~ This story takes place after the series end and what might have been a suitable storyline for a series finale. It will be posted in parts – still a work in progress so please enjoy and let me know if you would like to see it continue. Thanks! ~
~ Disclaimer – I do not own these characters – I'm just borrowing them to tell a story. ~
"When we finally washed up on that beach in Rio," Nick Riley recounted as he reached for another apple slice, "I nearly kissed the sand. Scariest storm I've ever been in. We had nothin' left- ship was torn to pieces..." He took a bite of the fruit. "But we got lucky," he mumbled as he chewed. "It was the first night of some street carnival. Most amazin' thing - ain't seen nothin' else like it." The former merchant marine shoved the rest of the fruit into his mouth and grinned. Josephine Bhaer smiled back at him, the warm New England summer breeze blowing across the pond. She relished the sun's heat as well as Nick's story as the couple sat on the banks, enjoying one of the first picnics of the season and some rare time alone. The air was sweet with honeysuckle, their blanket covered with a delicious feast, Nick stretched himself alongside Jo while she stared across the waters.
"You are so fortunate, Nick," Jo marvelled, brushing crumbs from her skirts. "You have had experiences most only dream of. A street party would have been so exciting!"
"It was definitely interestin'," he replied, leaning over to grab a piece of bread. "Plenty of food and music… and the women had these real little costumes…" He stopped himself as Jo gave him an unamused but teasing look. "Ah, well… it certainly was excitin'." He sat up, trying to change the subject and smooth things over. "You musta been to some pretty nice parties yourself."
Jo paused for a moment to think but shook her head. "No, not really. Meg and I attended a few cotillions when we were young but nothing so impressive," she lamented, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I wasn't much for all the fuss with those types of things. And I was never particularly good at it either." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "But it didn't matter anyways - it wasn't like I had suitors lining up at the door."
She could feel the color rising in her cheeks as she glanced shyly at Nick, who looked at her tenderly. "They musta all been fools," he said gently, taking her hand and caressing her palm. "But I guess it worked out for me."
Jo smiled contently, that warm feeling coursing through her at Nick's touch. They had been courting for the last several months, their relationship progressing despite the couple's original concerns. Beyond all the doubts, their bond continued to strengthen. They exchanged a longing glance with one another for a few moments, Jo delighting in the attention. "For me as well," she whispered as Nick leaned in, grinning, his fingers lifting her chin as he brought his lips softly to hers. She closed her eyes, savoring his mouth and squeezing their still connected hands. She had gone a long time, since her husband's passing, missing these types of little pleasures and since the responsibilities of running a school and being a mother kept her busy, she cherished the moments that were just for her.
Nick slowly pulled away, Jo instantly longing for his warmth. She hesitantly opened her eyes and found Nick smiling at her, his fingers still against her chin. "But don't you miss it?" she murmured, her gaze locked on his.
"Miss it?" he asked, a bit confused. He backed away slightly, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb.
"The adventure… the excitement," Jo answered, trying to be serious but his touch was distracting. "Wouldn't you want to do that again?"
Nick chuckled and to her disappointment, removed his hand from her face. "Nah… not really." She gave him an unconvinced look as he went for another slice of apple. "Well, maybe a little," he said, taking a sudden interest in inspecting the fruit. "Yeah, it was excitin' - had a chance to do things I woulda never done. But it was just a job." He took a quick bite before continuing, a nervous hand running through his hair. "I was on my own, Jo - didn't have much of anythin' - nothin' tyin' me to any particular place. So, sure… it was fun - all that travelin'."
He swallowed hard and took her hand again. "But times change… things change." He looked into her eyes. "Now I got a place to call home…" he said softly, removing the distance between them. "And I'm in love with the most amazin' woman…" He paused briefly, his mood serious, "If I left all this, I'd be the fool."
Then he brought his lips to hers once more, the kiss much more passionate as Jo placed her hands on his chest, his framing her face. It was the type of kiss that made Jo lose all sense of time and a small moan echoed in her throat; Nick always knew how to make her feel special. After several moments, Jo was the one to pull back this time, propriety overtaking want. She smiled coyly, "I guess I would just be in love with a fool then."
Nick chuckled softly and regarded her with great affection, his gaze never leaving hers. "How did I get so lucky?"
Jo gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and a teasing glance. "It certainly wasn't all those women in Rio…"
XXXXX
Dan picked up the heavy wooden toolbox, surveying the items inside and finding that the hammer was missing, yet again. He began to search the large table that sat along the inside of the Plumfield barn, a nearby lantern serving as the only source of light. Even though it was almost midday, the barn was dark, making it difficult to find anything, including the elusive hammer.
Dan sighed and crouched down to look on the floor, wiping the sweat from his forehead. The June heat had come in steadily, for the past two weeks, each day seemed to grow hotter. It made it almost impossible to get anything done around the school and grounds. At least today he was not trapped in the classroom - Mrs. Jo had given him permission to help Nick with a few of the more pressing tasks before the noon sun made it difficult to be outside. The school could be stifling in a different way - Dan did appreciate the need for an education; Mrs. Jo had taught him so much. But he would rather be working with his hands, side by side with Nick who taught him the practical things, preparing him for what Dan believed to be "real life" - not just what could be read in a book.
"Any luck there Dan?" Nick called from outside the barn door. Dan heard the door slowly creak, the light from the opening spreading across the floor. From the corner of his eye, the young man spotted a glimmer from polished iron sticking out from between the legs of the table.
"Found it!" Dan exclaimed, jumping towards his discovery. He crawled over the dirt floor and grabbed the tool, standing to present it to Nick who had come in out of the sun.
"We gotta find a better system for these things," Nick lamented, taking the hammer, wiping the dirt off the handle. "I lost the screwdriver the other day and found it next to the chicken coop."
"Maybe we can get one of those new tool belts that Mr. Gerson got in last week?" Dan suggested as they walked back outside, his eyes squinting at the sudden bright light. "They look like they've got a lot of places to hang tools - and we wouldn't be leavin' them everywhere."
Nick smiled as he wagged the hammer in agreement. "Good idea. I'll see if I can pick one up when I take Mrs. Jo into town tomorrow."
"So, what's up next? Chicken coop? Barn door?" Dan asked, surveying the never-ending list of things that needed mending. As he got older, he began to recognize the destructiveness that came along with a school for mostly young boys. And that coupled with the regular duties like chopping wood and hauling water, it was a constant state of chores at Plumfield. Dan could remember a time, right after Mr. Fritz had died and the sudden departure of their previous caretaker, there was a momentary look of defeat on Mrs. Jo's face. He didn't quite understand it then but now, as things piled up, he realized that they would have been completely lost if Nick hadn't appeared on the porch.
"It's the gate - again," Nick replied, heading across the yard, towards the front path. "I'm not sure we can do anythin' right now - might need a new hinge but we'll take a look."
Dan sighed, following after. Despite the exhausting heat, he was enjoying this time. He always learned something new from Nick - whether it was figuring out what one of the kids had done to clog the chimney or how to fuse together an iron latch with nothing but a lantern flame, the lessons were invaluable. For a young man who had lost his own father at a young age as well as a mentor in Mr. Fritz, he felt grateful for each moment.
They reached the gate and Dan could see the left metal door was leaning against the dirt road, the top hinge had completely come away from the line post. Nick stepped between the pickets, pulling himself up for a better inspection. "Dan," he called, "come here an' take a look."
Dan replaced Nick on the bar, the hot metal burning his hand as he lifted himself to inspect the problem. He could see the hinge plate had several separated knuckles, most of them twisted and the pin could no longer hold the plates together.
"Well?" Nick asked after a few moments, giving the boy time to survey the damage. His eyes were expectant as if asking a complex math equation, all the while knowing the right answer.
"It ain't completely broken," Dan said, hopping down, "But it looks to me the heat might have caused more problems than the boys swingin' on it. The metal is really bent."
"And?" Nick's face was stoic - not giving Dan any indication of whether he was on the right track.
"And…" Dan sighed, "And I think we need a new hinge?"
After a few beats, Nick's face broke out into a smile, satisfied with the boy's findings. "And some of Asia's lemonade." He patted Dan's shoulder with pride. "Let's head inside - we can finish up some of the other chores later."
Dan's face echoed the pride and the two started back towards the house. Despite the heat, at least there were still a few lessons that could be learned - including the gratitude for a glass of cold lemonade.
XXXXX
The morning had grown overcast, the air muggy and thick and the darkening clouds an indication of the impending summer storm. Nick flicked the wagon reins, urging Marty to go a little faster down the dirt road towards town. "I hope we don't get caught in this," he said to Jo as she stared up at the sky.
"It looks like it could be pretty bad," she replied, pulling the hat down on her head, a gust of wind hitting them as they entered town. Nick was surprised at the sudden turn in the weather - late June didn't normally bring severe storms and this one would probably blow over, but he wasn't going to chance it. They needed feed and other supplies, so he wanted to be prepared rather than regret it later.
The wagon hurried down the main road, Nick noted the emptiness of the street, the weather obviously keeping people inside. Most of the shops looked vacant and the small one that was up for sale even more barren than it was before. Things were so deserted, a sign of the impending and it seemed that the whole town of Concord was preparing for the worst. They pulled up in front of the General Store and Nick jumped out, rushing around to help Jo from the wagon. She smiled her appreciation, another blast of wind pushing them forward and they hurried into the store.
"Quite a day out there, isn't it?" Mr. Gerson commented as he met the customers at the door, his gaze held at the dark sky through the window. "Looks like we're going to get something big."
"Some rain would be nice," Nick replied, removing his hat and wiping the sweat from his forehead. The storm could bring a silver lining to the suffocating heat. "It's been dry for too long."
"The garden could definitely use it," Jo agreed before setting off with her list in hand.
"Anything I can help you with today?" Mr. Gerson asked, tearing himself away from the glass. The store was noticeably quiet, only a couple of other customers milled around, most trying to stay out of the storm's way.
"Well, we're gonna need 3 bags of feed and the boys have broken the hinge on that front gate again…" Nick started towards the back of the store, a rumble of thunder rolling overhead.
"Oh Mr. Riley, hang on a second!" Mr. Gerson called after him before making his way around the counter. "There is some mail here for you - looks kind of important." He handed Nick a thick envelope along with various other small correspondence. The large letter was addressed to Nick alone - the post mark from New York City. He nodded his thanks and eyed it suspiciously as he made his way to the back where Jo was sorting through the jars of oatmeal and sugar.
"What's that?" she asked, glancing over at the mail in his hands.
Nick sighed, his stomach tightening from the nervous feeling that started seeping in. "It's from the ship company I was with before…" Nick watched Jo's eyebrows raise in interest, the jars suddenly forgotten. He slowly peeled back the sealed paper, not sure he really wanted to know the contents.
"The same company that Ben sails with?" Her voice was cautious, her face creased with worry.
"Yeah…" Nick started and then realized her concern. "Ah - but I doubt it's 'bout him… those types of letters are usually pretty thin." He pulled the letter from the envelope, several pages printed on official looking paper. His name stood out at the top, the text very detailed and Nick began to quickly scan the information. He could feel the heat starting to rise in face as he caught the gist of the message.
Jo's eyes bore into him and he knew she was growing anxious. "Is it about Ben?"
A loud clap of thunder startled them both and the steady sound of rain began pounding down on the roof. Nick slowly shook his head and turned to her, his heart beating as fast as the pouring rain. "Nah… it's a job offer."