Love in the Vineyard (The Tavonesi Series Book 7) by Pamela Aares Page A

don’t flex that muscle—if you don’t try.” She flitted her hands through the air. “Thousands of helping hands are waiting to help you, Natasha, but you have to make an effort. To trust that there’s a compassionate force guiding you.”
    A snort escaped Natasha. Then her cheeks flamed. “I’m sorry. I just don’t have a very positive outlook right now.”
    “And that is something we at Inspire can help you with.” Mary tapped a finger to her own heart. “You’d be surprised at the power that comes from the deep places inside if you open to it, touch it, and let it be part of your daily life. You’re stronger than you think, Natasha.”
    A tear rolled down Natasha’s cheek. She sucked in her breath to stifle its many companions waiting behind her eyes to flood out.
    Mary handed her a tissue. “Want to tell me what else is going on?” She nodded toward the papers Natasha still held.
    In the soft light of Mary’s small office, through a stream of long-dammed tears, Natasha admitted her dark secret.
    “Please don’t tell anyone,” Natasha implored after she’d spilled the story of her dyslexia. “Tyler doesn’t know. I think he suspects, but I wanted to wait until he was a bit older to tell him. I educated myself by listening to books on tape. Hundreds of them. And I sneaked into lectures at the community college while Tyler was an infant, before he started school. Once he started school, I went back to work. But I kept up with the books on tape.”
    She paused and uncrossed her arms. She hadn’t been aware of the defensive stance and didn’t want to appear shaken.
    “I can do the job in the garden of the Casa just fine. I can, I assure you.” She heard the pleading sound in her voice and tried for a confident tone. “But I need help with these insurance forms.”
    “I have no doubts about your being able to do the job. For now, it’s a perfect fit. And don’t worry, I keep many secrets. But yours is one we can do something about. There’s a program at the local college—they’ve had great luck with adults with dyslexia. With your permission, I’ll check into it for you.”
    “I’ve tried everything.” It wasn’t quite true. She’d given up after Tyler started school. Nothing had worked.
    “This is a new approach. It can’t hurt to try.”
    In the face of Mary’s enthusiasm, Natasha agreed to attend one session with the class instructor and to meet with a counselor. And as Mary helped her fill out the forms, hope swelled in her chest. But she knew better than to trust hope. It always let her down.
    Her phone rang just as they finished the last page. Natasha grabbed it from her pocket. Something awful must have happened to Tyler. Her heart pounded as she answered the call.
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    WHAT THE HELL HAD SHE BEEN THINKING? Natasha’s thoughts hammered hard the next morning as she walked the six blocks from Inspire to the Rock Wren Café. Petals from cherry blossoms, blown loose by a gentle breeze, swirled on the sidewalk and danced in the sunlight, but she barely registered the gorgeous April morning.
    What had possessed her to say yes? To agree to meet Dumas—or whatever his name was—at a café? To go to a botanical garden God only knew where?
    She ordered a black coffee and chose a seat outside in the dappled sunlight. The Rock Wren Café had darned fine coffee. A cup of coffee she could afford. Pastries, no. Not yet. But she’d eyed the croissants as she’d stood at the counter and wished for the day when her choices wouldn’t be so difficult.
    She’d said no right off when he’d called. Very clearly. Told him she was busy for weeks.
    He’d laughed and said that life required that we make space in our schedules for spring. Otherwise the powers that went to immense bother to conjure up such beauty would be vexed.
    She’d had no answer to that.
    And then he’d again asked her to go with him to the Asian Botanical Garden. A walk, he’d said. Just a walk.
    And