A Twist Of Fate (PREVIOUSLY A Purple Garden)

Chapter 32

As she put her suitcase in the backseat of Lucas's car, Sydney looked back at her mom who was knelt down by the flower bed in front of the house. With her gardening shears, Rebecca was pruning the purple Hydrangea bushes that she had planted years before. It was the first time in a while that she had the energy to do it herself. Jeremy was standing close by her just in case she admitted that she needed a break which gave Sydney peace of mind.

She walked closer to where Jeremy was standing talking happily with Lucas. "I think I'm ready," she told Lucas.

Lucas smiled at her. "Okay." He turned his attention to Jeremy. "It was good talking to you, man," he said as he reached a hand out toward him.

Jeremy went for a high-five, grabbing Lucas's hand and pulling him in for a hug. "You too, man. Take care of my little sister, alright? I want her brought back in the same condition she's leaving in," he joked.

"Of course," Lucas chuckled before going to say a bye to Rebecca. 

Sydney stood behind with her brother. "She had a good day today," Sydney said as she watched Lucas help Rebecca stand up. Her mother pulled Lucas in for a hug, a smile on her face as she patted his back. "If it weren't for that, I wouldn't be going."

Jeremy smiled. "I know. But I'm glad you're going. You're gonna have a great time."

"You do swear though that you'll call me if anything happens, right?" she asked, looking at her brother seriously.

With a grin, he nodded. "I promise. Now you promise me that you're going to enjoy yourself this weekend."

Chuckling, she rolled her eyes. "I promise."

*****

Their fingers intertwined on the middle console, Sydney held Lucas' hand in hers. She felt his fingers play with hers soothingly. Smiling, she watched the trees and greenery blur past them as they drove deeper into the woodsy nature. There was just something about being in the mountains that was familiar. It made her feel safe.

"What's the GPS say now?" he asked.

She looked down at her phone in her lap. "It says we're almost there. Just keep going straight. It should be up here on the left."

Within a few moments, a small cabin came into view and he turned the car onto the path that led up to it. "Here it is," he chirped.

"Wow," she said in awe as the cabin came into full view. "It's so nice."

"My buddy said there's a porch in the back of it that leads out to the lake," Lucas explained. "I bet that's a beautiful view."

"I can't wait to see it."

As he parked the car, they stepped out. Sydney opened the back door and started grabbing her suitcase. "No, no," Lucas said as he stopped her. "Let me carry the heavy stuff."

She laughed as she stepped out of his way, allowing him to take both of the luggage out. "Such a gentleman," she said.

"I try." He grinned as he handed her a key. "You can go ahead and unlock the door, I'll be right behind you."

Heading toward the front of the cabin, Sydney climbed the porch steps. Sliding the key into the doorknob, she twisted it and heard a small click as it unlocked.

Walking inside, it was almost exactly like she would have imagined it; wooden walls and floors with cozy looking furniture and flannel that decorated the space generously. There was a large fireplace in the living room that she could just imagine her and Lucas curled up in front of as a fire crackled.

But what she wasn't expecting to see was the purple rose petals that led to the small kitchen just past the living room she stepped into. Without much thought, she followed the petals to where they led to a large bouquet of purple roses on the counter.

"Do you like them?"

She realized then that she had been smiling. "I love them. They're beautiful." Pausing she reached out to touch them gently before turning around to look at him. He stood a few feet behind her, grinning as he watched her. "But why purple?"

His smile faded slightly. "I was hoping it would mean something to you." She turned around toward the flowers again. "Do they remind you of anything?"

She nodded. "Yes, actually," she answered, as she tried to work things out in her head but she was left confused. "This sounds crazy," she began, "but prom night our senior year, I came home and there were purple roses in the kitchen. They were a smaller bouquet than this but they looked just like these."

"Who were they from?"

She laughed lightly. "Jeremy said he got them for me. He told me some weird story about seeing them marked down at a store or something and he grabbed them. He thought I like purple." She looked at him. "Did he tell you that I like purple?"

"Sydney." He chuckled softly as he tucked both his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Those roses were from me."