by Rachel Hanna
He walked into the kitchen and warned Lucy about what was to come. He even offered to let her eat dinner out on the deck so that she didn't have to endure spending time with Julie's mother. In a fleeting moment, he considered the fact that this woman might one day be his mother-in-law. That was pretty terrifying. But he loved Julie, and that meant he had to find a way to love her mother.
A few minutes later, as Lucy was setting the table, SuAnn appeared in the doorway. She had changed her clothes to a green cardigan sweater and a pair of black slacks.
"Well, hello there," Lucy said, reaching her hand out to shake SuAnn’s.
"Hello. I’m SuAnn. And you are?"
"My name is Lucy.”
"You’re the cook here then?"
"Lucy is like a member of the family. She's my partner here at the inn,” Dawson said, correcting her.
"Oh, dear, I hope I haven't said anything out of turn. I didn't mean any offense."
Of course she did.
"None taken," Lucy said, cutting her eyes at Dawson.
Dawson stood until both of the women had sat down. Even though it was their grand opening, their next guests would not arrive for a few more days, so he was stuck trying to figure out how to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with a woman who definitely didn't like him and was more critical than anyone he’d ever met.
“I feel a bit overdressed,” she said, looking at Dawson. “I just assumed we were dressing for dinner.”
Dawson looked down at his T-shirt and jeans, suddenly feeling like he was naked at his own dining room table.
"So, what are we having tonight?" SuAnn asked.
"Well, we’re having roast beef, oven roasted potatoes, caramelized carrots and for dessert, we’ll be having my world famous peach cobbler." Lucy smiled broadly at Dawson.
"Sounds wonderful. Except for the peach cobbler. I'm not a fan."
Lucy stared at her, like she didn't understand her language. "You're a southerner and you don't like peach cobbler?"
SuAnn nodded as she scooped potatoes onto her plate. "I guess I'm not your typical southerner."
"I guess not,” Lucy mumbled under her breath. Dawson heard it, but if SuAnn heard it, she didn't act like it.
Dawson had never been so thankful for chewing. As long as he kept her chewing, she wasn't talking. He and Lucy talked about things that he’d done or needed to do around the property, and every time it seemed like SuAnn might get to say something, he passed her another dish of food, hoping she would just continue eating.
"I'm as full as a tick," she finally said. Dang. Now she was going to talk for sure.
"So, how was your trip here? Dawson tells me you're from the north Georgia mountains?"
SuAnn wiped her mouth and took another sip of sweet tea. "It's a long, boring drive. But, there wasn't nearly as much traffic as I had feared."
"Your husband decided to stay behind?" Dawson asked.
She looked down at her plate for a moment and then cleared her throat. He seemed to have touched a nerve. "He's got some issues with his legs. Long car rides are difficult for him."
"But wasn't he here at Christmas?"
She nodded slightly. "To be honest, I needed a little alone time. Marriage does that to people, you know."
He had a feeling there was more going on then she was letting on, but he decided not to poke the bear.
"Well, I'm sure you're tired from your long trip. Feel free to enjoy your room. You don't have to stay down here on our account."
She looked down at her watch. "But it's only seven-thirty. I'm old, but certainly not old enough to go to bed at this hour."
Great. She was planning on staying up and interacting with him. "I definitely wasn't saying that you're old. There’s a TV in your room inside the armoire. We're connected to satellite, so we’ve got all kinds of channels."
"I don't really watch TV. I find it makes the mind kind of like mush. There's been lots of studies on that."
Dawson looked at Lucy like he was hoping she would have a better idea, but she ended up leaving him in the lurch. "Well, I better be getting in the kitchen. I have a lot of preparing to do for the week."
"Don't you need my help?" Dawson asked, hopefully.
Lucy stood up and walked toward the door to the kitchen. “No. You need to spend some time with your first guest. I wouldn't dream of intruding on that."
When she got on the other side of the kitchen door, she smiled slyly at Dawson out of view. He was going to get her back for this.
Chapter Seven
Julie had been in a rush all day. She had stayed up late last night, talking to Janine and trying to encourage her to reach out to William. She hated to see her give up a relationship that had been so good for the both of them.
She also spent a good hour on the phone with Meg, encouraging her to keep believing that things were going to get better. She would start on her hormonal treatments that week, and she would have her first group counseling session soon. Julie felt confident that her daughter was going to get back on the right track soon.
After working most of the morning at the bookstore, she had contacted Janine, Colleen and Meg and invited them to eat lunch with her on the square. They didn't get nearly enough time together, just chatting and spending time talking. That “girl time” was becoming more important to her as she got older.
Thankfully, they had all agreed. Most of the time, she met Dawson for lunch, but she was quite sure he was busy at the inn, interacting with his first guest. She hadn't had a chance to talk to him today, so she shot him at a quick text message telling him that she hoped everything was going well and that she would touch base with him that evening on her way home from work.
Dawson was good about letting her have time with her family and friends. He never tried to encroach upon that like Michael did. Michael had always hated when she had lunch dates with her friends, somehow thinking that meant that she didn't want to spend time with him. Now she didn’t feel nearly as guilty as she used to about that.
"Glad you could make it," Julie said to Meg as she walked up, pushing the stroller with Vivi inside. Christian had to work, so Meg was on her own, which was another reason why Julie wanted to spend some time with her today.
"Me too. I think I needed to get out of the apartment for a while."
A few moments later Colleen and Janine made their way to the table from different sides of the square. Dixie was manning the bookstore or else Julie would've invited her too. She was so grateful for the strong female energy she had in her life now.
“Man, we've been slammed at the studio today," Janine said, as she sat down and leaned over to look into the stroller. "We had a new class this morning for women over sixty, and those ladies were rowdy!"
Julie laughed. "A rowdy yoga class? I'm not sure that's the way it’s supposed to work."
"Things have been quiet at work for me today. Of course, I can't keep Tucker away from my desk. He's constantly leaving me a little love notes," Colleen swooned.
“Gag. Love notes cause situations like this to happen," Meg said, pointing at the baby and laughing.
Julie enjoyed the banter that she got to have with her adult daughters. It was a totally different kind of relationship than she'd had with them as kids. It was still taking some getting used to, especially the part about keeping her opinions to herself unless she was asked for her input. That was very difficult, especially when she saw her daughters making potential mistakes. But who was she to judge? She had certainly made her fair share of mistakes, even well into adulthood.
"What can I get you ladies?" Denitra asked. They all placed their typical orders, Janine getting her chicken salad pita, Colleen ordering soup and a sandwich, Meg getting a burger and fries, and Julie getting her favorite big salad. They rarely veered from what they got, although sometimes they would try something new. Once, Julie had gotten a new item on the menu called a seared tuna croissant. It was the most disgusting thing she’d ever eaten, and they quickly removed it fr
om the menu after multiple complaints.
"I heard the bakery opened today. Has anyone tried it yet?"
“No, I haven't had a moment to take a breath today. I guess the holiday season tourists are starting to flock into town because the bookstore has been crazy busy this week," Julie said, taking a sip of her water.
“I love the name," Colleen said. For a long time, the bakery did not have a sign up, but one had finally been erected the day before. It was called Hotcakes.
"We will have to check it out. I'm hoping they have poundcake."
"Maybe we can run in there before we all have to go back to work," Colleen said.
"Some of us don't go back to work," Meg corrected.
"You know what I mean."
"Actually, taking care of a baby is definitely considered work," Julie said. "It's harder than anything I have to do at the bookstore."
"Very true. I mean, I'm not a mother, but I know you're working hard, Meg. And being sleep deprived doesn't help." Janine said.
A few minutes later, Denitra brought their food and they ate and chatted for over half an hour. As they settled up on the bill and left a tip on the table, Julie looked up at the bakery one more time.
"Do y'all have time to go check out Hotcakes?"
They all looked at each other and then started laughing. "I think it's pretty safe to say that we are a bunch of sugar addicts, so we might as well admit it and see what kind of decadent desserts we can find," Janine said.
They all stood up and walked down a few storefronts before making their way to the bakery. There had been a line all morning, but thankfully it was pretty light at the moment, probably because most people were at lunch.
"Let's do this," Julie said, pushing the door open and then holding it for Meg to get the stroller through.
The place was really cute inside, a southern theme definitely on display. There were lots of whites and pinks and a little bit of gold here and there. The tables had beautiful white lace tablecloths while the walls were a mixture of white and pink stripes. There were big mirrors with painted white wrought iron all over the walls, as well as some ornate gold candle wall sconces. Most striking were the older, black-and-white pictures displayed on the walls.
"These look familiar," Janine said as she looked at one of the photos on the walls.
Julie walked closer. "Yeah. I can't place where I've seen these before…"
"Well, you should recognize that woman. She's your great grandmother!"
Julie froze in place, staring at the picture. Who just said that? It couldn't be. It was impossible. She had to be imagining things.
But no. She turned around slowly to see her mother standing there, her hair pulled up in a bun, wearing a hand embroidered apron that she knew for a fact belonged to her grandmother.
“Mother, what on earth are you doing here? You got a job at the bakery?" Janine asked, her eyes wide.
SuAnn laughed and waved her hand in the air. "Of course not. I own the place!"
Meg, Colleen, Janine and Julie all just stood there, staring like they were looking at an alien. SuAnn had a big grin on her face, obviously waiting for them to be excited. Excitement wasn't one of the words Julie would use to describe the scene.
“Grandma, you bought a bakery?" Colleen stammered.
"I didn't buy a bakery, sweetheart. I made one. I rented the space and created my own business!"
"Wait. Does that mean… You're living here now?" Janine said, the words slowly coming out of her mouth one at a time, as if each one was getting stuck on her lips.
"Of course it does. I couldn't very well live hours away and run this bakery every day."
"But… Why didn't you tell us…" Julie said. She couldn't seem to formulate actual sentences.
Just then, more customers came through the door, and SuAnn seemed to be the only person working. It would be just like her mother to think she could do everything and not hire any employees.
"Hold that thought! I've got some more paying customers coming in," SuAnn said, trotting back over behind the counter. “Welcome to Hotcakes!”
The four women moved over against the wall and huddled up like they were in a football game.
"I can't believe this. I really, truly can't believe this. What on earth is happening?" Julie said, mumbling in a monotone voice like she was losing her mind.
"What about Buddy? " Meg asked.
"I don't know, honey, but your grandmother is up to something for sure. She doesn't even like to work, much less run her own business. I don't know why she's here."
"Oh Lord. You don't think she wants to live with us, do you?" Janine asked, biting her fingernails.
"Well she can't live with me. My apartment is too small," Meg said, obviously trying to take herself out of the running.
"Well there's no room at the house," Colleen said.
"Sorry about that. Business has been booming today!" SuAnn said, once the store had cleared out again.
Julie sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, determined to get some information this time. "Mom, why in the world did you do this without telling any of us?"
SuAnn sat down in one of the chairs, propping her feet up on the one across from her. "Because if I told you, I knew you'd try to talk me out of it. But, I needed a new start."
"What do you mean by a new start?" Julie asked, slowly sitting down in another chair.
"Well, you see, I'm not getting any younger. I wanted something fun and exciting, and this place wasn't so bad when I visited over Christmas. So, I decided what better place to open my own bakery and sell your grandmother's pound cake? I mean, we sell other things also. Everything except that nasty peach cobbler. Yuck.“
"But, you could've opened a bakery up in the mountains where you live. Where your husband lives also…" Janine said.
"He's not my husband anymore," she said, looking down at her hands resting on her lap.
"What?" Julie said, her mouth hanging open. If there was one thing she knew about Buddy, it was that he worshiped her mother. Or at least that's the way it seemed from the outside.
"Buddy was too… boring… for me. He never wanted to do anything fun. The man hardly ever spoke."
"And yet you stayed married to him for many years," Colleen interjected.
"I know, right? I wasted so many years of my time. But the truth is, my whole family is here. I never get to see you girls, and now there's a new baby."
"Thanks a lot, Meg," Colleen murmured in her sister’s ear.
"Shut up," Meg whispered back.
"I wanted to be with my family. I'm not getting any younger, and these are my golden years. All of my friends have their families around, and my family just ran off to some godforsaken little coastal town. This might not be my cup of tea, but I moved here so I could make the best of it."
"So you actually moved? Like, you have a house or an apartment?" Julie said.
"Well, not exactly. I was so busy worrying about getting this place open that I didn't have a chance to look for a place to live. And, I don't have a whole lot of money yet, so I can't really invest in a house…"
Julie's stomach churned. Please don't ask to live with me. Please don't ask to live with me.
"So where have you been staying?" Janine asked.
"Well, I actually just got here yesterday."
"You just got here yesterday, and you opened today? But you don't even have employees here to help you."
"I did. I do, actually. Young girl that has been helping me get things set up behind the scenes. But she wasn't available today."
"Your only employee wasn't available on your opening day?" Colleen said.
"Well, she might have quit. But that's neither here nor there. I'll find somebody to help out."
"Back to my original question. Where did you stay last night? In your car?" Janine asked.
SuAnn smiled, but not in a normal way. She smiled and that sly way she always did when she was up to no good. "Well, there's this wonderful little inn
that I found out about…"
"No. No you did not. You did not stay at the inn. The doors just opened. You did not take up space as his first guest ever." Julie said.
"Oh, but I did."
"Why didn't you call me last night? I can't believe you didn't tell me she was in town!" Julie said as Dawson stood there trying to defend himself. She had been hammering on for more than five minutes, not giving him the ability to even say a word.
“Julie, she asked me not to ruin the surprise. I assumed she was trying to just surprise her two daughters. She laid on a pretty big guilt trip.“
Julie sat down at one of the picnic tables on the deck and stared out over the vast ocean. Normally she found this place to be very peaceful, but right now she kind of wanted to run straight out into the water and see what would happen.
"Well, she certainly succeeded in surprising us."
He sat down across from her. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you. I thought I was doing a nice thing for your mother."
"I just cannot believe she's here, and for good. I never would've predicted that she would've left her husband and moved here without telling anyone." Julie put her head in her hands.
"I know this isn't an ideal situation…"
"Ideal? This is horrible, Dawson. My mother, and I love her, is like some sort of poisonous octopus with these tentacles that just curl around you and cut your very air supply off.”
"Is it possible you might be just a little overdramatic right now?" Dawson said, shrinking down a bit as if he was afraid she was going to slug him.
She sighed and laid her head on the table. "It's just that I love my life here. I love you. I love Dixie. I love the bookstore. And even though I love my mother, she just sucks the life out of me sometimes. This is the most drama free place I've ever lived, but that's all about to change."
"Maybe not. Maybe she really did come here because she misses her family, and I don't think you would ever forgive yourself if your mother died and she didn't get to spend time with all of you."
She sat up and glared at him, her eyes squinting. "Did she tell you to say that? Has she gotten to you? That sounds like something she’d say.“
