Coming home was hard sometimes, especially when you are doing it with your tail firmly between your legs. Elizabeth Thornton was doing just that. While she'd been home for a couple of very brief and limited visits, she'd left Hope Valley three years ago with her young son in tow to travel the world with her then new boyfriend, Lucas Bouchard.
Gone were all of the notions of small town living that she'd been so determined to live by and bringing her son up in a simpler life than she'd known growing up in Hamilton society. She had convinced herself that she could get past her grief of losing her husband by running away and diving headlong into a relationship that she now realized hadn't been healthy for her, Lucas or her young son, Jack Jr.
As she drove down Main Street, her heart lifted. Her five year old son was sound asleep in the back seat, so she was free to let her eyes roam around her beloved town and her mind meander down memory lane. And... there it was. The RCMP office. Where her late husband had worked and, eventually, the man whose heart she'd so cruelly crushed out of abject fear of allowing anything to penetrate the fortress she'd built around her own.
Nathan Grant. He truly was 'the one who got away', as they say. Her gaze traveled the area around the RCMP office, but there was no sign of him. She sighed as she turned off of Main Street towards the townhomes where her old house waited for her. It was fortuitous that she'd chosen not to sell and that the renters had recently moved on. Now she and Jack could truly come back home.
She smiled wide as she pulled up to the detached garage behind her house. Taking it all in, she then looked next door and wondered who'd moved into the Coulter's old place. Rosemary and Lee had built a new home just a block and a half away, but she didn't remember her friend ever mentioning who they'd sold their townhome to.
xxxxxxxxx
That evening, after both Elizabeth and Jack had brought in some of their things and eaten a light supper, the boy had run out to the backyard to play on the jungle gym that she'd had Lee install. Jack would be starting kindergarten in the fall, and she was going to have to find ways for him to make some new friends until then. She was certain that Rosemary would have plenty of ideas. The Coulter's one year old daughter, Marigold, was fine...but the boy needed some friends his own age.
She watched Jack run around the yard in the late spring evening sun and sighed. It was so good to be home. She just stood at the backdoor and absorbed the sounds of the season. Birds chirping, children laughing. A lawnmower had just shut off next door and her eyes strayed towards the change in sound and her heart did a flip and roll at what, or rather whom, she saw.
There he was... Nathan Grant. She watched him wipe his brow, then remove his t-shirt to do the same with it and every bit of saliva in her mouth just dried up. Good Lord, the man had definitely been hitting the gym while she'd been gone! At the thought of being caught staring, she retreated quickly, yet quietly, inside and yes, she moved to the mud room window where she could still watch him. The man looked like he'd been sculpted by an artist. He had a least a six pack, if not more.
She practically jumped out of her skin when a knock sounded at her front door. 'Get a grip on yourself, girl. It's not like anyone actually saw you watching...' On the other side of the front door was her best friend in the whole world, Rosemary Coulter. Her friend was dressed in black yoga pants and a royal blue t-shirt with her ash blond curls pulled up in a top knot - yet she looked like she should be on the cover of a women's fitness magazine.
"Elizabeth! You are a sight for sore eyes!" Rosemary declared, pulling her into a tight hug.
Elizabeth backed up and glanced both ways before grabbing Rosemary's arm and yanking her inside.
Rosemary frowned at her friend. "What on earth has gotten into you? Wait...where is my godson? You didn't leave him in Hamilton, did you?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and promptly dragged Rosemary to the mud room window and pointed. " That's what's gotten into me!"
A wide grin broke out on Rosemary's face and she uttered, "Oh my...". Then she giggled. Her eyes slid over to Elizabeth who'd raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come now, Elizabeth. You explicitly told me that you did not want any Hope Valley news and shut me down almost every single time I tried to share something with you."
Elizabeth's ire deflated a few notches. She ran a hand through her hair. "Still, you might've mentioned that he was going to be my next door neighbor!" Just then the back door flew open and Jack ran headlong into Rosemary.
"Auntie Rosie! We're here! We're here and Momma says we're gonna stay!"
Rosemary knelt down and tousled Jack's dark blonde hair, pulling him into a hug. "I'm so glad that you're gonna stay!" she said.
xxxxxxxxx
After Jack had been bathed and a bedtime story read by Auntie Rosie, the two women went back downstairs and poured themselves a glass of the wine that Rosemary had brought. As much as Elizabeth wanted to go out back and sit on her screened porch, she knew that she needed to get caught up on the Hope Valley news and didn't want to be overheard or observed by her new neighbor. She led the way into her den right off of the kitchen.
"Okay. I surrender." Elizabeth declared without looking at Rosemary.
With a laugh, her friend replied "You surrender? Finally? You really haven't gotten over Nathan, have you? Are you finally admitting it?"
Feeling caught, Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. She quickly closed it. "Rosemary, it's not like I was ever even with Nathan."
Rosemary's perfectly arched right eyebrow raised and she chuckled low. "Oh, Elizabeth. Call it whatever you want, if that makes you feel better. But, it's me you're talking to. You've never been able to fool me. You were in love with that man and it terrified you. You can also try to blame your hesitancy on his job, but we both know better now, don't we?"
Taking a large gulp of her wine, Elizabeth groaned. "I certainly made a mess out of everything and I also made my son miserable. He hated living in Hamilton and Toronto and wherever else Lucas dragged us. It really wasn't until Jack started acting out that I could even begin to admit to the huge fissures my relationship with Lucas. When he decided to run for political office, I knew I had to act. We'd really stopped seeing one another and I was ruining Jack's life. Having a step father running for or in political office these days is not anything I wanted my son to have to deal with."
Rosemary laid a hand on Elizabeth's arm. "The important thing is that you've changed course and did it before you went through with the wedding to Lucas."
"You're right. I really have gotten better about forgiving myself, but I knew that coming home was going to, understandably, bring a lot of things back up. Especially since I've been in major avoidance mode. Okay, so tell me what I need to know about Hope Valley and please start with Nathan and Allie." With a huge sigh, Elizabeth took another large gulp of wine and braced herself - because, surely, Nathan was already taken by someone else and she was about to find out.
xxxxxxxxx
Meanwhile, next door, Nathan had just noticed lights on in the Thornton house. He knew she was moving back to town, he just hadn't known when. He went to the front door to turn on the porch light as night had fallen while he'd been showering, that's when he noticed Rosemary's car parked across the street.
Lee had given him a bit of information, even though Rosemary refused to discuss Elizabeth with really anyone in town. But, Lee, he'd just felt like Nathan deserved to know some things and would drop tidbits here and there on the down low. He knew she'd broken it off with Lucas almost a year ago and gone back to Hamilton.
Even though she'd broken his heart after he'd expressed his love to her, he bore her no ill. Truth be told, he still loved her and probably always would...but that didn't mean that they would ever get together. The way his luck in relationships had been going, he figured that it wasn't in the cards for him. Maybe he just wasn't meant to be that kind of guy.
Since Allie was spending the night at her friend, Angela's, he was left to his own thoughts and he wasn't sure if he wanted to head down to the Tavern in town or grab the book he was reading and head upstairs to his room. He decided on Plan C, he'd go upstairs and work out. Maybe he could wear himself out so he could actually sleep instead of thinking about the woman next door.
xxxxxxxxx
Early the next morning, Elizabeth padded down to her kitchen to make some tea. A mug of bracing English Breakfast sounded about right. She'd wait for Jack to get up before eating breakfast. For now, she wanted to slip out to her screened porch and watch the world come alive while the sun rose, as well as reflect upon what she'd learned from Rosemary last night.
Like the coward that she currently felt she was, she kept to the far side of her porch and tried to make sure she would remain unobserved. She wrapped herself in a blanket and settled in to watch her world wake up.
How could it even be true that Nathan was still single? She knew what a catch he was... oh, how she knew. Her heart tripped a little at the thought. Still, how could he ever forgive her? The Nathan her heart knew so well probably would. Maybe it was she who hadn't forgiven herself? Or just maybe, as Rosemary said, she needed to apologize to him and ask for his forgiveness before that could even happen.
Just thinking about that made her anxious, but she hadn't come back to Hope Valley to hide from her past. Her father's old motto that 'Thatchers don't run from a challenge' came to mind. It was high time that she faced it so that she could move forward in a healthier, happier state of mind. She wanted Jack's future to be bright, not mired in grief and guilt or in some sort of sick public limelight that Lucas being in public office would've brought.
The sun had come up and Elizabeth stood to go back inside and make breakfast. She almost tripped as she heard a door open nearby. She hesitated, but knew she was not ready to come face to face with Nathan just yet. Quietly, she slipped inside, but peeked through the blinds and watched as he, in uniform, went out back to his car and left. Well, at least the move in would happen without any awkward encounters, but for some reason, she felt bereft now that he was gone.
xxxxxxxxx
All in all, the process of removing the furniture and belongings that Elizabeth was donating to a local women's shelter and moving in the things that she'd brought with her went as smoothly as it possibly could. Lee and Rosemary came over to help, which made the process go even smoother. Jack had gone to the Coulter's willingly, which was surprising, and their sitter had offered to watch both kids. As much as Elizabeth loved spending time with her boy, it was a long day and knew he'd never remain entertained for that long.
Elizabeth, Lee and Rosemary had settled in her kitchen with carryout pizzas. They'd certainly earned it, but now the place really began to feel more like home. She'd missed living here like she would've missed a lost limb and now she was finally back. However, there was still a big obstacle and she wanted to ask Lee's opinion on the subject since he had become so close to Nathan.
She set her water glass down and faced her friends. "So, Lee, I want to ask your opinion on something. I know that I need to talk to Nathan and clear the air. With us being next door neighbors, that's going to need to be sooner rather than later." She flicked a glance at Rosemary. "And, um, I also would like to apologize to him for hurting him. Any suggestions? Will he be receptive, do you think? I don't even know if he'll want to be friends with me."
Elizabeth watched Lee consider what she'd asked before he answered. It was one of the things she really admired about him and why he was so good for the overly dramatic Rosemary. They definitely balanced one another out well.
"I can't really speak for Nathan, you know, so I'll give you some observations. He treads lightly when it comes to you, but I can tell he wants to know. I can also assure you that he harbors no hard feelings when it comes to you, or even Lucas. I'm not sure if you even realize this, but back when you'd made your decision to get back together with Lucas, Nathan went to him first and encouraged him to hang around and give things a chance with you. Lucas was planning on leaving town."
Shock tore through Elizabeth. Her eyes widened, mouth dropped open. "Wait, what?! He did what?" Next thing she knew, there were tears slipping down her cheeks. "Oh, God, I..." she stood up and searched frantically for a box of tissues. Rosemary beat her to it. As she took the box from her friend, she asked "Did you know this? Why wouldn't you tell me? Lucas had to be convinced? And by none other than the man I'd crushed for him?" She dropped back into her chair with a thud.
"Now, Elizabeth" Rosemary began in a calming voice, "We both know very well that you would not have welcomed that information at the time."
Rosemary was absolutely correct. She wouldn't have. In retrospect, her behavior at the time was abhorrent. Selfish and self righteous, she shut down anyone close to her who dared to question or challenge on how she was acting. It was amazing that Rosemary had even remained friends with her.
She dried her face and took a few deep breaths. "You're right. I wouldn't have listened to you and, with the way I was behaving at the time, it could've cost us our friendship. You know how sorry I am for treating you that way."
Rosemary reached across the table and grabbed Elizabeth's hand. "All of that is behind us, now. Let's just get you through the initial pains of coming back home so that you can move on with your life."
xxxxxxxxx
The trio ended up going to the Coulters so Elizabeth could take some things for Jack. If he was open to it, he would spend the night over there giving Elizabeth some time to get some more things done or unwind...whatever she needed.
Rosemary turned and glared at Lee after Elizabeth walked out their front door. " Leland Coulter! Do you think I didn't see your text to Nathan? Are you sure that was wise? Shouldn't we just stay out of it?"
Lee turned to his wife and grabbed her hands. "Come on now, Rosie. Wouldn't it be better for them all if they could see each other for the first time without Jack or Allie around? Nathan said that Allie is at Angela's again tonight and Jack is here with us. This way, they can have a conversation uninterrupted. It needs to happen and you know it."
Rosemary sighed. He had a point. "Well, I guess you're right. But, if Elizabeth finds out, it's all on you!"
He chuckled. "I think I can handle it, dear. Now, let's go snuggle up and watch a movie. Whichever one you want."
She walked ahead of him towards the steps. "You're rubbing my aching feet."
Another chuckle. "Why, of course, Sweetheart..."
xxxxxxxx
Elizabeth took a long, hot shower to ease her aching muscles. She longed for a bubble bath, but was afraid she might fall asleep in there and drown. She donned some joggers and a tee shirt, then pulled her hair up into a messy bun and headed downstairs to make some chamomile tea and maybe read a good book. It was so quiet, she almost didn't know what to do with herself.
After her tea was ready, she looked longingly towards her screened porch. She'd missed it so much. Oh, what the heck! She was going out there. She grabbed a throw, her e-reader and her tea, went outside and sat down on the sofa. It was a beautiful evening and God was showing off with the colors of dusk. She turned on a lamp and settled in.
She was so engrossed in her novel that she hadn't heard a sound until he was right there at the porch door. Her heart thudded in her chest. Nathan Grant, in the flesh, and he looked amazing. Wearing a light blue and white vertical striped button down shirt and dark denim cuffed jeans with a grey sweat jacket and dark brown work boots. What she'd seen yesterday flashed through her mind and she blushed.
"Hi Lizbeth." He said, giving her a hint of his crooked smile. His eyes were warm and, if she weren't mistaken, just a bit nervous. When she failed to utter a single word, he said "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. I came outside to sit and saw your light on over here..."
"Oh, no! No. You might've surprised me a bit, that's all. Please come in."
And then he was there. Right in front of her. Her heart was still racing. It had been so very long since she'd seen him and she had this sudden intense urge to hurl herself into his arms and never let go. She felt her cheeks warm again, and thanked God for the dim light. She nervously waved a hand towards a chair and said "Please, have a seat. It's good to see you, Nathan. Ummm...can I get you something to drink? I have tea - hot or iced, water and I think Lee left some kind of beer over here. Oh, and Jack has some apple juice."
Nathan chuckled at the apple juice offering. "If you have some cold water, that would be fine."
Elizabeth hurried inside and fixed Nathan a glass of ice water and brought it out to him. Once she was seated again, he said "It's good to see you again, too." And, after a beat, "It's been far too long..."
