Heather winked at him. “Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary. You’re the only one he gives a hard time to.”
“More’s the pity,” Henrietta lamented. “You’d think a smart man, like he claims to be, would have wised up by now and would stay away from here.”
“Hell, woman, our little chats are the only things that keep my blood pumping,” he countered.
Henrietta rolled her eyes and disappeared into the kitchen.
Heather gave a last swipe to the booth she’d been pretending to clean, went over, propped her elbows on the counter and grinned at the judge. “I think you’re making progress.”
“Maybe so, but at this rate, I won’t live long enough to savor the victory,” he said with a sigh. “That obstinate woman is going to be the death of me.”
“Have you ever considered just asking her out?”
“For twenty years I asked her out once a week, like clockwork. She turned me down every time. It was enough to discourage a lesser man. For the past ten years I’ve settled for coming in here every day and night and counting it as a date. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
“Sounds to me like turning you down was just a habit she got into and didn’t know how to break. Maybe instead of coming here, like she counts on you doing, you should start showing up at her house, bring dinner along or a game to play with the kids. She won’t turn you away. It wouldn’t be polite.”
“Since when was Henrietta polite when it comes to me?”
He had a point. Sometimes her words had a sharp edge to them that wasn’t done in jest. Since Henrietta struck Heather as the fairest, kindest woman she’d ever known, there had to be a story behind that.
“What happened all those years ago to throw you two off course?” she asked.
He regarded her with uncharacteristic uncertainty. “You really want to hear all that old history?”
She nodded.
“The long and short of it is, I took her at her word and married somebody else.”
“Oh, dear,” Heather murmured. “That would do it.”
“Well, how was I supposed to know she didn’t mean it when she said no?” he grumbled. “When she told me I was not going to bully her into marrying me, I took it as her final word. Violet Jenkins was available. She wasn’t as pretty as Henrietta or as…difficult, but I was ready to settle down and she was willing. We had a whirlwind courtship and married a couple of months after we’d started seeing each other.”
“And Henrietta’s never forgiven you?”
“Never. Acts like I betrayed her, when she was the one who sent me away. Wasn’t till after Violet and I were married that I found out it was Henrietta’s daddy who was behind the refusals. He thought I wouldn’t amount to anything, threatened to disinherit her if she got mixed up with me.”
“She chose money over you?”
“Wasn’t money she cared two hoots about. It was this place. Her heart was in this restaurant. Her daddy would have sold it right out from under her or closed it down. Least that’s what he claimed. When I heard how little he thought of me, I took Violet and went off to law school, set up practice here in town, then became a judge, all to prove him wrong. I suppose I owe my whole career to that old fool who stood between Henrietta and me.”
“If it was her father who came between you, how can she go on blaming you?”
“She thought I should have fought harder. Made her madder than sin that I went on and made something of myself after I’d married another woman, instead of doing it before when it might have made a difference for the two of us.”
Heather had to admit that Henrietta might have a point about that, but it was all so long ago.
“What happened to Violet?” she asked.
“Now, that was the real tragedy in all this,” he said, looking suddenly tired. “She was a real delicate woman. When she got pregnant, she took to her bed. She died in childbirth. We lost the baby, too. That was thirty years ago. Last thing she said to me was that Henrietta wouldn’t have messed it up like she had. You see, she always knew where my heart was.”
He sighed, his expression filled with sorrow and long-held regrets. “Hasn’t been a thing that’s happened to me before or since that made me feel worse than knowing I let that sweet woman down. Violet was the innocent party in all this. I spent a lot of years nursing my guilt before I woke up and realized I was still alive and so was Henrietta and that we’d already wasted too much time. I’ve been pestering her ever since, but she nurses a grudge like no one else on God’s green earth.”
“And in all this time, she never married?”
He shook his head. “Not that there haven’t been men who were interested. A half-dozen or more would have married her for her fried chicken alone, but she never gave one of them the time of day.”
“Maybe she wanted them to love her for herself and not for her talent with a skillet,” Heather said wryly.
“Oh, that goes without saying,” he said, as if startled that she would think otherwise. “Henrietta commands a lot of respect and admiration in this town.”
“Then maybe she’s afraid,” Heather suggested.
“Afraid?” he scoffed. “Henrietta? There’s nothing that scares that woman.”
“Risking her heart again might, especially with you.”
“There’s no risk involved,” he insisted. “I’ve told her how I feel every way I can think of. Coming in here day after day and putting up with her abuse ought to make it clear enough, don’t you think?”
“Maybe she just sees that as proper penance,” Heather teased.
He chuckled. “You know, she probably does. Well, I’ll think about that idea of yours. Time was when she liked Chinese food right well. Maybe I’ll pick up some egg rolls and chow mein one night and take ’em by the house. Maybe I’ll even slip my own fortune-telling note into the cookies to get her thinking along the right lines.”
“It’s worth a try,” Heather said. “If you’ll tell me what night you plan to do it, maybe I could keep Sissy and Will with me for the evening. Take them out for ice cream or something to give you two some privacy.”
He seemed touched by the gesture. “You’d do that?”
“Absolutely.”
“Henrietta may not thank you if she guesses what you’re up to,” he warned.
“I’ll take my chances.”
He gave a little nod of satisfaction. “You’re a good girl. Remind me of Henrietta, in fact. You’ve got spirit. I’ll get back to you about that dinner.”
“I’ve got the late shift tomorrow,” she told him, anxious to see this scheme of theirs set in motion. “No point in wasting time.”
“Right,” he said, suddenly looking as eager as a teenage boy. “Tomorrow it is. I’ll go make the arrangements right now.”
“And I’ll talk to Sissy and Will,” she promised.
There was a new spring in the judge’s step when he left. There was also a hint of disappointment in Henrietta’s expression when she came back out from the kitchen to find him gone, but she was quick to mask it.
“I see the old man finally had sense enough to leave,” she said.
“He said something about some plans he had to take care of.”
Henrietta’s gaze shot to Heather. “What plans?”
Heather innocently returned her gaze and shrugged. “He didn’t say.”
“You sure about that?”
“Not a peep. Must be personal. Why? Would it bother you if he had a lady friend?”
“Of course not!” Henrietta snapped, but the color had faded from her cheeks. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
With that she turned around and stalked back into the kitchen, spine rigid. After that, the pots and pans seemed to be taking more of a beating than usual as she put them back in place. Heather listened to the banging and grinned. Phase one of the mission had been accomplished.
“Henrietta, why don’t you take off early?” Heather suggested the next night. “I’ll keep
Sissy and Will here with me. As soon as I close up, I’ll take them with Angel and me for ice cream, then bring them on by your house.”
“Please, Henrietta,” Will begged without coaching.
“Say yes,” Sissy pleaded.
Angel turned her big eyes on Henrietta. “They gots to go with us, ’Retta. Please.”
Henrietta regarded all of them suspiciously. “Why are you so blasted anxious to get rid of me? It’s not my birthday, is it?”
“No,” Sissy said solemnly. “Your birthday is months and months away. I’m going to bake a cake, remember?”
“True enough. Well, if that’s not it, maybe I’ll just wait right here and come along,” Henrietta suggested. “Ice cream sounds like a great idea. Summer’s finally turned up in spades. It’s been a scorcher out there today and there’s not a storm in sight to break the heat.”
“You can’t,” Heather said urgently, then winced at Henrietta’s sharp look. “I mean, it’s the perfect chance for you to have some time to yourself. Don’t you want to pamper yourself for a change, maybe take a nice bubble bath?”
“Now, why on earth would I want to do that?” Henrietta asked briskly. “Who has time to waste soaking in a tub?”
“That’s the point,” Heather countered. “This is your chance. You deserve a break.”
Henrietta still looked as if she didn’t quite get it, but she finally relented. “Okay, since it’s obviously so all-fired important to you, I’ll go.” She opened the cash register and pulled out a twenty. “But the ice cream is my treat.”
When Heather started to protest, the older woman frowned. “Either take it, or I come along.”
Since Heather wasn’t about to risk ruining the judge’s surprise, she took the money. She would put it right back in the register after Henrietta left.
Of course, it took another half hour to actually get Henrietta out the door. Todd watched the entire exchange from a booth in the back, his expression increasingly curious. It was obvious he suspected something was up, but, thankfully, he kept his questions to himself.
After Henrietta had gone, he beckoned Heather over. “Okay, spill it. What was that all about?”
“The judge is surprising Henrietta at her place with dinner,” she told him.
Todd’s eyes widened. “Whose idea was that?”
“Partly his, partly mine.”
“Mostly yours, I imagine. It’s been my experience that Harry Corrigan is a straightforward kind of a guy without a sneaky bone in his body. You, however, thrive on this kind of backdoor intrigue.”
She ignored the jibe. “The point is the two of them will finally have a night together to work out their differences.”
“I don’t suppose it would do any good to mention that they’ve already had years to work out their so-called differences. Maybe what you describe as differences are actually deep-rooted problems.”
Heather couldn’t honestly argue with that, considering what had happened between them all those years ago. Even so, she countered, “They can’t solve anything at all if they don’t talk.”
“Don’t you think if that was what Henrietta wanted, it would have happened by now? Just because you’re a notorious romantic who believes in happy endings doesn’t mean you can manipulate them into happening.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Are we still talking about Henrietta and the judge?”
“Yes,” he said. “Since we both know there’s no happy ending in store for the two of us, right?”
“Right,” she echoed dutifully. “Want to come with us for ice cream?”
“I’d rather die,” he said, but without much rancor.
“Do it, anyway,” she told him. “It will be good for you to expand your horizons.”
“Expand them how? Thanks to Megan, every time I turn around I’m being hit with some new trend. Whatever happened to stability, sticking with the tried and true?”
Heather laughed at his despondent tone. “You’re working for the wrong woman, if that’s what you’re after. Now, stop grumbling and come with us. You might be surprised by how much fun it is to see the world through a kid’s eyes.”
He grumbled about it, but he didn’t refuse. He looked a little startled when Angel tucked her hand into his as they walked down the street. Heather held her breath waiting to see what would happen, but he didn’t reject the gesture. Sissy apparently noticed the same thing, because she inched a little closer and shyly took his other hand.
“What kind of ice cream you gonna have?” Angel asked him.
Vanilla, Heather predicted. Bland, ordinary vanilla. He’d always loved the basic flavor and refused to gussy it up with so much as a scattering of nuts, much less hot fudge or whipped cream.
“Vanilla,” he said.
Heather chuckled.
“What?” he demanded.
“Just once, why not be daring? Try strawberry.”
“Why should I when I like vanilla?”
“I like chocolate,” Angel confided. “You can have some of mine.”
“But I don’t…” His voice trailed off in a sigh. He glanced over at Sissy. “How about you? What kind of ice cream do you want?”
She seemed to be stunned that he’d asked. “Vanilla,” she said at once, as if to back him up.
“Good for you,” he said approvingly.
Sissy beamed at the praise.
“Well, I’m having mocha fudge,” Heather declared.
“And I want strawberry,” Will chimed in just as they reached the ice cream parlor.
“Is that everybody’s last word?” Todd inquired. “No last-minute changes? No need to look in the case and see what other flavors they have?”
“I wanna look,” Angel said, reaching out her arms to be picked up so she could see.
Todd seemed to pick her up without thinking, then gave her a startled look as if he wasn’t quite certain how she’d gotten into his arms. Everyone else confirmed their original order, then went with Heather to grab a table in a corner of the crowded room. Sissy stared at Heather with her big, solemn eyes.
“May I go with Todd and Angel? I could help him carry the ice cream. Angel won’t be any help.”
“Of course,” Heather said, concluding that Todd had just acquired an admirer. Given what she knew of Sissy’s father, it was little wonder that she was gravitating toward the soft-spoken Todd. She had to wonder, though, how Todd was going to react to being the object of her hero-worship. Truthfully, though, he didn’t seem to get that same panicky expression on his face around Sissy as he did around Angel.
Heather kept her gaze on the trio at the counter, grinning at Angel’s obvious indecision. She couldn’t hear the words, but could tell Todd was trying to coax her into making a choice. Sissy finally took the cones for herself, Will and Heather and brought them back to the table.
“Angel can’t make up her mind,” she told them.
Heather considered going over to rescue Todd, but so far, he didn’t seem to be losing patience with the process. She could have told him that just as he always ended up with vanilla, Angel would invariably end up ordering chocolate. This was just her way of claiming a little extra attention for herself. Sure enough, five minutes later Todd left the counter with his vanilla cone and Angel trotted at his side with a chocolate one.
“Trouble deciding?” she asked innocently when they reached the table.
“There were a lot of choices.”
“I seem to recall hearing vanilla and chocolate mentioned before we ever walked in the front door,” she teased.
“Angel almost went with the pistachio,” he retorted. “She thought it was a pretty color.”
“Yeah, I got taken in with that, too. She took one taste and dumped it on the ground, then demanded chocolate. How did you talk her out of it?”
“It was a snap, really,” he said with evident pride. “I pointed out the rainbow sherbet, which was next to the chocolate. Once her favorite snagged her attention again, it was all over except for getting
the scoop into the cone.”
“Very clever,” she said with admiration. “You’re good at this.”
His gaze narrowed. “At what?”
He was clearly fearful that she was going to mention “parenting” in front of Angel, but she knew better than that. One of these days soon, Angel would have to be told that Todd was her real daddy, but not until he was ready to take an active role in her life. He might be with them here tonight, but he was a long way from accepting fatherhood.
“Hey, Todd?” Angel said, practically sticking her cone into his nose. “Wanna taste?”
He instinctively licked at the dripping chocolate before it could fall onto his pristine designer shirt, then encouraged Angel to hold it over the table.
“You like it?” she asked, clearly concerned.
“Very good,” he conceded.
The cone wobbled precariously in his direction again. “You wants more?”
“No, thanks,” he said. “You eat it.” He glanced across the table and caught Heather watching him.
“What?” he demanded.
“You liked it, didn’t you?”
“Liked what?”
“The chocolate.”
“I said I did.”
She chuckled. “No, I mean, you really, really liked it.”
He scowled. “So what if I did?”
“Nothing.”
“Heather, if you have a point, just make it.”
“It just seems that if you can open yourself up to chocolate ice cream, there may be a whole world of possibilities you’ll be open to trying next.”
His frown deepened. “Cut it out.”
“The world won’t rock on its foundation just because you try something different.”
“I’m always open to new ideas,” he said defensively.
“Since when?”
“How do you think I ended up an executive assistant to someone like Megan?”
“Default,” she suggested.
“I am not discussing this with you,” he said.
Heather heard the determined edge in his voice and apparently Sissy did, too. She looked as if she were trying to make herself invisible. Todd apparently noticed it the same time Heather did, because he forced a smile and winked at her.
Angel Mine Page 12
