Free Community Gardens (Community Garden Series Book 1) by Karin Boutall

of
accomplishment wash over her. But the clang of the entrance bells and
Roz's boisterous hello interrupted the moment. She stepped into the
nursery and focused on the work ahead.
    That
evening, when they arrived at the planning committee meeting, the
conference room doors stood wide open. This time, the members greeted
Roz and Joan. They asked questions about the gardens. They mingled
like butterflies on garden phlox. Peterman even helped set-up Roz's
clunky overhead projector.
    They
glided through the presentation without effort. They promptly
addressed all the questions raised by the council members. Near the
end, Peterman stated that they may finally get to enjoy the knock-out
roses hiding underneath the weeds. By the time he finished talking up
the project's benefits, everyone had agreed the gardens would be good
for the community. He asked for a motion to accept the proposal. He
got it. He asked for a second motion and got it. They all said aye
and the box gardens of Sand Hill Cove were born.
    After
the meeting, Joan walked behind the library to look at the site where
the box gardens would be installed, but it was too dark to see. “How
long had the street lights been broken,” she wondered. It felt
strange that a lot next to the public library had no lights. She made
a mental note to report it and headed back to the car.
    With
everything loaded, Roz closed the trunk and declared, “we are
rocking.”
    “Incredible.”
Joan smacked her hand for a high-five. “Celebration time?”
    “You're
on, whiskey and coke?”
    “Hmm,
Bailey's and coffee?”
    “How
'bout both. Think Blaine's got some?”
    “Of
course, after all, he and Buzz have to get the news somehow.”
    Roz
chuckled. “How much you want to bet Buzz is already
broadcasting the news?”
    “For
sure. They always know everything ahead of schedule and I think we
should find out how they do it.”
    Roz
clicked the remote until she heard the car lock beep. “This is
one night I'm going to remember for a long time.”

Chapter 11

    The morning fog rolled
across the park and lifted through the dense canopy of the live oak
trees. The morning was warm and moist. Even so, Joan sat outside on
an Adirondack chair munching on a huge cinnamon roll. After
yesterday, she designated this morning hers to enjoy with any treat
she wanted. Fresh baked cinnamon buns, as her mother had called them,
proved the perfect choice. Creamy cinnamon dripped between the flaky
dough as she peeled away a small layer then popped the morsel in her
mouth. Indeed, it was worth the fuss.
    After
leaving the library last night, they had walked to Holden's. Patrons
had jammed into the store. Near the sofas, a group played backgammon
on a thick oak coffee table. Several customers hung around the
stacks, browsing through books. The pub tables were full of customers
sipping lattes and reading computers. Jazz music, smooth and quiet,
hummed in the background.
    As
soon as they entered the store, Blaine introduced them to the crowd.
“It's the community gardeners of Sand Hill Cove,” he
bellowed before they even had time to tell him about the meeting.
This time she did not ask him how he had found out they'd been
approved. He would never divulge his sources anyway, at least not
without considerable chiding. She suspected he knew someone on the
planning board well enough that they had reported their plans to him
before the meeting even took place.
    Tonight,
she just wanted to enjoy the huge sense of satisfaction and pride
welling up inside her. So she recounted every minor detail of the
meeting, including who didn't like the idea and how they'd won them
over. Roz filled in with graphic tidbits about how easy it had been
to get them to agree. They talked until it was time to close.
    She
knew yesterday was the kind of day that would be hard to duplicate.
She munched on the last piece of roll, savoring it as long as
possible. At the sound of Roz's jeep nearing the corner, she
retrieved the pan of rolls