She's Got a Way (Echo Lake #3) - Maggie McGinnis Page 0,19
cheek.
“I’m sure she knows what works in her normal setting. But this is decidedly not her normal setting.”
“Obviously. But why do you want to help?”
Luke sighed. “Because it occurred to me sometime in the past twenty-four hours that maybe the best way to convince Briarwood not to decimate our existence is to show someone from Briarwood how we do things here.”
“Ah.” Piper nodded. “But she’s not biting. So what are you going to do?”
“What can I do?” He put up his hands. “She’s determined to do it on her own, and I’ve got a project list fit for ten men. I guess for now, if she and the girls leave me alone, I’ll give them the same wide berth.”
“Mm-hm.” Piper poured ingredients into a mixing bowl, but kept her eyes carefully averted.
“Piper?”
She rolled her eyes. “I know. Shut up.”
* * *
“Gabi?” A little while later, Oliver swung out of the doorway of the admin cottage. “I have a thought.”
“Okay?”
“C’mere. I want to show you something.” He motioned for her to follow him up a pathway she hadn’t yet taken. It headed uphill from the beach area, toward a thick stand of pines, and it was cool as Oliver led her through the trees and up some stone steps that looked like they’d been placed in the hill a long time ago.
He paused halfway up, pointing out at the lake. “Best view on the property right here, don’t you think?”
She followed his finger, nodding at the view of tiny, colorful sailboats hopping along the whitecaps, but suspected his reason for stopping had more to do with catching his breath than showing her the scenery.
After a moment, he turned to climb the remainder of the hill, and it pained Gabi to admit she was huffing like an asthmatic by the time they crested the top. Before her was a large, flat expanse that looked like a former garden. To her left, over a split-rail fence, the view of the lake was incredible.
“Wow.” She tried to wipe her forehead subtly. “It’s gorgeous up here.”
“Yup. Maybe this is the best view on the property.” He nodded, then turned toward the grassy area. “Ever had a garden?”
“I tried doing herbs in a pot last year.” She shook her head. “It didn’t go well.”
He laughed. “Well, we plant this every spring, and whatever we don’t eat goes to the food bank in town. We haven’t had time to get to it this year, but I was thinking maybe you and the girls could use a little project. I hate to think of good growing land going fallow.”
“Really?” Gabi stared at the expanse of weeds and dirt. This looked like more than a little project.
“Really.” He shrugged. “It’s a little late to plant, but we could still get some good stuff out of it. Girls could pick out the seeds, and I’d be happy to show you how to make it all work.”
Gabi nodded slowly, picturing her four girls industriously hoeing and shoveling and exclaiming in delight as their little green sprouts appeared.
She rolled her eyes internally. Because yes, that’s exactly how it would go.
But still. It was a good idea.
“You know what? I think this is an excellent idea. Thank you, Oliver.”
Oliver laughed quietly. “Now, don’t go getting all starry-eyed about it. Gardens are a serious project. There’s a lot to it, but I’ll teach you, if you think your girls could benefit from the work.”
“Oh, they could definitely benefit from the work. Thanks, Oliver. This is great.”
He nodded, looking out over the lake. “Y’know, it might not be my place to say this, but if you’re willing, Luke’s been dealing with teenagers for a long time, and he’s been doing camp even longer. Boys, mostly, but the skills are pretty transferable. He might be able to help you, if you find yourself wishing you had some extra hands around here.”
Gabi frowned. “Am I giving off some sort of desperation vibe today?”
“Nope.” He shrugged. “We’re just used to working as a team here at Echo. We help each other out. Seems you’re now part of the team, whether you intended it or not, so we’re here if you need us. We can’t all be experts at everything. There’s no shame in asking for help, is all I’m saying.”
Gabi took a deep breath, her eyes catching on the sailboats. Oliver had no way of knowing her independent streak had already been six miles wide before she’d ditched her family, her home, and her trust fund ten years