Sparks and Turning Points
Dan got out of Villa 9's custom four-wheeler. The vehicle was sky blue with four oversized wheels and an upper frame so that passengers could add covering during inclement weather. He smiled as he walked up to the deck leading to BonBons Sereins. Amber stood at the door with a calm smile, two steaming mugs in her hands. She handed him a mug with a curious smile.
"Do we have time for breakfast?" Amber looked to the four-wheeler. "Or are we going to breakfast?"
Dan thought for a moment before he spoke. "I am sorry, Amber, I wasn't thinking."
She smiled again. "Don't worry. I have some breakfast sandwiches and some yogurt parfaits. Which would be better?"
"Something light. Probably the parfaits."
"Okay." Amber took a sip of her drink and led the way into the bakery.
She grabbed fresh yogurt from the fridge and made parfaits with their favorite fruits and a honey-almond granola. She brought them to the counter and sat next to Dan. He spooned a large amount of the parfait into his mouth and closed his eyes when a piece of pineapple burst in his mouth with flavor.
"So, where are we going?"
"It's a surprise."
They smiled at each other for a long while.
"I am sorry, Dan, but please remember I only have an hour."
"No, no. I understand. I am busy, too. It seems the zoning issue is no longer an issue and we can begin construction again, so I need to get back to it."
Amber breathed a sigh of relief. "That is great to hear." She looked at her phone and saw a message from her head of construction and knew her projects were going to be back on track as well.
They finished their drinks and parfaits, and Dan stood with a wide smile. Amber looked at him with a smile and cocked her head; then she stood and waited.
"I heard that you wanted to put a flower garden in behind the bakery. I was hoping that you and I could do it. If we need help, I will pay for the workers." Dan pulled out a crude drawing outlining his plan. He laid it out on the counter before them and Amber moved in close to see. Her heart was racing, and Dan could feel the excitement rolling off of her, and it made him excited.
"I think this egg shape would be best because we can put a large ecosystem-pond at the larger end. I chose several varieties of wildflowers and wild grasses already. You can veto any of it. I also chose topiary and hedges to make a natural border, and furniture and other smaller water features to place around the garden."
Amber was silent for a long time. Her hand moved over the drawing. Dan became nervous and decided that he may have made a mistake. "You can veto any of my choices."
Amber slowly shook her head. She looked up to him with a radiant smile.
"It's beautiful, Dan. It is exactly what I wanted." She looked at the listing of plants on the plan. "These plants are perfect—they are natural to the area and the thought of wildflowers is incredible. And your ecosystem pond—you even have snails and thought to use goldfish instead of koi. When do we start?"
"Today. We will lay it out, look over the plants and the seating options and…"
Amber frowned. "You actually ordered things?" Her frown had turned into a smirk before she finished.
Dan could not help but return her smile and nodded. "It's already out back, behind the bakery."
Amber almost ran to the back door of the bakery. Dan followed her with a smile. He was even surprised when he came out. He had taken the order at midnight, but it looked truly massive as the sun rose behind them.
Amber looked at him, rolling up her sleeves. "Where do we start?"
He had picked square and oval planters for the hedges. Amber liked both, and they used them to begin marking out the shape of the garden and the width and shape of the paths within it. They had been working two hours when Amber was looking at the flats of the flowers. She was looking at Dan's research on the best placements of the different types when her manager called her. She had to help with the baking because they had a big order.
Dan almost smiled when he saw her pout then frown.
"We can work tonight and again in the morning." She smiled and he got serious. "But remember, Am, this is just for us. We only hire workers if we can't handle something."
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I promise. Let's use the bags of soil to finish blocking everything off."
When they finished, Amber walked Dan back to his four-wheeler. "Thank you so much, Dan. I couldn't figure out what type of plants to use and your water feature ideas are marvelous."
They looked at each other for a long while. Neither one of them knew what to say. Amber's heart seemed to be shivering and Dan had knots in his stomach and his throat. It was only when Amber's manager called again that they were shaken back awake, but all they could do was wave goodbye to each other.
Dan was driving away when Amber was jogging to the lake house for a quick shower. Her phone buzzed in her pocket—it was Julia.
"Mrs. Lance-Trace, Christopher Patrick just sent us a proposal; he wants to invest a lot of money into Blue Serene. It will be more than enough for stocking the southern end of the lake and building the docks."
Amber frowned, but she did not stop jogging—she was already incredibly late.
"I am really busy now. Let's go over it later when we go over the financials today. The zoning mess has been reversed as well. Can you please shoot a text to the group text so everyone knows?"
"Of course. I will tell Mr. Patrick the proposal is under review."
"Good. Thank you, Julia."
Amber quickly undressed and jumped in the shower. Her mind was stuck on Christopher Patrick and his proposal. 'Was Jessica up to something?'
Suddenly, Amber felt like she wanted to fight for her husband.