Before Lena could explain anything, Jess pulled her into an embrace.
Lena breathed in the faint scent of baby lotion clinging to Jess’s shirt as strong arms enveloped her like a comforting blanket.
She couldn’t hold back any longer. And she didn’t even know if she wanted to. Tears streamed from her eyes, and a sob broke from her depths.
“It’s okay.” Jess pressed her closer. “Let go.”
And she did. As if a dam had broken, she couldn’t contain her pain any longer. She sobbed until everything washed away. The only reason she wasn’t carried away with the flood was Jess, whose calm presence anchored her. Even if Lena did get swept away, she knew Jess would come after her.
An eternity later, her tears had run dry, and she slowly regained awareness of her surroundings. She had soaked Jess’s shirt. And crumpled it. “I’m sorry.” She tried to remove the creases with her hand.
Jess stopped her futile movements, pressing Lena’s captured hand against the area she’d been rubbing. Beneath Jess’s right shoulder. At the swell of her breast.
Oh. Lena had been rubbing her breast.
Heat shot to her cheeks, and the embarrassment she’d felt after crying escalated to mortification. “I’m sorry,” Lena said again. It still wasn’t enough.
“Hey, don’t be. I’m glad I could be there for you, even if I only provided a shoulder.” Jess gently squeezed her hand before letting go. “Do you want to talk about any of it? The loan? Your mother?”
Lena shook her head, not trusting her voice. She pulled back her hand and reluctantly severed the connection to Jess.
“But please tell me if I can do anything for you.” Jess’s gaze searched Lena’s eyes. The brilliant blue held no hint of disdain or reluctance.
This time, Lena forced herself to speak. “Thank you. Really. But I need to do this on my own.”
“Okay. But whenever you want to talk, I’m here for you.” A grin broke through Jess’s concern like the first hints of color after a bleak night. “Do you want to hear some good news?”
“Oh, yes, your checkup! Is your heart doing better? And how’s Mrs. Jameson?” As if it was infectious, Lena couldn’t help grinning with her.
“Mrs. Jameson is fine. At least for now. And, yes, my heart’s much better, but that’s not what I meant. I ran into Diana at the hospital, and she told me the blackberries at her vacation house are overflowing and she needs someone to pick them all. We can go anytime.” Jess beamed proudly.
“Oh.” Not one but three pieces of good news. Great even. “Thank you.” Maybe the universe was still working on its balance and everything would even out eventually.
“May I sit with you for a bit?” Maggie carried a tray that held two glasses and a pitcher of tea with large ice cubes and mint leaves.
Lena hastily gathered the pencils and pens that had taken over most of the surface of the small wooden table. “Please. It’s your garden.”
“I didn’t want to interrupt your sketching, but you looked as if you could use some refreshment.” Maggie put down the tray with a sigh and poured them each a glass. Then she sat down, took off the giant straw hat she always wore in the garden, and fanned herself with it.
The slight movement of the air was welcome, even if it barely reached Lena’s side. When had the temperature risen? At least the walnut tree still provided enough shade for the table and both chairs.
“Thank you. That looks perfect.” The tall glass was cool, and Lena held it against her cheek before she took a sip. “Ah, this is delicious. And you didn’t interrupt anything important. I just had some unexpected time on my hands. The café rescheduled my shift.” She sighed. “They mixed up the schedule and don’t need me today.”
“Again?” Maggie’s brows wrinkled. “That doesn’t seem fair. Are they at least paying you? You kept the day free for them.”
“Pay? Why would they?” Lena snorted at the idea. “And even if they wanted to, they couldn’t. They barely make ends meet as it is.” She suspected there hadn’t been a scheduling conflict but the owners had decided to either do some extra shifts themselves or had found someone willing to work for even less than she did. “I guess I have to look for another job soon.”
“Oh!” Maggie grinned and clapped her hands together. “That’s wonderful!”
“Wonderful?” Had Lena missed the sarcasm in her voice? She couldn’t see anything wonderful apart from the fact she had the morning off. And she’d rather be working on reducing her debt.
“Of course I’m sorry they treat you like that at the café, but I have to admit I had another reason for coming out here apart from the tea. I heard back from my publisher, and I have the go-ahead for the next book: History of Gardening in the Pacific Northwest.” A proud smile appeared on Maggie’s face. “They already paid me an advance.”
“Congratulations.” Lena smiled with her. She didn’t see how that related to her news, but she was happy for Maggie. “What do you want to do for a celebration? Should I bake a cake?”
“Oh, no. It’s much too hot to bake. But I have a proposition for you.”
Lena smiled at the phrasing. Maggie probably needed help carrying a big bag of mulch or some decorative stones. She took another large gulp of the tea, then packed her sketching equipment into the soft leather roll her grandma had given her. “What can I do for you?”
“To include everything I want in the book, I need help. I can’t do it all on my own: gardening, research, typing, sorting my notes.”
Lena thought about it. Not if she would help—that was a given—but when. She had time today, and she was sure she could squeeze in a couple of hours here and there. As much as she liked their evening walks, maybe she would have to let Jess go alone for a few weeks. “Of course I’ll help you garden so
