by Linnea West
"Let me help you with that," he said with a sweet smile. His teeth were perfectly straight and his smile was so dazzling I loosened up my grip on the tray, totally forgetting the delicious, sugary sweetness I had been about to ingest. Instead I grabbed a carafe of coffee in each hand and led the way into the kitchen.
Chapter 3
As I packed up the leftover donuts into a box to take to the B&B as part of the breakfast the next morning, Mandy came in with a tray of dirty coffee cups. She started to load them into a dishwasher rack, but I just had to figure out exactly what had happened.
"Umm, so what is going on? Who is that guy that came in?"
"That is Earl Stone," Mandy said. I had gathered that bit, so I waved my hand to indicate I needed a little bit more to go on. Sometimes Mandy forgot that I hadn't lived in Shady Lake for close to a decade.
"The Hayride takes place on Earl's family land every year," Mandy said. "His uncle Gordon owned the used car dealership Stone Motors which, as you know, was the biggest financial supporter of the Hayride. He also let us use the land for free. But Gordon died last year and Earl took over both the dealership and the family land."
I remembered Gordon Stone. He was a lifelong bachelor who kept mostly to himself. He was a shy man who somehow was great at selling used cars, but couldn't manage to have a conversation about the weather. I think everyone shopped at his car lot because he gave a great deal without too much schmoozing. Plus, a lot of people felt bad for the old man who seemed lonely, but I think he was just an extreme introvert who liked his alone time.
"Earl's a little rat is what he is," Clark said as he poured the old coffee down the drain. "He came in here and not only is he running the dealership into the ground because he is so greedy, he keeps trying to charge us to use the land for the Hayride."
"Don't forget that he tried to pull the dealership's financial backing of the Hayride," Mandy said quietly. She wasn't one to spout off gossip, but she had no problem telling the facts of the case.
"Tried to pull it?" I asked. "What stopped him?"
"Popular opinion," Clark said. "After his plan got out, there were dozens of letters to the editor calling for people to boycott Stone Motors. People were furious. Obviously the rat fink had to weigh his options and figured the financial output for the Hayride would be less of a hit than an ongoing boycott of the dealership."
I nodded as I tried to remember how many guests were at the B&B that night and determining if I could get away with eating one of the donuts still. Along with not being able to keep my mouth shut, I had a bad habit of stress-eating sugary filled snacks. Both my brain and my waistline hated it.
"So who is this Ralph guy?" I asked as I picked up a donut and took a bite. If there weren't enough donuts for breakfast, someone would just have to make do with a muffin instead.
"We don't really know," Mandy said. "He appeared in town with Earl and as you can see, he isn't much for words. In fact, he never goes anywhere without Earl so no one has been able to talk to him alone."
I grabbed the decaf carafe from Clark before he could pour it all out and I poured myself a cup instead. I loved coffee, but this late at night it had to be decaf or I'd be up all night. I was on the breakfast shift at the B&B, so I had to sleep before serving the guests their meal the next morning.
Mandy pushed her way backward through the swinging door to the seating area to do one last check for the night. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Clark making his way closer to me. I set down my coffee cup just in time for him to put his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him.
"It's been too long since our last date," he said, his forehead pressed against mine. "Are you free tomorrow night?"
"For you? Anytime," I said, trying not to get too flustered.
"Good," he smiled at me. "I have an idea in mind about what we should do, but you have to promise to not laugh and to hear me out."
"Umm okay."
"I need to make sure everyone knows how to drive the tractor pulling the Hayride, right? Well, instead of the group class this weekend, I thought I could give you a little one on one driving lesson."
"So our date will be in a random corn field?" I asked. Clark looked a little shocked and started to backpedal. "I'm just kidding. I think that sounds wonderful."
"Good, I will pick you up after football practice tomorrow night."
I shut my eyes and smiled. Clark's hands were warm on my waist, even through my shirt. Suddenly, the swinging door was pushed open hard and Mandy came back in. Clark and I jumped apart. Mandy just caught my eye and smirked at me as she put the last few plates in the dishwashing rack.
"Okay folks, we are all clean out there," Mandy said. "Time to go home."
"Alright, I will pick you up tomorrow night Tessa," he said. "Have a good night Mandy."
"Good night Clark," Mandy said.
"Good night," I said with a little wave. I had to lean against the big metal table in the middle of the kitchen to support myself as Clark left. He is so handsome and I still can't imagine what he sees in me. But I was determined to have fun with him while he saw something in me that he liked.
Mandy cleared her throat and I looked up to see her waiting for me. She had already put on her jacket and had her purse over her arm. She was holding out my jacket and purse towards me. I looked at her blankly and she shook my stuff at me until I walked over to her.
"Time to go, lovebird," she said with the same smirk on her face.
"Don't give me that look," I said as I grabbed my things. I shoved my arms into my fleece jacket and zipped it up. Minnesota autumn is no joke and soon enough I'd have to switch over to my winter jacket.
"I'm not giving you a look," Mandy said, definitely still giving me a look. I know she just wants me to go slow when it comes to dating, but I don't know how to convince her that I'm fine. I am going slow. But she doesn't know what regular dating is like. She moved in with her fiance Trevor after only three days of dating. But my thoughts on Trevor are best kept for another night because I'm on Cloud Nine right now and Trevor just brings me down.
"Oh whatever, let's go," I said as I threw my purse strap over my head. I was a little annoyed, but Mandy and I had been friends for so long that we could almost read each other's minds.
I walked out the back door into the alley to the station wagon I drove now. Technically, it was my parent's car. But I used it to run errands for the B&B and motel that they own. My dad is a car guy. The shed behind our house has four old cars that my dad has been slowly working on. When everyone is over for Sunday dinner, our house looks like a used car dealership.
Mandy locked the alley door and shuffled over to the station wagon's passenger side. She was meeting Trevor for dinner and I was going to drop her off so they only had one car there. As soon as she fell into the car, I hit the gas. Mandy was pushed back into her chair as she struggled to buckle her seatbelt.
"Geez, Tessa. What the heck?"
"Sorry Mandy."
The alley was almost pitch black besides one tiny light over the bakery back door and my headlights. But there were still a bunch of places that were just all shadows. Ever since Peter died, I found myself scared of the dark. On one hand, it feels ridiculous. I am thirty years old; I shouldn't need a night light. But my therapist assured me that I've been through a traumatic event and that being afraid of the dark is totally normal. I just hope I don't have to carry a flashlight in my purse for a long time because the heavy metal one I have really weighs my purse down.
Chapter 4
Snap snap
"Hello, is there anyone in there," a woman said, snapping her fingers in front of my face. She was a tall, willowy woman dressed in yoga pants and a sweater dress. I immediately pegged her as a suburban dweller, probably coming to enjoy the autumn leaves. They were my least favorite because they tended to be the most demanding. It was a little odd that she appeared to be alone, however. Usually the leaf peepers came in pairs.
I was sitting at the front des
k of the B&B listening to my favorite podcast. Usually mid-morning on a Tuesday is pretty slow, so I put my headphones on and catch up on my favorites. I tend to get really into the true crime ones, which was always a bit appalling for Peter. He used to joke that I was studying up in case I decided to off him.
"I'm sorry ma'am," I said as I took my headphones off and hit pause on my podcast. "Are you checking in?"
"Obviously that is why I'm here," she snapped. "My name is Susy Martin. I called for a reservation yesterday."
I checked the computer registration and found her name. My dad had put in her information yesterday and, as usual, his forgetfulness meant he didn't tell me we had a new guest. Usually, my parents would alert me to new guests so I wouldn't be totally caught off guard when they showed up. Otherwise I had to deal with snobs being upset I wasn't just sitting at this table staring into space and waiting for them to arrive.
"Yes, here you are Ms. Martin," I said. I put together the folder of information we give to guests. Besides their key, we give a little menu with our weekly breakfasts, a list of activities going on in town that week, and places of interest they may want to visit by themselves. Susy impatiently tapped her foot and sighed a few times while she waited for me to finish.
"I don't really need all of that," she said as I started to explain what everything was.
"Oh, well why don't you just take the folder in case you need it," I suggested.
"Just give me my key and I'll be on my way," Susy snapped. She flapped her hands around as she spoke. "I'm only in town for a few days and I'm here for a very specific reason. I don't need to know about the Historical Museum or anything like that."
"Here you go, Ms. Martin," I said in my most syrupy sweet voice as I handed her the entire folder of information. I was biting my tongue so hard I was almost drawing blood. But I was determined not to run my parent's business into the ground just because I couldn't keep my mouth shut.
She snatched the folder out of my hand and walked towards the staircase. As she walked, she took the key out of the folder and dropped the rest of it on the floor. Thankfully she didn't turn around because I may or may not have shown a certain finger before I could stop myself. Then I slapped myself in the forehead because I really needed to stop letting my impulsive side get the best of me.
"Oh Tessa, what did you do this time?" my mother, Teri said as she walked in pulling the vacuum behind her. I have been impulsive my entire life and my poor mother has always been as supportive as possible.
"It was nothing Mom," I said. "Ms. Martin is just a little bit, umm, difficult to please. But I think we are all okay for now."
She crossed the room and gave me a big hug. By this point in my life, she didn't have to ask about what I was feeling. She knew I hated how impulsive I could be and that I was always filled with regret afterwards. It was the one part of my personality that I would change if I could.
"Well I'm here now," my mom said. "I can keep an eye on the desk for a while if you want to go out and have a break."
"Thanks Mom," I said. I grabbed my phone and keys off of the desk and headed outside before my dad came around with a different job for me to do. I hopped in the station wagon and turned on the car. The radio was always tuned to 920 AM, Shady Lake's AM radio station. They played old country songs, church services, high school sports, and a long running segment called "Party Line" where people could call in and make any sort of announcement they wanted to make. Right now, a woman was describing the garage sale she was having at her house, making sure to include descriptions of many of the items that would be for sale. From the sounds of it, she had been talking for a while and Don, the longtime radio host, was trying to find a polite way to get her to wrap it up.
I quickly decided to go drown my sorrows in a donut. All of the leftover donuts I brought home last night had been devoured before I could get one this morning. I had expected that, but I still was disappointed when the empty plate of crumbs came back to the kitchen.
My drive to the Donut Hut took me on Lake Road, which ran entirely around Shady Lake. The lake was ringed by a sidewalk and a row of beautiful trees with red and orange leaves. By this point in the year, everyone has taken their docks out of the water and we are left with a beautiful, clear view of the lake.
Sometimes when I drive around the lake, I wonder why I ever left for the big city. I already know the answer: Peter. I loved Peter and I followed him where he wanted to go. He had grown up in a suburb and wanted to be close to his friends. And I'm not going to lie and say I didn't like living up there. We had a great time trying out restaurants and bars.
But I feel so much more comfortable here in a small town. I know where everything is and I know who almost everyone is. As I drive, everyone waves and I wave back. It feels good to be back and snuggle back into the town that helped raised me.
I turned off of Lake Road onto Main Street. I stopped at a stop sign and looked over to see a man and a woman standing together next to a large, flashy, silver car. It was not the type of car we typically saw here in Shady Lake, so I was intensely curious about who was driving it.
I glanced around the intersection quickly to see I was the only one there. I started to roll through and squinted to try and recognize who was standing next to the fancy car. As I got closer, I saw the back of a woman's head with a large, blond hairdo that I didn't really recognize standing next to a short man who had his hand on her waist in what would be an intimate way if it wasn't grasping the woman. It looked like they might be in some sort of an argument.s
But the male face glared at me, obviously recognizing me before I recognized him. I gasped as I realized that Earl was the man staring back at me. I tentatively gave a small wave, but hit the gas and got myself out of there. I pulled into a parking space in front of the Donut Hut and ran inside. I collapsed into a booth with a wave towards the counter.
Soon enough, Mandy slid into the other side of the booth while placing a plate in front of me. She had picked out a long john with green frosting and sprinkles that look like eyeballs. I must look terrible if she thought I needed this kind of seasonal pastry.
"Spill. Tell me what happened," she said after I devoured the first few bites.
"Well, I'm not sure it was a big deal," I said. "It was just kind of weird."
I described to her how I saw Earl next to the car with a woman and how he sneered at me as I tried to wave at him. Once I reached the end of the story, I took another large bite of donut. The sweetness was helping me overcome the weird anxiety that had hit earlier.
"First of all, that woman is Candy," Mandy said rolling her eyes. Candy had been a few years older than us in high school and Mandy had always been annoyed because their names rhymed and would sometimes be mixed around despite the fact that they were not at all alike and didn't even look alike. "Second of all, were you sure Ralph wasn't there? He is always with Earl."
"I'm pretty sure I would have noticed a giant third person standing with them," I said. "It was definitely just the two of them. And I haven't heard much from Candy since high school. How did she get mixed up with Earl?"
"Hold on, I need a sweet treat also," Mandy said. She darted up to the counter and grabbed a second Halloween long john and two cups of coffee.
"Okay, so here's the deal," she said after a few bites. "Candy kind of disappeared after high school for like three years. But then she reappeared and she seemed to keep attaching herself to anyone who had a little money. She would date them for a while and then there would be some sort of drama and all of a sudden she would be on the arm of someone else."
"You're just saying that because you never liked her in high school," I pointed out.
"True, but I did try to befriend her when she came back," Mandy said. "Candy came in here and asked if I was hiring. I was, so I gave her an application. I tried to start some small talk and ask her how life was going. I must have asked too many questions because she got really annoyed and ended up shoving the paper back at me. She to
ld me she didn't want to work here anyways."
My eyebrows knit together in confusion. I do know Candy had grown up without a lot of money. I wonder why she would come in for a job and leave without even applying. And how did she find Earl now? And what in the world did she see in Earl?
As I took the last sip of my coffee, I glanced at the clock to see it was already late afternoon. Clark would be by to pick me up in less than an hour, so I needed to get home and get ready. Even if our date was in cornfield, I still wanted to look good.
Chapter 5
Whenever I had a date, I always made sure I was ready way early. The idea of not being ready when the guy got here gave me an anxious stomachache, so when I got home I quickly changed clothes into a cute flannel shirt and jeans with a vest over it to keep me warm. Deep down inside, I hoped that Clark would keep me warm.
I sat in the bay window thumbing through a magazine that was on the side table. I used to be attached to my phone and would have been scrolling social media or playing some dumb game. But when I moved back to Shady Lake, I decided that I wanted to break my smart phone addiction. Now, I have a flip phone. The first time I took it out around Mandy, she almost fell on the floor laughing. But I think she spends too much time on social media.
"Hey sweetie, where are you headed?" My dad plopped into the other chair in the bay window. From the looks of it, he had been tasked with dusting. While his salt and pepper hair was now more salt than pepper, some of that was definitely dust and cobwebs.
"Clark is taking me out to practice driving the tractor for the hayride," I said. I purposely didn't look at my dad because he tends to still think of me as Daddy's little girl, even though I've already been married once. But out of the corner of my eye, I could see him shake his head a little bit.
"Well that will be an exciting night," he said. "Do you think you'll be able to handle driving that big ole tractor?"
