Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
JASPER
"Hi, Jasper, honey!"
Marie's warm hug caught me off guard. It was more than I deserved after the shit I'd pulled with Natalie. Her kindness made me want to crawl out of my skin.
"Hey, Marie. Is Nat home? I, uh, need to talk to her."
"Oh. She didn't tell you?"
My stomach plummeted and cold dread seeped into my bones. "Tell me what?"
"She went back to the city. Said something came up, but I haven't had a chance to speak with her yet."
You've got to be fucking kidding me.
"She left?" A loud rushing filled my ears. Disbelief warred with a sickening sense of déjà vu.
"Just for a few days, I'm sure."
I laughed harshly. "You sure about that? Seems to me like she's runnin' again."
"What do you mean? "
"We... had a fight." The admission felt like ripping off a scab, exposing the raw flesh beneath.
"Oh dear. Why don't you come in, Jasper. Let's talk."
Marie ushered me inside, the familiar scent of her lavender hand lotion mingling with freshly baked bread. It was comforting and suffocating all at once. I sank into the worn leather recliner, the one Ed had always claimed as his throne during football games.
"So, what happened?" Marie's voice was gentle, but I could hear the worry underneath.
I scrubbed a hand over my face, buying time. How the hell do I explain this mess?
"She... she knew about the orchard's financial problems. Has known for weeks. And she didn't tell me."
Marie's eyes widened, a flicker of something—guilt?—crossing her face.
"Oh, Jasper..."
"You knew too, didn't you?"
She nodded, her shoulders sagging. "She told me. She was trying to protect you all. She thought she could fix it."
"Yeah, well, lot of good that did. Now we're in deep shit, and she's run off again."
"She's not running, Jasper. She just needs time to?—"
"To what? Come up with more excuses?" The bitterness in my voice surprised even me. "Face it, Marie. This is what she does. When things get tough, she bails."
She sat up straighter. "That's not fair, and you know it. Natalie's been through a lot."
"And I haven't?" I realized I was shouting and took a calming breath. "Sorry. It's just that I thought we were past all this. That we were finally on the same page."
Marie patted my knee. "Love isn't always easy, dear. Sometimes it takes work."
"How can we work on anything if she never sticks around?"
We lapsed into silence, the ticking of the old grandfather clock in the hallway seeming unnaturally loud.
"Have you tried calling her?" Marie asked.
"Went straight to voicemail."
"Give her some time, Jasper. She'll come around."
But what if she doesn't?
"I should go," I muttered, pushing myself to my feet. "Got work to do."
"Hang on a second. I have something for you."
Marie stood, hurrying out of the room. When she returned a few moments later, she was holding a sealed envelope.
My name was scrawled across the front in Edward's familiar handwriting. I took it and smoothed my thumb over the letters.
"What's this?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
"It's a letter Ed left for you. He asked me to give it to you when the time was right."
My chest constricted. Why now? Why didn't he tell me himself?
"Did you read it?"
Marie shook her head. "No, honey. Whatever's in that envelope, that's between you and him. "
I broke the seal with fumbling fingers and pulled out a single sheet of paper. Edward's handwriting, once so crisp and precise, wavered across the page:
Dear Jasper,
If you're reading this, my time has come, and I'm gone.
It pains me as I write this to know that I am leaving behind my little girl and the love of my life. But I feel a sense of peace knowing they have you.
You have always been like a son to me.
But that's not why I'm writing. I have something more important to tell you. Something I should have said years ago.
Get her back, Jasper.
I know you and Natalie have a complicated history. I know she hurt you when she left. But I also know how much you two love each other. It's been written all over both your faces for years, even separated by hundreds of miles.
Don't let pride or fear keep you apart. Life's too damn short for that nonsense. Trust me, I know.
Natalie's stubborn as hell (wonder where she gets that from), but she's got a good heart. She's scared, Jasper. Scared of getting hurt again, scared of hurting you. But sometimes love means taking that risk.
I'm not saying it'll be easy. Nothing worth having ever is. But I've watched you two dance around each other for years, and it's time to stop the music and just hold each other close.
You're a good man, Jasper Everton. You deserve happiness. You both do.
So go get her, son. And take good care of each other.
Love,
Edward
I blinked hard, trying to clear the sudden blurriness from my eyes. Dammit, Edward. Even from the grave, you're meddling.
As I folded the letter, something fluttered to the floor. Another envelope, smaller this time, with Natalie's name written on it.
"There's one for Nat too," I said, showing it to Marie.
She looked at the envelope, a sad smile playing on her lips. "My Edward always did like to have the last word."
I tucked both letters into my jacket pocket. "I need to think. "
Marie stretched up and pecked me on the cheek. "Take your time, honey. But don't take too long. Some things are worth fighting for."
The cool evening air hit my face as I stepped out onto the porch, clearing some of the fog from my head.
Get her back . But how? After everything that'd happened, was it even possible?
I pulled out my phone and navigated to Natalie's name. What would I even say? Hey, your dead dad told me to chase after you. Wanna grab coffee?
When I got home, I headed straight to the barn. I wanted to make sure I had a clear understanding of this financial shitstorm before I attempted to break it to Dad. I yanked the door open with more force than necessary and stormed inside, breathing like an angry bull. Chase emerged from the shadows, eyebrows raised.
"Woah, who pissed in your Cheerios?"
I shot him a withering glare. "Not now, Chase."
But my brother, never one to take a hint, fell into step beside me. "Trouble in paradise already? I thought you and Nat were?—"
"I said not now!" I rounded on him, fists clenched at my sides.
Chase took a step back, hands raised. "Jesus, Jas. What the hell happened?"
My anger deflated as quickly as it had appeared. For once, this mess wasn't Chase's fault. I closed my eyes and pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead. "She left. Went back to the city .
"Shit." Chase was momentarily lost for words. It was so unlike him it made me look up. His face was uncharacteristically serious. "That's... that sucks."
"Yeah, no kidding. Won't answer my calls, either." The rage that had been boiling beneath the surface since that morning finally erupted. "Fuck!"
With a roar, I spun and drove my fist straight through the weathered barn wall. Pain exploded across my knuckles as splinters of wood embedded themselves in my skin.
"What the fuck?!" Elliot's voice sliced through the red haze of my anger. I turned to see him rushing towards me, his eyes wide with shock.
"Jasper, what the hell?" He grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the barn. "Talk to me, man."
Words spilled out of me in a jumbled rush. "Everything's falling apart! Natalie's gone, she fucking left again. And the orchard—" I choked on a hysterical laugh. "We're going under. We're nearly bankrupt, and I didn't even fucking know!"
Chase's face went pale. "Wait, what? Bankrupt? What are you talking about?"
I ran my uninjured hand through my hair, pacing like a caged animal. "Natalie kept it from us. She claimed she'd been trying to fix it, but now... now she's gone, and we're drowning. She knew and didn't tell me, and now she's run off to the city again."
Elliot's jaw tightened, his eyes hardening. "Okay, let's take this one thing at a time. First, we need to look at the books, see how bad it really is. "
"It's bad, El. Trust me."
Chase shook his head, muttering under his breath. "This can't be happening. We can't lose the orchard. It's... it's everything."
"You think I don't know that? This is our home, and it's slipping through our fingers!"
Elliot stepped between us with his hands raised. "Hey, hey! Calm down, both of you. This isn't helping."
But now the floodgates were open, I couldn't stop. "And Natalie... God, I thought—" I swallowed convulsively, a sharp ache rising up to constrict my throat. "I really thought she was staying this time."
"Jas," Elliot's voice was low and soothing, "I'm sure there's an explanation. Natalie wouldn't just?—"
"Wouldn't she? Apparently, it's what she does. When things get tough, she runs. Every. Damn. Time."
Chase ran a hand over his face. His usual bravado was nowhere to be seen. "Fuck. Fuck! What are we gonna do about the orchard? We can't lose it."
I leaned against the barn wall, feeling utterly drained. "I don't know."
Elliot inhaled steadily. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. First, we're going to clean up your hand before it gets infected. Then, we're going to sit down and talk to Mom and Dad. They need to know what's going on."
I nodded, numbly. "Yeah, okay."
As Elliot led me towards the house, Chase trailing behind us like a lost puppy, I thought of Edward's letter, tucked away in my jacket pocket. Get her back .
But how could I fight for us when she wouldn't even pick up the damn phone?
The porch steps creaked under our feet. The sound reinforced this newfound sense of fragility. Like the foundations of my world were buckling beneath me. The orchard had always felt so solid and permanent. It was hard to process that we might lose it all. But if Natalie could blow back into my life one day and be gone again the next, why not the orchard too? And the fact that she kept this from me...
The thought of Natalie gnawed at me like a persistent ache that wouldn't let go. My mind kept tormenting me with the same unanswerable questions. What if it's too late? What if I've lost her for good this time? And how can I ever trust her again if she does come back?
"What the hell happened to your hand?!" Mom grabbed my wrist, inspecting my knuckles.
"Genius here punched a wall," Chase offered. Elliot shot him a warning look.
"That was dumb." Dad rounded the corner from the hallway and pushed his reading glasses up onto his head. "Did the wall deserve it, at least?"
"Oh, shut up, Jay, and go get the first-aid kit," Mom said.
"Yes, ma'am."
While Mom ushered me toward the kitchen island, Elliot grabbed a plastic sandwich bag and filled it with ice. "Here, put this on it. It'll help with the swelling."
Chase leaned against the counter, chewing on his thumbnail. "You know, Jas, there are better ways to deal with anger. Like, I don't know, talking about it?"
"Rich coming from you," Elliot muttered.
"Hey, I'm trying here."
When Dad returned to the kitchen with the first-aid kit, Elliot took a deep breath. "Mom, Dad, there's something you need to know. Jasper found something today."
"Oh? What's that?" Dad asked.
"There's something wrong with the books," Elliot said.
Mom paused and looked up at me. "What's that mean?"
So, I explained it to them. What I found and how bad the situation looked. "I can't be certain. We need to talk to Natalie. But, she, uh, left town and isn't answering her phone."
"Oh, the poor thing," Mom said. "She's probably blaming herself."
Chase scowled and bit off a hangnail. "Yeah, well, she should. She knew and didn't tell us."
"Chase!" Elliot hissed. "That's not helping."
"Yeah, I think she does blame herself," I said. "And I probably didn't make matters any better by yelling at her."
"Jasper Everton, you did not yell at that girl!" Mom knocked me upside the head.
"Ouch, shit!"
"You really are a dumb son-of-a-bitch, aren't ya?" Dad said.
"He gets it from you," Mom retorted. "Let's not talk about how many dumb mistakes you made when we were dating. "
Dad merely laughed and pressed a kiss to Mom's hair.
Mom swatted him away and turned back to me. "Well, what are you going to do about it?"
Elliot handed me a fresh bag of ice. "Yeah, Jas. What's the plan?"
"Please tell me you have a plan," Chase chimed in.
Their expectant faces were too much to bear. "I don't know, alright? I don't have all the fucking answers."
Mom's lips pursed at my language. I covered my face with my hands and took a slow, measured breath. "Sorry, I just... I need a minute."
My chest tightened, and my palms were drenched. I had to get out of there. Breathe fresh air. I ducked out the kitchen and slammed the door behind me.
Once outside, I leaned on the porch railing. After a few slow, deep breaths, I raised my head and looked out over the orchard. An endless sea of trees stared back at me. It was almost like they were looking at me too, patiently waiting for answers.
What the fuck am I going to do?
I'd been on the porch no more than two minutes before the creak of weathered wood made me turn. Nana was taking the porch steps one at a time, her arthritis clearly bothering her that day. Her silver hair caught the afternoon sunlight as she made her way toward me.
"There's my favorite grandson."
"I don't think you're supposed to pick favorites, Nana," I grumbled, unable to keep the edge from my voice.
"What's with the attitude? "
My fingers clenched around the porch railing. "Natalie left."
"Well go get 'er."
I raked my fingers through my hair, frustration building in my chest. "It's not that simple."
Nana fixed me with that stern look she used to give me when I was a kid trying to sneak extra cookies. "You love 'er?"
"Yes," I whispered.
"Then it is that simple."