Are you getting ready for opening night on Broadway or an ice cream social?”
Evie peered over the vase of yellow daisies she’d been arranging in an old-fashioned flower cart and laughed at the expression on Gin’s face.
“Not much goes on in Banister Falls, so women tend to take advantage of opportunities like this. We want it to be special.”
The door swung shut behind Gin, and the heels of her cowboy boots clicked against the bricks as she walked across the patio. “How many women are you expecting tomorrow morning?”
“We sold almost a hundred tickets in advance, but there are always a few walk-ins.” Evie stepped out from behind the cart. “The garden walk used to end at Marie’s Bistro, but when we could no longer fit everyone in the dining room, we moved it to the church.”
Gin’s eyes swept over the galvanized tubs filled with smaller pots of miniature roses. “Everything looks beautiful, but I thought you had a team of volunteers helping out.”
“I do, but there are always a few last things that fall on me. My friend Gertrude is selling her home and doesn’t need this flower cart anymore. I thought it would look great with the rest of the decorations.”
“Speaking of great . . .” Gin held up a plastic container. “I brought something for you. Just between you and me though, I think Sue is a little nervous about providing the continental breakfast. She said, and I quote, ‘What’s that Evie Bennett thinking? I don’t do dainty, little, frou-frou pastries like Marie. All I know how to make are cinnamon rolls and apple fritters.’”
It was hard for Evie to picture Sue Granger, the diner’s gruff owner, getting nervous about anything. “Marie is already providing the ice cream and toppings. I decided that we should give other businesses in the community an opportunity to partner with us too, when we host an event like this.” It was the same reasoning Evie had used when she’d approached her team with the idea. “And I happen to love cinnamon rolls.”
“I hope you won’t be too disappointed then, because that’s not what you’re getting.” Gin peeled back a corner of the lid, releasing the scent of cinnamon and apples into the air.
Homemade turnovers lined the container, the seams of the flaky, golden-brown pastries bursting with fresh fruit and the tops sparkling with a dusting of raw sugar.
“What is Sue talking about? Those look amazing.”
“I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear that.” Gin grinned. “Even though Nicki is the one who made them.”
“Nicki?”
“Uh-huh. I could tell she was more interested in making the food than serving it, so last week I convinced Sue to let Nic help her out in the kitchen.” The lid came off. “Don’t be shy. Go ahead and try one.”
Evie reached for a turnover, broke off a corner, and popped it into her mouth, closing her eyes. “I think we just discovered Nicki’s spiritual gift.”
“She made the pies last week and they sold out in an hour. In fact, a few of the customers ordered dessert first. I think Sue was ready to hang up her apron right then and there.” Gin chuckled. “Nicki overheard us talking about the garden walk, and she suggested Sue make apple turnovers instead of fritters.”
“And Sue told Nicki to make them herself,” Evie guessed.
“Exactly.”
“Tell Nicki they’re delicious and she should seriously consider becoming a pastry chef.”
“You’ll see her tomorrow,” Gin said. “I invited her to the garden walk.”
“That’s great—” Evie’s cell phone interrupted them. She’d kept it close all day, waiting for Jack to call, but her heart still took a nose dive when his name and number flashed across the screen. “Excuse me a minute?”
“No problem.” Gin reached for a turnover. “I’ll find something to keep myself occupied.”
Evie tapped the screen as she walked to the edge of the patio. “Hi.”
“Hey.” Jack’s husky voice rumbled through the line. “What are you up to?”
“I’m still at church, getting things set up for tomorrow.”
“How’s that going?”
“Good.” Evie didn’t want to talk about the garden walk. “I should be heading home in half an hour or so.”
As far as hints went, it was pretty blatant. But Evie missed the man. She missed Lily too. She and Jack had talked on the phone several times, but she hadn’t seen him since Travis had shown up at Jack’s apartment building on Tuesday night.
“I’d love to see you, but Travis’s car is acting up again. I told him I’d take a look at it.”
“If it’s easier, I could always swing by Brewster Street this evening. Bring over something for supper if you’re hungry.”
The silence lasted so long that Evie wondered if they’d been cut off. “Jack?”
A barely discernable sigh told her he was still there. “I don’t think that’s going to work,” he said slowly. “Nicki is taking Lily and her kids to the pool this evening, and I’ll have my head under the hood of Travis’s car. It would be hard to hold up my end of the conversation.”
Evie didn’t care if Jack conversed at all. She’d be content to stand next to the car and watch him work. Hand him tools.
“I understand.” She injected what she hoped was the right amount of cheerfulness into the phone. “Cody and Raine invited us over Sunday for a cookout after church, and he said you should bring Travis and Lily along. I already made them promise there will be no karaoke.”
Silence.
“I’m not sure what we’ll be doing, but I’ll talk to Trav and let you know,” Jack finally said. “He’s planning to drop Lily off at the church by eight tomorrow morning for the garden walk. You’ll call me when it’s over and let me know how everything went?”
“Sure.” Or even better, she could tell him in person.
In the background, Evie heard a door slam and the sound of a masculine voice.
“Evie . . . I should probably go.” Jack sounded distracted.
Evie murmured a good-bye she wasn’t sure he even heard. She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, riveted to the patio like a garden statue, but suddenly Gin was steering her toward one of the wrought-iron benches.
“Sit.” Gin winced. “Oh, oh. Sue must be rubbing off on me. What I meant was, please sit.”
Evie sat and Gin dropped down next to her. “That was Jack, wasn’t it?”
“I’m not quite sure who that was,” Evie said honestly.
Gin didn’t look the least bit confused—or surprised. “He canceled your plans for the evening?”
“We didn’t have plans.” Evie stared down at her phone, wondering why Jack had cut their phone call short. Wishing he would call back. “That’s part of the problem.”
“What’s the other part?”
“His brother. Things were going really well until Travis got out of jail.” Another thing that was difficult for Evie to admit. “I haven’t seen Jack for three days, and I can’t help but think . . .”
“That he doesn’t want to see you?”
Put like that . . .
“How insecure does that sound?”
“You’re not the one who’s insecure,” Gin muttered. “It’s not that Jack doesn’t want to see you . . . I’m guessing he doesn’t want you to see him.”
“What do you mean?”
“My mother was an alcoholic.” A myriad of emotions—pain, anger, regret—skimmed through Gin’s eyes. “I never invited anyone over to our house when I was growing up because I didn’t know if Mom would be sober or sobbing in her bedroom . . . or throwing things around. If there’d be a strange guy sprawled in the recliner or sleeping on the couch.
“When you’re a kid, you look around at other families and you can’t help but wonder why yours is such a mess. But then you start to realize it’s your mess. You take care of it. Clean it up. Hide it. Whatever. But the one thing you never want to do is expose other people to it. That’s why I left when I found out I was pregnant with Raine. I wanted a better life for her.”
Evie’s heart ached for Gin. She’d heard bits and pieces of Gin’s past from Dan, but she hadn’t known how difficult her life had been.
“It took a lot of courage,” she said softly. “To leave.”
“More like desperation.” Gin shrugged. “But I didn’t realize I was still running until we ended up in Banister Falls. God and I are working on things but sometimes I still shut Dan out. It’s like the messy closet in your house. You don’t want anyone to see it . . . and you sure aren’t going to invite them in to help you sort through the junk inside.”
“What did Dan do . . . when you blocked the closet door?”
A slow smile tipped the corners of Gin’s lips. “He ignored me and barged in anyway.”
Evie smiled back. “Bold.”
“Stubborn.”
“I can be bold.” Evie had kissed Jack in front of half the Moretti family. “And stubborn, when the situation calls for it.”
“I believe you.” Gin laughed and started to rise, but Evie snagged her hand, giving it a quick, impulsive squeeze. “Thank you.”
To her amazement, Gin squeezed back. “How long are you going to be here?”
“Ten or fifteen minutes. Why?”
“The Lullaby Boutique on Main Street is having a sale today, and I thought I’d stop by and check it out. Want to come along?”
Evie hopped to her feet. “I’ll make it ten.”