He turned on his heel and stomped away, although the effect wasn’t as dramatic as he’d hoped. His shoes squeaked with every step, and I thought I heard water sloshing. I would have laughed except the whole situation felt so tragic.
I sat outside and stared at the fountain a long time. It had stopped leaking as soon as Scott left. Weird.
The sun was setting when I walked into the shop. I thought I’d reached my low point, but things got worse when I found Mom sitting in the kitchen with Auntie Mags, Sally, and Madame Lucinda. She had a piece of paper clenched in her hands.
“Fiona. You’re back.”
I looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. No one would meet my eyes, which made me worried. “What happened?”
Mom handed me the paper. I read it twice to make sure I understood. It was a citation for noise pollution and disruptive behavior due to the pagan festival in our garden last night. Our final warning. The café was going to be closed. Permanently. They gave us until the council meeting to tie things up. I stared around the shop in dismay. We had only a few days left and no way to fight back. Anderson had won.
“I’m done.” Mom cried softly as Sally put a reassuring arm around her shoulders and handed her a tissue.
I read the paper again, trying to wrap my head around the fact that it was over. “Not to make things even worse, but I have some bad news too.” I told them about how Matthew secretly worked for Anderson. Mom stared at me in disbelief. It felt like we were hit from all sides.
“Oh, Fiona. I’m so sorry.”
Sally looked a bit shell-shocked. “I can’t believe it. Matthew is such a nice boy.”
Madame Lucinda agreed. “Nothing in the cards predicted this. Is there any way you could be mistaken?”
“I saw him with the people from Anderson. And there’s more.” I grabbed my laptop and showed them what I’d found online.
Auntie Mags stared at the photos with a wrinkled frown. “He looks so familiar.”
“You probably saw him here. He hung around often enough.”
Mom looked at the pictures sadly. “Why would Frankie recommend him to me? How did Matthew even know Frankie?”
“I have no idea, but he lied to us, and he lied to me.” I closed my laptop and folded my hands on top of it.
“And you loved him,” said Auntie Mags. “You opened your heart to him, and he failed you.”
“A good lesson. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
Auntie Mags looked like she was about to say something else when our lawyer, Janet Kilpatrick, rushed into the room. Janet, small with short with dark hair and delicate features, was always a ball of energy, but today she seemed so wound up she nearly vibrated. Eliza had come with her. They both wore their work clothes.
“Where’s the citation?” asked Eliza, and I handed it to her. Her gaze skimmed the page, and she handed it to Janet. Janet read it over too.
“Bullshit.” Janet might look like a pixie, but she had the language of a longshoreman. She’d grown up on the South Side, like me, and her father owned Paddy’s Pub down the street.
“Who told them about the festival last night?” asked Eliza. “The only people here were our fellow Wiccans and Kate.”
My eyes met my mom’s. “And Matthew,” I said.
Eliza sank into a chair. “The one you saw with the Anderson people?”
“He walked in on the naked yoga class too. And he may have overheard me talking to Mom about what was in her tea. I asked him if he had called the department of health on us and he denied it. All lies. He used me to get the dirt on us.”
I stood next to Sally, and she pulled me into her arms so I could rest my head on her broad shoulder. She might be a former linebacker dressed in vintage pink Oscar de la Renta and wearing a jaunty little pillbox hat, but Sally was the kindest and most nurturing person I knew. She was currently on a Jackie Kennedy kick and adored clothes from the sixties. Finding them in her size was another matter altogether.
“Poor, poor poppet,” said Sally.
Mom shook her head. “He wasn’t using you. Even if he does work for Anderson, even if he did lie to you, I know for a fact he loved you, Fiona. I saw it on his face every single time he looked at you.”
“I hate to say this, but I never liked Scott,” said Sally, and the others murmured in agreement. Sally never said a negative thing about anyone, so this was a big deal. “But I did like Matthew. I don’t understand how he could do this to us.”
Janet pulled some files out of her briefcase and scanned the contents. Her dark head bent over the pages.
“What are you looking for?” I asked.
She frowned. “This is documentation from Anderson about your many ‘infractions.’ When you mentioned the yoga class, I remembered a note inside one of these files. It was about who called in the information. The name was something odd. I can’t remember what it was, but I don’t think it was Monroe.”
“Who was it?” I had no false hopes Matthew was innocent but wondered if someone else was involved.
Janet closed the files with a groan. “I got this stuff today, and it’s a total mess. This is another trick they play because they know I’m on my own. I need to sort through it. I’ll let you know as soon as I find something.”
Mom patted her hand. “Thank you, Janet, but I don’t know how much more we can afford for you to do . . .”
Janet’s cheeks got pink. “I’m not charging you for this, Ms. Campbell. I had to charge you court fees since those were incurred during office hours. I’m doing this on my own.”
My mom’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness or generosity. Are you sure, Janet?”
Janet nodded. “We’re in this together.”
“All of us,” said Eliza.
Sally stood up and raised her glass in the air. “All for one and one for all,” she said, chugging what was left in her glass. The other ladies giggled and did the same.
I looked around at our odd little group, a Wiccan priestess, a lawyer, a reiki therapist, a tarot card reader, a transgender shop owner, a former hippie, and me. Suddenly I didn’t feel so hopeless or alone anymore. Scott had disappointed me, and Matthew betrayed me, but I still had a lot of people on my side.
Janet pulled me aside. “I heard you’re going to speak at the town meeting.”
“They asked me to help.”
She smiled. “You’re the perfect person for it. Once you decide what you want to say, I can look over it for you.”
“Wonderful. Thank you.”
Janet yawned, exhausted. “It’s the least I can do. Do you know once when I was little my dad got sick? Your mom and Auntie Mags and one of their friends, I think her name was Anna, helped out at the pub for months until he got better and could work again. They saved his business. I don’t know what we would have done without them, and they expected nothing in return.”
Janet gave me a wobbly smile, and I put an arm around her shoulders. I felt like a giant standing next to her. This must be how Sally felt next to everyone.
“I’m sure they were glad to help.”
“They were, and they did the same for more people than you can count. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to get the word out that your mom is in trouble. If nothing else, I think it’ll mean a lot to her to see her friends at the meeting.”
“If you think it will help.”
“I do. And one last thing, avoid confronting Matthew. I know it is a lot to ask, but it might work to our advantage if they don’t realize we’re onto them.”
I felt a little sick to my stomach. “I can’t pretend to feel the same way about him.”
“Could you make up another reason for being upset?”
I nodded. I could think of lots of reasons for being upset with him at the moment.
Later, after helping my mom clean up, I sat with her by the fountain, drinking a glass of red. The wine was so good; it had to have been expensive, but I didn’t care. The fo
untain seemed quiet and peaceful, different from how it had been when the Wiccans held their party. Or from how it had acted with Scott only a few hours ago.
“I don’t think the fountain likes Scott.” I explained to her what had happened. “Do you think it’s broken?”
She shook her head. “I think it’s an excellent judge of character.”
“How did you make the water shoot up into the air during the Wiccan party?”
“Pagan magic.” I gave her a steady look, and she giggled. “Okay. I found a lever in the basement years ago. I only do it during summer solstice because it’s so old and rusted I’m afraid it might break, and we could end up flooding our garden.”
“It didn’t flood the garden today, but it flooded Scott’s five-hundred-dollar shoes. Thank you, fountain.”
She clinked her glass with mine. “Here’s to his shoes.”
I took a drink. “I hope he gets trench rot from those wet socks. And a blister.”
“Shhh, Fiona. Karma.”
I rolled my eyes. If karma rewarded me with a blister of my own, it would be worth it if Scott suffered too.
“You never told me about the lever in the basement.”
“I have my secrets.” She winked at me and took a sip of wine. “And I didn’t allow you to attend the Wiccan festivals when you were younger for obvious reasons. They aren’t for virgins or skeptics.”
“I’ll always be a skeptic. Now more than ever.”
She let out a sigh. “I’m sorry Matthew hurt you, but would you have traded those moments with him, even if you had known the outcome?”
“I don’t know.” When things had been good with Matthew, they had been very good. “What about you? With my dad?”
She sipped the last bit of wine from her glass and turned to me. “I would not have traded one moment, not even one second with your father, and the time we spent together wasn’t perfect. We argued, and sometimes we hurt each other, but we truly loved each other. A powerful and magnificent thing.”
She got up and carried the glasses inside, and I sat by myself a few minutes longer. Matthew hurt me, but if he hadn’t shown up, I probably would have married Scott and ended up totally miserable.
I sighed and put my fingers in the cool water. I knew Matthew worked for Anderson, and he’d done something unforgivable by spying on us. I knew I should hate him, but I couldn’t. I was a complete fool.
I didn’t believe it was magic, but there was one thing I could wish for, and I spoke the words softly into the night wind.
“I wish I could be wrong about him.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
If the cake crumbles, cover it in custard and call it a trifle.
~Aunt Francesca~
The next morning, I forgot about Matthew’s betrayal for a few minutes before coming fully awake. I dreamed we were both naked and loving each other, our bodies saying what words could not. When I forced myself to open my eyes, my body still ached with desire for him, but my mind cruelly reminded me of the truth. The sad and lonely truth.
Mom left coffee on downstairs and put two fresh chocolate croissants on a plate for me. She must have gotten up early if she had time to make croissants. The tea ladies would be in heaven tomorrow.
Thinking about the tea ladies made me realize Matthew would be here for acoustic night. I groaned as Mom came in from the garden.
“Good morning to you too,” she said.
I plopped down into one of the chairs at the island. “Tonight is acoustic night. I don’t want to face him. Do you need me here?
She kissed my cheek. “I already asked Kate and Chad to cover for you.”
“Thanks.” I took a sip of coffee. “Janet asked me not to bring up Anderson Solutions to Matthew. Can you avoid mentioning it tonight?”
She nodded. “Janet is such a sweet girl.”
She stood by the window, humming as she trimmed flowers for an arrangement in the kitchen sink. If I hadn’t known she was on the edge of losing her business, I would never have suspected she had a care in the world.
“She said you helped her family out years ago.”
She shrugged as she put roses in a vase. “It was nothing.”
I took a bite of the croissant and moaned. Mom made the most perfect croissants. They were crunchy and buttery and filled with decadent dark chocolate. Some of the chocolate dripped down my chin. I wiped it with my napkin.
“Janet thought it was something. She said you and Auntie Mags and another lady saved their business. Who was she?”
She paused, her hands on the flowers. “Anna. Dear, sweet Anna. The reason I went to India.”
“What do you mean?”
Mom poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down next to me. “I’d graduated from college, and my parents put major pressure on me to marry William. They wanted us to set a date, and it drove them crazy I kept putting it off.”
“They didn’t notice you spent more time abroad than at home during college?”
She laughed. “You’re right. A semester in France, a semester in Japan, and a whole year in England. I signed up for every summer program too. Did I ever tell you about the time I spent in Istanbul? It may have been my favorite city ever.”
“I remember,” I said with a smile. “Tell me about Anna.”
Her eyes grew sad. “I knew her since I was small, and Auntie Mags too. They were my dearest friends. Anna and her husband were killed in a terrible accident. Pointless and tragic for two people so young and so in love. They’d just married and started a family. I needed to find a way to make sense of it. Frankie told me about the ashram in India, and I decided to go. I met your father there, and the rest is history.”
“Did you learn anything at the ashram to help you?”
She sighed. “I found peace and knew my friend would live on. Buddha said, ‘Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.’ Isn’t it beautiful? And so freeing. It takes away all your worry and regret if you live in the now.”
I nodded, not sure I bought into that philosophy. It was the reason my mom didn’t have a 401(k).
The phone rang. She answered it in her office and came back to the kitchen with a huge smile on her face. “The hospital called. Moses is awake. He’s sitting up and talking to the nurses.”
We got dressed as quickly as we could and nearly ran to the hospital. Ten minutes later, we stood on either side of Moses, holding his hands. Mom cried, of course, and so did I.
“There’s no need for tears,” he said, giving our hands a gentle squeeze. “I didn’t die. I took a little nap.”
Officers Miller and Belfiore came in with Nurse Brenda. “Can we ask you a few questions, Mr. Richards?” asked Officer Miller.
“Of course,” said Moses.
Officer Belfiore whipped out his notebook. “What can you tell us about the night you were attacked?”
Moses frowned, his brows knitting together. “It’s all a bit fuzzy. I remember playing at acoustic night. Does anyone know what happened to my saxophone?”
“I have it,” I said. “It’s at the café waiting for you.”
He gave me a grateful smile. “There is so much goodness in this world. Thank you, Fiona. I was afraid he might have stolen it.”
“Who?”
“The man in your mother’s office. I saw him going through the papers on her desk. I told him to get out, and that’s all I remember.”
“Can you give us a description?” asked Officer Belfiore.
Moses shook his head. “It was dark, and I saw him from behind. Maybe if I saw him again, I might recognize him.”
Moses couldn’t add much else. The man had on dark clothes in a dark room, and Moses suffered a traumatic head injury. The policemen tried to remain upbeat, but I saw the truth in their eyes. They had little to go on.
“What was on your desk, Mrs. Campbell?” asked Officer Miller. “Was anything missing?”
Mom frowned. “A pile of mail, most of it a
dvertisements. I didn’t have a chance to go through it before Moses was attacked, but I don’t think anything was taken.”
The policemen got a call on their radio and had to leave. They said they would let us know as soon as they had any leads and told us to double-check and make sure nothing had been stolen. Moses promised he would rest, and Nurse Brenda said she’d contact us if he needed anything.
I spent the rest of the day baking cookies and getting ready for the tea party on Sunday. I thought it was a little weird Matthew hadn’t stopped by at all, but I came to a sad conclusion. He must have gotten all the info he needed from us and now had no reason to continue the lie. It made me feel dirty and used. I planned to hide in my room during the acoustic show in case he showed up, but Sally called and invited me to go to the piano bar for dinner with her and Ralph. I put on a black dress that suited my mood and hung out at Sally’s until it was time to leave, not wanting to see Matthew even by accident. It would be too painful.
Sally wore a sexy red dress and lipstick to match. Ralph showed up in a bow tie, looking adorable. He was a gentleman, too, opening the door for Sally and me and even helping us into his car.
“Ralph treats me like a queen,” said Sally. She and Ralph looked at each other and laughed. “Wait. I am a queen.”
I giggled too. It was impossible not to feel better around Sally.
She smiled at me. “It’s nice to hear you laugh, little girl. Nothing cures a broken heart better than having fun with friends. And we have so much to celebrate since Moses is finally awake and feeling better.”
I told them about our visit to the hospital. “He didn’t remember much about what happened that night. It looks like Officer Miller was right. He said most of these cases go unsolved.”
We had a table slightly off to the side of the main stage of the piano bar, where we ate a lovely dinner and shared a wonderful bottle of wine. The piano players were funny and a bit risqué. I was glad they didn’t take any jabs at Sally. She would have been an easy target.
Mindy approached our table as we ate dessert. I almost groaned. She was the last person I wanted to see. She wore something hot pink and sparkly, with her boobs barely covered. There was an empty chair at our table. She asked if she could join us for a minute. I couldn’t think of a reason fast enough, and Sally, being Sally, encouraged her.
The Enchanted Garden Cafe (South Side Stories Book 1) Page 20
