Page 5 of Wishes on Wildflowers
Jasmine blinked and shook her head. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Why not? Their baby will be more than two months old by then. Logan has been helping Dan out over the winter with clearing driveways and such, and talking to him about Jesus. It seems like it would be a good gesture.”
“If they’re still together in July.” Jasmine grimaced. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just... Dixie. She has a reputation.”
“I know. We haven’t decided for sure. I’ve talked to Adriana about sewing my dress already — I want something really simple — but I want to wait until Eden and Jacob get back from their honeymoon before getting too deep into planning bridesmaids’ dresses and details like that.”
“Okay. That sounds fair. And besides, it’s none of my business whom you invite to be in your wedding party.Sometimes my mouth just keeps moving.”
“It’s fine, really.” Linnea shot her a smile. “I know you’ll tell me your thoughts, and it’s one of the things I value most about our friendship. You made me think about stuff I was trying to avoid last fall. So, thank you.”
Jasmine sighed and carried her cup into the living room, where she curled up in her papasan chair. “I might need some of your wisdom over the next while, so don’t be shy about telling me when I’m being an idiot.”
Linnea settled back on her favorite corner of the sofa. “I don’t think you’re ever an idiot. You see things more quickly and clearly than anyone else I know.”
Some thought of that as making snap judgments. “And sometimes my mouth gets me in trouble.”
“I think that’s true for all of us.” Linnea took a sip. “So, tell me more about this thing with Nathan. Why is he back?”
“How should I know? I didn’t ask, and Basil didn’t volunteer the information. Whether he’s here because Basil offered him a job, or they ran into each other at Main Market Co-op and the topic came up then, I don’t have a clue.”
“So, by working for you guys… do you mean full-time?”
“I don’t think so. He apparently has been doing marketing in L.A. for a few years. I think he’s planning to freelance here.”
“So, you won’t need to have a lot to do with him, right?”
Jasmine grimaced. “I don’t know. He’ll probably be underfoot all the time. We’ll be digging up the entire backyard at the guys’ house as soon as the rain stops, and Peter’s been talking to their elderly next-door neighbor about doing the same thing there.”
Linnea eyed her over the rim of her teacup. “Maybe you and Nathan need to have a long talk and clear the air. It’sbeen quite a few years, right? He might’ve matured.”
“A long talk? Are you crazy?” Jasmine surged out of the papasan. “I doubt he’s changed. I know I haven’t. Once people are past childhood, their personalities are pretty much set in stone. That’s why I think Dixie—”
“We’re not talking about Dixie. We’re talking about you. And I believe youhavechanged. Don’t forget I’ve known you since high school, even if not all that well until this past year.”
Jasmine stalked over to the living room window and glared down at Bridgeview, which sloped toward the Spokane River while the Maple Street bridge soared overhead to the new development of Kendall Yards on the north shore. The neighborhood she’d lived in all her twenty-seven years had certainly changed, but had she? Really?
Okay, she had to believe in change. Look at Linnea and how far she’d come since last summer. Could Nathan Hamelin have changed? He’d sure matured in looks. Oh, he’d always been mighty good-looking, but today he’d been... hot.
If they were going to see each other over business at Bridgeview Backyards, she’d have to set some ground rules. Number one: no gray Henleys.
3
Nathan followedPeter down the steps from the carport to the lower level of the aging bungalow. This lot wasn’t sloped enough for a walkout basement, which made it better for the vegetable gardens the Santoro guys planned to plant, but a bit less enticing for a rental. He mentally kicked himself. Like he could afford to be picky. Yeah, he’d saved up some funds from his time in California — enough to see him through a year if he were careful — but he’d rather put that down on a house of his own than squander it on rent. If he stayed.
Peter unlocked the basement door, pushed it open, and flicked on the lights. “It’s not much, sorry. We just moved in ourselves a few days ago and haven’t had a chance to clean down here.”
It definitely could use a good scrubbing, but it looked in decent shape. Plywood cupboard doors, painted cream, hung level in the tiny kitchen, and a small window over the single sink looked into the backyard at ground level. Across the main living space, a large window on the top half of the wall let in a fair bit of light. He scuffed his boot against the fadedfake-wood vinyl floor. Better than stinky, ancient carpet.
“So there’s a bedroom and a bath down here.” Peter led the way down the hallway. “They aren’t huge, but then neither is the house.” He opened the door to the bedroom.
Nathan peeked inside. The window, albeit smaller than the one in the living room, also faced the street, and the space came with a good-sized closet. He glanced in the bathroom across the hall with its shower cubicle instead of a tub. No worry there. He hated sitting in a tub while water went tepid.
“The rest of it is a shared laundry area and storage.” Peter opened the door at the end of the hall. “There’s a set of stairs up to the main house through there, but the previous owners also made sure the basement had that private entry from the carport. At any rate, you can use the laundry facilities, too. Alex has ordered a washer and dryer, and they should arrive in the next few days.”
“I can’t believe Alex bought a house.” Nathan shook his head. “Last time I saw him he was still a nerdy high schooler.”
His friend chuckled. “Alex is a go-getter. Uncle Ray paid his way through college, and Alex kept a part-time job and socked away every penny he earned. He’s been a full-fledged accountant for a couple of years now and stayed living with his parents until this past week.”
