommy on the refrigerator, but none that you drew yourself.
You go right ahead and put it wherever you want to.
" Jack looked with so much love at his daughter that it tugged at Kate's heart.
She didn't want the two of them to continue to suffer, and she prayed fervently that she would be able to do something that would break through the wall of silence that Lilly had built around herself.
Once they had talked a bit more and Jack had sent her up to get a shower, he waited until he heard her steps climbing upstairs before Jack looked back at Kate. "That's encouraging." It was a comment that was also phrased as a question.
Kate nodded her head. "I thought so. She almost seemed ready to speak, although when I asked her if she wanted to write a sentence about her mother, she declined."
"I know it has something to do with her mother's death. I don't know if Lauren said something to her, or if she saw something that traumatized her, or if she feels guilty somehow. I wish I knew what the problem was, so that I could help her." Jack ran his hand along the counter, his fingers fisted.
Kate's heart went out to him. Obviously, his daughter was exceptionally important to him, and it warmed Kate's heart to see a parent who cared so much about their child.
"I'll see if I can get to the bottom of it.
Maybe we never will. Maybe she doesn't even know.
But the fact of the matter is, she can speak, and I think once we knock a hole in that wall, the words will start tumbling out faster than she can stop them.
I just don't know what will punch that hole, you know? "
"That's kind of what the doctor said." Jack looked frustrated. "That eventually she'd start talking, because there was nothing physically wrong with her. It's just... it's been years."
Kate nodded. She could understand the frustration. No one wanted to see their child miss essential parts of their childhood because they were unable, or unwilling, or whatever it was, to speak.
Jack looked around, as though he were trying to get his bearings. It was then that Kate realized he seemed a little frazzled.
"Is there something else wrong?" Kate asked.
Jack blew out a breath and then gave a small laugh. "Good problems, I guess. You know that the town nominated my shop to be the featured attraction at the festival opening, which I appreciate, since I just lost one of my biggest customers this year."
"Oh no."
"Yeah. They've been on the fence for a while, and I'd hesitated getting started on the things they normally order because I didn't want to have a huge stock that I couldn't sell, and they order a custom candy cane that doesn't get sold anywhere else."
"And they didn't order it this year?"
"No. They went with a larger company—it's cheaper, offshore, and I just can't compete."
"Oh, that's too bad," Kate said, wishing there was something she could do about it.
It made sense that companies wanted to go with a less expensive option.
She couldn't fault them for that. The problem was when those things were less expensive because of fewer governmental regulations and taxes and red tape.
If they were exploiting their workers, that was a different situation altogether.
She blew out a breath. "So... it's a good thing that you're being featured in the festival, but…?"
"Yeah. So now I have the time and resources to do the festival; I just feel terrible taking time away from Lilly to really do what I would like to do."
"Well, you have a helper now, remember?"
"I didn't even ask how things went at the farmhouse," Jack said, shaking his head as though frustrated at himself.
"You have a lot of things on your mind." Of course he did.
His daughter who hadn't spoken, grief over losing his wife, and huge financial responsibilities.
Plus, he wasn't even doing what he wanted to do.
"Everything was fine. It might have been a little bit dusty, and you could tell that there hadn't been anyone in there for a while, but no animals had made any inroads, and the key was right where you said it would be. "
"I'm happy about the animals and the key." He grinned. "Is it going to be suitable?"
"Yes. Absolutely. It's more than I expected and has everything I could possibly need. It's even prettier in the daytime. I came out the door this morning and saw cows grazing in the pasture. I will be sad to leave it."
"Yeah. It's gorgeous there."
Jack didn't say anything else, but it was obvious that he would much rather be living at the farmhouse than in town at the candy shop.
Kate opened her mouth and then closed it again.
She wanted to ask him if he really thought it was necessary for him to make the sacrifice to keep the candy shop open, but it wasn't her place to question that.
Maybe there was some way that he could close the shop until Lilly was old enough to make a decision about whether or not she wanted to open it.
Jack could keep the recipes safe, or maybe even hire someone to run the shop while he farmed.
Again, that wasn't her business. It wasn't her area.
"I don't want to impose upon you. You probably have a lot of other things you want to be doing."
"We agreed that I was going to help you.
I can help you in the candy shop; I can help you with Lilly.
I can do both. Even once Lilly goes to bed, I can give you a hand in the shop.
I will need to go to bed at a decent hour, though, since I've committed to going to school, even though it's in an unofficial capacity. "
"Of course. But that would be amazing. If you could help with Lilly and then help in the shop after she goes to bed, I would be so grateful."
"All right then. I'm looking forward to it. Maybe you can share some of your candy-making secrets with me."
He laughed. "There really aren't any secrets. Although I was thinking about doing some historic candy recipes for the Christmas festival. They'll take a little extra time, and that was where my sticking point was."
"Well, hopefully you're unstuck. I will give you a hand, and if it comes right down to it, I could probably even come into the store before school."
"You need to sleep sometime," Jack said.
Kate smiled at the protective tone in his voice, but she could bat that ball right back at him.
"So do you." He looked a little abashed and then he nodded.
"You're right. Although this is the busy time of year, and I expect to be exhausted by the time it's over. But hopefully, it'll be profitable as well."
His tone dropped a bit, as though he didn't expect that to happen this year.
"Is there another supplier that could pick you up?" she asked, having absolutely no knowledge of that business.
"Maybe. But typically I shop around in summer, if I have to. For the last few years, I haven't needed to, because this supplier has taken everything that I was able to make."
"That's too bad."
No wonder the idea of having the big box store come in was adding stress for him. If he was already struggling, if it just took a few customers, that would be a few too many.
"Honestly, though, I have to remind myself that everything happens in God's time.
Not just the suppliers and people who buy candy canes, but whether or not my daughter ever talks again, or whether I end up making candy for the rest of my life, when that wasn't what I expected.
God is in control, and His timing is perfect.
" He lifted his shoulder and put a palm up, as though showing that there was nothing he could do.
"I agree. That's a really hard thing to accept. We want to change things; we want to rail against why we're not getting what we want and then try to manipulate things in order for us to get it, and often that backfires."
"Exactly. Though I do believe that we're supposed to work as hard as we can."
"I agree."
"But then we're to leave the rest in God's hands and not fight and kick and do things that we shouldn't in order to get our way."
"Yeah." She thought about her housing situation.
Maybe she would have gone after a house she couldn't afford, borrowed money from someone, or even taken a house that was two hours away, knowing that she shouldn't have, but as she waited, God opened up the perfect opportunity.
Of course, she hadn't had to wait exceptionally long.
Not like Lilly. She'd been mute for years.
"Yeah. It really is hard not to take matters into our own hands and try to do something that we shouldn't."
They stood there for a moment, both of them lost in their thoughts, before Kate glanced around. "Do you want me to start tonight?"
"I was wrapping up. I need to figure out exactly what my priorities are, but if you show up tomorrow, I will not turn you away."
"All right, sounds good. I will need to attend the regular meetings for the Christmas town festival."
"I know. And I'm excited for you to be in charge of that with Marjorie."
"I guess I would be working with you pretty closely anyway, since you're the featured shop."
"Yeah. It's an honor. And also a great boon for my business."
"I'm happy it happened for you."
"Same. I better get up to Lilly. Thank you again for being a little bit of brightness in my life. I had gotten some bad news with the suppliers and everything today, and you have me hopeful again."
"That makes me feel good. I'll see you tomorrow."
He lifted a hand in acknowledgment before Kate turned and gathered her things up to head back out of the shop. Her heart hummed a merry Christmas tune, and she couldn't keep the smile that turned her lips up off her face. Suddenly, the future looked very, very bright.