She walked up to reception—more time to work out her approach in her head. A lot of the working out came in mumbles of dialogue, which she managed to shut down as she spotted Emily standing outside with the woman who had the baby and the swimming dog.

No dog this time, and Emily bounced the dark-haired baby on her hip.

“Hey, Darby, come meet the prettiest baby in the history of babies—and her mom.”

The mom had dark hair, too, worn in a sleek tail, and green eyes that blurred in just the faintest hint of blue. She wore a navy suit as sleek as the ponytail, low heels, and came off just a little frantic.

Darby crunched up the gravel path. “Hi. Darby McCray. I saw you and Audra and Molly taking a walk on my way in on Saturday. I gave Molly straight tens on the Olympic scale.”

The baby, as babies often did with Darby, threw her arms out, gurgling, legs kicking.

With a laugh, Darby held hers back. “Is it okay?”

“Wow.” Britt shifted the diaper bag on her shoulder. “She’s friendly, but that’s still a first. If you don’t mind—”

“Are you kidding?” Darby took the baby from Emily, nuzzled her. “She already knows I’ll sneak her a cookie whenever possible.” As the baby tugged cheerfully at Darby’s hair—what she could grab—Darby smiled. “I’m interrupting.”

“No. Sorry. Nice to meet you. Sorry,” Britt said again. “Our regular sitter’s in urgent care.”

“Oh no.”

“Possible broken toe. Not serious, but not easy when she has a toddler. Emily—”

“We’ll be fine. I’m emergency backup. You go, don’t worry about us.”

“I’m not worried, it’s just—thanks.” She passed over the bag, added a strong hug.

“You let me know when you find out how Cecile’s doing.”

“I will. You’re a lifesaver. I have to run,” she told Darby. “I have an appointment in … fifteen minutes,” she added with a glance at her watch. “She may spit up on your shirt.”

“I do that myself.”

With a half laugh, Britt leaned in to kiss Audra’s cheek, then jumped in her car. “If anything—”

“Go!” Emily ordered. She watched Britt pull out, waved her off. “She’ll check on Cecile if she has time before the session. They’ve been friends since middle school.”

“Oh, does Britt work at the medical center?”

“Yes. She’s a therapist. Child and family therapy. You were coming to see me?”

“I was, but you’re busy.”

“Not that busy, and this one’s an angel. I don’t care how many grandmothers say the same, for my Audra it’s pure truth. Come on in.”

Grandmother, Darby noted, not aunt or auntie. Interesting.

She followed Emily in, where reception now held a baby pack and play area and a baby swing.

“You’re prepared.”

“When Britt called, I ran to the house for a few essentials, including several stuffed animals, stacking toys, banging toys.”

“Softie.”

“Oh, you bet.”

She settled the baby in the swing, gave her a little stuffed lamb, set the swing to a gentle rock.

“I can’t believe my baby’s ten months old and starting to toddle. Now, what can I do for you?”

“It’s actually what I hope you’ll let me do for you.”

Emily’s eyebrows lifted. “Then why don’t we sit down?”

“I should give you the quick background first. My mother and I ran a landscaping business in Maryland. After she died, I realized I just couldn’t do it without her. It wasn’t the work. It was the heart. I didn’t have the heart to keep the business there, or the house, or anything really.”

“What you did there, you did together.”

“Yes, and without her I just couldn’t find my balance, just couldn’t see staying. I decided to sell the business, relocate, and come here.”

“I didn’t realize you’d planned to stay in the area.”

“Well, I couldn’t be sure until I got here. I did my research on the area, on the growing season, the native plants, the businesses—well, I did my research, but I needed to be here, to see, to, you know, feel it. I intended to take two weeks to be sure, but, well, when you know, you know.”

“You’re hoping to start a business here?”

“I’ve already applied for the license, got the process started.”

“My goodness.” Emily let out a rolling laugh. “Girl, you’re greased lightning.”

“When you know, you know,” Darby repeated. “I still need to look for the right location where I would set up, but in the meantime, I’ve talked to local suppliers. Joy and Frank Bestor at Best Blooms are just great, aren’t they?”

“They are.”

“I’ve talked to lumber suppliers, stone suppliers, and so on.”

“Lumber and stone?”

“Fences, walls, patios, pavers—it’s all part of landscaping. It’s not just plants, though they’re the heart.”

“All right.” While Emily didn’t know much about it, she knew a lot about people. As she’d thought the first time, the girl was alive with energy.

“If you want me to spread the word—”

“Oh, not yet. I mean, I can give you a client list from Maryland, lists of references and all that, but it’s not the same as seeing. So I’d like to offer you a proposal.”

“Okay.”

“I’ve got the bungalow here for another three weeks. I’d like to, at my expense, landscape its grounds. Time, material, labor—at my expense.”

Caution flickered over polite interest. “What sort of landscaping?”

“I’ve got a drawing.” Darby opened her pack, handed a computer-generated drawing to Emily, then got up to crouch beside Emily’s chair to explain it.

As Darby bent her head, Emily saw the tattoo in deep, dark green on the back of her neck. An infinity symbol.

“You see the hardscape, the walkway, the back patio in slate,” Darby began. “Rustic, but finished—and you won’t have the expense of replacing the gravel every few years. A good, attractive, still rustic pole light—that adds welcome and security. For the plantings you want low-maintenance.”

“The lowest. I have two black thumbs.”

“Bet you don’t. People just think they do. But we stick with native plants, and accents that are proven in this climate and zone. Mountain laurel, azaleas, soften the foundation.”

Greased lightning, Emily thought again as she studied the drawing.

“You’ve got shady areas where I’d do some elderberry, some high bush blueberry—you get the flowers, then the birds get the fruit. And you could have some rosebay rhodos—they’ll grow on the edge of the woods here, and so will some more wildflowers I’d coax in, some bulbs like daffs and lilies for naturalization. Your guest would have all that bloom and color in different seasons. And I’d do—again easy to maintain—pots of mixed annuals for the porch, the patio.”

“But what about watering all this?”