“Lavender cake and honey buttercream frosting. Rayne hooked me up.”
“Eat this,” Viola said, snagging one of the cupcakes and shoving it into my mouth.
She really didn’t need to tell me that Julie’s hands were talented and sweet. I’d had just the lightest of tastes the night before. But the second my sister squashed the petite little cupcake into my mouth, I was overcome. It was so…perfect. The earthy, slightly spicy, taste of the lavender mixed with hints of lemon and honey. The cupcake melted in my mouth the way Mom’s pineapple upside down cake used to do. The cupcake’s lavender flavor, melding with Rayne’s honey, took me back. My head felt dizzy, and I was suddenly overcome with a memory of my mom and dad.
As if I were in a fog, I heard Mrs. Row call, “Everyone, please take a seat. We’re about to get started. A new member of the chamber of commerce, Miss Julie Dayton, is circulating the room. Please try one of her confections. She’ll be reopening Mrs. Aster’s Serendipity Gardens. She has samples for everyone. Try a bite. Don’t be shy. She’s sworn she’s taken out all the calories.”
Though I heard Mrs. Row’s words, my head was flooded with memory. It was like I was sucked back in time. In my memory, Viola and I must have been around eight and six years old. We were walking behind my parents as we meandered down the street during the Christmas bazaar. We’d just come from The Nutcracker and were dressed in our theater finest. I remembered the cold wind whipping through the fabric of my fancy dress pants, and Viola begging to stop for hot spiced cider. The scent of roasted almonds, gingerbread, and cloves filled the air.
“Of course, my little love,” Mom had told her, patting her gently on the head.
We turned and headed toward the cider stall but my parents delayed for just a moment as we made our way, stopping on the sidewalk just outside the old, broken down mill. A shimmer of ice and snow glinted off the frozen water wheel.
My parents kissed.
Viola giggled.
“Eww,” I said.
Dad laughed, stroked Mom’s cheek gently, then kissed her again. “Don’t you know why I always kiss your mom at the water wheel?”
“Why?” Viola asked brightly.
“Because this is where I proposed to her. Right here is where your mom agreed to be my wife.”
“The Water House, as the place was called back then,” my mom said wistfully, “used to be a restaurant. We had dinner there, then your dad brought me out here and proposed.”
“That’s so cute,” Viola gushed.
“Then we drank one of my first bottles of Blushing Grape ice wine in The Grove,” Dad said, smiling.
“Special night,” Mom whispered.
“The best night,” my dad corrected. “And the best Christmas gift ever, until you two came along,” he added, picking me up and putting me on his shoulders. “Now, I think I saw a candy cane about as tall as you over there. Up for a challenge?” he asked me, heading toward one of the vendor stalls.
“Of course!”
“That’s my boy.”
“Horatio,” Viola said then, shaking my shoulder, “we need to do something. Say something,” she added, and this time I heard the urgency in her voice.
“This town,” my dad shouted, “you people. You’re nothing but a bunch of ingrates! Ingrates! I should burn down the vineyard and see how long it takes before you all go out of business.”
“Mr. Hunter,” Mayor Cumberbatch said, looking pale, “we don’t mean to offend you. It’s just as Doctor Franklin and Mrs. Row shared, The Grove isn’t just a green space, it’s a historical landmark. When the witch trials reached Chancellor, it was at The Grove that the witches in this town—such as they were—came to an accord with the townspeople. Chancellor is unique among other early Puritan communities. The people of Chancellor embraced the skills these women had and honored their sacred space. The trees in The Grove—”
“Are just trees!” Dad shouted. “I’m offering you half a million dollars just to let me section off The Grove for an outdoor restaurant. I’m not going to cut down any trees. You’re being ridiculous. This whole town is being—”
“Dad!” I called.
I looked around the room. Everyone was staring at my father in shock. My dad had always been a shrewd business man, but this…this was something quite different.
My father turned and looked at me. His face was ashen. I could see he was trembling.
But now, I understood.
I remembered.
He was doing this for Mom.
“Mister Hunter, the vote has been tallied. The community has voted overwhelmingly against you,” the mayor told him firmly.
“We value history here,” Mrs. Row told him. “We’re sorry, but we cannot let you have The Grove.”
I looked from Viola, who looked pale, to Julie, who had taken a seat behind us. Her eyes were welling with tears.
The room was silent.
My dad ran his fingers through his thinning hair, took a deep breath, then straightened his tie.
He then turned and walked down the aisle of the meeting room and out the front door, the wooden doors clattering shut behind him.
“Go after him,” Julie leaned forward and whispered in my ear.
I looked back at her. She was right.
Viola turned to me.
“Vi?”
Viola nodded. “Go. I’ll stay and try to save the family name.”
With all eyes on me, I rose. “Excuse me, Mister Mayor.”
He nodded, understanding.
Turning on my heel, I headed outside into the night air. The fall air was bitter cold. It bit my cheeks the minute I stepped outside. It felt like it might snow. I scanned around and saw Dad walking down Main Street toward the restaurant.
“Dad?” I called, hurrying after him.
He didn’t stop.
“Dad?” I called again.
I finally caught him, and tried to take him gently by the arm.
Dad turned on me, tears streaming down his cheeks. His gaze was icy.
“You betrayed me,” he whispered.
“This isn’t about me and you. I know why you want The Grove. The Wheel. This is about Mom. I remembered the story…your proposal,” I said.
Dad winced at the last part.
“Dad, Mom would never want you to—”
“What do you know? What do you know about any of this?” he said then, shrugging me off. “You abandoned me, Horatio. You abandoned me too,” he said angrily then turned and headed back up the street.
I let him go. At last, I understood. Now I just needed to figure out how to make it right…for all of us.
Chapter 16: Julie
After Horatio and Aaron left, the room sat in stunned silence until Viola spoke.
“I…I apologize. My father’s actions, words, don’t represent all the shareholders at Blushing Grape. I think my father is…unwell this evening. You won’t be hearing from us about The Grove any further. Please, Mister Mayor, feel free to carry on with the agenda,” she said confidently.
Reassured by Viola’s words, the mayor subtly redirected business. What most of them didn’t see, however, was how Viola sat shaking in her seat.
“Are you okay?” I whispered, setting my hand on her shoulder.