Every Road to You

by Phyllis Bourne

  “Poker. Five-thousand dollars.” Ethan closed his eyes briefly and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. The harder he tried to turn this situation around, the worse it got.

  “Suspect close to a thousand of it belonged to Jessie...” The bell over the front door rang out. “Uh-oh, speak of the devil.”

  Ethan turned to the door to see a man, who he placed to be around sixty, with a wrinkled bulldog of a face, holding a baseball bat.

  “Where are they, Haggerty?” he asked the man behind the counter.

  “Who?”

  Jessie Plummer smacked the bat against his palm. “Those tourists. The lady who hustled me out of a thousand bucks, that’s who,” he said. “Heard them going on and on about superheroes last night. Figured they’d show up here. Thought I’d pay them a little visit.”

  He smacked the bat against his palm again. “Get my money back.”

  Ethan glared from Jessie Plummer’s scowling face to the baseball bat in the man’s hand.

  “So you brought a baseball bat along to what, beat it out of her?” Ethan asked, barely containing his fury. He could actually feel steam hissing out of his ears.

  “Maybe.” Plummer’s eyes narrowed. “What’s it to you anyway?”

  Ethan took a step forward, and Tia placed a restraining hand on his arm. “Calm down, Ethan. It doesn’t matter. Carol isn’t even here,” she said.

  He shook off her hand. The fact this guy had even entertained the notion of threatening his grandmother, or any other woman, with a baseball bat mattered. A lot.

  In one swift motion, he removed the bat from Plummer’s beefy mitts. For the first time since he’d burst into the store, the man looked nervous.

  “I’m her grandson, and if my grandmother won money off you, she did it fair and square.” Ethan shoved the bat under the man’s pug nose. “Do you like being threatened by someone bigger and stronger than you?”

  Beads of sweat broke out on Plummer’s forehead as he shook his head.

  “Do you have any idea what I would have done to you if I’d found out you’d stuck this bat in my grandmother’s face?”

  “I—I wasn’t. I wasn’t going to...” the man stammered.

  “Good, because I don’t even want to think about what I would have done,” Ethan said. “Now, I suggest you get out of here and either figure out how to be a gracious loser or find yourself a new pastime.”

  Plummer backed away from Ethan but stopped short of the door.

  “Um, what about my bat?” he asked.

  Ethan looked down at the bat in his hands. Jessie Plummer’s days of threatening people with it were over. “It’s mine now.”

  The bell of the entrance rang out as Plummer slunk out of it, and Ethan leaned the bat against the wall. He turned his attention back to the man behind the counter.

  “What time did my grandmother leave?” he asked.

  The man Plummer had called Haggerty rubbed the stubble on his chin. “They took off on that hog of Glenn’s around eight-thirty, I guess.”

  Damn. Ethan resisted the urge to pound his fist against the glass case. He and Tia had arrived at the coffee shop around eight-forty. They’d missed them by only ten minutes.

  “Guess we’d better head back to Nashville,” Tia said. “It’s not like we know where they’re headed next.”

  No way was he giving up, Ethan thought, especially after his grandmother narrowly missed an encounter with a baseball bat. But Tia had a point. There were nearly a hundred items on his grandmother’s list. They could be headed anywhere.

  “I know where they’re going,” Haggerty interjected. “They were talking about it before they left.”

  Thank goodness. Ethan exhaled, nearly enveloping the old man in a grateful bear hug.

  Tia emitted a nervous chuckle. “Surely you’re mistaken. You could have heard them wrong.”

  “I heard every word.” Haggerty tapped a fingertip to his ear. “Super hearing, remember?”

  “What did they say?” Ethan asked.

  “They’re headed to Silver Dollar City. It’s an amusement park in Branson,” he said. “Carol says she’s riding some big roller coaster. I believe she called it the Outlaw Run. Good luck to her. Me? I stick to the kiddie rides with my grandkids. I’m too old for those giant coasters with the steep drops that flip you upside down and turn you every which way.” He pointed to his chest. “My ticker can’t take it.”

  Neither can hers, Ethan nearly said, fighting off a memory more terrifying than some meathead coming after his grandmother with a club.

  “Did you happen to hear Glenn’s last name or maybe he used a credit card?” Ethan asked.

  “I believe he said his name was Davies. Yep, Glenn Davies.”

  “Thanks for your help, Mr. Haggerty,” Ethan said. Now that he had a last name, he could find out more about this Glenn character. “Appreciate it.”

  A quick check of a travel app on Ethan’s phone revealed driving the five hours or so to Branson would be the fastest route. There were no direct flights to Branson from the airport in nearby Paducah, Kentucky, so flying would mean at least a three-hour drive to either Saint Louis or back to Nashville. That combined with summer-vacation airport lines, and the actual flight would take a lot longer than five hours.

  He glanced down at his watch and up at Tia. “We need to get moving.”

  “You two aren’t taking the tour?” Haggerty asked, disappointment lining his already wrinkled face.

  “We don’t have time...” Ethan felt a hard yank at his arm and looked over to see Tia typing furiously into her phone with her other hand.

  Seconds later, his phone chirped, and she inclined her head toward the pocket he kept it in.

  Make time! It’s the least we can do for this sweet old man.

  Before he could reply to her text, she plunked ten dollars on the counter. “Two adults, please.”

  Haggerty flashed her a huge grin. “The museum entrance is out back,” he said. “I’m the only one here today, so let me put the be-right-back sign on the door, and we’ll get started.”

  “Mr. Haggerty, I really need to catch up to my grandma, so we’re short on time.” Ethan ignored Tia’s disapproving frown. “Could you give us an abbreviated version of the tour?”

  The old man rubbed his hand against his chin. “How much time can you spare?”

  Ethan checked his watch again. “Five minutes, ten, tops.”

  After a quick walk-through of old props from the movies and television series featuring the fictional hometown hero, they left the museum, Tia wearing new sparkly superheroine flip-flops with matching earrings dangling from her ears.

  Noticing she wasn’t walking in step with him, Ethan stopped and turned around. She was standing in front of the huge statue in the square.

  “I can’t come to Metropolis and not get a photo by the giant superhero,” she said.

  Ethan looked at his watch. “We’ve wasted enough time here. If we’re going to catch up to my grandmother and Glenn, we need to get going.”

  “For goodness’ sake, take a deep breath, Ethan. I’m talking a quick snapshot with my phone, not an entire photo shoot.”

  Deciding it would take less time to take the picture than argue, Ethan took the phone from her hand and waited for the family surrounding the statue to take photos of their own.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” Tia said when it was her turn to pose by the statue.

  Ethan felt a tap on his shoulder.

  “Let me snap the photo so you can be in it, too.” The woman whose family had just taken photos by the statue held out her hand for the phone.

  Ethan shook his head. “Thanks anyway, but—”

  “Come on, Ethan,” Tia called out. “Pull the stick out of your behind, and come take a pic
ture with me.”

  Gritting his teeth at the comment, Ethan stalked over to the statue and stood next to Tia. Anything to get them back on the road.

  “Okay, you two, stand close so I can get you and the statue in the picture,” she said. “And, sir, it’s okay for you to put your arm around your girlfriend, you know.”

  Sighing, Ethan didn’t bother correcting the woman. He wrapped his arm around Tia’s waist and tugged her against him. Warmth from her body seeped into his, and he couldn’t help thinking how good she felt. The light summer breeze carried the jasmine notes of her perfume. She smelled good, too.

  “Smile,” the woman called out.

  Just take the damn picture, Ethan thought before he breached the agreement he’d made with Tia and gave in to the attraction they’d both agreed to put on hold.

  Chapter 7

  Tia devoted the first two hours of the drive to running the business end of the spas via text, email and apps on her mobile phone.

  Espresso Sanctuary’s files were backed up to the cloud, enabling her to finish reviewing résumés and narrow down the final candidates for the manager’s position at the Charlotte spa. She’d instructed her secretary to set up interviews with the candidates, flying them into Nashville starting the week after next, as well as order a new line of mango-infused facial products Tia had been sampling for all their locations.

  Espresso had yet to expand from makeup into skin and body care, again thanks to her father’s stubbornness. So Tia personally selected the finest products from other brands.

  A text from Max had assured her everything was going smoothly on the photo shoot for next year’s spring collection, and both Lola and Rafael were doing their jobs. Tia was sure her assistant’s menacing appearance and no-nonsense demeanor had a lot to do with it.

  Finally, with both her and Max out of the office for the next few days, Tia sent out a round of emails delegating their more pressing tasks to other members of the spa division’s senior staff.

  Tia looked up from her phone as they passed a road sign proclaiming they were entering a rural county she’d never heard of somewhere in southern Missouri. She glanced over at Ethan, who’d been about as companionable as the statue they’d posed next to back in Metropolis. His eyes were hidden by black Ray-Ban sunglasses, his expression unreadable.

  “Why so quiet?” she asked.

  “You appeared to be busy. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “Well, I’m not busy now,” she said. “Want to talk about it?”

  “Talk about what?”

  Tia rolled her eyes. “You can start with why you’ve been white-knuckling the steering wheel for hours.”

  “Just thinking...”

  Minutes passed and he didn’t elaborate. Tia stared out the window at blue skies, sunshine, greenery and what seemed to be endless highway. According to the GPS, they had at least another three hours of it all before they reached Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.

  “Well, if you don’t want to engage in conversation, I’ll just have to listen to Wangs’s new CD again.”

  When Ethan remained silent, she reached to turn on the car stereo to fill the dead air. His large hand covered her smaller one.

  “Okay, you win,” he said finally “I’m still trying to wrap my mind around Grandma’s poker exploits. Then there’s how close she came to a run-in with that Plummer guy.”

  Tia chuckled, earning a frown from him.

  “What’s so funny about my grandmother nearly getting a baseball bat upside the head?”

  Tia tried unsuccessfully to hold back the bubble of laughter tickling her throat. “Come on,” she said. “Just imagine what really would have happened if Jessie Plummer had stuck a bat in Carol’s face.”

  The corner of Ethan’s mouth twitched before he burst into a fit of laughter of his own.

  Tia hadn’t heard him laugh much, but she found herself liking the rich, deep sound.

  “You’re right. I let him off easy,” Ethan confirmed. “If he’d come at Grandma with a bat, when she was done with him, he’d be shitting splinters for a week.”

  “Exactly.”

  They both laughed, and Tia felt a tug at her insides. Who would have thought beneath the serious veneer, Ethan Wright possessed a wicked sense of humor. Tia found it even more appealing than his outward appearance, which was downright droolworthy.

  “Now that I’ve shared what’s on my mind, I’ve got a question for you.” Ethan interrupted her thoughts. “You seem to be much closer to Grandma than I am these days. She ever mention poker to you?”

  Feeling the warmth of his brief gaze, Tia nodded.

  “So her winning the jackpot wasn’t some kind of freak beginner’s luck?”

  “No, her father taught her to play,” Tia said. “She used her winnings to help pay for nursing school.”

  Ethan shook his head, and Tia could tell he was struggling to reconcile the grandmother he knew with the person Carol actually was deep down.

  “So the item on her bucket list about playing in a national tournament isn’t a lark. She fully intends to do it.”

  He was staring straight ahead at the highway in front of them, and Tia got the impression he was thinking aloud rather than waiting for a comment from her.

  “So that means the poker game at the casino wasn’t a random one-off. It’s part of the grand plan,” Ethan continued. Tia could practically see the synapses firing in his brain. “This Glenn guy has put Grandma up to gambling their way to Las Vegas, where his ultimate plan is to sweet-talk her down the aisle and live comfortably off her winnings.”

  His grip tightened on the steering wheel.

  “Hell, no,” Ethan muttered. “That old hustler is going to have to find someone else’s grandmother to con.”

  Tia stared at him incredulously. “Are you listening to yourself?” she asked after she picked her jaw up off her chest. “There aren’t even any casinos in Branson. It’s family friendly.”

  “I’m sure he’s got another card game somewhere on his agenda,” Ethan said.

  “That has to be the most outlandish, far-fetched,” Tia sputtered, “most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “Makes perfect sense to me. Glenn is obviously out to take advantage of her.”

  “I don’t believe it for a second. They really care about each other. They might even be in love,” Tia blurted out before she could stop herself.

  Ethan flicked on the turn signal and took the next exit ramp off the highway.

  “What are you doing?” Tia asked.

  “Stopping for gas.”

  At the gas station, Tia made a restroom pit stop while Ethan filled the tank.

  “The credit-card slot on the pump isn’t working, so I’m headed inside to pay and get some snacks,” he said when she returned to the car. “Can I get you anything?”

  “Just a diet cola.”

  “Are you sure? You haven’t eaten anything and we still have another two hours to Branson.”

  “I’m sure.” Tia nodded. “I’m saving my appetite for cotton candy and hot dogs at the amusement park.”

  A few minutes later, Ethan handed her a cold can of soda as he got back into the car. He took off his shades, opened the wrapper of a protein bar and took a huge bite, following it up with a swig of orange soda.

  He switched on the engine and cranked up the air conditioner but didn’t make a move to put the car in gear. Instead, he turned to her.

  “So, what exactly did my grandmother say to you about Glenn?” he asked.

  Tia took an unusually long gulp of her soda. “Nothing much,” she answered finally.

  “It was enough to give you the impression they were in love. Tell me what you know,” he said. “Please.”

  It was the pleas
e that got to her. In their previous exchanges over Carol, he’d never asked, only demanded.

  Tia made the mistake of looking into his dark brown eyes. She no longer saw the gleam of a control freak out to steal his grandmother’s joy. She saw a tired, stressed-out man overwhelmed by worry for someone dear to him.

  The realization made her feel small, and for the first time, she doubted her goal of sabotaging his efforts.

  “Please, Tia,” he pressed.

  She thought about what Carol had told her. It wasn’t much. Nor did she feel it would be breaking her friend’s confidence to share it with Ethan. If anything, it should help erase the silly conclusions he was drawing, convince him to abandon this trek and return home.

  “She knew Glenn before she married your grandfather,” Tia said. “He was her first love.”

  Tia gave him a minute to absorb the words.

  “I had no idea.” Ethan took a sip from his soda and stared out the window at the ice machine and cases of beer stacked near the gas station’s entrance. “I guess I never imagined her loving anyone besides my grandfather.”

  “So you see, Glenn isn’t some stranger off the street. Carol’s known him for years.”

  Ethan polished off his protein bar, ripped open a second one and finished it in a few bites. He was eating, but in the short time they’d known each other, Tia knew enough to know he was also examining every word she’d told him.

  “Weird how I’ve never seen him at her house when I was there, and I try to stop by once or twice a week,” Ethan said. “How long has this thing between them been going on anyway?”

  Tia hesitated before answering. “He just moved back to Nashville, and she saw him for the first time about a week ago,” she said so softy she doubted even Haggerty’s super hearing could have picked it up.

  “A week!” Ethan opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it and closed it again.

  “But they picked up where they left off almost sixty years ago,” Tia said. “It’s romantic.”