by Melinda Metz
“You do an amazing job.”
“I do, huh?” He raised one dark eyebrow. “You’ve been here for probably a total of twenty minutes, most of it in the kitchen.”
“I know I don’t really know. But I just met two of your staff, and they adore you. And you were over visiting Gib the other night. I bet all managers—owners, I mean—don’t do that. Both things tell me a lot. I stand by what I said. You do an amazing job.”
“Now, maybe. But when I started? I was only nineteen.”
“No way.”
“My dad had taken over from my grandpa. He’d only been running the place on his own for about four years; then he hit his fiftieth and bought himself a Mustang convertible. Red. And a leather bomber jacket to go with it. Classic mid-life crisis cliché. A few months later, he was gone. Just, gone. I had to step up. My mom was useless.” He grimaced. “That’s not fair. My mom was heartbroken. I’d spent all this time here with my grandfather and later my dad. I’d picked up a lot, so I stepped in. Didn’t think it would necessarily be permanent. But here I am almost ten years later.”
“LeeAnne said you had a sister.”
“A twin. Nathalie,” Nate said. “But she had no interest in the place. She had this thing when she was a teenager where she didn’t want to be around old people. Like it was contagious. When she was little she’d come over—our family house is on the edge of the grounds—but later, no way.”
“Nate and Nathalie. Cute, cute.”
“It’s worse than that. Nathaniel and Nathalie.”
Briony playfully narrowed her eyes. “Did you get dressed alike?”
Nate laughed, which was her intention. “I have this picture of us when we were about three, me in a little sailor suit, her in a sailor dress. That was the last time we twin dressed. I somehow managed to rip or otherwise destroy my half of any other matching outfits.”
“And you go by ‘Nate,’ not ‘Nathaniel.’ ”
“I tried to get people to call me Parka when I was kid, but it never stuck.”
“Parka? Like a coat?” Briony found herself twirling a curl that had come loose from her chignon around one finger. She jerked her hand down. Hair twirling was a classic flirting move. And she was not trying to flirt.
“Like a coat? No. Parka. Like La Parka. Wrestler. Dressed like a skeleton.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.” She realized she’d just been talking talking. Like she did with Vi or Ruby. With Caleb, she was more careful. He was so perfect, she wanted to be perfect, too. And with her parents, she didn’t like to say anything that would make them worry, so nothing that would make them think she was unhappy in any way.
“Did you wrestle in school?” Briony tried not to picture him in one of those unitard things.
“I want to say yes. But I don’t want to lie to you. I was—”
Nate was interrupted by Gib shoving through the door into the kitchen. “He’s gone. I don’t know how he did it. The door was closed. The windows were closed. There’s no chimney. Is that cat’s middle name Houdini?”
* * *
It was dark when Nate finished visiting with Iris. She’d had hip-replacement surgery a few days before, and he’d gotten word that she was resistant to working with her physical therapist. He’d stopped by to give her some flowers and a pep talk.
As he walked toward his office, he decided to ask Janet to stop by and see her the next day. Janet had had a hip replacement about four years ago and was doing great. She was one of the gym regulars.
He hesitated when his office came in sight. Even though he knew security would keep a close eye on his mom’s place, he’d feel better if he swung by himself.
Maybe he’d even talk to her about his dad. He never really had. It was like it was easier for her to act like he’d never existed, and Nate had gone along with it. Talking to Briony earlier had made Nate think maybe it was finally time to have a real conversation with his mom and maybe with Nathalie, too.
A text popped up from LeeAnne as he changed direction. He read it as he headed toward his mother’s.
You should ask her out for a drink.
What?
She doesn’t know anyone.
What?
She’s at her cousin’s place for a few weeks.
Were you eavesdropping? Never mind. Obviously, you were.
Well, I did inventory two days ago.
Why are you still here?
Not. I don’t live at work like you do.
Not at work. Going to my mom’s.
Oooh. Exciting.
Shut up.
Call her. She’s cute.
Hanging up.
You can’t hang up on a text.
Putting phone away.
Nate stuck the cell in his pocket. Maybe he should see if Briony wanted to hang out. He could show her around LA a little. LeeAnne was probably right about her not knowing—
The shadows shifted under the jacaranda tree in his mom’s yard. But there was no wind. The branches were motionless.
Someone was there.
Nate took off. He vaulted over the low wall—just as someone scrambled over it to the sidewalk. Nate launched himself back over. He spotted the side gate of the bungalow across the street shutting. He raced over and into the backyard.
“Get him, Peanut!”
Clang! The metal dog door flipped open. Light suddenly filled the windows overlooking the yard. One of the windows opened. “Who’s out there?” Martin Ridley yelled.
“It’s Nate!” Carrie Ridley exclaimed.
Peanut, their rotund dachshund, gave a high yelp. He’d only made it halfway through the dog door and had become wedged in place.
“My Peanut!” Carrie cried.
“I’ll get the treats,” Martin announced.
Nate looked around the yard. Whoever he’d been chasing was gone.
“Here. Hold one of these in front of him.” Martin leaned out the window and shook a box of dog treats at Nate. Nate thought that might only add to the problem, but he obediently went over and took a biscuit, then held it about a foot from Peanut’s nose. Peanut gave a wriggle, another yelp, and he was through. He snatched the treat, downed it, then latched his teeth onto Nate’s ankle.
Nate reached down to pry the dog off him. “No!” Carrie screeched. “Peanut’s teeth are bad.”
“Peanut, treat!” Martin opened the door and waved a biscuit.
Peanut instantly released Nate and started waddling toward Martin. “Sorry to bother you,” Nate said. He tried to think of something he could say that wouldn’t alarm them. “I saw that your back gate was open and wanted to latch it so Peanut wouldn’t get out. You must have heard me. Sorry to cause all the commotion.”
“No worries,” Martin answered.
“Will I see you two at Wii bowling tomorrow?” Nate asked.
“We wouldn’t miss it.”
“We have to put the Scared Splitless team in their place,” Carrie added from behind the open window.
Nate told them good-bye, then walked back over to his mother’s house, texting the head of security as he went to let him know what had happened. He tried the door. Locked. Well, that was something. He gave a knock, and when his mom answered she was beaming.
“You’re going to be so proud of me,” she announced. “My computer got locked up, but I called the number, and talked to a technician. He took control of the computer from where he was, remotely. I didn’t even know they could do that. Then he—”
“Mom,” Nate interrupted. “That was a scam.” He managed to keep the exasperation out of his voice. He’d talked to her about computer security.
“He didn’t ask for any money. He was from Microsoft,” his mom explained.
“Here’s the thing. Once someone gets into your computer, which is what happened, they can get your credit card numbers, they can—”
“Oh no!” his mother cried. “What am I going to do? I don’t know what to do!”
“It’s going to be all ri
ght,” Nate said. He put his arm around her shoulders. “I’ll run a check on your computer to see if anything was installed, and we’ll call your bank and let them know what happened. The homeowner’s insurance covers identity theft, just in case we need it, which I don’t think we will.”
He abandoned the idea of starting a conversation about his dad that night. She was already too upset.
His mother leaned into him. “You take such good care of me and Nathalie. What would we do without you?”
“You’re not going to have to find out,” Nate promised.
* * *
Mac eyed the dangerous fluffy thing as it slowly wiggled across the floor. He waggled his hips back and forth, making sure he had his balance right, then—pounce!
The fluffy jerked out of the way just before he landed. Mac gave a little growl as his nemesis began whipping around him in circles. Taunting him.
Mac did his hip waggle again. This time his pounce was right on target. He pinned the fluffy to the ground with his body, then dug his teeth into it, refusing to let go even when it tickled his nose so badly he sneezed three times in a row.
Peggy—he’d heard other humans blah-blah her name—laughed. “You win, you win!” She dropped down in an armchair, breathless. “My boa is never going to be the same. But it was worth it. I was going to get something new for this year’s talent show anyway. You should have seen me last year, with that boa wrapped around my neck. I did ‘These Boots Were Made for Walking’ and got a standing O.”
She started making a kind of purring sound. It didn’t sound exactly right, the tone going up and down too much. It was to be expected. She wasn’t a cat after all. But Mac appreciated the effort. He abandoned the dead fluffy. That’s right. He killed it. He ruled. He jumped up on Peggy’s lap and settled down for a rest.
Peggy rubbed the side of Mac’s face, and he began to purr. Let her see how it was done. He could easily have stayed there for hours, but it was getting late. He’d been gone from home for longer than he ever had. He was sure the bonehead had peed all over Mac’s yard. Mac would have to deal with that. And he needed to check up on Briony. She’d smelled better that afternoon, but who knew how long that would last. Humans were so unpredictable.
Mac enjoyed a few more scratches, then stood and stretched. He jumped down, trotted over to Peggy’s door, and gave a single mew. Peggy came over and opened the door right away.
“Thanks for the visit!” she called as he slipped outside.
Mac could see why Gib liked the smell of her. Mac did, too. But Peggy hadn’t seemed to notice Gib’s scent. Oh, well. He could find a way to fix that.
CHAPTER 7
“I have a craving for chicken and waffles,” Ruby announced when Briony answered the door the next morning. “Not any chicken and waffles. Roscoe’s. And since you’re new in town, and haven’t experienced the mighty Roscoe’s, I came over to get you. Have you eaten?”
Briony looked around for Mac. He’d been there for his breakfast, so she was pretty sure he was still in the house, and she didn’t want to give him the chance to make a break for it. “I had some toast.”
“Toast. Pfft. So are you coming? My treat.” Ruby grinned. “If I’m being annoying, just make up a polite excuse and send me on my way.”
“Sounds great. I’m in,” Briony told her. She did another Mac check, ran over to the coffee table to get her purse, then rushed out, slamming the door behind her.
“Isn’t cat sitting Mac fun?” Ruby teased.
“He got out again!” Briony exclaimed. “He came back again, but still.”
“Roscoe’s is only a few blocks away. We can walk,” Ruby said. “Where’d he go this time, do you know?”
“Back to The Gardens. I went after him with a cat carrier and found him posing for some art students.” Ruby laughed so hard she snorted. “Yeah, you can think it’s funny. You’re not in charge of him,” Briony told her. “I gave permission for him to stay until the end of the class, but when it was over, he vanished.”
“Good. The line’s not too long.” Ruby nodded to a few people sitting on a bench in front of a long building with horizontal wooden siding, and narrow rectangular windows set too high for anyone to see inside.
“I walked right by here on the way to FedEx and didn’t even notice it,” Briony said. “Of course, I did have other things on my mind. Like returning my jilted fiancé’s wedding ring.” Her breath started coming a little fast.
Ruby let the jilted fiancé comment slide, probably to prevent Briony from starting to full-on hyperventilate. “It’s low on ambience, but the food is insane,” she said as they joined the line.
“Have you ever felt an overwhelming attraction to someone you don’t even know?” Briony asked. “Truly overwhelming, not just an, oh, he’s good-looking kind of thing.”
“Holy non sequitur, Batman.” Ruby stared at her. “Or maybe not. I think there might be some logic here. You were talking about The Gardens. And that got you thinking about the owner. The cute owner. Which led to your question. Am I right?”
Briony groaned. “You should not know me so well already. And I should not feel so comfortable with you already. I really wasn’t planning to say that. I just—blurt.” She’d wanted to say something that didn’t have anything to do with Caleb, and that’s what had come out.
“So, I’m right.”
“Yeah, I was asking because I saw Nate, the owner, yesterday. And blam. That’s never happened to me before. Not like that. I notice if someone’s cute or whatever, but this was—” Briony shook her head. “I kept it together, though. I’m sure he didn’t know. My goal was to show him I wasn’t always a hysterical mess of a person. I don’t think I even told you what a freak I was the first time I saw him. I was too busy being a freak the first time I met you.”
Ruby patted her arm. “You weren’t being a freak. You were having a panic attack, which was completely understandable after what you’d been through.”
“Well, I wasn’t having a panic attack the first time I saw Nate, not quite, but I was horrified that Mac had gotten out on my watch. When he called I went running over to The Gardens without even thinking about what I looked like. When I got home, I realized I had mascara smeared halfway down my face, and, please, let’s not even speak of my hair or the streetwalker rip in my dress that went up to my thigh. Also, I’d lost a shoe.”
“Like Cinderella.”
“Oh, right. I forgot about how Cinderella went to the ball and screeched at the prince for letting her cat escape,” Briony answered. “Seriously, Ruby, I was a maniac. But yesterday, I had it together. I may have briefly spoken in a British accent, but other than that I was calm, cool, and collected. We actually ended up having a nice chat.”
“A nice chat?” Ruby repeated. At least she hadn’t asked about the accent, which Briony had no idea how to explain.
“Yes, a nice chat about how he took over running The Gardens after his dad had a mid-life meltdown and bought a red convertible and basically drove away in it, never to be seen again.”
“That sounds more like a heart-to-heart than a chat.” The group ahead of them went into the restaurant and Briony and Ruby moved up.
“I guess it was kind of personal, for basically our first conversation,” Briony admitted.
“What about you? Did you spill your guts, too?” Ruby asked.
“My guts stayed right where they belonged. I told him I was an accountant, like my dad. That’s as personal as it got.” Another question popped up in her mind. Another one she shouldn’t ask. One she shouldn’t even be thinking about. “Did Mac really get my cousin and David together somehow?”
“Yep. Mac kept stealing things from David. Nothing valuable. Little things like socks. Then he’d leave them on Jamie’s doorstep. He brought her stuff from other guys in the complex, too, but David was clearly his top pick. He brought more of David’s things than anyone else’s,” Ruby explained. “And they weren’t the only couple he got together. There were two o
thers. He also reunited twin sisters who’d been feuding for years.”
“Nate has a twin, a sister who isn’t interested in The Gardens. I didn’t find out why,” Briony volunteered. Like she was a teenager who’d use any excuse to talk about her crush. You’re a victim of pheromones, she reminded herself. With some instability mixed in. You don’t really know the guy.
“We’re up.” Ruby led the way inside the dimly lit restaurant that had lots more wood—wood walls, wood planks on the floor. The hostess showed them to a small table next to a curving wooden half wall. “Low ambience, insane food,” Ruby reminded Briony softly after the hostess left them.
“The smells already have my mouth watering,” Briony answered.
Before they could get back into their conversation, their waiter, friendly and face tattooed, came up, introduced himself, and asked for their drink order. “I always get the Sunset,” Ruby said.
“I have no idea what that is, but I’ll have one, too,” Briony told their waiter, and he was off.
“It’s fruit punch and lemonade. The fruit punch floats on top. That’s partly why I order it. It’s so pretty, all yellow and pink,” Ruby told her.
“Can we go back to Mac?” Briony asked. “I’m having trouble wrapping my head around how he did all this matchmaking. And fence-mending with sisters.”
“None of us understands how he does it. We just know he does. He even did it for me.” Ruby brushed her bangs off her forehead. “Not matchmaking exactly, but sort of. I don’t have kids, but I always wanted them.”
“Okay.” Briony had no idea where this was going. It’s not like Mac could have left a baby on Ruby’s doorstep. At least she hoped not.
“There’s a single mom who lives in Storybook Court. She has two daughters, a teenager, Addison, and a little girl, Riley. Addison had to take care of Riley a lot, because of their mom’s work schedule, and, being a teenager, she wasn’t always that happy about it,” Ruby began. “I don’t know how Mac knew any of his, if he did, but he took Riley’s favorite toy, I mean the toy she couldn’t live without, and left it on my porch. Long story short, I’m now Riley’s honorary aunt, and pretty much a part of the whole family.”
