“With that logic, there’s a bright side to every embarrassing moment.”
“I guess there is,” she said and opened the box containing her new pots and pans. “I feel like I owe you dinner.”
“Is that your way of inviting me to stay and eat with you?”
“Maybe,” she said.
“Maybe I accept.”
“Okay then,” she said.
“Can I open your plastic cups?”
“Yes.” She eyed the beer bottles. “Where did you get those?”
“I asked Shane if he had any of our latest batches with him. He’s been testing our recipes on everyone, including the subcontractors who are working on the renovations. He had these in a cooler.”
Elise busied herself with preparing a quick dinner. Her sense of obligation to Rob and his brothers was growing exponentially, and she didn’t care for the feeling of owing anything to anyone. “You’ve decided to accept my terms for trying your alcoholic concoctions in trade for business referrals.”
“Not hardly. I would send customers your way regardless of you sampling my merchandise. And I needed a beer after all the shopping. Shopping is one of my least favorite activities.” Rob opened the package with the cups and set two on the counter. “I have something for Colton,” he said, his hands busy opening the beer bottle.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” Elise opened a can of pinto beans with her new can opener and began making fresh refried beans.
“I’m asking your permission to give him a toy.”
“What is it?” she asked, curious, but not thrilled about Rob buying something for her son.
Rob removed a box from the bag and set it on the counter. She didn’t think Colton would see it from across the room. The boy’s new toy radar must have been at full alert because his head popped up and his gaze zeroed in on the package.
“He’ll really like it,” she said as Colton climbed to his feet and started walking across the large open living space to the kitchen.
Rob picked up the truck and held it out to Colton.
“Will you ask him if he would like to have this?” Rob asked Elise.
She signed the question, but Colton had already reached for the truck before she was finished. His eyes were wider than his smile.
“Will you tell him it’s a welcome to the neighborhood present from me and my brothers?”
Elise limped out of the kitchen and touched Colton’s shoulder to get his full attention. She signed and spoke the message from Rob. Colton handed the box with the truck back to Rob.
Rob flashed a look of confusion to Elise. “He doesn’t want it?”
Elise watched Colton as he signed back.
“He definitely wants it,” she said, translating. “He’s asking you to open the box and he says it’s awesome!”
Rob removed the packaging and handed the metal tow truck back to the bouncing five-year-old. Colton ran over to his toys on the floor and introduced the newest member to his fleet.
Elise moved back to the beans on the stove. She opened a package of ground beef into the other frying pan. “He’s asked me for that same truck before. How did you know which one he wanted?” she asked.
“I saw him staring at it when we were passing the toy aisle. I know that look.”
She nodded but didn’t voice her opinion or doubts about Rob buying Colton a welcome present.
“It’s nothing,” Rob said and returned to filling plastic cups with craft beer. “I’m glad he’s here. I’m glad you’re both here. Granite Lake is a better place with the two of us opening new businesses.”
“Do you like independent bookstores?”
The beef began sizzling in the pan and she checked the heat level. Elise added cumin, red chili powder, and onions to the beans then left them to fry.
“I do. Does that surprise you?”
“What do you like to read?”
“My favorites are sci-fi, adventure, and space odysseys, but I’ll read high fantasy, mysteries, and thrillers. That smells great, by the way. Can I help?”
She smiled at the compliment. “You can chop two of those tomatoes, two jalapenos, one clove of the garlic, and a quarter of the onion.” She pointed at the vegetables on the counter.
Rob set a cup of beer near the stove and set to work on the veggies. Since she didn’t have a cutting board, he used one of the disposable plates. She was glad she remembered to grab a four pack of knives, otherwise her pico de gallo would have been a lot chunkier using a plastic knife.
Elise picked up her beer and sniffed. “Smells like beer,” she said.
“Tastes like it, too,” Rob said flatly.
She took a mouthful and swallowed, not sure what to expect. A moan of pleasure rose from her throat. The heat of embarrassment followed the same path. Her face grew hot and it wasn’t from the steaming beef in front of her on the burner. His beef is probably pretty steamy. Did she really just think that?! Oh my God. What is wrong with me?
“That’s not the usual response I get, but I’ll take it,” he said with a chuckle.
Did she speak her thoughts aloud? No way. “That was embarrassing,” she said and took another drink just to hide her face behind the cup. The moan came out of her involuntarily again, smaller this time, but wow, the beer was incredible.
“What am I drinking? It’s so smooth and creamy? I taste vanilla and orange, but it’s not sweet.” She took another long drink. “If all beer went down this smoothly, I might acquire a serious drinking problem.”
“That is our unfiltered citrus vanilla hefeweizen. A wheat beer modified slightly from the traditional German style. It can be served with an orange wedge, but that’s not necessary as you can already taste the orange.”
“If all your beers are this good, then I’ll be willing to try more of them,” she said and flashed an inviting smile his way.
“They definitely are. What do you want me to do with all this?”
“Put it in a bowl and I’ll do the rest.” She flipped off the heat under the beans then added the chili powder, garlic, cumin, and Mexican oregano to the beef, and stirred. While the meat finished searing, she moved to the pico de gallo and added a squeeze of lime, a few dashes of salt, and finely chopped cilantro.
Rob took a drink of his own beer and asked, “Is there anything else I can do? Is your knee holding up okay?”
“My knee is feeling better, thank you. And it’s almost ready. Why don’t you have a seat in my only chair and relax?”
“I’m comfortable standing, but I’ll go see how Colton’s doing with the new truck.” He set his beer down, peeked at Allison to make sure she still slept, then joined Colton on the living room floor.
Elise chopped lettuce, warmed tortillas, and doctored up a can of green chile enchilada sauce. She hesitated to buy the sauce in a can, which went against every culinary bone in her body, but given the hasty preparation time and little to no cooking utensils, the canned sauce would have to do.
She glanced up repeatedly as she cooked and saw her boy and the man who’d inserted himself into her day playing with trucks together. She waffled between wanting to run away as fast as she could and wanting to join the fun.
Colton would eat bean and cheese burritos all day long, but she wanted him to have something else besides carbs and cheese. Elise sliced mangos and pineapple and filled a small bowl for Colton. She put the rest in a separate bowl for her and Rob.
She called over to get Rob’s attention. “It’s ready,” she said, interrupting their playtime.
The plates sat on the bar countertop that separated the kitchen from the dining area.
“You can choose which plate you would like,” she said to Rob. “They’re exactly the same. Smothered beef burrito with green chile and cheese. There’s lettuce, sour cream, and the pico to add on top if you want. Refried beans can be eaten on the side or with the beef. Your choice. There’s fresh fruit for dessert.”
“You whipped all this up in like twenty minutes. I’m imp
ressed.” He took a plate and began spooning all the extras on top.
“More like thirty,” she corrected with a demure smile. Elise helped Colton find a spot by his toys and told him to sit still and eat.
“Do you want to join him?” Rob asked.
Denial isn’t a great place to reside, and Elise had to come to terms with the fact that the only furniture she owned was two mattresses, a plastic patio chair, and a lamp.
“If you don’t mind. We’ll have a picnic on the floor,” she said. “Is the mija still asleep?”
Rob stared at the baby. “She is. I don’t want to move her.”
“I wouldn’t, either.”
“Mmm. Oh, God. This is the best meal I’ve eaten in... ever.” Rob made sounds similar to the ones she made when tasting the beer. “This burrito is better than eating at a restaurant. Are you a chef as well as a bookseller?”
Elise looked down at her own burrito and cut another bite. She didn’t answer. Was he only being nice because she liked his beer so much?
“I’m really glad Shane left,” he said when she didn’t respond.
After chewing, she said, “He could have stayed. I should have asked him.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
Elise’s eyebrows reached for her hairline and she turned a questioning look on Rob.
“More food for me. Can I make another one?”
“I can do it. You’re my guest.” She started to rise.
“No way. I mean, I appreciate the offer, but you’re still recovering from the knee strain and I can make a burrito.”
He finished his first plate then returned to the kitchen for seconds. Rob’s second burrito was even larger than the first. So maybe he wasn’t exaggerating on how much he liked the food. He also filled a bowl with a healthy serving of fruit.
As she finished her meal, Allison began fussing. Rob set his fork down and started to rise.
“Let me get her,” Elise offered and awkwardly climbed to her feet before Rob could say no.
She hobbled over and carefully lifted the baby from the seat. “I’ll hold her while you finish eating.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, half rising and ready to take over.
“I’m sure. It’s my pleasure.” Elise moved carefully to not hurt herself or the infant and sat back down. Colton noticed the baby in her arms and came over to look.
He signed, “Name?”
Elise cradled the baby in one arm then spelled out, A.L.L.I.S.O.N. and mouthed the word slowly. Colton didn’t spell many words yet, but he was smart, and learned fast.
He signed back another question.
She nodded. “Yes. That will be okay. Baby A.”
“What did he say?” Rob asked.
“He asked her name. I spelled it out, but Allison is a long word for him, so he asked if he can call her, Baby A. I said that was okay.”
“He’s quick,” Rob said.
“He is a very intelligent boy.”
“The helmet is a little deceiving.”
“I know. I’m not thrilled that he wears it all the time, but constant trips to the emergency room taught me to get over the vanity aspects of the helmets.”
“Helmets, plural?”
“Yes. He has more than one.”
Rob watched her son and smiled. “Pick your battles?”
“Exactly,” she said, pleased he could find humor and understanding in the situation and not judge her son negatively.
“He seemed okay today while we were out. No head trauma that I noticed,” Rob said.
“Every time he outgrows a developmental stage, I let him run around without wearing it, and he inevitably hits his head on something horrible.”
“I think that would be Murphy’s Law in action.”
“Colton honestly doesn’t mind wearing them. He’s learned that it saves him pain,” she said.
“Will you tell him he looks cool?”
She signed to Colton. Her son wrinkled up his face and stuck his tongue out at Rob. Rob returned the gesture.
“He likes you,” she said.
“The feeling is reciprocal.”
“I also suspect baby Allison is ready for a change.”
“And a bottle.” Rob collected the dirty plates and found his feet.
“If you bring me her diaper and wipes, I’ll clean her while you make the bottle,” Elise offered.
“Sounds like a good deal.”
The four of them stayed on the floor as Rob took care of the feeding. The conversation flowed effortlessly as Allison drank. Then Rob asked the question she had been anticipating. Everyone eventually asked.
“Is Colton’s father still part of his life?”
“No.”
“No backstory?”
She wavered on whether to tell him too little or too much. Elise sucked in a breath and blew it out through her nose. “His father is in prison in Arizona.”
Rob’s brows creased with concern. “For what?”
“Possession and distribution of narcotics, and possession of unlicensed firearms.” Elise glanced over at Colton who had returned to driving his new toy tow truck across the floor. The glazed look in his eyes was all too telling of how long their day had been.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.”
“Is he your husband?”
She sighed again and met Rob’s eyes. “We never married. I would have married him before Colton was born. He wasn’t a drug addict then. He’d never done any drugs. Javier didn’t believe in marriage. He called it an institution of the State.”
“If he’d never done drugs before, then how did he end up in prison?”
“It’s a sad story.” She glanced down into her lap. The history with Javier left her feeling empty and at a loss. There was nothing she could have done differently to help him. He made his choices and had to live with the consequences. “His father died and he started having terrible mood swings. Then one day after work, he didn’t come home all night. Then he kept not coming home. He wouldn’t tell me what he was doing and so I did a little snooping and found out that he was hanging around with bad people. Really bad. When I confronted him, he turned violent and abusive. I kicked him out. It didn’t go well. When he broke into our house and started screaming and breaking things, I told him I never wanted to see him again. He threw a chair and it almost hit our baby. I moved into a new place and didn’t tell him where. He started showing up at the library where I worked and I had to call the cops more than once. Eventually, his mother called to tell me he’d been arrested. She kept me updated with news even though I was done with him.”
“I hate hearing stories of someone ruining their lives for no reason. But it’s completely unacceptable when innocent people are dragged into the misery with them.”
“He was a good person before he started doing hard drugs. He changed completely. I’d heard that line before, but I didn’t understand exactly how devastating it could be until I watched it happen to someone I cared for.”
“I didn’t mean to bring up a distressing topic of conversation. Thank you for telling me, and I can tell you that you’re not alone. I’ve had my share of crisis to deal with, too. We’re not going to get into that tonight, though.”
“You can tell me when you’re ready, or not. Some stories are best left untold.”
“I never thought of it that way, but you’re right.” Rob set the baby bottle down and lifted Allison to his shoulder. He began gently patting her back. A tiny bubble of air escaped from her stomach and he positioned her back in his arms. “I don’t want to leave you hanging, so I’ll just say that Allison has no mother in the picture right now.”
Elise’s heart crashed to the basement of sympathy. “And she doesn’t have a formal name, either?”
“Not yet. I know it’s strange, but I want her name to be exactly right.”
Elise tilted her head to look at Allison’s face on a level angle. “Allison is perfect until you make your decision.” She glanced at
Rob’s face and watched him watching her. The sadness that suddenly weighted the air around them caused her sensitivity levels to spike. She leaned back to give herself space. Having extreme empathy didn’t always bring rainbows sprinkles and happy unicorns to her emotions. The truth was that being around most people left her feeling drained and overwhelmed. Becoming a librarian and spending most of her time with books was the saving grace in her adult life.
“I have to figure out how to manage fatherhood and work and I have to do it soon. I recently left my job to pursue this new business with my brothers. It’s not going to be easy juggling a newborn and all my other responsibilities. I’m discovering a whole new level of respect for working mothers.”
“Most new mothers take time off from their jobs to stay home with their newborns. Have you considered taking a month or two off?” she asked.
“But the mom also needs recovery time for herself, which I don’t need,” he said.
“Yes, but you have a brand new infant who needs a parent, male or female, to nurture them. She’s only going to be this fresh and new for a short time. Do you really want to miss it? That’s all I’m saying.”
“There may be a way to find a compromise. I’ll have to schedule a meeting with Shane and Bodie about the idea of me staying home with the baby for a while.”
“You could always work from home and let your brothers do what they can at the brewery.”
“That’s true,” Rob agreed. “I’ve been invested in this project since the day Shane and I started throwing ideas around. Taking time off right now isn’t what I imagined.”
Before her eyes, she could see and feel his dreams of being present for every step of building a new business sink from lofty imaginings to murky wistfulness.
“If I were in your place, I would be devastated as well. Showing up to my new place of business and having sudden misfortune land in my lap isn’t completely different. Some things are out of our control, but we’ll manage to get through this and we’ll be better people on the other side of it.” Those were the only words she’d share with him that came from a place inside her which tapped into higher perception and sixth sense. A place she didn’t share with others often. Many people didn’t believe in intuition, and she didn’t believe in exposing herself to ridicule and skepticism. Elise could have said more and given details, but she kept her reply vague for the same reasons. As a girl she learned that people get spooked easily and didn’t always want to hear the truth. This lesson came directly and painfully from her own father, and she never forgot it. Choosing her words carefully and saying less usually worked in her best interest.
Divining Elise_Granite Lake Romance Page 7
