by T. L. Haddix
“Oh, as I remember it, he had several choice words to say after the surprise had worn off,” her mother said, coming into the room. “I’m going to drive Lauren home, Win. Charlie, stay as long as you like. I’ll be back shortly.”
“What’s the rush?” Winston asked. “You can stay a little while longer, can’t you?”
She bent to hug and kiss him goodnight. “No, Daddy. Some of us have to get up early and go to work.” Her father wouldn’t be returning to work from medical leave until the following week.
“You work too much,” he told her with a mock scowl. “You need to get married to some nice man and let him support you. Stay home and make me some more grandbabies. Charlie, how about it?”
Charlie, who had just taken a sip of coffee, nearly choked.
“Winston!” Molly scolded, as Lauren exclaimed, “Daddy!”
“I was just asking his opinion, ladies. I wasn’t offering you up as a gift.”
“Win, I believe you’re digging deeper with every word.” Charlie cleared his throat, clearly trying not to smile. “If I were you, I’d just stop now while I was still a little bit ahead.” Winston grumbled, but didn’t say anything else.
With an embarrassed look in Charlie’s direction, Lauren mumbled goodnight. She stopped by the kitchen to grab the leftovers and, as she reached the garage door, her mother came up behind her.
“I swear I think your father’s taking those pills they gave him after his surgery. He says the first thing that comes to his mind lately, and damn the consequences.”
Lauren laughed, still embarrassed, but able to see the humor in the situation. “You know as well as I do that he threw those out the first day he came home.” She buckled her seat belt and they backed out of the garage. “He’s just a little stir crazy, from not being able to do much these past few weeks. I know it’s been hard on both of you, having him there day in and day out.”
Molly sighed. “I love your father dearly, more than anyone in this world except you kids, but I’m ready for him to go back to work. It makes me really worry about life after we retire. If we don’t have a world tour or something at least that ambitious planned by then, we might end up murdering each other. Having Charlie around has been a true blessing, you know. When he hasn’t been working, he and Win have kept pretty close company. They’re like two little boys, playing with their toys.”
“So it’s true, then, what they say about men and boys? About the only difference being shoe size and the price of their toys?”
Molly snickered and soon they were both laughing. “So what’s been bothering you all evening, daughter of mine?” Pulling into Lauren’s driveway, she put the truck in park. “You’ve been a little quiet. Is it Charlie?”
“No, he seems nice enough.” She stared out the window at the darkness and, for a few moments, she didn’t speak. Turning her head, she looked at Molly. “I saw Mary Margaret at the park yesterday.”
The shock coming off her mother was palpable. “Are you sure?”
“It was across the park, and it has been a while, but it was her.” They both fell silent for a few minutes. Molly reached out and squeezed Lauren’s hand, absorbing the implications of the woman’s presence in Leroy.
“I didn’t want to say anything in front of Daddy that might upset him. Have you heard anything from Shannon recently?” Shannon was her mother’s sister, who had married Earl Vernon, Carl’s brother.
“Not about the Vernons. I’ll call her tomorrow while I’m at work and see if I can find out anything. It’s been nearly thirteen years,” she said quietly. “I wonder if they think people have forgotten about what they did?”
“I don’t know, Mom. I thought I’d moved past all that, and then I saw her yesterday… it brings back a lot of ugly memories. After David and I divorced, I thought I’d worked through all that. Sharon warned me that I’d probably have to face one or both of them at some point, though,” she said, referring to her counselor, “and we talked about how to handle it if it happened.”
“Do you need me to do anything? You know that all you have to do is ask, and I’ll do whatever you need.”
Lauren smiled, squeezing her hand in thanks. “I’ll be okay. I’m not going to lie and say seeing her didn’t bother me, but I’m a big girl, and I can deal with the memories, as unpleasant as they are.” She unbuckled her seat belt and reached for the door handle. “Just give Shannon a call tomorrow, if you get a chance. I’d like to know if they really are back, so I can be prepared mentally.”
“I’ll take care of it and let you know.”
With one last hug, Lauren got out of the car. Grabbing the box of leftovers, she headed into her small house. She waved at her mother, then locked the door against the night, wishing she could do the same against the past.
Chapter Five
When Charlie Clark’s alarm clock failed to go off on Wednesday morning and his coffee maker decided to throw all the water in its reservoir all over the kitchen cabinets instead of percolating it through the filter, he should have known it was going to be a bad day.
He was scheduled to work the afternoon and evening shifts at the Lighthouse, and the heavy work load was starting to wear on him. Sonny, the restaurant’s owner and Charlie’s friend, was hoping his doctor would release him back to regular duty sometime in the next couple of weeks, and Charlie would be able to return to his normal schedule.
Arriving at the Lighthouse a few minutes before his shift started, he walked into chaos. The assistant manager, Rita Goodworth, stood in the kitchen, shouting at the head chef, who was shaking his fist in her face. The rest of the kitchen staff gave them a wide berth, going about their duties, but paying close attention to the fight. As he stopped in the doorway, one of the dishwashers saw him and eased over to stand beside him.
“What the hell’s going on, Ricky?” His eyes fixed on the arguing couple, and he kept his voice low.
“The main ovens are broke, man. Rita can’t get the guy out here to fix them until early next week, and Guy’s having a fit. None of the desserts are ready, and he’s swearing the evening meals are ruined.” He thumped Charlie on the shoulder. “Good luck getting it sorted out.”
Charlie rubbed his eyes and counted to twenty. Rolling his head to try and alleviate some of the building tension, he took a deep breath and walked over to the couple. When they noticed him, they focused on him, both trying to talk at once. Charlie whistled sharply and held up his hands. The kitchen fell silent.
“One at a time, please.” When they both opened their mouths, he held up his hand again. “Rita, why don’t you start?”
Shooting the chef a triumphant look, she crossed her arms and started telling Charlie about the broken oven and the repairman’s delay.
“Why is it going to take him until next week to get out here? Did you explain the situation to him?”
“Of course. He swore that he’d be out here as soon as he could, but he’s tied up until next Monday.”
Charlie nodded. “Okay. Get me his number. I want to talk to him myself. Not that I don’t trust your ability to handle things,” he said as her face tightened. “But sometimes different people can get different results.” She nodded and walked away stiffly, head held high.
Drawing in a breath, he turned to the chef, who was watching Rita leave with a smirk. “You’ll pay for that, boss.”
Charlie frowned, and the smirk quickly disappeared. “How badly does this hurt us?”
“We still have the majority of the evening’s baking to finish, including ninety percent of the desserts.”
“What about entrees? How do we stand on those?”
“We’ll be okay on entrees. We still have the broiler, so we can use that, but a couple of the dishes will have to be taken off the menu until the oven is fixed. It shouldn’t really cause much of a problem, but the desserts? That’s another story.”
With a sigh, Charlie ran his hand over his face. Looking around the kitchen, he saw several pairs of worried eyes looki
ng back at him. “Any suggestions?”
“What about the Brown Bag?” Joely Hudson asked. “Lauren has some amazing desserts, and I’m sure she’d be glad to help us out for a few days.”
“That’s perfect, Joely.” He smiled at the young woman as Rita came back in with the repairman’s phone number. “I’ll give her a call right now. Let’s all get back to work. It’s going to be a long one.”
“What about the desserts I’ve already made? The pies and tarts that were ready to go in the oven?” Guy asked as Charlie headed toward the office.
“Store them for a little while longer. There’s something I want to try before we pitch that much food. I’ll let you know in a few minutes.”
In the office, he started to close the door behind him, but stopped when Rita tapped on the doorframe. Moving around the desk, he sat and looked at her expectantly. “What do you need?”
“Nothing, really, I just wanted to see if I could help. Do you want me to call the Brown Bag?”
“No, I’ll do it. Just make sure the dining room is running smoothly, and I’ll be out in a few minutes to let you know the plan.” As she stood there looking at him uncertainly, he raised his eyebrows. “Is there something else?”
She shook her head and turned to leave. “No, that’s all.”
“Rita? Close the door?” She nodded and did as he asked. He sighed and sank back into his chair.
“What a day.” Pulling a worn phonebook out of the drawer, he found the number for the café. While he waited for the call to go through, he focused on breathing, trying to regain a semblance of calm. When Lauren answered, he explained the situation.
“So do you want to buy some desserts from us to get you through this pinch? I’ll be glad to provide them, but it might be more economical for us to rent our ovens out to you for a few days.”
“Wouldn’t it interfere with your kitchen?”
“Not really. Guy could probably come or send someone over around two or three o’clock, to do the evening’s baking. We don’t have any catering events scheduled for the next few days, so it wouldn’t be a problem.” She named a price that covered the cost of running the ovens.
“That’s more than fair. Are you sure? Seems like we’re getting the better end of the deal.”
Lauren laughed. “Not really. For tonight at least, I imagine you’ll be serving quite a few of our desserts. Just be sure your staff tells customers where they came from, if they ask, and we’ll be more than even.”
“It’s a deal. Let me talk to Guy and see what all he has that needs to be brought over, and I’ll send someone in your direction.” He checked his watch. “Lauren? Thanks for doing this. I’ll owe you one.”
As he hung up the phone, he was surprised to find himself smiling.
~ * * * ~
Forty-five minutes later, Charlie and Joely had loaded the salvaged desserts into her hatchback and made the short drive to the Brown Bag. “Let’s park around back, so we don’t have to traipse through the dining room with all our boxes and pans,” he told her. They knocked on the back door, but no one answered.
“I’ll go around front. You stay with the food.” He hurried to the entrance. Shock stopped him in his tracks. Standing at the counter talking to Janet was his father, Ransom Clark. Charlie had managed to avoid the man since he returned to Leroy. Of all the days to see him again…
As the shock wore off, he took a few cautious steps toward the counter. “Janet, we’re here with the food from the restaurant.”
“I’ll let Lauren know. She’s in the back.” She started toward the kitchen, but Lauren came out.
“Hey. You’re here. Come on back.” She nodded and smiled at Ransom. The two men eyed each other warily as Charlie walked by, not exchanging a single word. In the kitchen, Helga, the café’s head cook, directed Joely.
“Looks like you were able to save quite a few of the pies,” Lauren observed as they emptied the boxes onto the counter. “Are you going to need any of our desserts tonight?”
“Probably. Guy gave me a list to ask you about.” Charlie pulled the folded paper out of his back pocket and handed it to her. “He also wrote the temperatures and times for each of the pies on the back.”
“This looks pretty simple. I think we can cover the order, no problems.” She handed the paper to Helga and gestured for Charlie to come back out to the dining room. He passed her without saying anything. When he got back out into the dining room, he was relieved to see that Ransom had left the shop. Lauren moved to stand beside him at the glass display cases.
“Everything okay?”
Hands shoved into his pockets, he lifted his shoulders. “Yeah. I just haven’t seen him since I’ve been back. It was a bit of a shock. And it’s been one of those days it doesn’t pay to get out of bed.”
“Things aren’t easy between you two, are they?”
His short laugh contained no humor. “Not exactly.” He shook his head. “Long story, not worth going into. So, what are our options here?”
They discussed the restaurant’s needs and Charlie told her that the repairman had been able to find time to come out the next day. “Hopefully, we won’t need to impose on you for more than a day or so.”
She waved away his comment. “It’s not an imposition. When we had the fire here a few years ago, Sonny was one of the first people to show up. He encouraged me to rebuild, and he’s come to our assistance more than once over the years. I’m glad to be able to do this.”
Moving behind the counter, she started boxing up the restaurant’s order. “Why don’t we just run a tab, and we can settle up after you all are up and running again?”
“Okay. Thank you, Lauren. I really can’t tell you… you saved my butt today.”
She smiled and tilted her head, studying him. “Give it time.” When he looked puzzled, she continued. “This thing with your dad. Give it time.”
“Oh.” Meeting her gaze, he hesitated, and then nodded. “I’ll leave Joely here, if that’s okay. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” He scooped up the boxes she had assembled as Joely came out of the kitchen.
“Actually, I’ll see you tonight, if you’re working. I’m having dinner with some friends at the Lighthouse.”
Just as he opened his mouth to respond, the phone rang, and Lauren excused herself to answer it. Charlie nodded his thanks and with a word to Joely, he left.
Chapter Six
When she pulled into the Lighthouse’s parking lot that evening, Lauren was torn. While she looked forward to a night out, she wished Annie had chosen a different place for dinner. The Lighthouse was one of Leroy’s nicest restaurants, and a good choice for a quiet dinner, but with Charlie working there, she feared the situation would be awkward.
Seeing Annie’s car cruising the parking lot, she quickly checked her appearance in the rearview mirror. Her light brown hair was shiny and sleek, the elegant cut just brushing her shoulders. She normally used a very light hand with makeup, but she had decided to go a little more extravagant tonight, playing up the slightly exotic slant of her eyes. Her dress was a lightweight summer affair, the skirt hitting just above her knees and flaring out at the bottom with a flirty ruffle. Some gold hoop earrings, bangle bracelets, and strappy, but comfortable heeled sandals completed the outfit.
Walking over to meet the others, she cursed her fair skin as she felt her cheeks heat when Annie raised her eyebrows and mouthed, “Wow,” before turning and introducing her cousin Jeff.
As Lauren shook hands with him, she was pleased to see that he wasn’t the stereotypical blind date. Tall with blond hair and blue eyes, his appearance was neat but not too polished, and his handshake had been firm. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he approved of her appearance, as well.
“Shall we?” Jason held the door open for them, and they all made small talk as Rita escorted them to their table. Lauren looked for Charlie, but didn’t see him.
“Enjoy your evening.” Rita handed them menus and left.
; Settling in, Lauren felt someone’s eyes on her and looked toward the door. Charlie had come into the dining room and was watching them, a grim look on his face. She gave him a small smile and a wave, and he nodded before he headed back into the kitchen. Perplexed by his demeanor, she focused on her menu. Annie asked her if everything was okay.
“Sure, why wouldn’t it be?”
“No reason.” She looked pointedly from Lauren to the door where Charlie had disappeared, then back. “Just wondering.”
“So Annie tells me you own a café here in town,” Jeff commented.
“I do. The Brown Bag.”
Annie nodded. “She has the best pastries you’ve ever eaten. And the great part is, they’re all healthy. Well, as healthy as a cinnamon roll or chocolate éclair can be.”
“Now I wish I’d gotten into town earlier. I’d love to try something from your shop.”
“As it happens, you may be able to do just that.” Lauren explained the situation with the ovens. Seeing Annie frown whenever Charlie was mentioned, she made a mental note to ask her friend about it later. Their server brought out the first course as Sonny Rutherford came into the dining room, greeting people and making his way over to their table.
Bending down and giving her a kiss on the cheek, he greeted the others, then turned back to her. “I hear we owe you a big one, young lady.”
Lauren shook her head and warmly smiled up at him. “You’d have done the same for me, and you know it. As a matter of fact, you’ve been there several times in the past when I needed help. Don’t even mention it. I’m glad we were able to help.”
“Still, I appreciate it. Dinner’s on me tonight.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll let you all get back to it.” Waving away their protests, he moved off toward the bar on the opposite side of the restaurant.
“You know,” Annie mused wistfully, “if that man were even ten years younger, I’d marry him.” When Jason put his hand to his chest as if heartbroken, she lightly thumped him on the arm. “I would. They don’t make very many like that anymore.”
