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  Room to Grow

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and themes are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Published by: Faith Forward Press

  Mt. Juliet, TN

  Copyright © 2019 Lisa Heaton

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  ISBN: 978-1-7320068-7-4

  Scripture is taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

  Dedication

  To Ms. Vivian. Thank you for all the years of encouraging me to follow all these crazy dreams of mine. You see in me what I often don’t see in myself.

  And to Christopher, one of the sweetest young men I have had the privilege to know. You are a true blessing and hold such a special place in my heart.

  other Titles by Lisa:

  Unmending the Veil

  On 4/19

  Beyond 4/20

  Deceiver

  A Thousand Blessings

  Nonfiction:

  You. Are. Loved. Live the Love Song

  Contents

  Part One

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Part Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Connect with Lisa

  Part One

  Chapter One

  Distractions clamored all around her, precisely what Sophie had needed when she left the house. She sat in a coffee shop surrounded by a crowd of twenty-somethings, a view that took her back to when her own life was ahead of her rather than half-gone-by. In her khakis and a button-down, she stood out among girls with short boots, leggings, and long, loose-fitting shirts.

  The coffee was good, maybe even worth the hit to her self-esteem when reminded of who she would never be again. At almost thirty-nine, Sophie felt every bit of that and more after the past year. Smooth skin and soft chatter surrounded her while she sat looking at want ads for jobs she wasn’t qualified for.

  “Sophie?”

  She looked up to find a tall, dark-haired man smiling at her. It took a moment for his face to register, then she recognized the expression in his soft brown eyes.

  “Josh!” she said and nearly knocked over her coffee in an effort to stand up.

  He reached for her and gave her a quick hug, then pointed to the seat across from her. “May I sit?”

  For a brief moment she just stared, finding only a trace of the Josh she remembered. His face had matured, and the beginnings of tiny lines formed at the corners of his eyes when he smiled. Now broad and muscular, he hardly resembled the lanky teenage boy she once knew.

  “Sure,” she said. “I’m just sitting here scanning the want ads. I need a break from that.”

  “I’m happy to give you a break. I just happened to be in the area for an appointment. I’m glad now I was running early enough to stop in for a coffee.”

  “I don’t come here often,” she said. “Guess today is my lucky day.”

  “No way. I’m the lucky one.”

  He moved around one more seat to sit closer to her. “Wow! You haven’t changed a bit. You’re exactly how I remember you.”

  “Hardly. I’m feeling every bit forty.”

  “What? You’re not even thirty-nine, yet, because I just turned twenty-nine. Your birthday is in September, right?”

  “How do you remember that?”

  “I remember a lot of things,” he said. “I like that you still wear your hair long. It’s darker now from the winter, but once you get back out in the sun, it’ll be the blond I remember.”

  The way he looked at her was unusual, especially considering it had been so long since they had seen one another. Like that last day, his expression now was tender.

  “It’s been a long time, huh?” she said.

  “Yeah, too long.” His smile faded. “I’ve wondered how you were. I heard…”

  “Yeah,” she said, with a wave of her hand. “Who hasn’t, right? I think most people knew I was getting a divorce before I did.”

  “Not me, but I found out soon after.” He hesitated and shook his head. “He’s an idiot – always has been if you ask me.”

  His words made her smile and took her back a decade to when they had spent the spring and summer working together. “You’re sweet.”

  “I’m truthful.” He blew on his coffee and took a sip. “So how’s Chloe? I bet she still looks just like you.”

  “So much it’s scary.”

  “Nothing scary about that. She must be gorgeous.”

  Sophie’s cheeks grew warm at the way his eyes softened and his grin widened.

  “I guess she’s in college now,” he said.

  “She’s a junior at UT, Knoxville.” Sophie smiled knowing Josh had gone there himself.

  “Good for her. Great school.”

  “I’ve wondered about you, too,” she said. “I watched you play ball that first year. You got more field time than any other freshman.”

  He only nodded.

  “I looked for you. You didn’t play your sophomore year.”

  “I chose a different path. Of course, my dad was furious and didn’t speak to me for months.”

  “I’m glad you followed your heart,” she said. “It’s not easy to step off the beaten path when others expect so much from you.”

  “No, it isn’t, but when you have someone special speak into your life, you find the courage.”

  There was something in his words that held a deeper meaning. She smiled, remembering well that gangly eighteen-year-old young man heading off to college, terrified of the road ahead.

  “You just needed room to grow.” She couldn’t help but wonder if he remembered her saying that before.

  He nodded. “That was exactly what I needed. All through my freshman year, I thought of that phrase. I had committed to the team so I stuck it out, but even from day one, I knew it wasn’t my path. Your words changed everything for me.”

  For a moment she said nothing. She couldn’t. His expression was familiar though years had passed since he had worked for her. He was an old soul, wise beyond his years. Time had never erased that season from her memory or this young man’s presence from her life.

  Josh reached for her tablet and turned it to face him, his face contorting into a grimace. “Retail? Why are you looking for a job in retail?”

  “It’s what I’ve done the past couple of years. Even before the divorce, I worked part-time for my friend at her boutique. Then this past year, she hired me full-time.”

 
; “You’ve left that?”

  “Karen closed the shop and moved to Dayton.” With a shrug, she said, “Now, here I am…”

  She considered all the ways she could complete that sentence. Here she was at her age with no experience beyond mothering and being a wife, looking for a job. Here she was with no direction in life. Here she was entering the workforce, competing against girls half her age.

  “Flapping in the breeze?” he said.

  “That’s what I am, flapping in the breeze.”

  “Why not landscaping? That’s what you’re passionate about.” He paused. “Well, I assume you still are.”

  “I am, but I have no experience on paper.”

  “What does that matter?”

  “Plenty to the one hiring.”

  Josh grinned. “So, you never asked me the path I took.”

  She shook her head. “No you didn’t! Landscaping?”

  “Sure did. I got my masters in landscape architecture.”

  “That’s amazing!”

  “You did that for me,” he said. “Ignited a passion I never even knew was there. Now, it’s my entire life.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say you’ll come to work with me. We need someone.”

  “To do what?” She paused and thought. “I mean, what would I put on my application as experience? All I’ve done is work at my own house.”

  “I’ll put in a good word for you.” He smiled even wider. “I’ll put in a great word for you. You taught me everything I know.”

  “That’s hardly true.”

  His smile faded, and he became serious. “You gave me my start and changed the course of my life that summer.”

  “Again, I don’t know what to say.”

  “It’s more than work, Sophie. I am where I am in my faith because of you. I’m not sure you saw the fruit of it back then, but you pointed me toward God. It just took a little time for me to settle into my faith. I am now, strong and growing with Him every day.”

  Tears stung her eyes. They had spent countless hours in her backyard digging and planting and transplanting. After her knee surgery she had needed the muscle to help prepare for spring. At the time she had no intention of keeping Josh around for the summer, but once he began to help, she ended up paying him to work until he went to college. It was one of her best summers.

  Now, that woman so full of faith seemed a thousand years behind her.

  He looked at his watch. “I’m about to head out on an estimate. Go with me.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?” With a tap on her tablet, he said, “Are you so busy trying to find a job that you can’t go to work?”

  “I don’t work there. I haven’t even met your boss.”

  He chuckled. “Sophie, I am the boss.”

  “You have your own company?”

  “I do. Been in business for six years now. We’re growing so much that I can’t keep up.” He stood. “Just go with me. See what I do and then decide.”

  Soon enough she was waiting to climb into his truck while he removed his clipboard and a stack of folders from the passenger seat.

  “Ignore the mess. I live out of this truck.”

  She slid into her seat and buckled up. “The company name on the door, RtG Landscaping, what does that stand for?”

  Josh pulled the gearshift into reverse and only glanced her way. “Room to Grow.”

  “Shut up!”

  Josh nodded. “It is.” Before pulling out onto the highway, he stopped and turned to her. “I meant what I said. You altered the course of my life. The name was my way of honoring you.”

  Along the drive he told her more about the company and the people who worked there. Rodney was over his labor force, and Justine, Rodney’s wife, ran the nursery.

  “You have a full garden center, open to the public?”

  “I do. The place next to me burned down, so I bought the lot. I never intended to open a garden center, but now it makes sense.”

  “I’ve been out that way and didn’t even know you were there.” She considered it. “I guess it really does make sense. Helpless people come in with no clue what or how to plant. Then you offer landscaping services.”

  “That’s it. It’s more than doubled my business.” He glanced at her, then back at the road. “The reason I need a right hand.”

  She grinned at that. “What will your right hand do?”

  “Communicate. I’m not the best at that. I can hold my own while I’m out in the field, but then there’s the constant hand-holding that has to be done before, during, and after a job. I would say I drop the ball there, but the truth is, I avoid the ball. I’m just not good at the follow-through.”

  “You need a liaison between you and the client?”

  “Exactly. Once I get the design approved by the client, then you would step in. If I had someone to work through the details of scheduling and the changes that every customer makes, I could move on to the next job.”

  “I can see how that would help,” she said. “Would your right hand oversee execution?”

  “No, Rodney knows what he’s doing and keeps that ball rolling in the field. You would be available when needed. You and I would show up on the first day of the job to make sure it starts without a hitch. Then you would stay in touch with the client.”

  “Sounds easy enough.”

  “You can go with me on the initial estimate and as needed after that. When the job begins, the client will already know you and be comfortable contacting you.”

  “You mean contacting your right hand.” She smiled. “We haven’t determined that’s me yet.”

  “Oh, I’ve determined it already. I’m not sure why you’re behind, but I’ll get you caught up.”

  They pulled into a driveway, and Josh exited the truck before she could respond to that. When she stepped from the truck, she had to steady her hands. It all seemed too good to be true. How could it be possible to do what she loved and get paid for it? No matter the salary, she would take the job if he was serious. Her house and car were paid for, so other than taxes, utilities, and monthly expenses, she didn’t need much.

  She caught up with him on the porch and waited without speaking until the door opened. The woman who greeted them was at least in her sixties, maybe older. Her hair was fluffy white like cotton and her smile infectious. They made a stop in the kitchen for coffee and a pastry she insisted they try and then finally on to the backyard.

  Much of the space was barren, anything but inviting. The yard had great potential but needed some love, reminding her of her own yard when she and Kevin had bought the house.

  Josh began to ask questions, so Sophie listened to get a feel for how he operated. His way with Mrs. Wilkes was warm, unlike a business meeting. If she were an outsider looking in, Sophie would believe him to be the woman’s grandson. He was patient with her while she rambled about topics that had nothing to do with her landscaping project. Without much effort Josh would guide her back to the decisions to be made.

  “What do you think, Sophie?” Josh said after he had come up with a basic plan.

  She looked up at Josh and then back at the oak tree that would be removed. “Well…”

  “Be honest. That’s what a right hand does.”

  “I’m not sure why the tree needs to come out.”

  Mrs. Wilkes spoke up. “My neighbor says it’s an eyesore.”

  Sophie disagreed. “Maybe in its current state, but shaped up, I’m sure it would be beautiful. I wouldn’t trim too much.”

  She walked beneath the tree and looked at the house from there, allowing the space to speak to her.

  “This tree is begging to be a shade tree, a place where you sit and read and enjoy even a hot summer’s day.” She pointed to the ground all around the tree. “We could plant some hostas and ferns, maybe some red columbine and purple Jacob’s ladder if you like those colors.”

  “I love those colors,” Mrs. Wilkes said. “What el
se?”

  Sophie looked toward the fence to the right of the house. “There, we could claim that spot for a butterfly garden. You would see it from your bench here under your reading tree.”

  She paused and looked at Josh. “We won’t know what’s next until we see this space complete.”

  He stood for a few seconds and stared at her, then said, “It’ll tell us what’s next when we get there.”

  “It will,” she said with a smile. That was another phrase she had used with him that summer.

  Mrs. Wilkes walked over to the tree. “I like the idea of keeping the tree. I want to make this a backyard my grandkids will enjoy.” She looked up at the branches. “A reading tree – I like that.” Then she turned back to Sophie. “Young lady, you just saved a tree.” She winked. “And me a whole lot of money.”

  They said their goodbyes, and Sophie left the house with a strong sense of accomplishment. Just like in the old days when she would take an empty spot in her own yard and allow it to grow into something beautiful, Sophie felt full inside, brimming over with life and purpose.

  She climbed into the truck and turned to Josh. “See what I mean?”

  “What?”

  “I’m terrible at this. I should have listened and kept my mouth shut.”

  “I wanted you to do exactly what you did. You helped her to catch a vision. I’ll work something up and let you look over it. Then we can present it to her for approval.”

  “But now the job is smaller. I literally cost you money.”

  “You gained us a loyal customer.” He shifted into gear. “Plus, her neighbor told me she’s considering a pool for the grandkids. I have a feeling we will see a lot of Mrs. Wilkes.”

  They drove toward the coffee shop and Sophie’s car, but as they came to the interstate, Josh said, “Rather than dropping you off now, want to ride into Nashville with me and see the nursery?”

  “Sure. Where is it?”

  “Berry Hill.”

  “That’s a great area. Chloe and I have eaten at the burrito place.”

  “I go there a lot.” He glanced at her. “Now, you can too since you’ll be working so close.”

  “Are you sure about this?”