by Beth Byers
“What? Your mom doesn’t like Carver? It’s not like she’s met him,” Maddie said. She helped the shopgirl get the dress over my head and then handed me her pick. Rather that most of the dresses in front of me, this one didn’t have miles and miles of fabric.
“No,” Maddie said to the large fluffy slip I was wearing and handed me a much simpler one.
“Mum,” Zee snarled, “Only likes Peter Bradford Cutler the boy I dated in high school.”
“But…you’ve been married and stuff,” Maddie said as she nudged the shopgirl aside and helped me put the dress over my head. “What did she do when you were married and having kids?”
“She talked about how worthless my husband was and the accomplishments of Peter. He never even did anything all that wonderful, but Mum never saw it that way.” Zee slowly turned her neck, clearly trying to release tension as Maddie zipped a simple closure on the back of the dress.
I paused, not hearing what Zee said as I stared at the dress. I’d slimmed down quite a bit since leaving the call center. Especially after nearly dying and recovering so slowly. My appetite had been gone for most of the time and I’d developed a fondness for breakfasts that consisted of only tea while I still tended to have waffles too often. Even so…my slimmer form was show cased in this dress. It tucked in around my waist and my still larger hips and thighs were hidden by the skirt.
The majority of the skirt was simple satin all the way up to a sweetheart neckline that showed off my chest. Instead of just having my girls hang out though, there was the additional detail of a lacy tank style top that carried on from the waist to my shoulder with the satin going only up to the chest line. The waist had a jeweled feature that divided the lace covered satin from the simple satin skirt. It was elegant and didn’t make me feel like one of those cakes where a doll was sticking out of an overdecorated cake bottom.
“Right?” Maddie asked.
Zee nodded and said, “It’s perfect.”
“We could keep trying dresses on,” Jane suggested
“No,” I answered. “Let’s order whatever I need and go to Blackfish Café on the way home. Zee can tell us what’s happening with the family stuff, how we can help, and give us all the family gossip.”
The others considered and then Jane said, “Let’s make reservations and hit the outlet stores. If you’re going tropical for your honey moon, you need about 17 swimsuits and sundresses.”
“First though,” Maddie said, “Tell us what that was about.”
“Oh it’s very simple,” Zee answered. “My mother has decided that Peter Bradford Cutler should be invited to the family reunion. The same one where everyone I’m related to will be meeting the man I love.”
We all froze at that. It was the first time that Zee had ever admitted that weirdness that was her and Carver was anything more. I suspected that her mother’s arrival was forcing Zee to acknowledge how she felt about Carver. It sounded like he was, after all, going to be challenged on every side by her family.
The least he deserved was to know that she loved him.
Chapter Three
I stared at the flour strewn counter in front of me with a sigh. It was harder than you’d think to make a ‘sponge’ that wasn’t stodgy. I wasn’t even sure what that meant, but apparently it needed to be light and airy and not dry but still cooked. I felt a little bit like the folks on the British baking show I’d been marathoning for clues on how to make this stuff.
Except Zee was way, way meaner than the male judge and there was no way I was going to be able to turn out the perfect baked goods that Zee’s mother apparently required. I wanted to call the woman up and give her a piece of my mind. But there were consequences the woman just didn’t understand. Helen, Zee’s mother, might be bringing along Zee’s high school boyfriend in some sort of misbegotten attempt to break apart Carver and Zee. It wasn’t working. Not at all. Instead, Zee and Carver seemed happier than ever. The only time that Zee calmed down about the upcoming family reunion was when Carver was around.
Speaking of, I pulled my phone out of my apron pocket and sent a pleading message to Carver. If he came by the diner, Zee might calm down enough to help me figure out what I was doing wrong.
“You know…” I took a breath and then turned to Zee. “We’re overwhelmed.”
Zee scowled at me, tensing up. She probably expected me to tell her we couldn’t accomplish the goals we’d set.
“Rosie luv,” Az said gently. I’m sure he was trying to prevent me from digging my own grave.
“And we’re already lying,” I added and Zee calmed down. I was thinking the kind of thoughts she could appreciate. “And Josephine owes us.”
Zee turned and then said, “She does. She does owe us.”
“There was a murder in her tearoom. She was the obvious suspect,” I said.
“And you solved the murder.”
“We order it on the side….”
“It’ll need to be unique enough that my mom doesn’t know she made them.”
“I’ve got the scones,” Az said. “The clotted cream and the jam.”
“We can do the little sandwiches no problem. We’ll buy bakery bread from the bakery in Newport and slice it up. Your mom never has to know that part.”
Zee nodded, a dawning light of hope in her eyes.
“We’ll get Josephine to make the mini eclairs and the petite fours and then we’ll get her to not make anything like that while she’s there.”
“I can do biscuits with my eyes shut,” Zee added. “Ones that even my mom approves of.”
“So, I’ll figure out a couple of cakes. Not mini ones. And we’ll be set. Right?” I said and Zee took a slow breath, considering. “We’ll unashamedly add chocolate covered strawberries and panna cotta. Your mom might not see them as what she wants, but they’re show stoppers and reasonably easy.”
Zee nodded and said, “Yes. Goodness yes. Why am I letting her torture me like this anyway? That will be nice. We can have a barbecue up at your place, Rose. And we can make a big breakfast here. That will be enough, right?”
I nodded.
“Fionnula needs a place to stay,” Zee said. “She’s the good sister, so she can stay with me. I got those old cottages you lived in for my mom. Peter freaking Bradford Cutler is on his own. But could you let my brother and his family stay with you?”
I paused.
“It’s just him and his wife…”
I didn’t believe that for a second.
“And his son and their four kids.”
I flinched. I was sure that Az was counting his blessings that his house wasn’t done and he was still living in a trailer.
“I need to talk to Simon,” I hedged.
“I already did.”
I didn’t even try to hide my flinch that time. Instead I said, “You’ll be the go-to person for both the diner and the shelter while I’m on my honeymoon.”
Zee grinned far too evilly for comfort. There was no question that the way she was trying to hide her smirk told me that those kids were probably terrible. Or the wife. She’d said her brother was ok, but Zee hadn’t said a word about the wife. I felt the shiver of fear down my spine. It was only a long weekend, I thought. Simon and I could handle this.
* * * * *
“So kind of you to let us stay with you,” Nancy said. Zee’s sister-in-law was Southern and her soft accent almost hid the shark that was staring out of her eyes. It was the men behind her that had me questioning my sanity. I assumed the one who had Zee’s eyes was her brother. The younger version of him had to be her nephew. But who was this other man? “I told Peter that you wouldn’t mind him staying too. I knew that any friend of Zee’s would be welcoming.”
I stared and then glanced at Simon whose jaw had dropped. He recovered too slowly, but Nancy—it seemed—refused to see our shock. She smiled widely without it ever reaching her eyes and then handed her husband her shoulder bag.
He, on the other hand, refused to meet my gaze. The tensi
on between them told me that Zee’s brother wasn’t a fan of the plan. The daughter-in-law and children were lingering by the rental van and I calculated quickly.
I could put my foot down and refuse Peter a place to stay, but…no. I didn’t want to make an enemy of the family. I was going to do whatever it took to make things easier on Zee. So, I pasted an equally fake smile on my face and said, “I hope you’re ok with the couch.”
Peter smiled a wormy smile and touched a hand to his back. He wasn’t going to actually complain was he?
“I do have a bad back,” he whined.
I blinked and then said, “Well, we have a guest room with a queen size bed and our office has a blow up mattress in it. There’s room for the kids to put down sleeping bags. You all will have to decide how you want to arrange yourselves. But we can add the couch in our family room to your sleeping options.”
I hadn’t used such a chilly, flat voice since my days in the call center. It had no give in it and I had no regrets. A part of me wanted to take our tent and our dogs and go campout on Az’s property. Instead I added, begrudgingly, “We can set up the tent in our backyard if your kids would prefer to sleep there instead of the family room floor.”
There would be room enough for a couple of adults if they wanted. Or perhaps a second blowup mattress, but I wouldn’t be the one who was providing that. If they wanted it—they could buy their own.
I left Simon chatting with Zee’s brother and nephew and Peter Bradford Cutler and showed Nancy the spaces available to her family. She scowled at the pack of dogs her grandchildren were cooing over and said, “I’m not a fan of animals.”
My voice was cold and polite as I flatly replied, “Obviously, we’re big dog lovers.”
I pulled out my phone and messaged Zee that I needed a kitten and supplies before I thought better of it. I regretted it the moment I hit send, but I was sure that Zee would not let me do take backs and Simon wouldn’t understand rage adopting a kitten.
Or the birds I was thinking immediately of adding. Perhaps a fishbowl? For right next to the guest bedroom bed?,
There was a fair chance that all of that would happen given the anger I was currently feeling.
“Well…maybe you can keep them outside while we’re here?”
I looked her over, examining her pursed mouth, her gentle lie of a smile, and her watery blue eyes. If she hadn’t made me so angry, I might have thought she had beautiful soft blue eyes, but no…these ones were definitely watery blue.
“No,” I said flatly.
“Well I never,” she said, holding her hand to her chest as though I had insulted her first born.
“So…you can use this bedroom and bathroom,” I repeated. “The space in the office and family room for sleeping. Your mother has a nice little living space at the cottage Zee rented for her.”
I walked away from Nancy, so I wouldn’t be tempted to kick her out of my house and make Zee’s life harder. I made my way into the kitchen where we’d stocked up on cereal and milk but hoped they’d just sleep, get up, and leave.
I wiped the counters down even though they didn’t need it, trying to deep breathe. Zee replied with pictures of kittens, and I had to admit I was immediately in love with the little orange fluff ball and to go covert before my heart had even stopped racing.
While I rearrange the flour and sugar canisters that stood against our backdrop and wiped unnecessarily behind them.
“You have a nice home,” someone said from behind me. I turned to find Peter Culver staring more at my chest and less at my face.
I scowled before I said, “Thank you.”
“It’s nice of you to open it to me.”
I wasn’t going to pretend that I had opened it to him, so I instead I cleared my throat and poured myself a glass of water. I hadn’t missed how he didn’t offer to find another place to say, an offer I’d be very tempted to take him up on it. The truth was—he knew exactly what he was doing.
“You and Zapphirah are close?”
“Zee and I?” I corrected, knowing she didn’t care for her full name. “Yes.”
“Will you tell me about her life here?”
I stared at him, pretty shocked he’d asked that. Would I tell her former-boyfriend who had come uninvited to her family reunion in some sort of creeper way to what? What did he want? Why was he here?
“No,” I said, meeting his gaze and holding it. “Zee is my friend and I would never provide information about her to anyone who I wasn’t sure she loved and cared about.”
“We are old friends,” he said with a smarmy edge to his voice.
“That’s funny,” I said, losing my temper, “Because I was there when she heard you were come and experienced her reaction. Somehow I don’t think you’d have been flattered by it.”
This time it was Peter Culver who cleared his throat and glanced away.
But I was already done with the man so I added, “You can stay here. I won’t pretend you’re welcome, but I also won’t make Zee’s life harder. Let me be clear, though, if you think you have half a chance against the man she is dating, you’re crazy.”
“Are you referring to the second rate, blue collar cop in a second rate town who cow-tows to Zee’s every whim? She needs a strong man. Someone who is educated and close to her family.”
I didn’t hold back my laugh and when I looked back at him I found Zee’s brother and Simon in the doorway. I didn’t hold back my response either. Not even though her brother was watching.
“No,” I said, “I’m referring to the sheriff of a gorgeous town who balances the influx of visitors and crime over our busy season to the quiet needs of the little town. The man who has a doctorate in criminal justice and doesn’t shove it in your face. The man who loves Zee and she loves in return. Who takes her as she is and doesn’t try to control or change her. If you think you have a chance, you’re actually insane. If you think I’m going to help you because you weaseled your way into my home, know that I will do everything in my power to help her relationship with Carver. But I won’t need to. Because Zee has been saying no to you since before she was an adult and has never wavered in that conviction.”
I met his gaze and made him see my feelings and then threw the washcloth into the sink and went to gather my dogs into the back of my car. I wasn’t leaving them here with these fools and I wasn’t staying here.
Besides, I couldn’t be here when the kitten arrived.
Chapter Four
I left my dogs in the dog run at Az’s place and made my way to The 2nd Chance Diner. Zee got off right after the morning rush, but the afternoon rush would be starting soon, and I was going to be there to cover for her usual presence. I wouldn’t be half as useful as she would have been, but we’d limp through.
The tea was the next day, so Az and I planned to stay baking and putting things together in the diner today. The tea would be at 4:00pm. I’d already decided to close the diner at 11:00 am rather than later, so we could get the last-minute things ready. I was keeping the staff up through the start of the event, so everything was perfect. My two best wait staff, Roxy and Carmen would stay at the tea while Az and I were invited to attend along with Carver, Maddie, Jane and her family, and Simon.
It would be madness since it turned out that the Zee was one of four children who had, between them, seventeen children of their own and a scary number of grandchildren. I started on the clotted cream which would still be fresh the next day and taste amazing. We were going to need a lot.
“Hi,” Carmen said when I arrived. “Josephine called.”
My heart froze. We needed the pastries that Josephine was making. If she flaked on me, I’d murder her slowly, so she wouldn’t need to worry about future murder charges.
“She wants to know if we can send someone over to help her tomorrow. The girl who worked for her walked out today.”
“Go,” I breathed, crossing my fingers that everything would be perfect.
“I’ll go there instead then,”
Carmen said. She glanced around as if looking for eavesdroppers and then said with a lowered tone, “I’ll keep Josephine on track since she dithers a bit and I’ll be back here before anyone realizes what we did..”
“Rosie luv,” Az said. “We have a delivery of…” He glanced around and then lowered his voice to say, “Things coming tomorrow at 11:00am.”
I nodded and then looked around the diner, trying to find the people who were setting my staff on edge. In the large corner booth, I found Zee, a woman who was clearly her mother, and two other female versions of Zee. Next to Zee was a younger version of herself who had her arm wrapped around Zee.
I crossed the diner and found Zee who grinned at me and then said, “Rose, this is my daughter, Laney. My mother, Helen. My sister, Fionnula. And my sister, Camise. There are others but you won’t remember them all,” Zee grinned evilly at me and then said, “This is my boss and friend, Rose.”
“She’s so much younger than you. To be so much more successful, Zee. You really should think on that.”
Laney squeezed her mom’s shoulders while I said, “I find that happiness is the best indicator of success. And Zee lives the life she wants to live and it brings her joy.” I paused then added, “Besides, I didn’t do anything other than luck out to have the diner. My grandparents kicked the bucket and left me a bunch of money. Otherwise, I’d be a call center slave dreaming of living Zee’s life back in Portland.”
Helen cleared her throat and scowled at me while Zee snorted meanly. I blinked, shook my head, and then grabbed a coffee carafe and refilled coffee around the table.
“It was a pleasure meeting you all,” I lied and then went back to the counter, grabbed a cake and brought it and a stack of plates back to Zee. If anyone needed to doctor themselves with chocolate, Zee did. And it looked like her daughter could use a dose or five as well.
I delivered the cake and then went back to the kitchen. Az looked at me with wide concerned eyes and I stared back at him silently. Finally, I said, “What the heck?”
