“Wow. That’s perfect!”
“Yeah, but she also said she liked them just as they were too.”
Kara laughed and reached up to kiss Scott, who was trailing Maeve. He had left the office early to pick her up and bring her to the garden center so she could tell Kara all about her first day of school before he took her to dance class.
“How are you feeling?” Scott asked, reaching over and gently touching her growing baby bump.
“Fine,” she replied. “My back is acting up a bit today. But it’s not too bad.”
“She’s a mite miserable to work with, though,” said Mary with a smile before stepping away to avoid hearing Kara’s protest.
Scott looked concerned for a moment, but Kara waved away his worry as she continued to focus on Maeve’s chatter about her day. “All my teachers told me the gardens around the school are beautiful now too,” she told her mother as the little girl spun around, being careful not to hit any of the garden center’s display shelves but admiring how her full skirt billowed out as she danced. “One teacher said you have a rare talent with flowers and trees,” she added, carefully enunciating each word to ensure she got them just right.
“Well, that’s nice to hear,” replied Kara. “It’s been a fun project to work on too.”
Evelyn walked out from the garden center office a moment later, and Maeve ran over to greet her grandmother with a happy hug. Jamie’s mother had spent the last year working part-time at the garden center, helping Kara manage all the new business that had come her way and taking care of the bookkeeping. It had been wonderful for Kara to have someone she trusted doing her accounting work and a great way for Evelyn to see more of Maeve too.
After a few more minutes of listening to Maeve’s excited chatter about her first day at school, Evelyn suggested that the little girl call and share the day’s events with her father. “Your dad would love to hear all about your day,” she told her. Kara nodded and handed Maeve her cell phone to call him, knowing Jamie would enjoy sharing in the excitement. Over the past two years, with her grandparents’ help, Maeve had forged a much better relationship with her biological father. Jamie had also taken on a new job in the city and seemed happy. Kara knew he must be doing well financially, as his support checks for Maeve were arriving regularly now and she was putting them all into a savings account so the money could be used for her daughter’s college years.
Elizabeth had also moved to the city from Larkin Bay and was waitressing part-time. Based on the stories about how she seemed to enjoy tormenting her older brother with her selfish demands for attention and money, Kara now firmly believed that karma was real.
As Maeve chattered happily with her dad, everyone else began closing up the garden center for the night. As they were finishing, the last Larkin Bay Garden Center truck, with its crews in brightly matching shirts, pulled up and Ernie came inside to update Kara on the large landscaping project they had worked on that day. Finally, everything was finished and they all headed out to the parking lot. Kara hummed happily to herself, following Maeve and Scott toward her own shiny new truck so together they could drive to the children’s dance studio in town.
The late-spring weather provided the perfect temperature for an evening walk after dinner, and Kara and Scott held hands as they walked through the quiet streets of Larkin Bay. Maeve skipped along ahead, carefully hanging on to the leash that kept Bo, her diabetes-alert dog, close to her. The little girl sang happily to herself as she picked up any rock or leaf along the way that caught her interest.
As the family walked past Sullivan’s Place, they waved through the front window at Mark. “Candy is back in town again?” asked Scott with surprise as she waved back at them alongside Mark.
“Yep, she’s here for the week. She came back to catch up with everyone. I think she gets lonely in the city by herself. She spends so much time here now she’s even thinking of buying a house somewhere close by. At least, that’s what Mark tells me.”
“Well, who would’ve thought that would happen? Seems like Mark and Candy have been spending a lot of time together, doesn’t it?” he asked, looking over at Kara and raising an eyebrow.
Kara smiled up at him. “They are. She’s even convinced him to come stay with her in the city a few times.”
Scott’s eyes widened. “Mark left Larkin Bay and Sullivan’s Place to go into the city? Well, I guess people really can change.”
“It’s early goings yet. We’ll see,” replied Kara. “Slow down, Maeve,” she then called out to the girl who had run ahead of them. “I can’t keep up when you run fast anymore.”
Kara and Scott both smiled as they watched Maeve stop and crouch down to talk to Bo while she waited impatiently for them to catch up. “Just think, it was only two years ago when I first learned Maeve had diabetes, and I thought my life was falling apart,” Kara said quietly as they caught up with her.
Scott squeezed her hand.
“And now look at us—Maeve is healthy and happy, we had a beautiful wedding, you’re running a prosperous law firm with Courtney, the garden center is doing wonderfully, and our sweet little home is being renovated so it’ll be the perfect family haven for all of us,” Kara finished contentedly while patting the twin bumps that were rolling gently underneath her maternity sweater.
“Things have turned out pretty well,” Scott agreed.
Kara laughed happily at his understatement and clasped his hand in hers again as they rounded the corner to walk down the main street of Larkin Bay. They stopped at the corner to admire one of the many pretty hanging baskets her garden center crew had placed along Main Street just that morning. When they finally reached the end of the street where the sidewalk met the lakeside boardwalk, Scott pulled Maeve closer so he could hug both her and her mother. She squealed as she was pressed up against Kara and felt one of her unborn siblings kick her.
“Careful! Mommy might protect you for now, but soon I’ll be able to get you back,” Maeve warned the baby with a kiss on Kara’s stomach. “You just wait until you’re bigger.”
Kara and Scott exchanged an amused glance, and Maeve, catching the look, giggled loudly. A moment later, both her parents joined in and the streets of Larkin Bay echoed with their combined laughter—the joyful sounds of Kara, Scott, and Maeve’s happily ever after.
About the Author
Leanne writes heartwarming, small-town romance books featuring strong and endearing women who often stumble but always reach their happily ever afters.
When Leanne isn’t writing, she spends her free time overseeing her small flower farm, baking cookies (that don’t contain raisins), and texting her three adult children.
Leanne also often retreats to her forested home in northern Ontario. She thinks it’s the best place in the world to couch-coach the Toronto Blue Jays, spy on hummingbirds, and read in the company of her needy dog, indifferent cat, and loving husband.
You can reach Leanne through her website:
www.LeanneStanfield.com
She’d love to hear from you.
Also by Leanne Stanfield
Return to Larkin Bay!
Jaycee's Bakery – available now.
Daisy's Dress Shop – releasing Fall 2024.
