Free Seasons of Sugarcreek 02. Spring's Renewal by Shelley Shepard Gray Page B

her city family planting a garden invigorating. After picking up a pile of dirty clothes and tossing them into her laundry basket, Lilly gathered some of the dishes and carried them into the kitchen. And then, before she could weigh the pros and cons of it, she walked back to the bedroom and opened her bedside table’s drawer and took out her digital clock. The green light shone an eerie 10:15. It was time to begin.
     
     
    Things seemed better after Lilly had showered and slipped on an old T-shirt and those shorts, which miraculously still fit.
    Her room certainly smelled better after she’d carried out the dirty clothes and stacked her dirty dishes in the dishwasher. After wiping down her desk and dresser with some furniture polish, Lilly finally felt like her room was back to normal. She’d always been organized and meticulous about her things. It was amazing how the dark cloud of depression could change years of habits.
    By eleven forty-five, she’d showered, cleaned, and gotten dressed. Lilly shook her head at how slow she’d become. Back in Cleveland, she used to do all those things in under a half hour.
    Almost grateful that her mother had given her a list of things to do, she poured herself a glass of orange juice, and tackled item number four on her mother’s carefully printed list: call the Sugarcreek Inn.
    After her employer answered, Lilly spoke in a rush. “Hi, Mrs. Kent. This is Lilly Allen. I thought I better call about my job.” She braced herself for a barrage of questions—and complaints. She’d been gone a long time and was a new employee, too.
    “Lilly, it’s so nice to hear your voice. I’m glad you called.”
    The sweet sound created a lump in her throat. “Thank you.”
    “We’ve missed you here. All of us have gotten used to your cheerful smiles and speedy feet. When will you come back?”
    It was time to dive in. Staying home in a dirty room was no longer possible. “Right away.”
    “Are you sure about that?”
    “Yes. I mean…my mom said that maybe I could come back part-time?”
    Mrs. Kent didn’t even hesitate. “Yes, of course. Can you start tomorrow? Maybe just come in for four hours? Do you think you could handle that?”
    Her boss was like a cyclone. She talked fast and in circles. Lilly could almost see her with a pencil on the calendar, impatiently waiting to either pencil in Lilly’s name on the schedule or erase it. “Yes?” she asked, though she wasn’t really sure if she was asking her boss the question or herself.
    “Good. I’ll see you at eleven. Can you do that? Can you work from eleven until three?”
    “Yes?”
    “Excellent. I’ll see you then.”
    After a quick goodbye, Lilly hung up the phone with a shaking hand. It was done. She was now officially working again and more or less back in the land of the living.
    She expected to feel overwhelmed.
    To her surprise, it felt good to have something new to think about. Already she was wondering if both Gretta and Miriam would be on tomorrow’s schedule. Next, she started mentally cataloging her clothes situation. She wondered which skirts and blouses were clean and which ones still fit.
    Maybe her mother had had the right idea, after all.
    Yes, being busy was the key to moving forward. Walking to the neatly printed map of the garden, Lilly smiled at the cute water-resistant place cards for plants that her mother had obviously bought at the nursery. Probably had paid too much for, too.
    They were brightly colored and in cute shapes. All Lilly had to do was write on each with a black permanent marker and stick the stake in the soil.
    Gathering them all in her arms, she walked outside and strode to the nine-by-twelve-foot rectangle. Their new garden. Neat rows greeted her, as did the distinct smell of freshly tilled dirt and fertilizer.
    She found herself smiling as she circled it, trying to get a sense of her mother’s map. Trying to imagine Ty and her mom carefully planting seeds.
    She sat down in the