She’d moved an air mattress into the master bedroom, had some towels and two plates. That was it. The porch was going to have to wait if she was closing on her house on Monday. She needed to paint the inside and have it dry before she had the movers bring her larger things over.
“Wow,” Eden said, looking up at the house. “I haven’t seen it since you’ve done all this painting. The outside looks fantastic.”
“Thanks. Come see the inside. The drywall is up and ready to be painted.”
Stella opened the door with pride almost bursting out of her chest. Her sister-in-law oohed and aahed over the house as Stella gave them a tour.
“Is this my room?” April asked about the bedroom right next to the master.
“It sure is. Do you like the paint I picked out?” Stella asked, handing her a pale pink paint chip.
“It’s so pretty, Aunt Stell.”
“I will get to work on it tonight.”
Eden cringed a little. “I do have one more favor. Karl is working late and I have a meeting with a potential huge client. Can you watch April today? Karl and I will come over when we’re done to help you paint.”
“Deal!” Stella said quickly. She’d take all the help she could get.
“You’re the best. Thanks, Stell.” Eden hugged her and then hugged April. “Be good when Aunt Stell has her meeting. You and Jimmy can play the quiet game, okay?”
April nodded with determination. “I brought my nail polish. I can paint Jimmy’s nails while Aunt Stell has her meeting.”
“Great. I’ll see you both tonight.”
“Come on, Squirt. Let’s get back to the nursery and you can help me get ready for my big meeting.”
“Do you give the trees bottles?”
Stella lifted April into the truck and stepped back as Jimmy leapt in. “No, why?”
“Because it’s a nuwsewy. Babies need bottles.”
“Of course they do. Only we use sprinklers instead of bottles. If you want, you can feed some of the new trees.”
April talked excitedly as they drove back to the nursery. Things were finally looking up. No more run-ins with Rick. No more hiding when he came into her flower shop on the days he knew she worked. She was ready to stop looking back and only move forward.
2
“Aunt Stell!”
The cry echoed through the nursery as Stella waved goodbye to her new client as he drove away. She’d secured the contract for the first smaller development. If all went well, she’d be the developer’s go-to landscaper.
April’s sobbing cries had chills running through her that quickly banked any excitement she was feeling. Stella spun around and saw April running toward her with a limp. Tears rolled down her face as she tried to breathe between her sobs. Jimmy ran next to her with something large dangling from his mouth.
“What is it? Are you hurt?” Stella yelled, trying to keep the panic from her voice.
“A snake huwt me,” April cried as she pointed to the thing in Jimmy’s mouth. “Jimmy tried to save me, but the snake bit me.”
Stella dropped to her knees in front of April and grabbed her arms. “Where did he bite you?”
Jimmy dropped the snake next to her and began to lick April’s tears. Stella had to shove him back and put him on a stay before she could find the puncture marks.
“My leg and it huwts!”
Stella looked down and saw the two puncture marks. It wasn’t a close call. She’d been bitten and Stella knew very little about snakes except for the smaller, harmless ones you found in gardens. The snake Jimmy dropped near her wasn’t small. It was thick and long and she had no idea if it were poisonous or not. She tried to remember the venomous snakes in the region—copperheads and timber rattlers and maybe even cottonmouths. It definitely wasn’t a rattlesnake. And while it was darker in color, that didn’t mean it wasn’t a copperhead. They could vary in their coloring depending on age. She knew that from hiking.
“Okay.” Stella pulled out her phone with shaking hands. She didn’t know if Keeneston had a 911 center or if it went to the state police. “It’s okay. We’ll call some nice people out here to look at the snake and the bite. They’ll tell us what to do.”
Stella was struggling to keep it together. Her voice shook as she heard the 911 dispatcher answer. “My name is Stella Winters,” she said, rattling off her new Keeneston address. “My niece has been bitten by a snake.”
“Do you know if it was venomous?”
“I don’t know enough to be sure about identifying it,” Stella admitted.
“Were you able to see it?”
“My dog killed it and brought it to me.”
“Good. That will help the doctors. I’ll contact the local authorities, and they’ll be there as soon as possible.”
“Please hurry. My niece is only three.”
“I’m contacting them now.”
Jace shook his head at his cousin Colton. Jace was only a couple years older than Colton and they’d grown up as close as brothers. Colton had just told him some of the antics his new firehouse crew were pulling on each other.
“Hey, guys.”
Jace looked up to find Ariana Ali Rahman standing there looking at them with her big brown eyes, her long dark-brown hair hanging down her back. Her twin older brothers had inherited their mother’s dark blue eyes, but Ariana was a beautiful feminine version of her father, Prince Mo of Rahmi. She was around the same age as Jace and they’d gotten along well growing up, since they were both the quiet ones.
“Hey, Ari. Take a seat,” Jace said, pushing out one of the chairs at their table inside the Blossom Café.
“I wish. I have a videoconference soon. King’s orders. It’s making me miss the Daughters of Elizabeth’s teleconference.”
Ari had been defiant growing up. She was smart and sneaky and routinely out-maneuvered her older brothers, Zain and Gabe. Though quiet, she enjoyed pulling the princess card when it suited her. It helped that her uncle was an actual king. It also got her some very nice perks after college. However, after attending her first Daughters of Elizabeth Ball, hosted by Jace’s cousin Sydney, something had shifted in Ariana. Gone was any reference to her title. Instead, she’d instructed everyone to call her Ariana, although those closest to her still called her Ari. She’d also started volunteering her time, patronage, and money to Sydney’s charity to help stop human trafficking, and she’d started fighting for human rights as well.
“That’s the diplomatic life for you, huh?” Colton asked as he took a bite of his fried catfish sandwich.
“For now. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m equal parts love it and hate it. My uncle is giving me mostly free rein to choose what I’m interested in, so that’s good. I’m focusing on human rights and trying to help Sydney take Daughters of Elizabeth to an international level. However, it’s like they’re patting me on the head for my good work but still telling me what to do. Like this call I have to take on behalf of the king. I guess I just thought I’d do more with my life.”
“I think changing the world for the better is doing plenty,” Jace told her kindly.