When I logged onto my email, I saw that I had a waiting message from April. We’d kept in close touch by email over the past three years. Seeing her name on the screen made me smile before I’d even opened the message. I clicked on it and sat back in my chair to read it.
Hello, Ivy. I miss you and wish you’d come to Seattle for a visit. It still doesn’t quite feel like home. Thanks for the pictures of Noah. He’s such a beautiful boy. I’ll be mailing a box of Christmas gifts for you guys soon. Just remember that the saying about real friends not buying their friends’ children drum sets is completely false.
Things were going well with me and Dave, but he interviewed for a job in Florida last week and it sounds like he’s going to get it. He asked me to move there with him, but we’ve only been dating for three months. It’s too soon. We’re talking about a long distance relationship. Guess we’ll see if it works out.
What about you? I hope you’re still helping with the hospital foundation. One of these days some hot doctor will sweep you off your feet if you’ll just let him. You can’t live in a cocoon forever.
Even though I don’t know the details, I know you’ve been hurt—badly. Just don’t let that define you, Ivy. You’re smart, caring and an amazing mother to Noah.
Speaking of you being smart, have you thought any more about starting college classes? I know you’re busy, but you can take classes online from your local community college. I’ll help with the application and financial aid process. You can do it, Ivy. The hardest part is getting started.
My prep period is almost over, so I better go. Oh, one more thing . . . I signed up for a 5K in the spring. Can you believe it? I may collapse halfway through, but that’s what hot paramedics are for, right?
Much love,
April
Tears pricked my eyes as I read the message again. April meant the world to me and her messages always reminded me of our brief time as roommates. I glanced at my watch and saw that I had time to write a quick message back.
Dear April,
I miss you, too. Things here are good. Noah has a new fascination with trains. I’m thinking of taking him to ride one sometime. There is a small commuter train nearby so maybe I’ll try that. One day, maybe we’ll take the train to Seattle!
You’ll be happy to know I applied online to the local community college and I got in. I think I’ll take one class next semester. They said I’m also eligible for a scholarship, so that will really help.
Today I slipped and fell at work. It was really embarrassing. A customer caught me so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
Sorry to hear about Dave moving. He sounds like a really great guy. Maybe the long distance thing will work out.
I’m so proud of you for signing up for the 5K! You’ll be amazing. Or . . . hot paramedic. Sounds like a win-win.
Off to pick up Noah. Take care.
xo Ivy
April had been encouraging me to try dating for more than a year now. Every time, I avoided the subject or I’d make vague promises about trying. She meant well, but she didn’t understand my distrust of men . . . and how could she? I knew there was some truth to what she was saying, but I just wasn’t ready for any of that right now.
I left the library and drove the five minutes over to Noah’s daycare and went inside, smiling at the sounds of kids playing. When I got to Noah’s room, he squealed and ran into my open arms. My heart swelled as he locked his arms around me in a hug.
“Hi, lovebug,” I said. “Ready to go home?”
“Yeah!” he cried happily. He took my hand and led me to the wall where the picture he’d painted earlier was displayed, the paint still a little wet. It was a swirl of shades of red and blue.
“What is it?” I asked, looking down at him.
“A doggie,” he said proudly.
“I love it.”
We said goodbye to his teacher and left to head home for dinner. I buckled him into his car seat and the trip home was filled with his happy chatter.
“Christmas tree!” he cried gleefully when we passed an evergreen. He pointed out evergreens every time he saw one, no matter what season it was.
“That’s a tall one,” I said. “We’ll be getting a Christmas tree in a couple months. What do you want for Christmas, Noah?”
“Pancakes.”
I laughed and glanced at him in the rearview mirror while my car idled at a stoplight. His light brown hair had a hint of curl and he shared my blue eyes. He was my whole world in one adorable little package.
“Do you want some new racecars?” I asked.
“Yeah. And pancakes.”
“I bet Gene will make us some pancakes on Christmas morning. He knows how much you love them.”
We’d spent the past two Christmases with Gene and Margie. They were crazy about Noah. We also spent Friday nights with them, usually playing cards and making homemade pizza. After Noah had fallen asleep there a couple times, Margie had insisted that we stay in their guest room on Friday nights.
The next couple of hours passed by in a blur. By the time I’d played trains with Noah, made dinner, washed the dishes and given him a bath, I barely had the energy to get a shower and climb into bed. I read for less than five minutes before I turned out the light. Our mornings always started early—well before sunrise—and I needed all the sleep I could get.
The next day I dropped Noah off at daycare and went into work. We were short a morning waitress, which meant me and Margie had to work harder than usual.
I knew most of my customers well. Most were farmers meeting for coffee and gossip, or retired people who came in for some company. Time flew as I poured, served and chatted. I’d stopped for a quick drink of water when Margie approached and gave me a look.
“Walter’s getting impatient,” she said in a tone only I could hear. I glanced down the front counter to the stool on the end, where a man with sparse gray hair was scowling at me.
“On it,” I said.
“Oh, here comes Ben Henderson,” Margie added in the same hushed tone. “He left his wife for their babysitter over the weekend. Can you believe that? I used to respect him, too. Poor Dena’s just mortified. And how do you think their poor kids must feel?”
I’d learned Margie didn’t care if I responded to her gossip as long as she thought I was listening. I nodded in acknowledgement and then walked down to greet Walter.
“Good morning, sir. What’ll it be?”
“Should I order breakfast, or is it lunch time now?” He tapped his wristwatch and squinted his eyes at it.
“It’s seven forty, so I think you’re still good for breakfast.”
“Hmph.” He opened the menu and scanned it. I played along, though we both knew exactly what he would order. He’d been coming in every weekday for several months, and he always ordered the same thing.
“Two eggs, over medium. Wheat toast with real butter. Small dish of plain oatmeal,” he finally said. “And black coffee.”
“Got it.” I scrawled his order in my pad and took his menu. “And I’m sorry I kept you waiting, Walter.”
“I’d rather wait for you than have one of the other servers,” he said, looking at me over the wire rims of his glasses. “There’s you or that fellow with greasy hair and open facial sores.”
“Don just busses tables. And there’s Margie, too.”
He grunted his distaste. “Too chatty.”
“I think what you’re trying to say is that you like me. And I like you, too.”
“My dear, no one likes me. And I don’t much like anyone either. I make an excellent recluse.”
“I started reading one of your books the other night.”
“Oh?”
I nodded. “It’s good. It moved a little slow in the beginning, but now I’m into it.”
Walter grinned with amusement. “Which one is it?”
“Lucky Seven.”
He waved a hand. “Only made the New York Times sixteen weeks in a row. You’re right to be u
nimpressed.”
“I didn’t say I’m not impressed. You’re a famous author. That’s quite impressive in itself.”
“Bah.”
I winked and headed for the pass through to the kitchen to deliver his order. Margie had told me when Walter first came in that he was actually Tom Hobson, the famous suspense novelist. I knew his pen name—everyone did—but behind it was Walter Grieves, a slightly grouchy man who liked his privacy. He’d moved to Lovely several years ago seeking anonymity, which was probably why I’d bonded with him immediately.
He’d been a morning regular at the Lovely Café until he was permanently ejected for yelling at a waitress over his burnt toast. And now he was a regular at Gene’s.
He tipped me precisely fifteen percent every day and always let me know when his coffee wasn’t just right. I’d grown attached to seeing him every day. It thrilled me to think I got to have conversations with a man who went home after breakfast to pen another bestseller. Lovely was small and imperfect, but it was my home now. It gave me a measure of pride to know someone rich and successful would chose Lovely as his home above all other places.
I wasn’t rich or successful, but I was grateful for the friendships of Margie and Gene . . . and Walter. Every day I was glad the blue butterfly had led me to Lovely.
FOR THE FIRST TIME since moving home, I was able to hang out with the three of my brothers who lived here. Kyle had the afternoon off, but was on call at the hospital. Austin was always off on Sundays, and Mason set his own hours since he ran his own tech business.
We were playing two on two at the gym, a place we’d spent thousands of hours at when we were growing up. I’d missed playing with my brothers, because we shared the same competitive nature.
The only sounds on the court were the bouncing ball, our shoes squeaking against the polished surface and the occasional grunt or swear word. I was sweating heavily from the best workout I’d had since getting home.
“How’s it going with Dad?” Kyle asked me during a quick break. “He giving you all the shit work?”
“Not yet.”
“How’s the dog doing?”
“Snoop’s good. We go for a run every morning at the dog park. He comes to the office with me some days.”
“The boys have been asking to come see him,” Kyle said, a hint of regret in his expression.
Snoop had become my dog after Kyle bought him as a surprise for his two sons. After two days his wife Kim declared that she was taking him to the shelter because he stank like dog and got hair on her new couch. When Kyle called me and begged me to take the dog, I could hear the boys crying in the background. I’d driven to Lovely that evening to get him.
“Bring them over,” I said. “They can stay the night with me and visit with Snoop all they want. I’ll take them to the dog park with us.”
“They’d like that,” Kyle said. “Maybe next weekend.”
We started back at the game and Mason sank a three pointer and then turned to me.
“You going to the hospital foundation fundraiser Friday night?”
“Yeah, Mom roped me in.”
“It’s a good time, man,” he said. “Last year I had some kickass moonshine that Tubby Taylor made.”
“I’m selling raffle tickets—which reminds me, you guys better be good for at least fifty bucks each worth of tickets.”
“Oh, yeah?” Austin yelled as he ran down the court. “What are you gonna do if we don’t—sue us?”
We all laughed and then I said, “I’m just glad I don’t have to wear a tux or anything dressy. Mom said jeans would be just fine.”
“Yeah, she’s right. It’ll be held in MacArthur’s barn again this year,” Kyle said. “Everyone will be wearing jeans and boots.”
We all walked over to the bench for a break. I wiped the sweat from my face with a towel and sat down to stretch my legs.
“When are we gonna get back to boxing?” I asked Kyle, my best opponent in the ring.
My oldest brother shook his head and gave me an apologetic look. “No more boxing for me. I sprained a finger last time and it fucked up my surgery schedule.”
“No shit? I guess surgeons do have to watch out for their hands. Well damn, who am I gonna box with now?”
“Me,” Mason said.
I laughed until I realized he was serious. “I’d clean your clock and you’d be pissed off for the next two years,” I said.
“I would not.”
“You fight like a girl.”
“Suck my cock.” He shoved me and I couldn’t help laughing again.
“Alright, I’ll spar with you,” I said. “Just don’t cry about it when I bruise up your pretty face.”
He shrugged. “I’m not worried. If that happens I’ll tell everyone I stopped a robbery or something, and it’d probably get me laid.”
“Whatever I can do to help the cause,” I said sarcastically. Mason was a confirmed bachelor with no desire to have a serious girlfriend.
“Let’s do it. After the hospital fundraiser thing. Mom would have our asses if we showed up to that with black eyes.”
“Hell, yeah, she would.”
I hadn’t been back in Lovely for long, but already I couldn’t imagine leaving the place again. My dream was to start a legal aid nonprofit, and my hometown was the perfect place to do it. Hopefully in time I’d be known as something other than the guy who got ditched at the altar.
I STOOD AT THE entrance to the most enormous old barn I’d ever seen. Laughter and music drifted out from the red two-story structure. Two huge doors were propped open, beckoning me to join the party.
What was I doing here? I actually knew the answer to that question. I’d been asked to help sell raffle tickets at this barn dance by Grace Lockhart and I just couldn’t say no. When she’d told me it was for the Lovely Hospital Foundation, and that no dancing would be required, I’d been all too happy to help out.
But social situations involving me and makeup made me nervous. I was woefully out of practice. Usually, on Friday nights, I had my hair up in a ponytail and was making pizza with Noah, Margie and Gene. Instead, they were making pizza without me this time. But I still planned to go to their house for the night when I was done. Noah loved our weekly sleepover at Margie and Gene’s.
Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad. I adored Grace, and the hospital foundation was a cause close to my heart. Fortunately this event was casual. I was wearing my favorite old dark jeans, a green blouse I’d scored for a dollar at a garage sale and brown ballet flats. Hopefully I was rustic enough for a barn dance.
When I walked in, I couldn’t help breaking out in a big smile. The inside of the barn had been transformed. Lights were strung from the rafters and the walls were decorated with wreaths of fresh flowers. The lively music I’d heard was from a group with fiddles and other string instruments. Couples were already spinning around on the wood dance floor.
“Ivy, you made it!” Grace approached and embraced me warmly. Her dark shoulder length hair was held back with a headband in a red handkerchief pattern. Like me, she wore jeans and a simple blouse.
“Hi, Grace,” I said. “Thanks for asking me to come.”
“You look so pretty, as always.”
“Well, I came to work, so you just let me know what you need.”
“I’ve got you at the raffle and 50/50 ticket table. Right over here.”
She led the way to a long folding table and I did a double take when I saw who was sitting there. Reed rose to greet me, smiling sheepishly.
“Hey, Ivy,” he said. “Nice to see you again.”
He wore jeans and a blue flannel shirt, his five o’clock shadow a little more grown out this time. And damn, was he tall. Reed looked more at home in his casual clothes than he had in his dark, perfectly tailored suit. And, surprisingly, he looked even more handsome this way.
I laughed nervously. “You, too. I promise I won’t slip on any milkshakes tonight.”
“I’m a little disappointed to
hear that.”
My heart had turned into an out of control drum, pounding to no particular rhythm. The way he was looking at me, his brown eyes so warm and . . . interested. Not just attracted but interested . . . it was unnerving.
“Oh,” Grace said, looking back and forth between us. “So you two have already met?”
“Yeah, Reed and Austin came into Gene’s the other day and he saved me from wiping out on a wet patch on the floor,” I said.
“Well, I should hope so. I’m proud to say I raised five gentlemen.” Then, changing the subject she added, “Reed already knows all the details on the tickets sales. Have a seat, Ivy.” She gestured at the folding chair next to Reed’s. “I’ll send in a replacement later so you can enjoy the dance.”
“Oh, I’m just here to work,” I said. “Don’t worry about relief for me.”
Grace nodded and smiled before heading away. I went around to the other side of the table and set my purse down beneath it. Reed was still standing. I was about to ask him if everything was okay when he pulled out my chair for me.
“Thanks,” I said, sitting down. He slid the chair back in and then took his seat again.
Ticket sales were brisk and we sold tickets for a while, mostly chatting with the people buying them. Everyone knew Reed. I tried not to eavesdrop, but a conversation between him and an older woman caught my attention.
“Reed, I’m so glad you came home, honey. You shouldn’t be ashamed to show your face in Lovely.”
“Thanks, Mrs. DeGeorge. No shame here. I was working in St. Louis after law school.”
The white-haired woman gave him a skeptical look through her thick-rimmed glasses. “But you got stood up at your own wedding. That’s humiliating. It’s okay to admit it.”
I heard Reed sigh softly. “It was five years ago. I’ve definitely moved on. And it’s great to see you, Mrs. DeGeorge. How many raffle tickets would you like?”
“Just one, dear. And as long as we’re talking . . . well, you know I was one of the guests at the wedding that day. I sent a nice blender as a gift, because your mother was so good to me after my Don died. And, well, since you didn’t actually get married . . . I’d like the blender back.”
[Lockhart Brothers 01.0] Deep Down Page 6
