Fate Actually (Moonstone Cove #2) - Elizabeth Hunter Page 0,20
7
The next free afternoon they all shared was on Friday. Toni had finished tuning a particularly touchy Jaguar that afternoon, so she was feeling accomplished as she led the way up the slightly overgrown trail between her house and Nico’s winery. “Okay, I’m not saying this is definitely where your vision was, but it’s a possibility.”
“The creek sounds right.” Katherine spoke from behind her. “Toni, you have a growing Centaurea solstitialis problem on your property.”
“What?” Toni turned her head to see Katherine pointing at the yellow thistles in the brush. “Oh yeah. Nico’s got people burning them all over the place. They’re impossible to get rid of.”
“Yellow star thistle is very invasive and resistant to burning,” Katherine said. “Tell him to hire goats.”
“Goats?”
Katherine nodded cheerfully. “Goats are extremely effective in keeping thistle infestations down. I can give him a few numbers if you’d like.”
“Sure.”
Megan was panting behind Katherine. “How long is this trail?”
“About half a mile. We’re almost up to the winery.” She glanced at Katherine. “You still haven’t seen the oak tree?”
“Not yet. But I think I’ll recognize it.”
Katherine’s vision had seemed innocuous at first, which was why she hadn’t been alerted to any violence. She’d seen a man who looked like Whit Fairfield with heavy bruising on his face, sleeping under an oak tree near a stream. The vision had been in the middle of the night more than a week ago, days before the morning that Toni had been interrupted by a million calls, a broken tractor, and a severed finger.
In retrospect, a vision about Fairfield “sleeping” was far more ominous than originally perceived.
Toni had immediately suspected the old walking trail that led from the Dusi winery to the highway. It followed Ferraro Creek down to Toni’s house, and past that, the highway. If you wanted to sneak into the winery without leaving your car in a noticeable place, that would be the way to go, and the creek was lined by hundreds of oak trees.
“Anything yet?”
“Not yet.”
They were nearly to the top of the hill when Katherine stopped and looked around. “There’s something we missed.”
Toni was flushed and tired from walking, but she didn’t want to complain. “What’s up?”
Katherine turned to look down the trail. “Perspective. Trees look different from different directions.”
“So you’re saying we might have already passed it?”
“I can’t hear the creek anymore,” Katherine said. “Can you?”
“Not really,” Megan said. “Just barely because I know it’s there.”
“But I definitely heard it in the vision. We need to go back.” Katherine started walking back the way they’d come. “We may have passed it.”
Toni sighed. “Maybe we’re just in the wrong place.” If they kept going up the hill, there was a bathroom at Nico’s house. She really needed a bathroom.
“Yeah.” Toni started down the trail. “It’s not really that far back to my house—I just have to pee.”
Megan motioned to the deserted trail. “You have a Kleenex? Pee. There’s nothing around here but trees and bushes. And thistles. Don’t squat in those.”
“That’s a good idea.” She patted her pockets. “I don’t have anything.”
Megan reached into the small backpack she’d slung over her shoulders before they started walking. “Here you go.” She handed her a small pack of Kleenex. “And don’t forget this.” She gave her a small bottle of antibacterial gel. “Do you want wet wipes too?”
Toni blinked. “Do you just carry that stuff around all the time?”
“I got a whole range of snacks too. It’s called being responsible for growing humans.” Megan patted her shoulder. “You’ll get the hang of it. They start out pretty simple. Diapers. Wet wipes. Boobs. That’s pretty much all they need at first.”
Toni was frozen in her tracks. Tissue in one hand, hand sanitizer in the other, and existential dread a tightly curled ball in her chest. “Megan, I don’t think I can do this.”
“Pee outside? Just find a tree, honey. No one’s around but us.”
“No. I don’t think I can be a mom.”
“Oh.” Megan’s face went soft. “Yeah, you can.” She drew Toni into a firm hug. “I promise you can. You’re going to be a wonderful mom.”
Toni felt stiff in Megan’s embrace. “I’ve only ever taken care of myself.”
“Are you kidding?” Megan pulled away. “You’ve got a huge family. You’re telling me you never babysat? Never watched your sister’s or brother’s kids? Never held a cousin’s hand when they needed it or cleaned up someone else’s mess? Not to mention all your employees. You take