Wild Man Creek by Robyn Carr Page B

here. I don’t know when I’ve had more fun.”
    “But Jill, don’t you have a plan?”
    “Sort of. I want to garden through the summer. I have to see what I can grow. If I had to give up and leave now, it would break my heart! Besides, even if I ended up back in San Jose in the fall, I’d want to rent something for a while. When I think about that town house, I realize it just doesn’t feel like home. This feels more like home at the moment, and it’s not really even the house, but more the property.”
    “But are you relaxing?” Kelly asked. “Taking stock of your life? Thinking about what’s next?”
    Jillian laughed. “In much the same way people relax by running marathons,” she said. “I’m busy all day, researching gardens on the computer till late at night.”
    “And just how do you propose to make a living?” Kelly, the practical one, asked.
    “Thanks to ten good years at BSS, a nice exit package and a clever financial planner, I don’t have to worry about that right now. But I’ve been thinking about selling vegetables.”
    “That sounds profitable,” Kelly said facetiously. “I was thinking something a little more long-term.”
    Jillian just laughed at her. “Jealous?”
    “Green!” Kelly said. They both knew that in spite of the fact that Jill was known to jump into the deep end of the pool and Kelly thought everything through withrelentless planning, Jill had made a ton of money from BSS and Kelly was a relatively poor sous-chef.
    “I’m thinking of selling fancy high-end fruits and veggies, the kind your restaurant and other five-star restaurants would buy. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Right now all I want to know is if I can grow them—then I’ll think about the next step.”
    “I’d better come up there,” Kelly said. “I think you’ve lost your mind….”
    Jill laughed. “It’s just the opposite, Kell. I feel like I suddenly found it! You know, when was the last time I was this excited? Probably when Harry offered me a chance to work with him to start BSS! I didn’t know anything about the software industry, but I knew I could do it! And this? Kelly, I know about this! Nana taught us in her own garden how to grow some of this stuff. The Russian Rose! White asparagus! Purple Calabash! And I found the seeds. I already have the seedling cups ready. I bought a truckbed full of chicken shit!”
    “An asparagus bed takes up to three years…”
    “Then I’d better get it started,” Jillian said.
    “Aren’t you spending an awful lot of money?”
    “Nah. My biggest expense right now is Denny, my new assistant. But he’s such a great guy and good worker he’s helping me speed up this whole process, so he’s worth every cent.”
    “You could run into areas you don’t understand, like permits, licensing, agricultural restrictions, that sort of thing. I’d never buy exotic, organic fruits or vegetables from a grower who hadn’t passed all the agricultural inspections.”
    “Kelly, lighten up. No one knows how to hire a consultant like I do—I’ve done it a hundred times in an industryI didn’t understand nearly as well as I do this one. Can’t you be a little more positive?”
    “Maybe when I stop shaking…”
    “Oh, brother. I’d better get this up and running before you buy your own restaurant. You’ll go through so many lists and checkpoints, the place will never open. You’ll never get it open without me.”
    “Seriously, I might have to come up there, make sure you’re not totally crazy.”
    “You’re certainly welcome, but you’ll have to bring your own recliner.”
     
    Colin parked his Jeep near the turnoff into Jill’s driveway so the motor wouldn’t frighten off early morning wildlife. He walked up the drive and before getting far he noticed a few things. The drive was a muddy mess for one thing, marked with the tire tracks of large equipment. As he neared the house he saw there was a forklift, wood chipper and a little Bobcat