Anchor of Hope (6 page)

Henry strolled over, and gave Ashley a hug. “How are you sweetheart?”

“I'm well, Grandpa—how are you? Still driving the Chevy.” Ashley said nodding towards the car.

Henry laughed. “I wouldn't drive anything else. Besides, this car is the only reason your grandmother married me!” He shot Grace a wink and she swatted her hand at him.

“Don't be silly,” she said “There were a few other reasons. Of course, I can't think what they are at this moment.”

It was nice to be around family. They hadn't changed a bit.

“Something smells good,” Henry said as he stepped in through the front door.

“I'm in the kitchen!” Jane's voice rang out.

Grace took Ashley by the arm. “Where's Steven?” she asked. “I thought he was coming.” Ashley’s grandparents hadn't met Steven yet. He’d been away on a business trip when they last visited New York, a few years ago.

“No, Gran. He has to go to Japan this week for work. It's a shame, he was looking forward to finally getting to meet you and grandpa.”

Dinner was great. They ate outside in the garden, making the most of the late sunset—Ashley discovered, surprisingly, how much she had missed Mom’s home-cooked meals. The conversation seemed to centre on Ashley’s life in the city—work, Steven, future plans.

“I still can't get over the fact that this is your first visit home in eight years,” Grace said.

Ashley shrugged and smiled, a little embarrassed. “Well life has been so hectic and busy, but I know I should make an effort to visit more often. I
do
love it here. It's just it brings back some painful memories.” She swallowed hard. “And some good ones too.” She forced a smile and patted her grandmother’s hand.

“Well,
we
wish you'd visit more often,” Jane said. “It's good to have you home. I don't suppose Steven would consider moving here, would he? What with all the technology these days, I'm sure he could run his office here and do business online.”       

Ashley couldn't help but laugh at her mother’s suggestion. “Mom, I don't think you realize how hands on' Steven's job is. Besides, if he
were
interested in moving out of the city—which he isn't—Sweet Home would be the last place he would move.”

Jane looked offended. “What's wrong with Sweet Home? This town has progressed over the years—we have a Walmart now.”

Ashley laughed and raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, not helping your case.”

Jane nodded. “All right, all right, but promise me you'll try to visit more often than once every eight years.” Jane stood to clear the table.

After dinner they had a simple fruit salad with ice cream for dessert. Despite the fact that the sun was just setting at 8 p.m., Ashley was exhausted.

“Are you OK, Ashley?” Gran asked. “You look a bit pale.”

“I believe ‘hung over’ is a more fitting term,” Martin said.

“First night back in town and you're already out partying—I'm shocked.” Henry gawked at Ashley. “I didn't even get an invite!”

“That's because you're usually asleep by 7:30, dear.” Grace said.

Henry shrugged, not bothering to deny the allegation.

“Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. I don't seem to recover as quickly as I did a few years ago.” Ashley smiled.

“Well, don't stay up on account of us, Ashley. Go and get some sleep. We'll have plenty of time to chat during the week.” Gran smiled, placing her hand on Ashley’s forearm.

“Thanks, Gran. Mom, can I give you a hand clearing up?” Ashley gestured to the dishes on the table.

“Don't be silly; go to bed.” Jane waved a hand, signalling her to go.

“Are you sure? I feel bad.”

“I'm positive. Besides, the dishwasher does all of the hard work.”

“OK, good night.” She kissed them all on their heads and headed to her room. Her eyes were heavy and she felt like she could collapse on the stairs and fall asleep right there and then.

Ashley's feet pounded against the pavement.

Her lungs felt stretched to their maximum capacity with each breath and her heart thudded a steady, rhythmic beat. Ashley ran alongside the quiet street parallel to the river. It was set to be another warm day and she wanted to get some exercise before it was too hot to do anything. The sun was out and an assembly of cicadas somewhere amongst the trees started their monotonous chorus.

It felt good to get moving again.

She was beginning to feel back to her normal self again after getting a good night’s sleep. Steven had always been more disciplined than her when it came to exercise—'
healthy body, healthy mind'
,
he had always said.

Ashley stopped as she reached the bridge on Pleasant Valley Road, and leaned forward, resting her hands on her thighs to catch her breath. She rose and gazed out over the river as she took a deep drink of her water. It was a pretty spot, with a few tourists having an early picnic on the bank below and a few kayaks out on the river.

She still had over five miles to go to make it back to her mom's house, but that was OK. Running helped clear her mind. Whenever she felt weighed down it was relieving to get some time alone to think things through clearly, like the current situation with Steven. She couldn't put her finger on whatever it was that was holding her back from making the decision to move in with him.
Was it that big of a deal? What's the worst that could possibly happen?
If it didn't work out
,
she could always find another place
.
T
here were always rooms advertised that were available for rent.

When Ashley got back to the house, her mom and Martin were out. There was another note on the countertop.

Ashley,

Don't forget the dress fitting appointment with Gina this morning. I'll meet you there.

Mom xx

She had just  enough time to shower and change before heading off. Her mom had left her car for Ashley and had gone with Martin.

Gina’s store hadn't changed. At all. Ashley walked in to see Jane and Gina leaning over the counter peering into a notebook and nodding their heads. Upon noticing Ashley they closed the book and came over to greet her.

Gina was in her late fifties with short dark hair and a serious, thoughtful expression. She always wore a pair of glasses attached to a thin metal chain that hung behind her neck and dressed eclectically with bold tones, fancy scarves, and caked-on makeup. She could only imagine what these ladies had created for her to wear to the wedding. At least there wouldn't be anyone there she wanted to impress.

“Ashley, welcome home!” Gina beamed, holding out her arms to hug her. “Oh, you are a tiny little thing aren't you. Let’s get you measured up for this dress, shall we?”

Gina took the measuring tape that she had slung over her shoulder and began wrapping it around Ashley’s waist.

“Am I allowed to see this dress yet?” Ashley asked. “No way. You won't be seeing it until Saturday,” Gina said, shaking her head.

Jane watched silently, smiling mysteriously.

“Can you tell me the color? Or the style?”

“Nope and nope,” Jane said.

Ashley rolled her eyes playfully at her mother shaking her head. “You know, I could have had my measurements taken in Brooklyn. There is a great little dressmaking shop just down the road from where I work,” Ashley said.

“No, no, no!” Gina gasped, as though Ashley had sworn. “I've had someone do that before and their measurements were all out. I spent hours trying to fix everything up. Your mother and grandmother have gone to a lot of trouble with this dress, and there's no way I'd want to risk ruining it with the wrong measurements.”

After a few more measurements she was all done.

Gina said goodbye, pushed her glasses further up her nose and went back to writing in the mysterious notebook.

Jane and Ashley had to squint as they stepped outside. The sun felt extra hot today, there wasn't any breeze at all and it was still only early—10:30 a.m.

“Do you need your car back? I was going to go to the cafe and visit Bryan. He wanted me to come and check out the new renovations,” Ashley said.

“No, I have to go and meet Martin at the hardware store. He's picking up a few things to get the garden in order for this weekend. I'll see you whenever you get home.” Jane kissed Ashley on the cheek again and began walking down the street towards the hardware store.

Ashley decided to walk, as it was only around the block. Normally there would be plenty of available parking, but with the Jamboree coming up this weekend the parking spaces along the street were few and far between.

Ashley barely recognised the cafe when she stepped inside. Bryan was behind the counter busily preparing two plates of food at the same time. He looked relieved when he spotted her.

“Ashley!” he beamed. “I was about to call you.” He looked stressed—frantic even.

“What's wrong?” she asked.

“Amanda, one of my waitresses, didn't come in today and we're flat out!.” He motioned with his hand to the tables around the cafe, all occupied. “I'm desperate—I need your help. Pleeease.” He pressed his palms together as though he were praying.

“Umm, sure, I can try. But I haven't waitressed in years.”

“That's fine, that's totally fine. Thank you—you’re my favorite sister!”

“I'm your only sister.” She cocked one eyebrow.

“Oh, yeah.” He handed her a plain black apron and before she had even finished tying it up behind her back he was handing her the meals he had been plating up.

“These are for table four,” he said, flashing her a grin.

Ashley couldn't believe it when she finally stopped to check the time. It was almost 5 p.m. and the constant flow of customers all day had finally died down, leaving only a few stragglers sipping cappuccinos and enjoying Bryan’s organic, gluten-free cakes and slices.

Bryan appeared in the kitchen doorway, walking towards Ashley while drying his hands on the tea towel he had draped over his shoulder.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he said, grasping her shoulders. “I literally could not have gotten through today without you—did you see the Hammonds earlier? Remember them?”

Ashley nodded and laughed. “Yes, I remember the Hammonds. More specifically, I remember when you and Will Hammond threw that massive party at their house and then his parents banned you from ever going there again!”

Bryan laughed and ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, that
was
a good party. They eventually forgave me. Anyway, I didn't give you a proper tour earlier—what do you think of the new renovation’s?”

“Yeah, it looks excellent. So much more space in here now. And I love the whole black chalkboard wall—such a great idea for the menu, and you can always update the chalk artwork whenever you feel like having a change.”

“That was Jay's idea, actually. He put in the new counter and completely rebuilt the kitchen and removed that wall that was dividing the room—you remember that?” Bryan asked.

Ashley nodded. She had a sudden unwelcome flashback to Saturday night.

“His business is booming, not just in Sweet Home, but the whole district. He's getting jobs as far away as Portland.”

Bryan checked his watch. “That reminds me, I need you to do me one more favor. What time do you need to be back at Mom's?”

Ashley shrugged. “She said any time is fine.”             

“Great, because I need to pick up the food van for Friday at 5:30 today and I promised Jay I’d drop off his final check for the work he did. I was hoping you could drop it out to him.”

Ashley’s mouth dropped open. “Are you serious? Please tell me you're kidding.”

“I don't have any other option. Any other day I'd do it myself.”

“I'm the last person he'd want to see, and I'm not that keen on seeing him myself.”

“He's going to be at the wedding so it's probably best to get it over and done with now rather than later, don't you think?”

“What? He's coming to the wedding?” Ashley couldn't believe it.

“Of course he is—our parents and his parents have been friends since forever.”

The last of the patrons left and Bryan switched the door sign to closed.

“Can't you do it tomorrow?” Ashley asked, feeling the anxiety creeping up inside.

Bryan looked at her and she could see from the look in his eyes how much he needed her help.

“Fine! But you owe me. Big time!”

“Thank you. Have told you that you're the best? You're the best!” He quickly ducked into the kitchen, returning with an envelope and a small white paper bag which he handed to Ashley. She looked quizzically at the bag.

“Oh, it's a lemon meringue pie made with organic lemons and free range eggs—he'll love it.” Bryan said.

It took more than twenty minutes to drive to Jays place.

Although it had been years since she'd been there, she knew every turn. The road snaked and swerved, twisting through the woods beside the lake.

He had lived there with his parents, until his mother had been killed in a freak car accident when he was a child.

Her palms were beginning to sweat and on more than one occasion she was tempted to turn the car around and head back to town. Country music played quietly through her mom’s car stereo, but it sounded distant and muffled as different scenarios played through her mind.

Will he be happy to see me?

Maybe he'd come walking out smiling and they'd make friendly conversation. A bit of idle chit-chat. Then she'd leave and she feel silly for getting herself worked up over nothing. The old house came into view as she drove up the rise through the trees. It had a partial view of the lake through the trees.

Considering Jay had a ‘booming business’ as a building contractor, the house looked dark and run-down. Maybe he was too busy making everyone else's homes look beautiful he had neglected his own.

There was no car and she felt a flood of relief at the thought that perhaps she could return the check to Bryan, knowing that she had tried to deliver the payment but he wasn't home.

She parked the car, almost forgetting to pull on the parking brake. She took a deep breath to compose herself and she stepped out of the car, taking the envelope and bag containing the pie with her. It was still light, but visibility was not so good in the thick of the woods, as the trees cast long dark shadows around her.

She slowly climbed the three steps leading up to the porch. The timber porch was old and inundated with cracks, chipped in places. She wondered if it would even hold her weight or if at any second the planks would give way beneath her feet sending her tumbling to the ground beneath.

Holding the bag and envelope in her left hand she took another deep steadying breath and knocked five times.

She waited.

A few birds fluttered somewhere in the distance and the sounds of cicadas filled the air. It was still stifling hot, and she fanned her face with the envelope.

She knocked again. Five times, again.

Still no answer.

How long should she wait?

She looked around, no signs of movement. In fact the house looked like it hadn't been lived in for a while. Cobwebs veiled the window frames. Had Jay moved? She hadn't even bothered to ask Bryan, but surely he would have told her.

Maybe I should leave it on his front door step?

Should she give Bryan a call? As she started for the steps, she heard the sound of a car engine coming towards her direction.

She stopped at the top of the steps, straining to see who it was. A black Ford pickup truck slowly made its way up the driveway, and her heart began to race as she recognised Jay behind the wheel. He pulled up just yards away from her. An old golden retriever-labrador cross bounded out of the back tray and pranced towards her.

“Benson?” She was surprised the old dog was still alive. “Is that you? Look at you.” She bent over to pat the dog as he sniffed her, his tail wagging so fast the entire back half of his body wiggled.

“You lost or something?” Jay asked from the car. His face was blank, and he avoided eye contact.

“Uh, no. I was looking for you, actually.” She forced half a smile. “Bryan asked me to drop these out to you. I was going to leave them on your front step.” She pointed to the front step.

“Yeah, well, I don't live here anymore.” His voice held an undertone of anger. She quickly handed him the bag and envelope.

“So what are you doing out here if you don't live here?” She placed her hands on her hips and looked around, not that it was any of her business.

“I live further up.” He indicated towards a small dirt road that disappeared into the trees.

“Does your dad still live here?”

“Nah, Bill Canby bought this place as a vacation home a few years back.”