Heart of The Tree

Chapter 30

“I think the council is doing the right thing. The Tree is dangerous and it should go,” Felicity Neilson said in a strident voice, glaring at the people up on the stage.

“But what about The Heart? When they get married, The Tree will be fixed, won’t it?” someone asked from the middle of the crowd.

The public meeting that Mama Saviloni had organised for the Wednesday night had been going for thirty minutes. Felicity Neilson had been a constant negative voice. Ryan Klenston was chairing the meeting and had started the debate on a motion to be put to the council, demanding that they reconsider the decision to have The Tree cut down. He was accompanied on the stage by Mama Saviloni, Reverend Ian Cloister and Craig Patterson. John McCann was also on the stage as a pro-Tree councillor. Three other councillors were in the crowd, though officially only as private citizens.

“Alex and his boyfriend can’t get married — it’s against the law,” another voice called out.

“But isn’t there something that can be done?”

Craig Patterson stood up to attract everyone’s attention. “The Tree doesn’t care about legalities. If there’s a public ceremony in which The Heart pledges their love, I think that will do. It doesn’t have to be called a marriage.”

There were murmurs as people discussed the matter with their neighbours.

Felicity crossed her arms and raised her voice. “Why would the decent people in this town have any interest in supporting the perverted practises of child molesters? I think you, your friend, and that devil-spawn at the hardware store should leave. I don’t know why you’re here in the first place. We’re a law-abiding town with decent morals and principles. We don’t need or want your sort around here.”

“Now, Felicity,” Ian Cloister began — not for the first time that evening — but he was interrupted by Paul Hennsley, who had rounded on Mrs. Neilson.

“Damn it, woman! What makes you think that anyone here is interested in your delusions and fantasies? We’re here to try to save The Tree, not debate what responsible adults do in the privacy of their own homes. I don’t care if The Heart is gay, straight, sideways or just totally crazy. If they’re not breaking the law, that’s their business. All I want is for The Tree to recover, because I’m a selfish bastard and I want to look forward to the day when my little girl gets married under The Tree. You might want to spite your grandchildren by denying them that option, but I won’t do it. I believe in The Tree, and I’m not going to let my girl, and any future grandchildren I might be blessed with, lose the chance to marry under The Tree — without a fight!”

Felicity opened her mouth to retort, but whatever she was trying to say was drowned out by the cheers and applause that followed Paul’s outburst.

“Too right, Paul! Now, that’s something I can support. We’re saving The Tree for the next generation,” yelled one man.

* * *

Alisha Chou and Kirstie Aster were strolling towards The Nacho Nirvana. The public meeting had finished forty minutes earlier, but there had been a lot of small conversations after the formal meeting had concluded. It was only when the majority of people had left that Alisha and Kirstie had followed suit.

“Overall, I’m happy with how that went,” Kirstie said.

Alisha frowned. “I was disappointed with both the poor turnout and the homophobic remarks that were made.”

“We had almost one hundred people. That’s not bad, and it was at relatively short notice. Mama only started advertising it at the start of last week.”

“I suppose so, and most of the people there were supportive. It was just that handful…”

“Ignore them. There are deadbeats in every crowd. I think Paul’s speech swayed a lot of people who may have been wavering.”

Alisha chuckled. “I still can’t believe it. It just didn’t sound like him at all. If I didn’t know better, I would have suspected aliens had taken him over.”

“I think he picked the right line, though. Before the meeting, I overheard a number of people wondering if they should care about a gay romance. Not really negative comments — more a ‘why should I care’ attitude. I didn’t hear anything like that afterwards. Everyone seemed to be interested in trying to keep The Tree alive,” Kirstie said.

They reached the central park. Without discussion, both women crossed the road and headed towards The Tree.

“What’s that?” Kirstie asked, pointing to a dark shape near the fence surrounding The Tree.

Alisha chuckled. “You haven’t been in town much for the last few days, have you? That appeared last Friday. Come on, I’ll show you.”

“I’ve been on the phone, or doing things around the farm. I haven’t been in to see The Tree for a couple of weeks. I’ve just been too busy.”

As they approached, Kirstie realised it was two-man tent. A young man, who had been sitting in the shadows next to the tent, stood up to greet them.

“Mrs. Chou! Paul’s already dropped off some food — didn’t he tell you?”

“He hasn’t, Scott, but I wasn’t bringing dinner. Kirstie and I were just on our way back from the public meeting.”

“G’day, Mrs. Aster. Sorry, I didn’t recognise you immediately. How did the meeting go?”

Kirstie recognised Scott Dooley as one of her son’s classmates from high school. “I think it went well. There were a couple of council members there and I’m hoping they’ll take back the message that we don’t want The Tree cut down.” She paused. “I hope it’s not a rude question, but what are you doing here?”

Scott smiled. “We’re here just in case the council tries to do something sneaky in the middle of the night. We’ve got a roster of people keeping guard over The Tree. Tonight just happens to be my turn.”

“The restaurants have been keeping them supplied with food and drink,” Alisha said to Kirstie. “There’s a lot of community support, even if most of it isn’t visible.”

“I’m surprised the police haven’t tried to move you on,” Kirstie said to Scott.

Scott laughed. “I was here when one of the councillors — I can’t remember his name — brought the police to get us evicted. It was so much fun to watch his face when I showed him the permit.”

“Permit?” Kirstie glanced at Alisha who just grinned.

Scott pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “Yep. We’ve also got a copy of the appropriate regulations that state that camping on council land is only allowed in certain circumstances — but someone in the council offices issued us a permit that gives us permission to camp here for the next year.”

Alisha chuckled. “As I said, there’s a lot of community support. Scott and his friends organised the watch by themselves. As soon as they realised what was going on, McKaylee and Patterson checked on the legal situation and let Mama know what was required. Bob Thenston put his job on the line by issuing that permit. John Young has called for him to be sacked, but so far Bob’s boss has resisted any interference in administrative matters.”

Kirstie smiled and held out a hand to Scott. “Well, thank you very much for this. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

Scott shook her hand and then glanced around to make sure there was no one in earshot. “I might have some idea. How’s Vince doing? What about his friend, Matt? Have you heard from him?”

Kirstie froze. “You know?”

Scott glanced at Alisha. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mrs. Aster. I was just asking about Vince.”

“Alisha knows the truth, too. How many people know who is the real Heart?” Kirstie asked.

Scott shrugged. “Enough of us. Most people still think it’s Alex.” He lowered his voice. “Have you any word?”

Kirstie wondered what to say. Making a quick decision, she nodded. “He rang me the other night to say he’ll be here at The Tree this weekend. That’s as much as he’s told me, but I think they’re getting ready for the next step.”

Scott grinned. “Thanks, Mrs. Aster. We’re going to save The Tree, despite the council.”

* * *

Keith Tyler was going through budget proposals. It wasn’t what he would have preferred to be doing on a Friday morning, but he was having a financial meeting the following week and he needed to understand what was waiting for approval.

“There’s a Graham Smith on the phone for you, sir. He says you asked him to ring. Do you want me to get rid of him?”

“Thanks, Melanie. I’ll take it.” Keith picked up the handset. “Graham, how are you?”

“I’m fine, Mr. Tyler. You asked me to call you if I was approached about a certain job. Well, I just had a phone call from a Councillor Young. He seemed very keen for someone to remove a tree and wanted it done ASAP, but with as little publicity as possible.”

“What did you tell him?” Keith picked up a pen and started twisting it through his fingers. He had wondered if he was being paranoid when he made his contingency plans, but they were paying off. John Young was trying to find a non-local company to cut down The Tree.

“Just like you asked — that we’re currently busy, but we could schedule it in if he wanted us to.”

“Thanks, Graham. I really appreciate this. I’ll make sure a case is sent out to you today. You like the Shiraz, don’t you?”

“That’s right.” There was a short pause. “I should tell you that I was very tempted, though. He was offering a lot of money.”

“Is that right?” Keith pursed his lips. “In that case, I appreciate your help even more. How about I drop in to see you next time I’m in Dubbo and we can discuss what work your company can do for us?”

“That would be great! Just give me a call when that will be and I’ll make sure I’m here.”

After a couple of minutes of polite pleasantries, Keith hung up the phone. He punched the intercom. “Melanie, can you get me Ian Fitzgerald, please?”

“Yes, sir.”

Keith ran his eye over the IT budget proposal for the next financial year while he waited. He was going through the capital expenditures when Melanie announced she had Ian Fitzgerald on the line.

“Ian! Thanks for taking the call. I’ve got an urgent job for you.”

“I’m always happy to take your calls, Keith, and even more pleased to take your business. Between you and the council, I’ve got so much work that I’m thinking on taking another lawyer into the practise.”

Keith smiled. He had been using Ian as the wineries’ main lawyer for years. “I’d like to chat, but when I said urgent, I meant urgent. I need you to organise an injunction for me.”

“Oh? Give me the details, then.”

“I have reason to believe that the council is going to try to breach the contract we have to cut down The Tree. I need –“

“Hold it, Keith,” Ian interrupted. “I’ve been retained by the council to deal with all legal matters regarding The Tree. I can’t do this for you, and I don’t want to hear any more. As it is, I will forget what you’ve just told me.”

Keith frowned. “Then what are my options?”

“I would suggest you contact Patterson and McKaylee. They are excellent young lawyers and I’m sure they will be more than capable of helping you.”

“Are you sure?” Keith wasn’t happy that he would be dealing with a lawyer he didn’t know.

“I’m sure, and I’m going to have to go. Good luck!”

Keith considered using one of the company lawyers, but dismissed the idea. They were contract specialists and wouldn’t have any expertise in the area he needed. Reluctantly, he had Melanie ring Patterson and McKaylee.

“Leo McKaylee.”

“Leo, this is Keith Tyler from Mourton Wineries. Ian Fitzgerald suggested I contact you regarding an urgent legal matter.”

“How can we help you?”

“I need you to organise an injunction for me. As you may be aware, Mourton Wineries won the contract for chopping down The Tree.”

“Yes.”

Keith smiled at the flat monosyllable — it wasn’t said offensively, but it made its point by the contrast from the helpful tone that preceded it.

“I have just been made aware that the council is looking at hiring a different company to cut down The Tree, instead. I want an injunction to stop them from breaching the contract we have with them.”

There was a lengthy pause. “While we would love to have Mourton Wineries as a client, I’m not sure we are able to take this brief. We have been working with the groups that are trying to protect The Tree, and assisting you may be a conflict of interest.”

Keith noted the measured way the words were spoken. He decided to lay his cards on the table.

“If the contract gets breached, The Tree will probably be cut down by the end of the week.”

“Maybe, maybe not. However, even if we get you the injunction, The Tree will still be cut down.”

“The difference is when. I have the contract, but there’s a lot of flexibility on when we have to execute it. Our schedule doesn’t have The Tree being cut down for several weeks, and we keep finding things that delay that timetable even longer.”

Keith held his breath.

“I see. In that case, I think we can organise your injunction. We’ll need to know the value of the contract — it will help define the damages that the council’s actions will inflict on your company.”

“One dollar.”

“Pardon?”

Keith grinned at the shocked tone. “One dollar. We had to make sure we got the business, and this guaranteed we’d be the lowest bidder.”

Leo laughed. “Okay, we’ll skip over that part when we put in our application. We’ll need some more information from you, but you will hopefully have the injunction on your desk by the end of today. If we have to, we’ll chase the magistrate to issue one on Saturday morning. If we can’t do it by then, then we can’t get the injunction at all.”

“That’s excellent news. When you’ve finished, send the invoice directly to me — I’ll give you the fax number. I’ll make sure it’s paid pronto.”

“There is no need. We’re doing all work on behalf of The Tree on a pro bono basis.”

Keith raised his eyebrows and smiled. More than anything else, that showed him how solidly the firm of Patterson and McKaylee were behind the efforts to save The Tree.

“Nonsense. You’ve got a business to run, just like I do. You can’t do that without income. Charge me your usual rates — no special deals.”

The conversation continued as Keith answered the lawyer’s questions.

* * *

Trevor Sterling cast his gaze over the landscape. “Despite the lack of water, this is a lovely piece of land.”

“Thanks, Trevor.” Tony Aster smiled before returning his attention to the cattle in the paddock.

Vince raised an eyebrow at Matt. “I told you so,” he whispered.

Matt grinned. “I thought we weren’t discussing that.”

Rhys yelled from the other side of the herd where he was waiting with Bobby and Mark. “Hey, you guys. I thought we were supposed to be moving these creatures to the paddock by the lake.”

Vince yelled back, “We will, as soon as Dad tells me which ones he wants separated.”

Tony pointed. “Those three heifers and the six calves. We’ll shift them down to the stockyards — the rest can be moved on.”

Vince and Matt worked together to split off the selected cattle, and then watched as Rhys, Bobby and Mark shepherded the rest of the herd through the gate that led to the lake paddock.

“Our dads seem to be getting along well,” Matt said. His parents had arrived at the Asters’ farm early that Saturday morning, after spending the night at The Cricketer’s Arms. It hadn’t taken long before Matt’s dad had expressed a desire to see the property. When Vince’s friends had shown up to help, they had headed out to move the cattle and to start sorting out which ones would be going to the market that week.

“They’ve got a lot in common. I’ve noticed most of the conversation between them has been on farming — it looks like a topic that neither of them can exhaust,” Vince said.

“Hey, you guys. How about giving us novices a hand?” Rhys yelled.

“It looks like they need some help.” Matt grinned.

Vince started up the ag-bike. “Let’s go.”

Twenty minutes later, they all took a break.

“Dad, what did you do to the tractor? I took it out this morning and it was running like a dream!”

Tony nodded towards Bobby. “Ask him. He’s the one who did it, whatever it was.”

Vince looked across at Bobby. “Well?”

Bobby shrugged. “It hadn’t had a professional service for years, as far as I could tell. It was mainly cleaning it up and changing a few parts. I had Alex help me.”

Vince shrugged. “I’d been doing some of it, and Dad’s been doing the rest. It was working, so we didn’t see any reason to spend money on getting it checked more thoroughly.”

“It’s okay — it wasn’t anything critical that needed to be done. It was only after your dad had me harrowing one of the paddocks during the week that I decided to spend some time on it. Alex tells me I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I knew I could get it going better than it was, that’s all.”

“Speaking of being a perfectionist, how are things going with Cindy?” Rhys asked. “She seems to be the perfect match for you — with both of you being engine nuts.”

Bobby blushed and stared at the ground. “She’ll be here soon. We’re going out for dinner tonight.”

“She’s coming here to Mourton? Where’s she going to stay?” Rhys asked.

“My place.” Bobby looked up and gave Rhys a defiant glare. “And none of your comments — I’ve got a spare bed at my place and that’s where she’ll be sleeping.”

“Yeah, sure.” Rhys smirked, but wiped it off quickly at the expression on Bobby’s face. “Hey, I was just agreeing with you.”

Mark chuckled. “Where are you taking her? The Nacho Nirvana?”

“I thought about it, but I decided against it. I wasn’t sure if Mia was going to be working there tonight. She and Cindy don’t seem to be getting on.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “You noticed? I’m sorry — they just got off on the wrong foot. I’m sure they’ll sort things out.”

“I hope so. I’m really enjoying Cindy’s company, but I don’t want to lose Mia as a friend as a consequence.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll never get to that.” Mark smiled. “So, where are you going?”

“Mama’s. Cindy likes Italian, and Mama’s is always a good place for dinner.”

Vince was startled. He grinned. “In that case, we’ll probably see you there. We’re having a family dinner there tonight — both of our families.”

Trevor Sterling looked up from where he had been chatting quietly with Vince’s dad. “After this afternoon, I’m going to look forward to dinner. Matt’s mum is insisting I take her out for wine tasting.” He rolled his eyes.

Matt chuckled. “And the only reason you’re not happy, Dad, is because you’re the designated driver.”

Rhys interrupted. “There’s no need for that. The winery has a courtesy bus service to and from the town. Just go back to The Cricketer’s Arms and tell Mr. Klenston. He’ll organise it for you and that way both of you can enjoy the afternoon.”

Trevor smiled. “Thanks, Rhys.” He stared at Matt. “Are you sure you don’t want to go out with this guy instead? He seems to know all the important stuff.”

Matt chuckled and put an arm around Vince. “Sorry, I’ll keep this one.”

* * *

Kirstie Aster was making another pot of tea for Glenda Sterling, Shane and herself when she spotted the dust of an approaching car. “I wonder who that could be?”

“What is it, Mrs. Aster?” Shane asked.

“There’s a red car approaching, and I can’t think of anyone I know who has a red car. At least not that shade of red.”

“I wouldn’t think you’d get much passing traffic out here.” Glenda smiled.

Kirstie chuckled. “At the end of a two kilometre driveway, no. It’s happened, though. Someone was desperate for directions and happened to pick our place to ask.” She paused. “Whoever it is, they’ve got a pretty little car. I’ll just go out and see what they want — I won’t be long.”

She stepped outside and waited. The sports car had a single occupant who pushed a pair of old-fashioned driving goggles up onto her forehead as she slipped out of the vehicle.

“Hi! I hope I’ve got the right place. Is this the Asters’ farm?”

“You’ve got the right place, then. I’m Kirstie Aster.” Kirstie stepped forward, though she was puzzled as to who was the stranger.

“I’m Cindy Alderson. Bobby Elkington asked me to meet him here.”

Before Kirstie could react, there was a cry behind her.

“Cindy, darling! This is a pleasant surprise.” Shane stepped past Kirstie and gave Cindy a kiss on the cheek. “Did I hear Bobby’s name mentioned?”

“G’day, Shane. Bobby’s invited me to dinner tonight. He asked to meet me here.”

“Come in, then, dear. We’re just having a drink and a piece of cake. Would you care to join us?” Kirstie asked. “I’m not sure when the boys will be back, but it probably won’t be for an hour. I can ring and let them know you’re here, if you like.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Aster. Yes, that will be nice. Don’t bother ringing, though — I’ll just surprise him when he gets here.”

“If you really want to do that, why don’t you park your car in the shed around the corner? That way he won’t spot it and ruin the surprise.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Aster. I’ll do that.”

It was almost fifty minutes later that the guys returned. Rhys entered first, but stopped in surprise at the sight of Cindy. He staggered forward when Mark ran into his back.

“G’day, Cindy,” Rhys said as he stepped the rest of the way into the room and to the side. He glared at Bobby. “When you said she was coming here, I didn’t think you meant here.”

Bobby chuckled. He stepped forward and gave Cindy a kiss. “G’day.” He smiled. “Where did you hide the Lady?”

Cindy grinned. “In the shed around the corner.” She wrinkled her noise. “You stink of manure. I’m sorry, but you don’t get a ride in Lady Penelope until you’ve had a shower.”

Bobby grinned. “That’s okay — you need to follow me back to my place, anyway.”

“Are you two going out for dinner tonight?” Kirstie asked.

Bobby nodded. “We organised it during the week. We’ll be at Mama’s at the same time as you — though our booking isn’t until eight.”

Rhys turned to Mark “Everyone is going out to dinner, except for us. How about it, Mark? Would you like to go out tonight?”

Mark laughed. “Sorry, Rhys, but Mia and I are going out, too. We’re having Indian, though, not Italian.”

Rhys sniffed. “Alone again. Woe is me!” He looked across at Shane. “What about you, Shane?”

Shane grinned. “Sorry, Rhysie-rider, but I’m an honorary member of the Sterling clan, so I’ll be at dinner with them.”

“Why don’t you ring Padma and ask her out?” Vince suggested. “I have to admit that I feel guilty that I’m not catching up with her enough.”

Rhys grinned. “A great idea. And while we’re at it, why don’t we all meet up at the pub for drinks beforehand? You can catch up with Padma, and Bobby can introduce Cindy to her.”

Everyone quickly agreed.

“While I remember, Vince and I will be a bit late for dinner,” Matt said.

“Oh? What will you two be doing that’s going to make you late?” Trevor raised an eyebrow at his son.

Matt smiled at his boyfriend. “Vince and I will be going for a walk. We’ve got an appointment under a certain tree. I’ve got a question for him.”

Rhys grinned. “Does this mean what we think it means?”

Vince gave him a wry half-smile. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

Rhys and Mark high fived each other.

“Hey, aren’t you taking things for granted?” Vince asked. “You never know — I might say no.”

Rhys just crossed his arms and smirked.

* * *

As they stepped from The Cricketer’s Arms into the early evening gloom, Vince took hold of Matt’s left hand.

Matt glanced at Vince in surprise. “You don’t have to do that.”

Vince looked outwardly calm, but Matt noticed signs of tension, especially in the set of his lips.

“Don’t try to talk me out of this. I want to be able to hold your hand as I walk down the street. I might not do it everywhere, but this is something I want to do when I’m home.”

Matt smiled and gave Vince’s hand a reassuring squeeze, receiving one in return. They didn’t have far to go to the park, but Matt kept a wary eye out. He saw a few double takes from some of the people they passed, but most didn’t seem to notice, or didn’t give any outward sign that they had.

“It was good to see Padma again,” Vince said.

Matt guessed that Vince was looking for something safe to talk about. “It was. She and Rhys would make a good couple.”

Vince chuckled. “They’re good friends, but I don’t think they’d make it as a pair. They’re just too different.”

“Being different doesn’t mean they can’t be together. Look at Shane and Karen.”

“Yeah, but when you look at those two, they’ve got some strong similarities, and their differences are complementary. Rhys and Padma just go in two different directions. Padma will probably end up with a nice Indian guy, and Rhys… I don’t know. I get the feeling that he’s starting to get interested in settling into a relationship, but I’m not sure he’s ready.”

They entered the park and strolled towards The Tree. Matt felt Vince’s grip start to tighten.

“Rhys is someone who will settle down when he’s ready. He’s popular enough and he’s not stupid. I don’t think he’ll have trouble finding a girlfriend.”

“I agree, but I wonder if he’ll let someone good get away because he isn’t ready.”

“That’s up to him. There’s nothing we can do about that.”

They were startled by a wolf whistle from ahead of them. Vince started to pull his hand away from Matt’s but changed his mind and held on tight.

When four figures approached them from the vicinity of The Tree, Matt prepared to pull his hand away, regardless of Vince’s wishes. He didn’t think it would come to a fight, but he was ready if it came to that.

“Way to go, Vince! I take it this means that it’s not a secret anymore?” The young man who spoke grinned. The other figures resolved into another guy and two girls. Matt relaxed when he recognised the second guy and one of the girls from Aunt Cynthia’s funeral.

“G’day, Kevin. Yeah, I think it’s time. I can’t keep hiding forever — not if I want to keep Matt. Kevin, Scott, Hayley, Christine, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend. Matt, these guys are some of my classmates from high school.”

After they exchanged greetings, Kevin glanced around to make sure no one else was close. “Actually, I was more wondering about the issue of The Heart. A lot of people think it’s Alex. Is the truth still a secret?”

Vince flicked a glance at Matt. “I’ll let you know.”

“Hopefully, very soon,” Matt added. He grinned. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, there’s something we have to do.” He nodded towards The Tree.

Kevin swept his arm back to indicate an opening in the fence. “Be our guest.”

Matt felt a sense of calmness descend as he and Vince moved into the darkness under the canopy of leaves. It was as if he and Vince were in their own private world.

They stepped forwards, still holding hands, until they reached one of the central trunks. Matt put his free hand out to touch the bark, and found Vince doing the same. After a moment’s silent contemplation, Matt gently turned Vince until they were facing each other. He pulled Vince into an embrace and gave him a long, slow kiss.

After ending the kiss, Matt rested his head on Vince’s shoulder. “I love you, Vincent Aster. I love you deeper than I ever thought I would ever love anyone.” He pulled back slightly so he could see Vince’s face. Matt gazed into the love that shone from his boyfriend’s eyes and felt the last of his nervousness evaporate. “So much, that I don’t want to give you up — I want to love you forever. Will you be my partner for life?”

Matt felt Vince squeeze him, and saw the gentle smile.

“Yes.”

Matt waited to see if Vince was going to say anything more, but Vince just leant forward until their lips met. Matt let himself get lost in their kiss and only became aware of the noise behind them when Vince pulled away.

Matt felt himself going red when he realised that Kevin, Scott, Hayley and Christine were whistling and cheering from the other side of the fence.

* * *

Mama Saviloni smiled. It was going to be a busy night. She spotted the Asters approaching and was ready when they stepped through the door.

“Kirstie, Tony! How are you? Shane, it’s nice to see you again.” Mama smiled at the latest arrivals. She didn’t recognise the two other people in the group. “Hi. I’m Mama Saviloni, but everyone calls me Mama. Welcome to Mourton. I hope you enjoy yourselves.”

“We’re good, Mama. You should have a booking for seven,” Kirstie said. “This is Glenda and Trevor Sterling. Matt and Vince should be joining us shortly.”

“If you’ll come this way?” Mama lead them to a corner table. “Tim will be your waiter tonight. If there are any problems, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

Tony snorted. “As if anything could go wrong here.” He smiled. “I’m sure everything will be perfect, as usual.”

After a few pleasantries, Mama returned to the front desk. She couldn’t meet all of her guests personally, but she liked to try to greet as many as possible.

* * *

Mama felt content as she watched Leo McKaylee and Craig Patterson. The looks the two exchanged showed her a deep love that was thrilling to the Italian grandmother. It reminded her of the love she’d witnessed between Aunt Cynthia and Andrew Boyle.

She pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. Aunt Cynthia’s death had been a shock to her and reminded her of her own mortality. She also missed the joy the old lady had spread throughout the town.

Glancing away from the young lawyers, she swept her gaze over the room. She paused as she observed Bobby and his girlfriend chatting. “Ah… young love,” she whispered. They were still tentative with each other, but she was confident that their affection would grow. She wasn’t always right, but she knew she was apt at spotting couples in love.

She was about to head to the kitchen when something drew her gaze to the corner table where the Asters and Sterlings were seated. Her eyes opened wide as she watched Vince and Matt smiling at each other. She snapped her head around to look at Leo and Craig, and then back to Vince and Matt. She was still having trouble believing what she was witnessing when Vince gave Matt a light kiss on the lips.

“Oh, my,” she whispered. She felt unsteady. Everything fell into place: the original thoughts on what role Matt would play in the legend of The Heart of The Tree; how Vince was asked by Aunt Cynthia to speak at her funeral, and how Matt had taken over when Vince became too distraught; how Alisha had invited Kirstie to the initial meeting of those who were trying to save The Tree, and Kirstie’s outburst at that meeting.

“It isn’t Alex, after all,” Mama whispered to herself. She observed for a while longer, becoming more confident the more she saw. She was seeing a love that was strong, if raw — stronger than most she’d seen in the past. It was also clear to her that the others at the table knew that Vince and Matt were a couple.

She waited until Tim had taken the dessert orders for the Aster/Sterling table and then moved to intercept him.

“Did the two young men in the middle order anything?” she asked.

“No. They both passed,” Tim replied.

“We’ll fix that. If you will please give me the order, I’ll look after it myself.”

Tim was surprised, but he did as he was told. Mama took the order into the kitchen and delegated out most of the work, telling them that it had top priority. While the staff prepared the ordered food, Mama prepared a special treat.

It wasn’t long before it was all ready. She assisted Tim in taking it to the table.

“I hope everything has been satisfactory?” she asked while Tim handed out the desserts.

“It’s been wonderful, Mama,” Kirstie said, echoed by the others at the table.

Mama frowned. “But I believe two people didn’t order dessert. Was there something wrong?” She peered at Matt and Vince.

“Of course nothing was wrong,” Vince said. “It was just that we’ve eaten enough. You always fill us up, Mama — the food is too good.”

She fixed him with a stern gaze. “That is not good enough. You two are growing boys and you need your energy. You’ve got lots of things to do and we can’t have you fading away because you haven’t eaten enough.” She turned to where her prepared dessert was waiting. She picked it up and put it between Matt and Vince. “Here you are. Enjoy.”

“Which of us is this for?” Matt asked as he gazed at the huge bowl of gelati.

“It is for both of you, of course. Here,” she said, handing out two spoons. “Share… as you’ll share so many other things in your lives together.”

Both boys snapped their heads around to stare at her. She smiled down at them. “I rarely see great love, but today I’ve been blessed. Look over there,” she said, pointing to where Leo McKaylee and Craig Patterson were smiling and chatting. “They share a love that is strong and deep. I saw it when they first arrived here, and it has only gotten deeper with time. You two are only just starting out, but your love is already so strong that it shines that brightly.”

Mama fixed Kirstie with a stern gaze. “And you, my dear, are too good at keeping secrets. We need to have a long talk, sometime.” She smiled. “But in the meantime, enjoy your food.”

NEXT CHAPTER