Chapter 24: A Needle in a Haystack

The first morning that Willow wakes up to an empty house, she is still full of hope. Yes the house is empty and quiet, but this is the first day of her new life, and she will find someone else to care for. Filled with hope and anticipation, she starts off right away. That gardener who helps her out is rather cute, she's thought so for some time. Why not see if there is any potential there?

Said and done, with her breakfast sandwich in hand, she makes her way to her greenhouse where he is currently working and properly introduces herself. It turns out that they have a lot in common. They're both vegetarian and loves the outdoors, and he's a perfectionist just like Christmas is. Oh this is promising, and his eyes are so green.

Willow realises that she likes green eyes.





What's more, when she tries to flirt with him, he is more than happy to flirt back. It's all working out exactly as she planned, well until she asks that one important question.
"Are you single?"




Oh! Well that put a damper on things. Embarrassed, Willow ends the conversation and finds an excuse to get out of there. She's been asked to do some research on some new gardening techniques, perhaps the library would be a good place to be? And if there happens to be a handsome man present... well there is nothing wrong in introducing yourself, is there?

To her disappointment men apparently does not frequent the library in Willow Creek. But she does get a lot of research done, even with a librarian who keeps interrupting and venting about useless people with no respect for the books. It's not that Willow can't sympathise, but seriously?



Once home again, Willow makes a meal for herself and watch some TV. Okay, so today wasn't the best of days when it came to meeting someone, but surely tomorrow will be better? She's not about to give up after just one lousy day.



The next morning, Willow has to head into work at the park. But this is good, she tells herself. Parks are a great place to meet people. She starts by taking care of the plants in the greenhouse, presents her research to her boss, make flower arrangements for their Love day Flower Show. When that is done, she head out for some quick lunch at one of the stalls. And what - who - does she see? If not Hannah's younger brother. He's grown up to be a rather attractive man, not very much younger than herself.

Surely that's worth a try?




Only when she goes to meet him, suddenly Summer is there, and throws herself in between the two. "Yes, it's good to see you too, Summer," Willow says as she sees her target walking away. "Busy? Me? No, I always have time to talk to you, you know that. At least until my very short lunch is over."



The next time Willow comes up for air, it's almost dark, and late and she's tired as she gets ready to head for home. But what in the world...? There is an almost naked man in the park doing sexy poses in the park. Willow is bewildered as she approaches. Is there an artist somewhere she can't see? Or is it some kind of photoshoot? But she can't see anyone else. When the man suddenly hauls out a phone from his underwear, she halts. He might be a good looking man, but this is just too weird even for her.




But tired as she might be, Willow is not ready to give up just yet. It's the night before Love Day and she is not ready to give up on the idea of having a date before then. So what do you do when you need a date? Go out of course. So said and done, Willow dons her party clothes, and heads for the Blue Velvet. At first it looks promising, the place is packed. Until she realised that every single person in there is a woman.

"Oh it's ladies night tonight," the bartender tells her. "Didn't you know?"



Obviously, she didn't. And so with that in mind, she travels to Newcrest instead, to the nightclub there. She has a drink for good luck, and hits the dancefloor, where after a little while a sort of cute man comes up to her and starts flirting.



However, wise from her last attempt she starts by asking if he's single before engaging in flirtation this time...



That's it! Willow has had it and is out the door. What is wrong with people?



As Love Day dawns, Willow wakes up to terrible news. Rosalie has withered and died. She knows she fed her the day before, so she cannot understand how it happened. Did she forget to do it before heading to bed? But then surely... but she did sleep in this morning. Well not much to do about it but to plant a new one and promise to look better after it.



As she gets ready for a busy day at the park, her boss suddenly comes to visit. "I had this idea," he says. "What if, you drank the milk from your cowplant."
"Drank it?"
"To further your research. The paper loved your report, but they want more."
"So drink a liquid that I do not really know the properties off and write about it?"
"Exactly! I'm so glad you understand. This is why we make a good team."




"By the way," he continues after she drinks the liquid. "Any chance that friend of yours is coming to the park today?"
"My friend."
"The dark haired one, Olivia."
"Probably, but why?"
"No reason, no reason at all, but do take some time to spend with her,"
"Time off on a busy day like love day?"
"We don't want to strain you while you're affected by that milk. I'll come by and say hi, and you can come in a bit late if you want. That's okay."
Willow is very confused, but happy to get to tend to her garden a bit before work, only to be interrupted by a Floral in a very flirty mood.

And it's not that she's not tempted, by now she's feeling rather desperate (and very flirty from that cowplant essense), but a married man is a married man, and the Civic Cliffs? That seedy bar in Newcrest with room to rent by the hour upstairs? She does the right thing, tells him firmly no, and beats herself up about it all the way to work.




Once there, she complains about it to Olivia, who calms her down by joining her for a game of chess. It doesn't take long before her boss joins them, although he seems to want to talk to Oliva more than to her.




He stays for a moment after Oliva has to leave, but not for long and mostly to ask questions about Olivia. Is there something there?



Apparently so because the very next morning there is a message waiting for Willow on her phone:



"Sorry, we eloped. Would have told you but we were rather spontaneous about it."
She'd say so, as far as she knows they only properly met yesterday! It seems everyone is having more love in their life than Willow. She calls her sister to complain, both about her lack of a love life, but also about her best friend and boss getting married - on a whim - without telling her about it in advance.
"Why don't you drive out here for the day. Drop everything, we'll go swimming in the park, relax in a sun lounger, and you can complain to me about how unfair life is all day, how does that sound?"
Somehow her sister always knows what she needs.



Said and done, she heads over to Desert Spring Park where Sandy is waiting for her. "Isn't Rory around?" Willow asks.
"Nope. No Rory, no children, just you and me."
They start by jumping into the pool.




And then they talk - for hours. About men, children, their mother, friends who does not tell them they are getting married, everything and anything, like they used to when they were younger and still shared a room.



They eat food they grill in the park, and then Sandy takes her to Solar Flair Lounge for drinks and laughs before she goes home to sleep.




While Willow is struggling, life is exciting and new for Sunny and Christmas. They have both been promoted in their careers...



And has started exploring their new home. It's Christmas' idea to visit the Celebration Recreation Centre. "It must be a great place to meet the locals," she says with enthusiasm. Sunny doesn't mind, the recreation center has a gym, and programming and playing video games is not exactly the most healthy of lifestyles. As Sunny hits the weights, Christmas goes around introducing herself to as many people as she can.



Sammantha Celebration and her husband Lawrence seems to be very nice people, and they and Christmas hit it off at once. "What are the odds of meeting someone named Celebration in Celebration?" Christmas exclaims.
"Well fairly high, considering my family once owned this land, but sold it to the city so that this could be built. The recreation center, the park, everything about Gilbert Gardens is named from us."
"So who was Gilbert"
"My great grandfather," Lawrence answers proudly. "You'll find a similar story with Robles Point. There are a lot of Robles in San Sequoia."
"Really? I work there," Christmas says happily.



Downstairs, Sunny is done with exercising and has started a game of scrabble with a guy named Kyle. He seems nice enough. When suddenly someone from his past walks in. Carolyn Landgraab of all people.
"I got a job here, one of the few companies around that isn't controlled by mum and dad," she says. "And I wanted to see if I can make it on my own, without them. Although their money helped in getting a place to stay."
It's not that long since they last met, but Sunny thinks it might be one of the first times that they actually speak - like this at least - without Skyler or Lauryn or anyone else from home around. Carolyn has a lot more to say than he's given her credit for in the past he realises.




That evening Christmas has made sure to invite all their new acquaintances for a BBQ. Sunny makes sure to invite Carolyn as well, who shows up a bit overdressed.





Not that Sunny minds. The two end up talking all night. What starts out as talk about their past, their friends and shared memories turn into talks of future dreams and hopes.




Before the night is over they end up in bed. Granted it is Chrstimas' bed, but it was just closer.



Christmas, still happily unaware off this, is entertaining the other guests downstairs. Well a guests, as the others have all gone home by now. It's late in the night, but Christmas and Jamie just does not want to stop talking. They're having a great time, even if Christmas is so tired she could probably fall asleep on the grass.




When Jamie finally goes home, and Sunny and Carolyn has slipped upstairs to his room, Christmas is left alone with the dishes. Not really fair, so in the morning, after saying good bye to Carolyn, Christmas thinks its time for the two to have a talk.
"My bed? Seriously?"
"But isn't she fantastic?"
"How would I know, you talked to her all night."
"Why did I never see how fantastic she is before?"
"Because you were too busy pining for Lauryn?"
"I was so stupid!"
"Well, yes, but can we get back to the my bed part?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that."



Later, Christmas bikes to her job, which is at Roble's Point just next to their house. It's a very convenient commute. She can't believe this is actually where she works! Just look at those statues!




Upstairs in the art studio, she complete a few paintings, then work on her wood working skill.





Then she works on the improving the art gallery downstairs, and admire some of the fantastic art they have at the same time.



As she gets home before Sunny, she catches a movie before dinner. Unfortunately, not a very good one.



Back home, her mother is still trying to combat her feelings for Floral, who keeps trying to flirt with her in spite of his marriage. Restless, she's been redecorating. Moving her living room into Christmas' old room, and moved in a huge kitchen table into what used to be her living room. She's not convinced yet it was a good idea, even if it might be practical for parties.



At the museum, she finally got the chance to talk to Hannah's brother. He was nice, but there was nothing there. He's just not her type, and let's be honest, an adult man still living with his mother? Why is it that the only man so far to get her going has to be married?



And then out of the blue she gets a message from Olivia, who she has barely seen after her marriage to her boss:
"At our age? Is that wise?"
"Hey you have Christmas, but I never- this is my last chance, can't you be happy for me."
"Of course I am, just take care."
Great, now she feels like a crappy friend too, even if she still thinks it's a bad idea to have a baby a year before you become an elder, but what does she understand? There is no such thing as late adulthood, when you stop having children at a reasonable time before you grow old, so who is she to say the body should function differently? What she does feel is that she really needs to get away from things for a while.



Said and done, she books a vacation to her favourite place in the world. Granite Falls. Where she can be alone, and reflect on her life. She starts with a hike, then goes to the natural park where she finds they've made some alteration to the nature station. There is a chessboard, which she always enjoys. And a set of swings. She hasn't taken a turn on a swing since... well never actually as they didn't exist in Willow Creek when she was a child.





She also takes a swim in the lake, and just relax and let the sounds of the forest sooth her restless heart.



When she returns to the camping site, she runs into Derek, the new park ranger. He seems nice as he makes sure she has everything she needs. She tells him she does, and explains that she's been here lots of times before, and knows the forest well.



It turns out they have a lot in common. With very few hikers in the woods at the moment, they have some time to sit and chat, and after being without any interaction with anyone all day, Willow finds it pleasant to have someone to talk to. Someone who shares her love and passion for nature.



She's not sure when or how they end up sitting so close, or when a pleasant conversation end up being something more...suggestive. She can hear herself giggling, as if she was young again, and feel the rush of blood to her cheeks at his complements.



When he takes her hands in his and stares into her eyes her heart skips a beat, ands he cannot deny that he is a very handsome - and very single, she made sure of that - man.




When he embrace her she doesn't say no, in fact her body is quite emphatically shouting yes, and while she has no illusions of forever, and is certain he does this with as many lonely female campers as he can, sometimes what a lonely woman needs is a passionate kiss by someone with strong arms followed by a steamy night in her tent. This might not be her forever lover, but tonight it's just what she asked for.