Charming for Mother's Day (A Calendar Girls Novella)

by Gina Ardito

  “Lucie? It’s Sidney. Did I wake you?”

  Pressing a hand to my throbbing skull, I inched up into a seated position and glanced at the clock. “Yes, but I’m glad you did. I’ve got a test in two hours.” And I’d need a shower to ease my tension and make me appear human before I headed to the bus stop.

  “I’m sorry to bother you right now, but I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  Uh-oh. The remnants of sleep evaporated. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

  “With me? Everything’s fine. But I want to talk about you.” He paused, cleared his throat. “I know my announcement the other day came out of the blue.”

  “Not totally,” I admitted. “I mean, I knew you were thinking about selling the place and retiring...”

  “But thinking’s not the same as doing, I know. Then again, I had no idea Colin Murriere would show up with an offer I couldn’t refuse. He agreed to all my requests, right down to keeping the staff. You know I wouldn’t have taken the deal if it didn’t take care of you and the rest of the crew.”

  “I know.”

  “He even promised me that Ari could still come to the restaurant on your mom’s late nights.”

  “Oh, well, no worries there. I’ve already made other arrangements for Ari. I don’t think it’s a good idea for her to be around Chef Colin. She might get attached.” Zip my lip. Why’d I go and say that?

  His sigh blared through my ear like a typhoon. “Lucie.”

  Yeah, he caught my slip. But I played dumb anyway. “What?”

  “You know what.” He paused, and I sensed he was drawing the lines together. “He’s the one, isn’t he?”

  “The one what?”

  “The one who broke your heart and sent you running to my good-for-nothing son.”

  Heat rushed into my cheeks. “Sidney, don’t.”

  “Ah, dammit. He is.” He blew out an exasperated breath. “That does it. I’ll call off the deal.”

  “No, don’t do that,” I insisted. “Please. You’re overreacting. Really. That was a long time ago.”

  “Maybe so, but you’ve never forgotten him. Neither did Rob, apparently. God knows I’ll never forget what I saw that night.”

  I didn’t want to travel this road. Because what Sidney had seen was the one and only time Rob had put his hands on me in anger, leaving me broken, bleeding, and barely alive on our kitchen floor, with Ariana, just a toddler at the time, protected beneath me.

  “There’s no way you can work day in and day out with that man. You’ll relive that night every time you see him.”

  “No, I won’t. Colin didn’t hurt me. Well...not physically, anyway. I’ve already spent time with him and I haven’t relived that night—at least, not ‘til now.” I realized how harsh that sounded the minute the words left my lips, and I hastened to add, “But you’re right that there’s no way I can continue to work for him. I don’t plan to stay at the restaurant now that you’re gone. I’m going to start looking for something else.”

  A long pause followed before he asked, “Are you going to be able to swing a new job? With school, child care, and money?”

  “I’m not sure yet,” I admitted.

  “Well, you better get sure before you make the jump.”

  If his words sounded harsh, I understood why. The only reason I managed to keep my head above the financial waters now was because Sidney had given me the job at the Gull and Oar. He allowed me a flexible schedule and even let me bring Ariana when I had no other options. Where else would I find that kind of arrangement?

  “You’d be better off making peace with the new boss.”

  “You know I can’t do that.”

  “Not even for your daughter’s sake?”

  I winced. Sidney knew exactly where to aim to pierce my armor. “It’s not that easy.” I punched the pillow beside me, almost wishing Colin lay there. Almost. “I didn’t break his heart.”

  “You never got over him. Did you, Lucie?”

  I could have lied, denied the accusation, and turned the argument back to how Rob had treated me after our marriage. Then again, why bother? Sidney knew the truth. Rob was my best friend when I met and fell head-over-heels for Colin Murriere, a cocky twenty-something from the right side of the tracks. He warned me against getting drawn into Colin’s world, predicted it could never last. When I ignored all his pleas and advice, he reminded me he’d be around to pick up the pieces when Colin left me shattered. And damnitall, he was right. On all counts.

  But when I came to him, shattered as he’d predicted, he had taken advantage of my misery and used my pain as a means of manipulation. I’d been too heartsick to figure out his game until it was too late. After I got pregnant, he married me and then made my life a living hell for two years—until that horrific night.

  Poor Sidney always took too much responsibility for his son’s behavior on his shoulders.

  “I fell in love with Colin, but I was just another girl in his summer harem.” My voice came out a harsh whisper. “You have no idea how much that hurt me. And after all these years, I thought I was over him. I really did. Then I saw him in the G & O kitchen two weeks ago. And my heart nearly broke at the sight of him. God help me, but if he so much as smiles at me, I could fall in love with him all over again. That scares the crap outta me, Sidney. Because if I soften toward him, he’ll crawl into my heart again. And this time, if I shatter, I won’t have anyone around to mend me.”

  “You’ll always have me, Lucie. You know that.”

  Yes and no. I would always have Sidney. But he wouldn’t be here.

  As if he sensed my thoughts, he added, “Come to Florida with me. Bring Ari and your mom. We’ll create a new family in a new place.”

  Warmth welled up inside me, but bitter reality stung my tongue. “I can’t. Our lives are here. Don’t worry, Sidney. We’ll be all right. Rob can’t hurt us anymore.” My problems were not Sidney’s concerns. He deserved a chance to retire in peace, and it was high time I stood on my own two feet.

  He said nothing for a long time, long enough for me to realize he doubted my ability to make it on my own. “If you need anything, let me know, okay? I may be in another state, but I’m still a phone call away.”

  “I will.” I kicked off my quilt and rose from the bed. “And Sidney?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks. For everything.”

  “You take care, Lucie.”

  “I will,” I promised and steeled myself to mean it this time.

  ~~~~

  The following Friday after class, I dressed in my uniform and entered the living room to find Ariana sitting on the couch, hands folded in her lap. “Mom!” She climbed down and hugged me. “I’m ready to go to work.”

  Oh, boy. Here we go. I kept my tone soft while wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “No, you’re not, doodle.”

  Her sunny face clouded. “Why not? I don’t have school tomorrow so I can stay late. I always go on Friday nights.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “It’s ‘cause you don’t like Chef Colin, isn’t it?”

  “It’s because you don’t belong there, sweetheart. Grandpa allowed you to stay there as a favor to me.”

  She folded her arms over her chest and glared at me. “So? I bet Chef Colin wouldn’t mind, either.”

  Yeah, he probably wouldn’t. In fact, I bet he’d spend his free time charming Ari until he drove a wedge between her and me. And then he’d simply disappear—poof!—leaving both of us wounded.

  “Did you ask him?” Ariana pressed.

  “I have to go, doodle. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

  She grabbed me around the waist. “Ask him. I bet he says it’s okay for me to be there.”

  “Ari, no. It’s better this way. Little girls don’t belong in restaurant kitchens with hot stoves and sharp knives. Besides, Grandma’s looking forward to spending time with you. She wants to take you to the library and maybe rent a movie, make fried chicken for dinner, and
cookies later. She has a whole night planned for just the two of you.”

  Her hold on me eased, and she dropped her gaze to her feet. “O-kay.”

  “Good girl.”

  She raised her head, brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “But promise me you’ll ask Chef Colin if I can come there next week.”

  I wouldn’t make a promise I couldn’t keep. Instead, I kissed her again. “Be a good girl, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Her demand, “Promise me!” echoed in my head as I walked out the door of our little house and down the block to the bus stop.

  I was the world’s worst mother. I had to be. How could I deny my child something that meant so much to her? And yet, how could I allow her to tread a path that I knew would lead to heartbreak? By the time I got to the restaurant about forty-five minutes later, I was an emotional stew of self-doubt, guilt, and resentment.

  I pushed through the door and should have been surprised to see Colin the only person inside. Should have been. But I wasn’t. That was the way my day had gone so far. I greeted him with a nod, stowed my boots and coat in the cloak room, and slipped into my heels. I hated the way my dressy shoes clacked across the floor as I headed for my station, drawing attention to the emptiness and the only other sole occupant.

  “You’re always the first one here,” he said.

  “Yeah, well...” I busied myself straightening out the menus. “I’m a slave to the East End Bus schedule. It’s either get here forty minutes early or get here twenty minutes late.”

  “Lucky for me, you opt for early.”

  Uh-huh. Right. There was that word again. Lucky. I bit my tongue and pulled out the blackboard, along with the bucket of chalk. “Do you have tonight’s specials?”

  He folded his long, lean body into the booth nearest my podium. “Lucie, relax, please? I’m actually glad we’ve got some time alone right now. I’ve been meaning to talk to you ever since I saw you that first night in here. No. Check that. I’ve actually wanted to talk to you for a lot longer, but I lost track of you.”

  I wanted to scream at him, You lost track of me because you changed all your contact information. And not by my choice. Instead, I focused on erasing the blackboard, creating a clean slate. How appropriate.

  “It never occurred to me you got married.”

  “Why would it?” I retorted before I thought better of it. “A serious relationship wasn’t on your radar, right?” My voice shook with emotion, but not nearly as badly as my hands. The chalk tapped the blackboard in staccato rhythm. When I tried to write “Tonight’s Specials,” the words were as legible as cave hieroglyphics. Tears filled my eyes, and I sniffed them back before they spilled.

  Colin’s hand covered mine, and that familiar tingle I’d spent years struggling to forget sparked through me.

  “Don’t,” I said as I pulled away.

  “Lucie, I’m sorry. I was a stupid kid. I liked you a lot. And that scared me. You were supposed to be a summer fling. Just some girl I could party with, come with me when I hit the clubs at night, and who’d look hot in a bikini on the beach. I wasn’t supposed to start caring about you.”

  “Then it’s a good thing you didn’t.”

  “Wrong. I fell for you.” His tone grew solemn, a harsh power surge in the electrified air. “Hard. That’s what scared me. I panicked.”

  I didn’t want to hear this. Instead, I focused on drawing umbrellas and raindrops on the blackboard. “Uh-huh. What’s today’s soup?”

  “Dammit, Lucie, I’m trying to talk to you! Forget the blackboard and look at me.”

  I couldn’t. If I saw the slightest hint of sincerity in his eyes, my resolve would crumble. With my gaze still pinned to the blackboard, I shook my head. “There’s nothing else we need to talk about, Chef.”

  The temperature between us plummeted.

  Before he could add anything more, the front door creaked open, and Maxie slipped inside. “Cripes, we’re gonna have a major storm any minute out there.”

  Better out there than in here. I breathed a sigh of relief and added, “Now, about those specials...”

  Chapter 5

  Lucinda

  Thanks to the nasty thunderstorm raging outside, business was slow that night. So slow that by one a.m., we had cleaned the restaurant from top to bottom in preparation for a better turnout (and milder weather) on Saturday and closed for the night. While the rest of the staff filtered out toward the parking lot, grateful to leave an hour and a half early for a change, I lingered behind. I had no reason to rush out the door; Jack and the East End bus wouldn’t show up near this neighborhood for another thirty-five minutes. No sense hanging around a windy, wet bus stop when I could stay warm and dry here.

  Maxie was the last one to leave. Shrugging into her coat, she asked, “You gonna be okay, sugar? Or do you need me to stick around?”

  “No, I’m good. Go on.” I waved her out. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay.” She headed to the front door, and I followed to lock up behind her. As she pushed out into the stormy night, she added, “By the way, Chef Colin’s still in the back.”

  Now she tells me? Terrific. “Anybody else?” Because I could seriously use a buffer.

  “Just you and him.” She leaned closer and added, “Make the most of it. If Ernie wasn’t waiting at home, I would.”

  “Can I borrow Ernie, then?” I asked.

  “Unh-unh. He’s mine. Get your own man.” Her elbow slammed into my ribcage in a not subtle prod. “I think Chef Colin’s aiming for a shot at that title.”

  Frowning, I sidestepped out of her reach. “Too bad. He used up all his ammo on me years ago.”

  Maxie’s laughter faded into the storm as she dashed toward her car while I waited to be sure she got there okay. Once her headlights streamed white into the black night, I closed and locked the door again.

  “Alone at last.”

  My defeat was at hand. I turned to face Colin, who lounged one insolent hip against my station.

  The grin he wore reminded me of Bruce the shark in Disney’s Finding Nemo: predatory and delighted. Unlike the fictional shark, though, he wouldn’t let me leave unscathed. As if ticking off time, he flipped a ring of keys in his palm. Tink! Tink! Tink! Tink! Up and down, back and forth.

  “The way I see it,” he said between tinks, “you’ve got two choices. You can hang out here until it’s time to go to the bus stop—in which case, I’ll stay with you to keep you company, then drive you over there to keep you dry. Or you can let me drive you home right now—in which case, you’ll get at least an extra hour’s sleep tonight. Either way, you’re stuck with my company for a while. No escape.”

  Of course he smiled with delicious wickedness as he said the last two words. I had no options at all. He’d trapped me good. And we both knew it. Still, I’d choose the lesser of the two evils.

  “I guess you’re sticking around here then because the bus won’t be making the loop again until 1:40.”

  He inched closer, that familiar scent of lemons dancing through my nose, and speeding up my heart rate. “That’s a long time from now. Why don’t you just let me drive you home?”

  “I told you last week and the week before that, Jack expects me at the bus stop. He’ll worry if I’m not there.”

  He blew out an exasperated breath. “Bull. What would he do if you called in sick one night? Or did you always call him after you cleared the night off with Sidney?”

  If he meant to make me feel foolish, he failed. I shrugged and told him the truth. “I dunno. I’ve never called in sick.”

  Thunder boomed outside, rattling the windows behind me. Seconds later, lightning spilled white light between us. Disbelief registered in his wide eyes and slack jaw. “Never? In six years, you’ve never missed a day of work?”

  “Nope.”

  He gave me a quirk of a smile and huffed. “No wonder Sidney said you were the best. You’re like the patron saint of maître d’s.”

  “I am not,” I retort
ed. “I’m not Wonder Woman or anything. I work because I have to. Even when I’m sick. Some of us don’t have a trust fund to fall back on.” The words were a challenge, a reminder of the vast differences between us.

  “Most of us don’t,” he replied, appearing unfazed. “But that’s one of the problems I plan to rectify in this place. Why’d you marry Robert Soto?”

  I blinked. “Huh?”

  The non-sequitur threw me. Score one for him. If he licked his finger and made an air point, though, I’d have to club him with a hurricane lamp.

  “You heard me. Why?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “I think it is.” He kicked a chair out from behind the nearest bistro table and sat, facing me, arms folded over his chest. “He was bad news, Lucie. I know you always stuck up for him, but I knew a girl he dated. She told me stuff about him. Nasty stuff.”

  His uncanny knack for hitting too close to the truth had me stomping on whatever he planned to say next. “Wow. Imagine that. You and Rob Soto skimming from the same dating pool. And here I thought I was the only fish you both caught.”

  “Cut the crap, Lucie.” His retort erupted harsh and hot, each word a stinging barb. “Did he hurt you?”

  I busied myself straightening out menus, but my hands trembled so violently, I fumbled them to the floor. Colin dove beside me to pick up the mess. On instinct, I gave a sharp cry and flinched before curling into myself.

  Sucking in a sharp breath, Colin looked up at me, his eyes wide with shock. “Jesus, he did. How badly?”

  Rather than answer him, I gathered up the leather-bound books and held them against my chest—a personal breastplate while I skooched farther from him. I only stopped sliding away when my back hit the foyer wall. At that point, I got to my shaky feet, my spine pressed to the wood paneling. “Don’t you have a girlfriend waiting for you? Your latest maid’s daughter, maybe?”

  “I gave up maids’ daughters after you. No one else could compare.”