Chapter 22
MONDAY
CHELSEY REACHED UP to the top shelf in her closet and pulled down the treasure chest she’d made in eighth grade woodshop.
Her best friend had talked her into signing up because she heard there would be more boys than girls.
Apparently, most of the eighth and ninth grade female population had the same idea.
The administration created an all-girl class. No boys. At all.
The rusty hinges creaked as Chelsey carefully opened the dusty lid.
On top of her most prized possessions lay her favorite picture of her mom.
It was taken a year before her mom passed away, and she still looked healthy.
They’d decided to go to the farmers market in Denver.
The flower vendor had a bunch of daisies, the last of the season.
Chelsey snuck a picture of her mom, arms full of her favorite flowers and head thrown back in laughter.
The picture was a painful reminder of loss but also one of the best ways to remember her mom.
Maybe it was time to take the photo out of the box?
Chelsey set the picture aside with the promise to buy a frame and place it where she’d see her mom every day, wherever Chelsey lived.
Under the picture sat the paper fortune from the night she realized she’d was in love with Taylor Compton. Why had she kept it when he’d disappeared with no call, no message, no note? Maybe she hoped it would still come true. Or maybe it was too hard to face the fact that he left her.
She picked up a folded piece of paper with her mom’s last lab results.
Chelsey should really throw it away, but it was a point in time that changed things drastically for both of them.
She’d made the ultimate decision to stay in the valley and be with her mom for the rest of her time. And forever after?
A small hiccup escaped as she thought about the time she’d had with her mom. They were given more days than they were told but not nearly enough. It was beautiful and hard and sweet and awful all rolled into a year. Her mom worked events until the last few months, teaching Chelsey the ropes.
Chelsey shuffled through the other paraphernalia she’d saved over the years—a wisp of her baby hair in a locket her mom kept; the admission letter from an Ivy League college that she turned down to take care of her mom; the auction program from the first time Chelsey ran the event without her mom.
She set the program off to the side and pulled out the silk scarf her mom always wore during the week of Strawberry Days.
The white fabric was covered with strawberries and white flowers.
She held the silk fabric to her nose and inhaled the fading scent of lilacs.
Chelsey never wore it because she was afraid of losing the smell of her mom, but was that the real reason?
Or the same reason she hid the picture in the treasure box?
She placed everything back inside and firmly shut the lid.
She needed to root herself in the present.
Time for brownies. She needed a change of pace. Chocolate was a great way to cause a distraction. Chelsey grabbed ingredients for brownies on autopilot. She grabbed a handful of chocolate Kisses to add to the top of a few brownies.
Thinking of chocolate, Chelsey wondered how Wendy was holding up.
The last update she received from Gage stated that his mom was resting comfortably at home.
Wendy was a godsend, always by Chelsey’s side, making things happen, lightening the mood with her humor and watching out for her.
A couple of years ago Chelsey was supposed to meet Wendy the night before an event to go over last-minute details but Chelsey never showed up.
Wendy had Gage break down Chelsey’s front door when she didn’t answer repeated phone calls.
They found Chelsey passed out on her couch with a high fever, chills and a cough she thought would never go away.
They rushed her to the hospital where she was diagnosed with pneumonia.
She spent the next three days in a sterile hospital room, totally missing the event.
Wendy hosted the big skiing event on her own.
According to Dan, Wendy carried it off like a pro and the ski company hired them to do a summer event as well.
With the batter all mixed, Chelsey poured it into the 8x8 greased pan and slipped the chocolatey goodness into the preheated oven.
She set a timer and took a minute to lick the bowl and scraper clean before rinsing them off and setting them in the sink.
She tried to be grounded in the moment while licking chocolate off her fingers, but her thoughts returned to her co-workers and boss.
Dan Walker, the best of bosses, he always supported Chelsey no matter what or who was happening; he always had her back.
He’d been there for Chelsey and her mom the last year of her life.
He brought in food, white daisies and help at the end when Chelsey couldn’t move her mom anymore.
She’d found out he’d paid the hospice bills as well, though he tried to keep it quiet.
Chelsey would never have found it if Heather hadn’t “accidentally” left out a paid receipt.
Now, he was giving his company to her to run.
He’d found a love that made him happy and wanted to live a second chance at life.
The smile that lit up his face the night of the auction was genuine and one she hadn’t seen since her mom died.
Heather Jones, soon to be Heather James.
Heather—bubbly, happy and thoughtful. Plus, extremely talented with a needle.
All of Heather’s strawberry ensembles were handmade, including the jewelry and tattoos.
Chelsey had a few one-of-a-kind necklaces and bracelets from Heather.
And how many times had she delivered an energy drink right when Chelsey needed it?
Or stepped in with a quiet, soft word that helped recenter Chelsey?
The whole town had been a witness to Rodney and Heather’s relationship, and everyone rooted for them to marry.
When was the last time Chelsey thought about others the way they thought of her? She’d been so busy with her work and single-track life that she forgot to be grateful for others and serve them.
Chelsey wiped a tear off her cheek. She could go on and on with so many of Juniper Valley’s good people and how they’d buoyed her up throughout her whole life.
The only person missing from that equation was Taylor.
She thought the hole in her heart had healed enough not to be affected by him, but she was wrong.
Her heart was just waiting for Taylor. What did that mean for her future?
Was she willing to give up what she had in Juniper—a support system and familiarity—to follow someone across the world?
The timer went off, startling Chelsey out of her thoughts. She slid the pan out of the oven and set it on a rack to cool down. She smiled as she thought about sharing her brownies. She hoped she could bring a smile to at least one person today, if not two.
Before she thought too much, Chelsey grabbed two gift bags and tissue paper. She picked up the mockup of her one and only coloring book: Strawberry Days Adventures with Berry. The title was a placeholder until Chelsey figured out a better one.
Chelsey fought her nervousness as she tucked the coloring book inside a gift bag for Heather—secretary, assistant, friend extraordinaire. This book was as much about Heather as it was about Berry.
Chelsey grabbed her silver watch off her nightstand and placed it in another bag for Wendy, her phenomenal sidekick, comedian and cohort. It was the watch her mom always wore and represented everything Chelsey held dear about her job. Wendy would cherish it and use it wisely.
With her spirits lifted, Chelsey set the two gift bags in her car and went back inside to eat only one warm, gooey brownie.
“COME IN, IT’S open,” Wendy called from the other side of her front door.
Wendy sat on her couch and stared when Chelsey stepped through to see her.
“Chelsey Hooper. Get over here and give this poor, old woman a hug.” Wendy made a “come here” motion with the hand that wasn’t bandaged.
The tight hug lasted at least eight seconds, making Chelsey relax. “Sorry for dropping in unannounced.”
“I’m so glad you did. I’ve been channel surfing for the last two hours, trying to decide what I want to binge-watch.” She picked up the remote and turned off the TV. “Turns out there’s nothing as good as seeing you. Now, catch me up on all the news from the auction.”
“It was our biggest one yet.”
“I already heard that.” She patted the cushion next to her and Chelsey sat down. “I want to know how you got Mason McCormick and Taylor Compton to be bachelors. And hand me one of your brownies before I drool all over myself.”
She tried to give Wendy the edited version, but she demanded to know details. After an hour, Chelsey wrapped up with a happy ending of Rodney proposing to Heather.
“Oh!” Wendy put a hand over her heart. “Bless my heart. I wish I would’ve been there. I had no idea he was proposing. I mean, we all knew they were destined to be together. Somebody better send me some pictures.”
“How about I send the video to you right now? I didn’t want to bother you yesterday.” Chelsey opened her phone and laughed at her photo gallery.
“What’s so funny?” Wendy craned her neck.
Chelsey held it up so Wendy could see selfie after selfie Taylor had taken of himself at the auction. Chelsey swiped through them again. “I never learn my lesson around Taylor. If anyone leaves their phone unattended, Taylor takes pictures of himself.”
After a moment, Chelsey realized the room had gone quiet. She glanced at Wendy. “What’s wrong?”
Wendy pointed at the phone. “I hope he doesn’t break your heart all over again, Chels.”