Assault and Batter

by Jessica Beck

  Perhaps I hadn’t spoken as softly as I’d meant to, because as I finished, Nancy Patton drew a loud breath and scurried out of the donut shop. Close on her heels were the other two remaining customers, strangers who happened to pick a bad day for a first-time visit.

  “My goodness, why all of the open hostility, Suzanne?” Peter asked when we were alone.

  “Do you even remember your wedding toast?” I asked him, trying my best to fight back my anger.

  He hung his head low. “I’m truly sorry about that. It was disgraceful. I apologize. I lost control of myself that night.”

  “Yes, you did,” I said. I needed to take a deep breath. After all, if I could forgive Max for cheating on me and ruining our marriage, why couldn’t I forgive Peter for toasting our send-off maliciously? “Let’s start over. Emily tells me that you’ve changed, and I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and believe that she’s right, until you prove me wrong.” I stuck out my hand, and he took it.

  “Thank you. I’ll try not to disappoint you.”

  “I’d appreciate that,” I said. “But I meant what I said about Emma. She may look like a full-grown woman, but she’s still got some growing up to do, and she doesn’t need any help from you.”

  “I’ll steer clear of her,” he said.

  I could only hope that he was telling the truth.

  Emma popped out of the kitchen, her apron now off and her makeup freshened. Apparently this was going to be harder than I thought. She said, “Peter, I’m getting off work, and if you’d like someone to show you around town, I’d be delighted to do it.”

  He glanced quickly at me before he spoke, and then Peter said, “I appreciate the offer, Emma, but I’m afraid I’m going to be tied up. Besides, I’ve been here before, though it was a long time ago.”

  Emma couldn’t hide her disappointment, and I felt a little guilty about it, but better to be a little hurt right now than devastated later. It probably wasn’t my place to interfere, but I hadn’t been able to help myself. Just when I thought that I’d actually been making progress in my quest to grow up myself, I managed to find a way to act otherwise. The funny thing was that I would have done exactly the same thing all over again, given the chance. I’d meant what I’d said. Emma was my friend, and if I could spare her some pain, I’d do it.

  “That’s fine. I understand,” she said, and then she turned to me. “Everything’s taken care of in back. If you’d like, I can do the last two trays.”

  “I’ve got it covered. Go on, take off,” I said with a smile.

  “Thanks, Suzanne. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Emma nodded curtly to Peter, and then she left.

  “You really do care about her, don’t you?” Peter asked me softly.

  “I do. She and Emily are two of my very best friends, along with Grace and Trish, of course.”

  “How is Grace these days?” he asked.

  I didn’t have to warn him about paying too much attention to her. Grace would be able to handle him with no problem at all. In fact, I kind of hoped he made a play for her at the wedding. It would be a real pleasure watching her dismantle him right in front of me.

  “She’s doing quite well, as a matter of fact,” I said.

  “Married, I suppose,” Peter said.

  “No.”

  “Really?” he asked, a hint of interest slipping into his voice.

  “Really and truly. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a business to close.”

  Peter nodded as he looked around. “Max told me about this when you bought it. You’ve done quite well for yourself, haven’t you?”

  “I’m happy,” I said, and I realized that now, more than ever, it was true. Sure, I would have loved having more customers, and seeing Jake stationed closer to April Springs would have been nice, but I liked living in my childhood home with my mother. We’d grown to be more than mother and daughter since I’d come to live with her after my disastrous divorce from Max. Actually, I should thank him at the wedding. If he hadn’t cheated on me, I never would have gotten to know my mother as a person and not just as an authority figure from my past, not that she still didn’t order me around now and then.

  “That’s good to hear. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some plans of my own to make.”

  “Don’t tell me that you’re involved in the wedding planning, too,” I said. Was I going to have to spend every bit of the next three days with him?

  “No, I have a more important task than that. I’m in charge of the bachelor party again.” That grin resurfaced, and I wondered just how much the man had changed after all.

  Only time would tell, and I was fresh out of that at the moment.

  I was balancing my register when my cellphone rang. I nearly ignored it since I was going to be late as it was, but when I saw who was calling me, that didn’t seem to matter anymore.

  “Jake, I miss you!” I said.

  “Sorry I’ve been gone so much lately,” he said, his voice heavy with weariness. We’d been dating for a while now, and I could tell that something was weighing heavily upon him.

  “Are you okay? How’s the case going?” He was working on a double homicide, a pair of newlyweds as a matter of fact. Someone had robbed them on their honeymoon, and then shot them as well. It was dark business, and I didn’t know how he stood it all of the time.

  “It’s over. We caught the guy. Turns out that he went off his meds and just went crazy. The Bannisters just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. I don’t want to talk about it, if it’s all the same to you.”

  “I understand completely. So, when am I going to see you again?” I asked cheerfully.

  “I’ve got tomorrow off, so I’m headed your way right now, if that’s okay with you.”

  I couldn’t help myself; I whooped into the phone. “It’s more than okay, mister. I can’t wait to see you.”

  “Me, too, you,” he said so softly that I could barely make out his words. “Suzanne, will we have some time to talk?”

  “That sounds ominous,” I said. “Did you have any topic in particular in mind?”

  Jake sighed heavily, and then he said, “It’s too complicated to get into over the phone. I’ll be there in six hours.”

  I knew better than to push him about it, no matter how much my curiosity was aroused. “I’ll see you then. We can go to Napoli’s tonight.”

  “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not go out. Could we eat at your place?”

  “If you don’t mind leftovers, we’re all set,” I said.

  “That would be fine.”

  “I’ll see you soon,” I said. “I love you,” I added softly.

  “Me, too,” he said, and then he hung up.

  What was that all about? Was I about to be dumped? I couldn’t imagine what would make Jake decide not to be with me anymore. If I let myself dwell on it, I’d be in tears by the time he made it into town. I’d hear what he had to say when he got here, but in the meantime, I had a job to do.

  It was going to be difficult before he’d called me, though.

  Now it felt as though it was going to be close to impossible, but I’d find a way.

  For Emily.

  “Hey, Trish,” I said as I walked into the crowded Boxcar Grill. I might have made a mistake choosing it for my wedding planning meeting with Emily. Not only was seating at a premium, but the quarters were awfully close as well. It wouldn’t take long for everyone there to figure out what we were doing.

  “Hi, Suzanne,” she said as I turned around to leave. “Was it something I said?” Trish asked as she followed me out of the diner.

  “No, it’s just a little too crowded for my taste right now,” I answered.

  “Don’t worry. I can find you a place to sit. Come on back inside.”

  “It’s not that important,” I said.

  “You are one of my very best friends. There’s always a place for you.”

  “It’s not just the crowd,” I said a
s a few folks walked past us into the diner. We were garnering more attention than I liked just standing there. It was one of the perils of living in a small town. “Truthfully, I need to have a private conversation.”

  “With me?” Trish asked as a frown crossed her face. “What happened?”

  “Trish, it’s got nothing to do with you,” I said as I smiled at my friend. “It involves Emily Hargraves.”

  “What did she do?” Trish asked with a grin.

  “Nothing bad,” I said, and then I added, “At least I don’t think so. I hope not, anyway.”

  “Suzanne, if you’re trying to be cryptic, you’re doing a bang-up job.”

  “Normally I’d be happy to share the news with you, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”

  Trish’s grin broadened. “Now you’re just trying to kill me with suspense, aren’t you?”

  The diner door opened, and our mayor, George Morris, came out. “Trish, will you ring me up, or is this meal on the house?”

  “Mayor, I don’t give away free food, not even to local dignitaries.”

  “Then will you at least take my money?” George asked. “I’m late for a city council meeting.”

  “I didn’t think you liked those meetings anyway,” I said.

  He grinned. “I don’t, but I’ll be dipped in tar if I’m going to let them off the hook. If I don’t show up, it turns into the seventh grade all over again.”

  “Give me your money and I’ll bring you your change later,” Trish said. “Suzanne and I are having a little chat.”

  As she said it, Emily walked up and joined us. She frowned at me as she asked, “What are you all talking about?”

  Was she afraid that I’d spilled the beans about her wedding already? I had to nip that quickly. “The mayor was just telling us about the city council.”

  “I see,” Emily said. “Suzanne, sorry I’m late. Shall we go on in?”

  “Actually, it’s pretty crowded in there,” I said, trying to warn Emily that our conversation wouldn’t be all that private if we ate inside. “It will be hard not to be overheard by the people around us.”

  She frowned, and then smiled suddenly. “That’s okay. I’m ready to tell the world now.”

  “Tell them what?” George asked.

  “I’m getting married,” Emily said proudly.

  “Congratulations,” the mayor said, and then he surprised us all by kissing her on the cheek. “Good luck to you.”

  “Thank you,” she answered.

  Trish looked at Emily askance, but she refrained from saying anything more than offering her own congratulations. “Come on, Mayor. Let’s ring you up,” she said as she put her arm in George’s. She paused on the steps and turned back to us. “Are you two coming?”

  “Why not?” I asked. “Lead the way.”

  Chapter 4

  Fortunately, not many diners took much notice of Emily and me as we walked in. There was a booth free near the back, though the table was still dirty. I saw Gabby Williams sitting next to it, and I knew that we were in for trouble. Gabby ran ReNEWed, the gently used clothing store beside my donut shop. I wasn’t at all sure that you could call our relationship a love/hate one, but it was on tenuous grounds most of the time. “Do you happen to know if this table is free?” I asked Gabby as I pointed to the table.

  “Nothing here is free, but nobody’s sitting at that booth,” she said.

  “Good enough,” I answered. “Jude came by my shop this morning.”

  Gabby didn’t answer, unless you counted her disinterested shrug as one. Okay, I didn’t need to talk about her nephew if she didn’t. I told Emily, “Why don’t you sit down. I’ll be right back.” I grabbed a large black tub used for collecting dirty dishes and started cleaning off our table. I was still searching for a rag to wipe it down when Trish showed up.

  “You don’t have to do that, Suzanne.”

  “I don’t mind,” I said as she took the tub from me.

  “Just for that, you get a ten percent employee discount today,” Trish said with a smile.

  Jack Jefferson said, “I refilled my tea glass. Do I get one, too?”

  “Jack, I should charge you more,” she said with a smile.

  “Why?”

  “Because I can,” she replied with a grin. After Trish wiped the table down, I took a seat across from Emily.

  “Now, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t even know where to get started,” I said.

  “It won’t be that bad, I promise. Mom’s taking care of the venue and the food afterwards, Max reserved the Senior Center stage for the venue, and he’s having the rehearsal dinner catered. You’re doing the wedding donuts, so really, all that leaves are a few details here and there. It’ll be over in a snap.”

  “Are you sure about having donuts served at your wedding?” I asked her. “Goodness knows that I love them myself, but it’s kind of unconventional, wouldn’t you say?”

  “We passed that exit a long time ago when you agreed to be my maid of honor,” Emily said with a smile. “Not many women would agree to serve such a vital role at their ex’s wedding.”

  “What can I say? It’s taken me some time, but Max and I have come a long way since the bad old days.”

  “I’m in awe of that, if you want to know the truth,” Emily said.

  “Don’t give me too much credit,” I said with a slight grin. “I’m human enough, and if you don’t believe me, just ask Jake.”

  “He’s coming to the wedding too, of course,” Emily said.

  “If he can get away,” I replied, intentionally leaving it a bit vague. Hopefully Emily wouldn’t ask me anything else about my current boyfriend.

  She must have seen something in my expression, though. “Suzanne, is everything all right?”

  “It’s fine,” I said, not wanting any of her focus on me. This was Emily’s time to shine, and I was going to make sure that I didn’t do anything to spoil that. “What do your three buddies think about all of this?” I wasn’t talking about her real friends, though the three stuffed animals that had played such a vital role in her childhood were still near and dear to her. She had them perched on a shelf at her store, and we all loved to see how she was going to outfit them next.

  “Spots is excited, Cow isn’t quite sure about it, and Moose is being his usual inscrutable self.”

  “Are they going to attend the wedding?” I asked her.

  “You bet. I’ve been working on tuxes for all three of them since Max proposed. They are all going to be quite dashing.”

  “I’m certain that they will be,” I said. “Now, let’s get down to the details.”

  Trish came by and we both ordered lunch, but it didn’t even break our rhythm. By the time we were ready to leave, we’d ironed everything out. Besides the donut wedding treats, I was in charge of getting the reverend to agree to perform the ceremony, and I had the added dubious task of keeping Peter from drinking too much at the rehearsal dinner and the reception the next day. How I was going to do that was anybody’s clue.

  I insisted on treating Emily to lunch, and sure enough, Trish gave me the employee discount. “You’re crazy. You know that, don’t you?” I asked her with a grin.

  “I know good help when I see it. Anytime you want to moonlight, come to me.”

  “I might have to take you up on that someday,” I replied.

  “You don’t even have to ask,” Trish said.

  Emily and I were standing outside when Max rushed up to us.

  “Hello, darling,” Emily said, and her face truly did light up when she saw him.

  Max’s expression was more one of concern. “Hi, Em. Have you seen Peter, by any chance?”

  “No, I haven’t,” Emily said.

  “I have,” I piped up. “He was at the donut shop a little before eleven.”

  “Then it appears that you were the last person to see him,” Max said. “I’m getting worried about him. It’s not like him to just disappear, and to top things off, I just heard that
Jude was back in town.”

  “He came by the shop, too,” I said.

  “What did he want?” Emily asked me. She was clearly upset learning that he’d resurfaced.

  “He wouldn’t say.” I turned to Max. “Why are you so concerned about Peter’s whereabouts?”

  “We were supposed to get together twenty minutes ago, but he never showed up. He promised me that he wouldn’t pull any stunts this week, and now he misses our first rendezvous time.”

  Emily touched his shoulder lightly. “Don’t worry, dear. I’m sure that he’ll turn up soon.”

  “I hope so,” Max said. “I’d hate for anything to ruin our wedding.”

  She put her arms on his shoulders and looked straight into his eyes. “It won’t. Nothing will. Everything is going to be perfect.”

  Max appeared to take great comfort in that, and I was amazed by the changes that had taken place in him over the past six months. He’d grown up a great deal, and he and Emily were clearly in love.

  I just hoped that Emily was right, and that nothing would ruin the start of their new life together.

  After Max and Emily took off in search of Peter, I decided that I had time to go home and take a shower before Jake showed up. His tone of voice when we’d spoken earlier on the phone had been dire, but I couldn’t let it get to me yet. If the news were indeed bad, I’d deal with it when I heard it, but I was going to do my best not to borrow trouble in the meantime. If I was lucky, Momma would be out taking care of one of her many businesses and I wouldn’t have to tell her what had happened. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy talking to her, but a part of me felt that if I put my fears into words, they had a better chance of happening. I knew that was ridiculous on the face of it, but that still didn’t make it any easier.

  “Hello, Suzanne,” Momma said as I walked into the living room of the small cottage we shared on the edge of the park.

  “Where’s your car?” I asked her as I shut the door behind me. When I’d driven up in my Jeep, I had felt a wave of relief sweep over me to find the driveway empty.