Flamingo Diner

by Sherryl Woods

  Emma looked at him and knew that she’d found the same steadiness in him, and so much more. “I know,” she said softly. “You taught me that.”

  For a minute it looked as if he might press the subject, but then they were at the diner and there were a million and one things to do to be ready for the breakfast rush. She was relieved not to have to deal with all the questions he was bound to have about their future. He deserved answers, even to the unspoken questions, but she knew he wasn’t going to like them and she dreaded making him unhappy.

  Thankfully, she had little time to worry about it. Every customer who came through the door that morning seemed to have heard about Jeff, yet not a one of them said anything judgmental. Emma wanted to cry at the concern they expressed. Even Gabe and Harley in their own gruff way tried to help.

  “You need me at the grill, I suppose I can make eggs as good as Matt’s,” Gabe said, looking at the scrambled mess that had been made of his over-lightly order.

  Emma laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “It’s not like we come here just for the food,” Harley added. “This place is home and you guys are family. I could make a big pot of gazpacho for lunch. Some cold soup might be just the thing on a steamy day like this.”

  Emma stared at him as if he’d just spoken in Swahili. “You can make gazpacho?”

  “And a lot more,” Gabe told her, regarding his friend with evident pride. “Before he moved here, Harley retired as an executive chef at one of them fancy hotels over by Disney World.”

  “My God, why didn’t anyone here know that?” Emma asked. “Did you ever say anything to my mother?”

  “No need to,” Harley said. “Rosa and Don knew what they were doing. And you were doing just fine without me interfering.” He gazed pointedly at the eggs. “Least you were till you let Matt get a spatula in his hand.”

  Emma’s mind was whirling. “Would you be…” She shook her head. “Of course not. It’s a ridiculous idea.”

  Harley regarded her with a curious expression. “No idea’s ridiculous. Some just need a little fine-tuning.”

  “I’d have to talk it over with my mother, but would you consider pitching in here part-time once Andy goes back to school? I doubt we could pay much.”

  Harley grinned. “Have my doubts about that, too, but the truth is that I’ve missed having a crowd of folks to cook for. You think your mom would let me try out a few new recipes? Saw something with chocolate the other day that made my mouth water. No point in making something like that just for me. And I’ll be darned if I’ll get married again just to have someone around who appreciates my cooking.”

  Emma laughed. “Oh, yes. I think you just said the magic word. Mama’s never turned down anything chocolate in her entire life. We’ve never had a fancy dessert menu, but I’ll bet it would work with all the new yuppies in the neighborhood. If Mama agrees, we could stay open later. We’d be the place to go for coffee and dessert.”

  “Well, then, you two talk it over and then we’ll sit down and see what we can do,” Harley said. “I imagine I’ve still got a few good years of cooking left in me.”

  Emma leaned over and impulsively planted a kiss on his nearly bald head. “I think I love you, Harley Watson. And in case I haven’t said it before, thank you for poking around till you found that date book.”

  Harley’s eyes turned even brighter. “Then it did help?”

  She nodded. “It did.”

  “That’s all that matters,” he said.

  She regarded him with surprise. “You don’t want to know what happened?”

  “Well, of course, we do,” Gabe said testily, then quickly added, “but we’re not nosy.”

  Emma laughed at that, then went back to pick up more orders from the grill. She grinned when she saw the food on the plates. “You know, it’s getting a little hard for me to tell who these orders belong to,” she teased Matt. “They all look alike.”

  He scowled at her. “You want to trade places?”

  “No,” several of the customers at the counter said in a chorus.

  Emma regarded them with surprise. “You’d rather have him cooking, than me?”

  “Your food might be an improvement,” Jess Davis conceded. “But the last time Matt had a coffeepot in his hand, he came close to spilling it all over me. I can eat eggs that are hard as rubber, but I ain’t interested in being scalded by hot liquid.”

  “Same here,” several others chimed in.

  Matt frowned at them. “Talk about ungrateful.”

  Emma stood there listening to the byplay and felt something ease inside her. She wasn’t quite ready to admit it yet, not to herself, and definitely not to Matt, but this really was home, and she was beginning to wonder why on earth she’d convinced herself that she belonged anyplace else. Sheer stubbornness, most likely. It was yet another trait she’d had in common with her father. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she realized with a shock that thinking about her father didn’t make her feel quite so sad. Maybe the wounds were healing at long last.

  Jeff was finally getting out of the hospital today, and it couldn’t be soon enough for him or for Rosa. She shook her head as he complained about everything from the constant intrusions by the staff to the food.

  “I want to get out of here,” he grumbled yet again.

  “As soon as the doctor signs the release papers, we’re going,” she reminded him.

  “Well, it won’t be soon enough for me.”

  “So I gathered,” she said wryly, even as she gave his hand a quick squeeze.

  Just then she saw Marisol standing hesitantly in the doorway. She’d been coming by a lot, but it seemed to Rosa that Jeff had been less and less eager to see her. His reluctance had clearly been apparent to the girl.

  “May I come in?”

  Jeff nodded. “We need to talk before I get out of here.”

  “Would you like me to leave?” Rosa asked.

  Jeff shook his head. “No, you need to hear this, too.”

  Marisol looked him straight in the eye. “You’re dumping me,” she said with obvious regret. “I don’t blame you.”

  “It’s not that I don’t care about you,” he said hastily. He glanced at Rosa, then back to Marisol. “But I’ve got to make some changes.”

  “I know,” Marisol said sadly. “Me, too. And it would be too hard to do it together.”

  Rosa regarded them both with surprise. Maybe there was more to Marisol than she’d given her credit for. As for her son, she’d always believed he was a good kid, but he’d shaken her faith lately. And, truthfully, she hadn’t been expecting such evidence of maturity from either of them, but it gave her hope. “I think you’re making a difficult, but very wise decision,” she told them.

  “Maybe when we both get our acts together, we can hook up and see how it goes,” Jeff suggested to Marisol.

  “Maybe,” Marisol responded, but she didn’t look as if she believed it would ever happen. “I’m glad you’re going to be okay.”

  “Yeah, me, too. And you’re going to be okay, too.”

  She gave him a brave smile. “Yes, I am,” she said confidently. “And in a way, it’s thanks to you. I’m gonna stay with my great-grandpa for a while. He won’t put up with me getting into any trouble. I’ll be working for him at his shop, getting it ready to be sold. Stop by if you’re ever taking a walk in the neighborhood. It’s not that far from the diner.”

  Rosa regarded her curiously. “What shop is that?”

  “Mullins Junk Shop on Palm Drive,” Jeff answered. “You know Mr. Mullins, Mom.”

  “Well, of course, I do.” She smiled at Marisol with genuine warmth for the first time. “He’s a wonderful man. You tell him we don’t see nearly enough of him at the diner anymore.”

  Marisol beamed. “I will. He’s not too steady on his feet these days, but if I came with him, he could walk over. Would that be okay?”

  Rosa gazed at her son and saw the hope in his eyes. “I think that
would be fine,” she said, then added, “In a few weeks.”

  Marisol nodded. “I understand. Well, I guess I should go.”

  She whirled around and left before Rosa or Jeff could even say goodbye. Rosa looked at her son. “Are you okay with taking a break from her?”

  He nodded, though she thought she detected the sheen of tears in his eyes.

  “It doesn’t have to be forever, you know. I think she has some growing up to do and I think Joshua Mullins can help her with that. Then, who knows what might happen?”

  Jeff met her gaze. “Have I told you what a great mom you are?”

  She smiled at him. “Yes, but it’s always nice to hear.” She brushed his hair back from his face. “I wish I could make all of this easier for you.”

  “I know, but I got myself into this mess and I’m the only one who can do the hard work it’s going to take to get out of it.”

  “Emma, Andy and I will be there for you, though.”

  “I don’t deserve that, not after the way I bailed on all of you.”

  “Well, we’ll be there just the same,” Rosa said. “That’s what families do, they stick together when things get tough.”

  And if God was merciful, things wouldn’t get any tougher than they had been for them since the night Don died.

  A week later, Rosa looked around the dinner table and thought how lucky she was to have all her children alive and well. She’d made Jeff’s favorite, picadillo with black beans and rice. He was eating it with gratifying enthusiasm. In fact, he looked almost like his old self. The sparkle was back in his eyes and he’d even managed a joke or two during the meal. A week out of the hospital had made a real difference.

  Andy seemed to be slowly getting over his resentment of his big brother and was eager to help Jeff get back on his feet. They were talking about shooting some hoops in the driveway after dinner. They sounded so normal, Rosa almost cried.

  “No basketball,” she said sternly and with regret. “Not for a few more weeks, Jeff. You heard the doctor.”

  “Then how about Monopoly?” Andy suggested. “I can whip you at that, even though you almost have that fancy business degree from college.”

  “As if…” Jeff retorted, making Andy grin.

  Rosa smiled at them, then turned her attention to Emma. She and Matt could hardly keep their eyes—or their hands—off of each other. If those two didn’t do something to solidify their relationship soon, Rosa was going to be tempted to propose on Matt’s behalf.

  Rosa was about to utter a sigh of satisfaction, when Emma carefully put aside her fork and regarded her with a look that made her very nervous. Dreading whatever her daughter was about to say that had put such a serious expression on her face, Rosa almost told her to keep her announcement to herself.

  “Mama, there are a couple of things I think we need to talk about,” Emma said in a dire tone that only increased Rosa’s anxiety.

  Rosa regarded her with concern. Whatever was up to make her daughter push aside her apple pie untouched couldn’t be good news. Was this it? Was Emma about to announce that she was going back to Washington? If so, Rosa might be tempted to shake her until she woke up and looked around at all she had here. She had family and friends and a man who loved her unconditionally.

  “What’s on your mind?” Rosa asked, trying to keep her tone neutral.

  “First, I’m not sure how you’ll feel about this, but I discovered something the other day I’ve been wanting to tell you about. I think it could be a solution to a lot of our problems.”

  Rosa noted that Matt stared at her with surprise. Whatever Emma was about to announce was obviously not what he’d been expecting. “Okay, I’m listening,” Rosa said.

  “Did you know that Harley was an executive chef in Orlando before he retired?”

  Every single person at the table stared at her as if she’d just announced that the stuffy mayor of Winter Cove could tap-dance.

  “You’re kidding,” Matt said. “Is that what the two of you were huddling about the other day?”

  Emma nodded. “He said he’d be willing to work for us part-time, if you’re interested. Andy’s going back to school soon and Jeff will be, too.”

  “I don’t know about me, sis,” Jeff protested.

  “You’re going back,” Emma and Rosa said simultaneously.

  Jeff seemed startled by the fierceness of their responses. “How?”

  “We’ll find a way,” Rosa said. “I imagine we still have some clout in the banking community in this town. It’s your senior year. It would be a waste for you not to finish.”

  “The bottom line is you’re going to need help at the diner, Mama,” Emma continued. “It might as well be someone who’s not only experienced, but someone who knows the diner’s customers and us.”

  Rosa was still stunned by the fact that in all these years Harley had never mentioned the kind of work he did. Maybe he’d thought it would be too intimidating to a small diner’s owners to know that one of their regulars cooked for a far fancier clientele.

  “Can we afford him?” she asked. “I know our finances are in bad shape right now. It’s one thing to take out a loan for Jeff’s college expenses, but the diner’s already in debt and I want to pay that off as soon as possible.”

  “I don’t think we can afford not to hire him,” Emma said. “And I got the feeling he wasn’t looking for a lot. I think he’s bored.”

  “I’ll say,” Matt said. “I don’t think I can take him playing sleuth for me again.”

  Rosa regarded him with surprise. “What on earth was Harley investigating?”

  Emma and Matt exchanged a look. Emma was the one who responded. “He was helping us try to find a motive for Dad’s suicide. And that was the second thing I wanted to talk to all of you about.”

  Rosa suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She took a sip of cold water and tried to steady her nerves. She glanced from Jeff’s suddenly shuttered expression to Andy’s dismayed face. “I’m not sure—”

  “Mama, you need to hear this,” Emma said, deliberately cutting off Rosa’s protest. “So do Andy and Jeff.”

  Rosa looked at her sons, who were nodding. “Okay, then, if you think it will help….”

  “I do,” Emma said. “You know that the finances for Flamingo Diner were a bigger mess than any of us imagined.”

  Rosa nodded. “It was so unlike your father to refinance the building without saying a word to me, to say nothing of refinancing this house. I can’t imagine what he was thinking. Where did all that money go?”

  “He was playing the stock market,” Emma said. “Jennifer Sawyer filled us in. When he lost your savings, she tried to get him to stop investing, but she said it was like he was addicted to the game.”

  Rosa pressed her hand to her chest. “He was gambling?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Mom, it was the stock market,” Jeff began, but Rosa cut him off.

  “It was gambling,” she said emphatically. “He took money we couldn’t afford to lose and bet it on stocks. He might as well have been playing roulette.”

  A million and one memories came flooding back, none of them good. There had been a time when Don had spent all his spare time in Miami either at the horse races or the dog track. Some weeks he’d do well and convince himself he was invincible. Other times he lost his shirt. They had fought about it over and over again. Her parents had warned her that she would be in for a very rough time of it, if he didn’t give it up. Because she’d known they were right, she had forced the issue. It was the one time they had come close to calling off their wedding.

  “Mama?” Emma said, regarding her curiously. “Are you okay?”

  “I was thinking back to the months before your father and I got married. He was gambling too much. My parents saw trouble down the road if he kept it up. We talked, but he wouldn’t—or couldn’t—quit. I finally threatened to break off our engagement if he didn’t give it up. It was touch-and-go for a while, like you said
, as if he were fighting an addiction, but eventually he put our relationship first. As far as I know, he never gambled again. We never spoke of it again, but he knew what the consequences would be if he did.”

  Emma stared at her, her expression dismayed. “What were they?”

  “That I would leave him,” Rosa said flatly, then uttered a gasp of dismay as she realized the implication.

  Don had gotten in over his head in the stock market. He’d obviously been uncertain about how she would react if he told her about his investments. And when things had gone from bad to worse, he’d clearly feared she would make good on the threat she had uttered so many years before.

  “Oh, Don,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face. She gazed helplessly at her children. “If only I’d known what he was going through, I could have reassured him that the time when I would leave was long past.” She looked at each of her children in turn. “Let this be a lesson to you. Nothing is more important in a relationship than communication. If your father and I had talked, really talked, maybe all of this could have been prevented and he would still be with us. I had no idea that such an old threat could weigh so heavily on him after all we’d been through.”

  Emma looked thoroughly shaken by the torrent of bad memories she’d unleashed. “Mama, I’m sorry. I thought you should know.”

  “You were right,” Rosa said. “I’m not sure if it makes it easier or harder, but it was important to know what was going on in his head during those last weeks. It breaks my heart to think that he thought we couldn’t weather such a crisis.”

  “Mine, too,” Emma said.

  Rosa blinked back tears and looked at her children. “Let’s make a pact, all of us. From here on out, when we think of your father, when we talk about him, let’s vow to remember all the good times, all the wonderful things he did for us and other people. Let’s make tonight the last time we talk about how he died. If we dwell on that, we lose the best part of him.”

  Matt gave her an encouraging smile as he lifted his glass of iced tea. “I propose a toast,” he said, meeting her gaze. “To Don, a good friend, a great father and a terrific husband. May his memory be with us forever.”