Chapter 6
The next afternoon, as Penny headed in her car toward Northland Orchard, the shock of her parents’ bombshell announcement was still reverberating through her.
The news had come as a complete surprise.
She’d taken for granted that Mom and Dad would always be here with her in Heartsprings Valley— that their status as town fixtures was, well, permanent.
But as she’d sat their with them in the family room she’d grown up in, gazing into their anxious eyes, the empty bowl of Mom’s homemade enchiladas growing cold in her hands, she’d realized with a jolt how wrong that assumption was.
Her parents were moving away from Heartsprings Valley — and from her.
She’d bombarded them with questions, of course, firing off queries as fast she could think them up.
No, they told her, they hadn’t shared the news with her brothers, but planned to the day after Christmas.
No, no one else in Heartsprings Valley knew yet.
Yes, Tia Rosario knew they were coming. Yes, they’d found a two-bedroom rental a short walk from Rosario’s house.
Yes, they’d probably look for a place to buy once they settled in.
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, barely aware of the houses and farms she was driving past. The quote that Mom had tossed in — always good for a quote, Mom was — bugged her. Was Ralph Waldo even right? In what universe did moving away from Heartsprings Valley qualify as “a progress”?
When she reached the county road that led out of town, a sigh escaped her lips.
Maybe, she forced herself to acknowledge, her reaction had been a bit …
self-centered? After all, Tia Rosario deserved all the help she could get with Abuela Maria.
And Oaxaca was great — gorgeous, in fact.
Her relatives there were terrific. Every time Penny visited, she had a wonderful time.
But moving there permanently? Why had her parents framed it like that? Why not tell her they were going for an extended stay? The clarity of their plan was unsettling. Their decision felt so final. Cliched or not, Dad had it right: A chapter in their life was closing, a new one beginning.
And the same applied to her. Her life would soon be changing — dramatically —and there was no way around that.
Mom and Dad were an integral part of her life in Heartsprings Valley.
Hardly a day went by in which she didn’t see or talk with them.
Whenever she needed help at the bookstore, they were quick to volunteer.
Their warm, loving, supportive presence meant so much to her.
In ways large and small, they enriched her existence — Mom’s wonderful food being just one example.
At the thought of what she’d soon be missing, her stomach rumbled in sympathetic protest. Penny wasn’t half the cook that Mom was — not even close.
What hope did she have of ever making green-chile chicken enchiladas as good as hers?
Without warning, the emotions she’d been battling all day surged forward. Tears threatened. Furiously, she blinked them back. Focus on the road, she ordered herself. Now is not the time to get all boo-hoo-hoo-ey.
With a determined effort, she turned her attention outward, forcing herself to contemplate the barren farmland around her. Come spring, the valley’s fields would again turn green with hay and sweet corn. But now, with the harvest season over, the only thing the empty land held was cold, wet snow.
The intersection she needed was just ahead.
After turning off the county road, she aimed her car down the winding lane that led to Northland Orchard.
She hadn’t been to the orchard in a while — over a year ago, if memory served, when she’d attended the first birthday party for Holly and Gabe’s son Joshua.
At the thought of the task awaiting her when she reached her destination, a stab of irritation shot through her. Given everything else going on, Daniel Bedford’s “apology tour” was the last thing she had the bandwidth to deal with.
But you signed up for it, she reminded herself. With eyes wide open. Remember that — and remember the roof.
With a sigh of frustration, she was debating whether to turn on the radio for a very necessary jolt of Christmas cheer when her car phone buzzed.
Ah — her friend Clara. Grateful for the distraction, she quickly hit the answer button. “Afternoon, Clara. I was planning to call you.”
“Hey, Penny.” As usual when she called, Clara got straight to the point. “Listen, I just got off the phone with Nigel, my former boss in New York. I take it the two of you spoke yesterday?”
“We did, yes.”
“He told me what’s cooking and how he managed to rope you into helping.”
Penny exhaled. “I guess he did kind of rope me in.”
“I really wish he’d talked to me first,” her friend said, sounding less than pleased. “He can be so clueless sometimes.”
“Clueless?”
“About life. About the real world. About the time and effort required to make things happen.” Clara’s indignation was coming through loud and clear.
“How someone with Nigel’s knowledge and experience fails to understand that is beyond me.
I mean, asking a bookstore owner to do more in the middle of the holiday shopping season is like, I don’t know, asking Olympic marathon runners to run a hundred miles instead of twenty-six. ”
Penny smiled. Clara’s resentment was kind of enjoyable to listen to. It was also, she guessed, about more than just Nigel’s offer to her.
“He does this all the time,” Clara continued, confirming her suspicions. “He comes up with some great idea and doesn’t care a bit about how much work is involved in making it happen.”
Penny let her friend vent a bit more, then said, “Well, the offer was pretty good.”
“Ah,” Clara said, immediately switching gears. She’d always been adept at reading the room, a talent she used to great effect as Heartsprings Valley’s deputy mayor. “I take it the publisher entrusted that to him?”
“He told me they’re … motivated.”
Clara chuckled. “Desperate is more like it. I mean, that poor author of theirs is all over the news….”
“I was planning to say no, but the offer was so generous that I realized that saying yes was the better business decision. In addition paying me a fee, the publisher is increasing the discount for their books, so….”
“Okay,” Clara said, “I get it. He made you an offer you couldn’t refuse. I called to let you know that I’d be more than happy to tell Nigel on your behalf to back off, but if you’re good with the deal you’ve made….”
Penny sighed. “I’m good. They’re putting together a list of Christmas activities that they want the author to do. I’m heading up to the orchard right now to discuss. The author is driving up from New York.”
“You realize you’ll be babysitting a grouch.”
“A stubborn one, from the sound of it.”
“What in the world made him write that essay?”
“No idea. Guess I’ll find out.”
Clara sighed. “Are you completely sure you want to do this?”
“If I’m being honest? No, not completely.”
“Listen, I can still call Nigel and —”
“Nope, no need. I’m good. I made a decision and I’m sticking with it. I appreciate the offer to help.”
“Okay, got it. But if you change your mind, just let me know. I’m here.”
“Speaking of help,” Penny said, “please thank your very helpful husband for everything he and his crew did yesterday.”
“Oh, you mean the leaky roof?”
“He came over as soon as I found the leak, and yesterday afternoon, his crew replaced several shingles and covered the roof with a tarp.”
“What’s the verdict? Do you need a new roof?”
“I need a new roof,” Penny said with a sigh. “Probably in the spring.”
“Is the Christmas grouch paying for the new roof?”
Penny laughed. “He most certainly is.”
“His grumpiness, your gain.”
“Before you go, how’s everything with you?”
“Oh, good. Logan’s getting bigger by the day — twenty months old and ready to conquer the world.”
“How about you and Baby No. 2?”
“All good. Three months to go and counting.”
“Glad to hear.”
“What I really need is for someone to invent more hours in the day for sleep.”
Penny laughed.
“Also, Penny? Logan’s starting to run, and” — her voice dropped — “he’s so fast. I turn around for a second and he’s off.”
“Oh, my,” Penny said with a chuckle. “I’d offer to help you chase after him if I hadn’t just saddled myself with another babysitting gig….”
Clara laughed. “Don’t worry about me and the little speedster. We’ll be fine.”
“I’ll let you go. Thanks for calling. If I have any questions about Nigel, I know who to call.”
“If you need my help, just let me know.”