Chapter One
Screeching tires jolted Ally Sweet from the relaxed state she had settled into. A car swerved across the highway in front of hers. It corrected, and straightened out into the lane. A quick shake of her head cleared the panic caused by the near collision.
“Peaches, you okay?” She looked over at the carrier buckled into the passenger seat beside her. After receiving a reassuring meow Ally focused on the traffic around her. It was a familiar drive, but over the years it had become much more congested. She was relieved when she finally passed the city limits sign.
Ally grew up an hour outside of the city, but her hometown was like another planet. She was just taking a short break, but her heart ached as she knew she was finally leaving behind not just a broken marriage, but also the life she had built.
However, the draw of where she was headed kept her tears at bay. Going home triggered memories of heat billowing out of an oven door, or laughter filtering in from the back porch, of little fingers plucking at piano keys.
Ally longed for the presence of her grandmother in ways that she longed for little else. She seemed to make the world make sense, and if it didn't for some reason, she would put it back in place. Ally took the next exit off the highway. The sign boasted 'Mainbry', but the name of the small town where she was headed was Blue River. The town got its name from the glistening blue river running through it. After only a few miles the scenery changed from pavement and concrete to fields dotted with cows and a handful of farm houses. A whiff of manure, freshly cut grass, and the promise of rain, was the smell that greeted Ally. She was home.
She turned down the long, dirt driveway of her grandmother's property with a sense of completion bolstering her. Whenever she heard the crunch of the rough road beneath the tires of her car she knew that she was home. She only had one foot out of the car when the front door of the small cottage burst open.
“Ally! Ally! Oh she's here, Arnold!” A petite, gray-haired woman wearing a bright floral dress bounded down the steps of the front porch. On her lightly lipsticked mouth was the biggest grin that Ally had ever seen. She always thought her grandmother had a way of sharing how she was feeling without ever saying a word. Without hesitation she rushed forward to meet her grandmother at the bottom of the
steps. Her initials were carved into one corner of the bottom step. A fond smile rose to her lips at the memory of etching them into the soft wood. She opened her arms to her grandmother as she had ever since she was a little girl. Arnold charged right up beside her.
“Hi Mee-Maw, hi Arnold.” Ally's heart swelled with love at the sensation of her grandmother's arms wrapping around her. She didn't even mind that Arnold was sniffing at her pocket. Arnold was known around town for his good sniffer.
“Arnold, do be polite.” Charlotte clucked her tongue with disapproval. Arnold scurried off into the house. For a rather portly pot-bellied pig he could actually move pretty fast.
“Let me look at you, honey.” Charlotte swept her piercing gaze over Ally from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Ally didn't feel criticized. Her grandmother had been looking her over this way since she was a young child. “My my, the city did good things for you.”
“Did it?” Ally looked at her with a sullen frown. “Doesn't really feel that way.” “Well, you just need some sun on your cheeks and some chocolate in your
belly.” She laughed and waved Ally into the house. Ally followed after her. There was little in life that she loved more than spending time with her grandmother. Their relationship had blossomed from parent and child to a close friendship.
The inside of the cottage was just as she remembered it. There were soft reminders of the past everywhere in picture frames, needlepoint, and even old pictures that Ally had painted as a child. She shouldn't have been surprised as it hadn't been that long since she had been there last, but after everything that had happened over the past few months she felt as if it had been a century.
“Come, have some tea with me.” Charlotte steered her into the kitchen. The kitchen held the most intense memories for Ally. She had spent hours as a young child sitting underneath the round kitchen table. She would play with her dolls, or imagine new worlds, while the grown-ups above her discussed all of the heavy things that life had dealt. Ally was under that table the day her mother admitted that Ally’s father had simply walked away. Ally barely remembered the exact words, but she did remember the scent of vanilla and cinnamon, which her grandmother always put in her tea.
“Here you are.” Charlotte set down Ally's favorite cup and saucer. It was a sky blue set with big yellow stars painted on the side. Ally's mother had made it when she was a child. Ally picked up the cup as she sat down. “Thanks, Mee-Maw.”
“I've missed you.”
“I've missed you, too.” Ally looked into her eyes. “More than you know.” “What's going on, my love?” Charlotte reached across the table and took Ally's free hand in her own. “Tell me all about it.”
“I just wanted to come for a visit.”
Peaches rubbed her long, orange body along Ally's leg. She felt the tickle of the cat's tail.
“I'm sure you did. But I'm sure there's a lot more to it than that. Hmm?” She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. Ally always admired her grandmother's beauty. It was classic in the sense that it didn't require a lot of make-up. Her features were more strong than feminine, and her flowing, gray hair should have aged her. Instead, to Ally, it made her grandmother magical. The bold green eyes that gazed at her were the same that Ally saw in the mirror each day. They weren't just a similar shade, they were the same shape and color. When Ally looked into her grandmother's eyes, she found it very difficult to tell a lie. This little problem had made getting through high school challenging for her.
“All right, all right.” Ally sighed and took a sip of her tea. As she set the saucer back down she rounded her shoulders forward. “I might not be handling the divorce as well as I first thought.”
“Well, how does one handle something like that?” Charlotte's lips pursed briefly as if she was trying to hold back a tirade. This was fairly unusual for her, as Ally was used to her grandmother always saying what she thought. “I mean, it's not as if you changed dentists, we're talking about the breaking of vows.”
“It wasn't like that, Mee-Maw. We just didn't get along anymore.”
“Because he's a heartless, immature beast of a man who wants nothing more than a servant for a wife.” Charlotte smacked the table lightly with her fingertips. “Does that about cover it?”
Ally tried not to smile. “Mee-Maw, there's two sides to every story. I was at fault, too. It just didn't work out.”
“So, do you think he's sipping tea and thinking about it somewhere?”
Ally's cheeks flushed. She knew that he wasn't. In fact she was fairly certain that he was with a friend of hers, and not likely thinking about her at all.
“No, I guess not.”
“See?” Charlotte shook her head. “Honey, I've always told you, you've got a big heart, and that's beautiful, but your brain has got to be bigger.”
“Mee-Maw!”
“I'm sorry. I'm just telling the truth.” Charlotte blushed a little. “Was that too far?”
“I just thought it would get better. I mean, everyone kept telling me, just give it a few more years, it will get better.” Ally took the last sip of her tea, with the hope that it would calm her nerves.
“I never told you that.”
“You're right. You were the only one that didn't.” Ally stared down at the table top.
Her mind flooded with the memories of all of the conversations she and her grandmother had shared regarding her marriage. Not once did her grandmother advise her to wait it out. Instead she had pointed out that Ally had already given up so much of herself, and still he was not content. Ally's eyes moistened with tears.
“Hey now, beautiful.” Charlotte caught Ally by the chin and tilted her head up so that she could meet her eyes. “You didn't do anything wrong. Love is love, and it will do as it pleases. Unfortunately, you are not the first woman in this family to marry the wrong man, and I feel certain you won't be the last.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better, Mee-Maw?” Ally offered a half-smile.
She blinked back her tears.
“There's nothing I can say to make you feel better. That's entirely up to you.” She gave Ally's chin a light pinch. “Don't you fret though. There are millions of men on this earth.”
“Oh no, thank you, I gave it a go, I think I'll fly solo from now on.” Ally stood up to clear away the tea cups from the table.
“We'll see, we'll see. One thing is for sure, we need to get you into the shop. That will help clear your head.”
“I am really looking forward to that.” Ally smiled as she thought of all of the time she had spent in her grandmother's handmade, gourmet chocolate and coffee shop as a child. The quaint shop served as a place to disappear from the world, and let go of all of her troubles, past and present. She had loved working with her grandmother in the shop and when she had first graduated from college she took a chocolatier’s course with the hopes of opening her own chocolate shop. But soon after completing the course she met her husband and her well laid plans were put on hold.
“Good, because there's plenty to do. My gift basket business has really taken off.” She paused a moment and met Ally's eyes. “I could really use the help.”
Ally drew a breath in surprise at her grandmother's clear request. Although Blue River was a small country town, Charlotte’s handmade chocolates had been very popular for years and were in increasing demand. Charlotte had started the shop as a coffee shop, gradually she began experimenting with making chocolates and what started off as a hobby soon blossomed into a flourishing passion and business. “Why didn't you tell me? I would have come to visit sooner.”
“Because I don't just want you to come to visit, Ally. I want you to come to stay.” Charlotte shook her head. “I'm getting older, darling, I need to rest.”
“Don't even talk like that, Mee-Maw!” Ally narrowed her eyes. A wave of dread consumed her. The very thought of her grandmother reaching an age where she felt less capable left her heart fluttering.
“Calm down, calm down, it's not like I'm going to kick it tomorrow.” Charlotte laughed. “I'm just saying it would be nice to have the help. Business is growing and you can help expand it further.”
Ally stared at her with parted lips and widened eyes. She wasn't quite sure how to process what her grandmother was saying. “You want me to move back here?”
“Would that be so terrible?” Her grandmother looked into her eyes. “You were happy here once.”
“I was just a kid. Of course I was happy here,” Ally said. “I don't know. I mean, of course I want to help, but I do have a life in the city, my job…”
“Which you hate.” Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “Well, I don't hate it but it's a bit boring.” Ally frowned.
“A bit?” Charlotte grinned. “I know that you feel like you're wasting your time there. Life is about passion, not the numbers on a paycheck. Listen Ally, I'm not asking you to stay now. I just want you to think about what you want in the future. I had always assumed, well hoped, you would take over the shop, but if that's not something you want, that's okay. It's your life, sweetie, and you've got to live it the way you choose. I'm thinking about my future, too, and I need to know if I need to think about someone else taking over the shop.”
“I do want to take over the shop, absolutely. I just hate the idea of you not running it.” Ally's mind spun with all of the thoughts that hadn't even been on her mind when she first arrived in town. It was difficult to think of her grandmother getting older. Ally felt as if she was the type of woman that was too strong and fierce to ever truly age. “Let me think about it, okay?”
“Sure.” She gave Ally's hand a squeeze. “Just remember you don't have to do anything anybody else wants you to do. You don't have to be anybody but who you are. That oaf of an ex-husband had your head turned around. Now it's time to think about what you really want.”
Ally squeezed her grandmother's hand in return. She smiled warmly at her. Her grandmother's words could be harsh, but they were always true. Daniel had insisted that she give up her dream of being a chocolatier and go to college, that she get her masters in business. It was all part of their five year plan before having children. He was determined that they would be wealthy. Ally understood the logic, but it did go against her values to some degree. Still, she had fully committed to their plan. What wasn't part of that plan was Daniel's roaming eye and his neglect, and most importantly the fact that they were never ever really suited for each other. She grimaced as she recalled the final arguments they went through.
“Thanks, Mee-Maw, I needed to hear that.”
Charlotte gave her a kind smile. “It hurts, baby, don't let anyone tell you it doesn't. But it does get easier. It gets easier a lot faster when you let someone new into your life.”
“No, absolutely not, no way, Mee-Maw. I'm not interested.” Ally looked at her with a stern frown. “You know I love you, and I respect you, but please do not get in the middle of my romantic life.”
“Would I ever even consider it?” Charlotte's mouth formed into an innocent circle and she fluttered her hand at her chest. “Really Ally. What would make you worry about that?”
Ally arched her eyebrow. “Maybe prom?” “Well, that was different.”
“Not at all.” Ally crossed her arms and fixed her grandmother with a stubborn glare.
“Very different. Brent was who you should have gone with. I just helped him out.” “Mee-Maw, I mean it.” Ally set her cup of tea down and yawned. “I'm a little worn out from the drive.”
“You take a rest. I'm going to take Arnold for a walk.”
Ally tried not to giggle. Her grandmother always took Arnold for walks. Most of the neighbors were used to it, but some still gawked. Yes, they lived in the country, but Charlotte was the only one who had a pot-belly pig for a pet. Ally gave her grandmother a quick hug. Then she headed for her room. The cottage was only two bedrooms. One had been Ally’s for as long as she could remember. It was painted a strange shade of purple that she had picked out when she was six. It was a gorgeous color to her then. Now Ally wasn't sure what to call it. Her bed was just as she had left it, with a thick quilt sewn by her great-grandmother spread across it.
Charlotte embraced tradition in their family, from heirlooms to etiquette.
However, she was not too strict when it came to the choices that Ally made. The walls of Ally's room were still hung with clippings and memorabilia from her high school years. As Ally sat down on the foot of her bed, Peaches jumped up beside her. Ally stroked the cat's fur. Her eyes swept around the room. In many ways it felt like a time capsule. She remembered spending hours dreaming about what it would be like to run away to the city. She thought her dreams would come true there. She never imagined that one day she would be curled up in her king-sized bed in her luxury apartment weeping for the simplicity of her childhood.
Ally sighed and walked over to the dresser. She still stored her country clothes in it. While living in the city she had acquired a more refined taste, only because she felt as if she embarrassed Daniel in her denim and flannel. She began to realize that her grandmother was right. She had changed so much of herself to please Daniel.
Maybe being back home for a while would give her the opportunity to find herself again. She changed into some comfortable clothes and then settled back in her bed. She stretched out. Immediately she was assaulted by tiny paws and a fluffy head.
Peaches bumped her head against Ally's chin and rubbed her cheek across Ally's. Ally smiled and nuzzled her right back. One good thing had come out of the city, her best feline friend.
“I know you're glad to be here, too. Lots of fat rats to chase.” She scratched lightly at the top of the cat's head. Peaches purred. She flicked her tail with delight. “I guess we'll just have to see how we both like it here. Maybe it is time for a change.”
As she laid back and closed her eyes, Ally felt a tug on her heart. Her childhood home held a lot of beautiful memories, but it also held a lot of painful ones. In particular the memory of her mother's battle with illness. She and Ally had moved back in with Charlotte as she went through treatment. Ally had been too young to really understand, but she had felt the tension and sorrow in the home. Charlotte had
transformed all of that by making their last days together one of celebration and joy. Ally still felt that subtle ache though. Her grandmother had been there for her every single day of her life since her mother passed, which kept Ally from feeling too lost, but she did wish her mother had been there as well.
As she struggled to clear her mind and fall asleep Ally felt the comfort of her great-grandmother's quilt over her, and the warmth and love contained in the walls of the cottage washed over her. She might not be able to decide if she was going to move back or not, but in that moment she knew that she was exactly where she needed to be.
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