admittin’ this sorta thing, but…reckon I’ve missed havin’ the family around me here in the orchard over the years. Once upon a time, the whole place was so full—you kids runnin’ ever’ which way—and now it’s empty. It gets a little lonely sometimes,” she concluded.
And Rachel’s stomach dropped.
The fact was, if Rachel laid it on the line about her job right now, Edna would likely say, “Why the hell didn’t ya say so in the first place?” and demand she go start packing her bags this instant. But…the very idea of Edna being lonely —really and truly lonely —ripped at Rachel’s soul.
She wasn’t sure why—because her family had always assumed Edna’s calls for help had to do with her being lonely. But somehow this —hearing Edna say it—made itreal, and a little heartbreaking, in a way Rachel hadn’t felt before. And the fact that Edna had actually acknowledged it…well, from confident, no-nonsense Edna, it was a confession of epic proportions.
So to leave Edna now , for any reason, would feel like…abandoning her. Emotionally. Not that Edna usually seemed fragile in any way—far from it.
Except for what she’d just said.
And…except for that moment Rachel had told Tessa and Amy about, when Edna had smiled and said how nice it was to have her here. Something in that simple smile had looked…almost girlish, childlike. Something in it had touched her far more deeply than she’d thought matter-of-fact Edna could.
And suddenly Rachel understood why. Stubborn, ornery Edna wasn’t always so tough.
Rachel let out a breath. She knew she couldn’t leave—not now, and not even in a couple of weeks. Her job was extremely important—but at this strikingly candid moment, Edna was more important. And if Edna needed her until the apple festival, well…she’d have to stay until the apple festival. Her heart demanded it.
Her heart. Sheesh. She’d not expected her heart to get involved when she’d come here just a few days ago. But already, something here—whether it was Edna, or her friends, or the town itself—was softening her. Just a little.
Which was a pretty big revelation—no one who knew Rachel would ever call her soft, or sweet. But she just tried to steady herself, push all those thoughts from her mind, and come back to the matters at hand: picking apples and spending time with her grandmother. And wrapping her head around the idea that this was her life until October.
The weather remained warm, but the apple trees provided enough shade that, along with a breeze sifting through the trees, the day was comfortable. And the workwas punctuated with the occasional buzz of a passing bumble bee and the fluttering bits of color provided by butterflies in the wildflowers that lined the creek. And when Rachel stopped to soak all that in…well, to her surprise, it was almost enough to make her forget all about her job. For a little while, anyway.
“Times change in Destiny,” Rachel mused to Edna without warning, “but they don’t really change here , do they? I mean right here, in the orchard. I guess nothing much has changed about these trees, or picking the apples, from when I was little. Or maybe even since you came here.”
She looked over in time to catch a another uncharacteristically wistful expression crossing Edna’s wrinkled face. “Maybe that’s why I like this time of year so much. It’s a lotta work, and a rush to make sure the apples all get harvested, but you’re right—standin’ on this ladder…well, if I didn’t know better, I could close my eyes and believe it was the first time I ever picked apples here next to Sugar Creek.”
Rachel watched as Edna did that then—closed her eyes, one hand on the ladder, the other pulling on the apple she already had in her grasp. Another happy, girlish look overtook her and Rachel wondered what she was remembering.
When Edna opened her eyes, Rachel asked, “When was it, your first year here?”
“Nineteen
And Rachel’s stomach dropped.
The fact was, if Rachel laid it on the line about her job right now, Edna would likely say, “Why the hell didn’t ya say so in the first place?” and demand she go start packing her bags this instant. But…the very idea of Edna being lonely —really and truly lonely —ripped at Rachel’s soul.
She wasn’t sure why—because her family had always assumed Edna’s calls for help had to do with her being lonely. But somehow this —hearing Edna say it—made itreal, and a little heartbreaking, in a way Rachel hadn’t felt before. And the fact that Edna had actually acknowledged it…well, from confident, no-nonsense Edna, it was a confession of epic proportions.
So to leave Edna now , for any reason, would feel like…abandoning her. Emotionally. Not that Edna usually seemed fragile in any way—far from it.
Except for what she’d just said.
And…except for that moment Rachel had told Tessa and Amy about, when Edna had smiled and said how nice it was to have her here. Something in that simple smile had looked…almost girlish, childlike. Something in it had touched her far more deeply than she’d thought matter-of-fact Edna could.
And suddenly Rachel understood why. Stubborn, ornery Edna wasn’t always so tough.
Rachel let out a breath. She knew she couldn’t leave—not now, and not even in a couple of weeks. Her job was extremely important—but at this strikingly candid moment, Edna was more important. And if Edna needed her until the apple festival, well…she’d have to stay until the apple festival. Her heart demanded it.
Her heart. Sheesh. She’d not expected her heart to get involved when she’d come here just a few days ago. But already, something here—whether it was Edna, or her friends, or the town itself—was softening her. Just a little.
Which was a pretty big revelation—no one who knew Rachel would ever call her soft, or sweet. But she just tried to steady herself, push all those thoughts from her mind, and come back to the matters at hand: picking apples and spending time with her grandmother. And wrapping her head around the idea that this was her life until October.
The weather remained warm, but the apple trees provided enough shade that, along with a breeze sifting through the trees, the day was comfortable. And the workwas punctuated with the occasional buzz of a passing bumble bee and the fluttering bits of color provided by butterflies in the wildflowers that lined the creek. And when Rachel stopped to soak all that in…well, to her surprise, it was almost enough to make her forget all about her job. For a little while, anyway.
“Times change in Destiny,” Rachel mused to Edna without warning, “but they don’t really change here , do they? I mean right here, in the orchard. I guess nothing much has changed about these trees, or picking the apples, from when I was little. Or maybe even since you came here.”
She looked over in time to catch a another uncharacteristically wistful expression crossing Edna’s wrinkled face. “Maybe that’s why I like this time of year so much. It’s a lotta work, and a rush to make sure the apples all get harvested, but you’re right—standin’ on this ladder…well, if I didn’t know better, I could close my eyes and believe it was the first time I ever picked apples here next to Sugar Creek.”
Rachel watched as Edna did that then—closed her eyes, one hand on the ladder, the other pulling on the apple she already had in her grasp. Another happy, girlish look overtook her and Rachel wondered what she was remembering.
When Edna opened her eyes, Rachel asked, “When was it, your first year here?”
“Nineteen
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