Island Thyme Cafe (Madrona Island Series Book 3)

by Andrea Hurst

  Watching them shoot take after take made John even more elated that he wasn’t in any of the scenes today. It’d been an exhausting few weeks, being an extra in a movie. It wasn’t what he thought it would be like at all, but it was good to have a little bit of extra cash. It didn’t pay much, but there was time-and-half for overtime, and he’d logged in plenty of that.

  The cameras moved into place again as the extras milled along the side for another take. Poor Jason had run down that hill yelling his line several times already. It was a nice clear day with the sky as blue as cornflowers, just the way he liked it, with a slight breeze cooling the pounding summer heat. There was so much commotion going on with this film, not to mention the real-life dramas off set. He was not the only one who would like their peaceful little town back.

  “All right, let’s do another take,” the director said with obvious frustration in his voice. John watched Jason, being a real trouper, come running down the hill waving his hands in the air. “It’s coming! It’s coming!” Jason yelled as the ambulance followed close behind him. It was the scene where the sick magician had collapsed on the sidewalk after landing on the island during their sail through the San Juan Islands. His wife, played by Peyton Chandler, had frantically called an ambulance. Sirens blared in the distance, while a local boy, played by his grandson, was running ahead to tell everyone it was on its way.

  John watched Peyton re-enter the scene and sit down next to her very ill husband on the sidewalk. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she rocked him in her arms. “Oh no! Hurry,” she cried. If John didn’t know better he would think the scene was real. That woman was a darn good actress. She almost made him believe she cared, but according to the script she’d been poisoning him all along anyway. Typecast, he thought.

  “Cut! Cut!” the director yelled. Grandpa John sighed. How many more takes for this tiny little scene? Jason came running over. “Did you see me? Did you see me?”

  “You did great! Are they done?”

  “Yep, they told me it was a wrap.”

  “All right,” Grandpa John said. “How about I take you down to celebrate with an ice cream? I think the soda fountain’s still open, even during the shoot.”

  “Yes! Let’s go.”

  They wandered down the sidewalk as Jason chattered away. Perhaps adding sugar to his already excited state was not the best call, but Grandpa John had already promised him. He walked on the shady side of the street, saying hi to people and moving out of the way as staff or equipment shuttled around into place. The movie usually shot long into the day because the sun set so late now. It looked like they were taking a break, so that was good. Down time meant the store owners could open to the public briefly and not lose the whole day’s business.

  After walking into the soda fountain, they sat at the old-fashioned wooden counter. Jean, in her orange apron and crisp white shirt, waved at them. “Now what can I get you two boys today?”

  Jason looked at the menu posted on the wall. “I’m not sure if I want a soda or a sundae or a milkshake.”

  That boy was so cute. Grandpa John couldn’t imagine his life without Jason. He was grateful that Ian had decided to move onto the island permanently after he married Lily. Jason was thriving here, and of course Grandpa John was thriving himself having them here.

  “Whatever you want,” he told his grandson. “You’ve earned it with a hard day’s work.”

  Jean leaned on the counter. “Well, are you in the mood for something more creamy or more fizzy?” she asked.

  “I think cold and fizzy,” Jason said. “It’s pretty hot out there. And guess what, I just said my line in the movie today!”

  “Congratulations,” she said. “I always wanted to know a movie star. How does a chocolate soda piled with whipped cream to celebrate your debut sound?”

  “Mmm,” Jason grinned. “What’s a debut?”

  Grandpa John laughed. “It means it was your first real acting job for a movie.”

  Jason sat up straight and cocked his head. “A chocolate soda with lots of whipped cream,” he said deepening his voice a little.

  “I think I’ll have . . . Let’s see.” Grandpa John looked at the menu. “I just think I’ll have a scoop of chocolate ice cream in one of those house-made sugar cones. They’re delicious.”

  “Coming right up,” Jean said.

  The ice cream was superb and made right there on the island. It was by far some of the best around, and the creamiest John had ever had. He remembered how he and Maggie used to come down here and enjoy a cone once in a while too. His mind drifted. It had been doing that a lot of that lately, drifting back to the time he’d spent with Maggie, remembering things they’d done together, like having tea on her porch, sharing fresh picked strawberries in the garden, walking along the beach by the house, always laughing together. The distance between them was thinning and he could feel her presence almost daily. For a second, he wondered if that meant anything. He was getting on in years, and he missed her more as time went by. He looked over at Jason. He was so glad Maggie got to meet him before she passed.

  “Here you go,” Jean said placing the frothy soda in front of Jason. She handed Grandpa John the cone. “Enjoy!”

  Jason took the straw and stirred the drink. Froth ran over the top and settled at the bottom of the saucer. Jason scooped some up with his finger and then plunged the straw deep into the tall glass and took a big gulp. “Whoa, that is cold!”

  Grandpa John laughed. “It’s supposed to be.” He licked his cone, letting the sweet chocolate cream melt in his mouth. “So, what shall we do with the rest of the afternoon, now that we don’t have to go back to the set again?”

  “You know,” Jason said, “that was fun, but I don’t think I ever want to do it again.”

  “I understand, buddy. Our destination is yours for the choosing today.”

  “I’d like to go somewhere we don’t go all the time. Can we go off island, Grandpa?”

  “As long as we don’t go too far,” John said. He wasn’t comfortable driving long distances, and he wanted to make sure he’d be back before dark.

  “We could go to Narrow Waters Bridge and walk on the beach there. I love that trail.”

  “Okay, that sounds like a plan. Let me call your dad and mom and let them know where we’ll be.” He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the inn.

  Ian answered. “Madrona Island Bed and Breakfast.”

  “Afternoon, son,” he said, “Jason and I were thinking of taking a little ride up to Narrow Waters State Park, to play around the beach, hike in the woods, and hunt for shells. Any problem with that?”

  “Let me check,” Ian said.

  He could hear him calling back to Lily. “Lily wants to know if you guys will be back for dinner.” Grandpa John looked at his watch. It was after 2:00, and it was a good hour-and-a-half round trip there and back.

  “What if Jason and I just stop for burgers on the way back,” John said. “You know that great drive-thru up there, with the homemade fries.”

  Jason nodded his head eagerly.

  Grandpa John listened as Ian gave them a thumbs-up. “All right,” he told Ian, “we’ll be back way before dark. Don’t you guys worry. Tell Lily I hope things went well with Jude.”

  “Thanks,” Ian said. “You two have fun.”

  Grandpa John turned off the phone. “We’re on, buddy. Let’s head to the car.”

  They paid the waitress, got into Grandpa John’s truck, and headed North. There was quite a bit of summer traffic clogging the highway, but it didn’t take away from the beautiful scenery. Sun moved through the trees as the breeze ruffled their branches. A few bald eagles circled overhead. When they turned the corner at the top of the bay, they could see the Cascade mountain range with Mount Baker standing tall, almost floating in the sky. Locals swore that mountain was on roller skates. No matter where you were
, it always looked like it had moved to another place.

  Grandpa John headed toward the bridge and decided he’d pay for the parking inside the park. They could park the truck on the sand and walk on the boardwalk that wove along the shore for miles. Memories of walking the boardwalk with Maggie, hand in hand, just the two of them watching the sunset, flooded his mind. “Maggie girl,” he thought, “I really wish you were here to see all this.” He knew she was here in her own way, and that she’d always be with them in spirit. “As long as my eyes are here, as long as my body is here, my heart will still be with you,” he whispered.

  The minute they parked, Jason snapped off his seatbelt. “All right, let’s go,” he said, bounding out of the truck.

  They headed down the boardwalk across the white sand strewn with driftwood and into the trees. Jason trotted along saying hi to the different dogs they passed. As they walked, John noticed he was slowing down a little, starting to get tired, which made him think about Betty. He was worried about her. He’d never seen that woman slow down, but the cancer had really taken its toll. He hoped against hope that if anyone could pull through, it would be her. He made a mental note to go visit her real soon.

  Jason was waiting for him, sitting in one of the low branches of a cedar, swinging his feet back and forth. “Come here, Grandpa!” he said.

  John walked over and patted the boy’s back. “Whoa, look at you. Let me get a shot with my phone for your parents when we get back.”

  Jason posed with a big smile, and Grandpa John clicked the picture. Then he hopped off the tree.

  “Where can we go now, Grandpa?”

  “I’m a little tired. I’m thinking let’s just sit here for a little while and watch the birds go by. Maybe we’ll see some whales.”

  “You think so?” Jason said.

  “You never know.”

  That was one thing about life, Grandpa John thought. You just never knew for sure what was coming next. John was glad he’d chosen to spend this day with his beloved grandson and create a memory they would never forget.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jude had chosen Matt’s Diner, her favorite not-too-greasy-spoon café, for her get-together with Lily and Kyla. It was a little way out of town, and they would have more privacy and be far away from the movie people.

  The familiar chimes over the door rang out as she entered the diner. It had been a while since she’d eaten here, and she’d missed this place with its 1940s décor and waitresses in crisp red aprons. The buttery smell of fresh biscuits and the unmistakable aroma of sizzling bacon filled the air.

  The hostess smiled at her. “Morning. You must be Jude,” the waitress said. “Your friends are waiting over there.”

  Jude followed her to the booth where her friends sat. Relief flooded her at the sight of their concerned faces. Lily and Kyla were always there for her.

  She slid in across the slightly worn vinyl seat and joined them.

  “Coffee for you today?” the waitress asked as she laid a shiny menu before Jude.

  Jude flipped the heavy white mug in front of her right side up. “Decaf for me.”

  For a few minutes, the three of them sipped their coffee in silence. Jude knew they were politely waiting for her to say something first. Kyla was in jeans and had her red hair piled on top of her head and attached with a clip. She looked like she’d stepped right out of a garden and as gorgeous as ever.

  A high-pitched bell dinged, and the cook behind the counter yelled, “Order up.” The waitress passed their table, her arms laden with piled-high plates of food.

  Jude held her menu and tried to focus on the words before her. “What are you having?” she asked Kyla. “Your regular carb overload?”

  Kyla laughed. “I just can’t pass on their cinnamon roll French toast.”

  “Why not go for it?” Jude said.

  “Agreed,” Lily said. “This is the first breakfast I haven’t cooked for myself in months. It’s nice not to have any worries about a baby crying just as I sit down to eat. Grandpa John is watching Jason for the day, so I’m completely free.”

  The dark circles under Lily’s eyes attested to the little sleep she was getting. Jude wondered how she herself would handle that kind of sleep deprivation, especially at almost forty.

  The waitress stood before them, pen and order pad in hand, and scribbled down their orders.

  “It’s nice to get out of town just the three of us alone having a regular breakfast.”

  Lily took a sip of coffee. “Like the old days.”

  This breakfast was going to be anything but regular when she let her friends know her news.

  The three plates arrived—one piled with pancakes smothered in real maple syrup, another with scrambled eggs, hash browns, thick crisp bacon, and of course, a steaming hot buttermilk biscuit with their specialty, marionberry jam. The third contained their decadent French toast that was beyond belief.

  After a few bites Jude laid down her fork. As hungry as she was, the morning sickness often hit during breakfast. She looked at her friends. “I guess you’ve seen all the buzz on Ryan trending online?”

  Kyla nodded. “It’s all smoke and mirrors, and I would know. Peyton is so desperate to get Todd Chase back, she’ll do anything. One or the other of them is always making the tabloids with some drama or another.”

  “Maybe,” Jude said. “But after all the things we saw when we Googled him, I don’t know what to think.”

  “That was all in the past,” Lily said. “I think Ryan is totally innocent here. When I served breakfast at the inn this morning, there were a lot of heads buried in their phones. The comments were all the same about how well Peyton set the scene and how transparent it was to them. They felt bad for Ryan. I asked one of them to talk to you, but he didn’t want to lose his job.”

  Jude sipped her coffee, willing it to stay down. “That’s not all the news” she whispered, looking down at the table. “I’m pregnant.”

  Kyla’s fork dropped, bouncing off her plate and onto the floor. “I’ve been dreaming about babies all week. I wasn’t sure if it was my own, but I was so hoping.”

  Here Jude had been so worried and concentrating on the problems of pregnancy that she’d forgotten how desperate Kyla was to have a child. “I’m no psychic,” Jude said, “but my gut tells me we might all be pushing strollers a year from now.”

  Lily clapped her hands. “That would be wonderful! The three of us doing birthday parties, picnics, first days of school . . .”

  “Hold on,” Jude said. “First I need to make it through a pregnancy at soon-to-be- forty years old.”

  “You will,” Kyla said, squeezing Jude’s hand.

  “A lot will depend on whether I’m a single mom again.”

  Lily drew in a breath. “Does Ryan know?”

  “No one else knows. Just the two of you now.” The room seemed suddenly hotter. Jude pulled her hair off her neck, letting the circulating air from the fan above cool her. The sound of pots banging in the kitchen and orders being called out seemed suddenly louder while neither spoke a word. “I haven’t told Lindsey yet either,” Jude said.

  The waitress swept in and refilled their coffee. “Everything all right for your breakfasts?” she asked.

  Lily smiled, “They’re delicious.”

  Lily waited until the waitress was out of earshot and then began again. “I can see why you’re concerned with all the Twitter gossip going around, but honestly, I don’t trust anything Peyton says or does.”

  Kyla nodded. “There’s a shadow over that woman and it eclipses all light.”

  Jude took a deep breath. “You know how hard it is for me to trust, and I have no idea how Ryan will feel about a child. He is good with Lindsey, but she’s almost an adult.”

  “Teenagers are almost as trying of your patience,” Lily said, grinning. “But you are as h
ealthy as ever and wiser now than when you had Lindsey.”

  “But I don’t want to be a single mother again.” Jude willed herself not to cry. These pregnancy hormones had her constantly on edge.

  “You won’t be,” Lily said. “We’re your family now, and most of the town folks love you too.”

  Kyla, with a new fork now, picked at her plate, her eyes focused somewhere Jude always wondered about. She turned her head to face them and spoke softly. “He loves you, as he will the child. But fear is still his companion.”

  “What does that mean?” Jude asked.

  Kyla shook her head. “I just see the image, not the full form yet.”

  “Try to eat some food,” Lily said. “You know the saying about eating for two.”

  Jude picked at her breakfast, but she could hardly taste anything. She was so tired that it made it hard to work or concentrate. She yawned and put down the fork. “I think I need a long nap.”

  “Of course you do,” Lily said, “and some time off, too.”

  “That’s pretty hard to do with a business that packed with tourists this time of year.”

  “Then we’ll get you off for a few days,” Lily said.

  Kyla pulled out her phone. “Great idea. We could all use a few days off. Married life is great, but I miss quiet time alone and spending time with the two of you.”

  “I could really use a few nights uninterrupted sleep,” Lily said. “Not that I wouldn’t miss sweet Gwen desperately, but sleep, now that would be euphoric.”

  Kyla typed into her phone. “I’m searching for getaway homes for rent on one of the nearby islands.”

  “As long as the dates are after the cast wrap-up party in the vineyard,” Jude said. “We can’t spare a minute until then.”

  Jude considered the idea of leaving Ryan and Lindsey in charge of the café for a few days after the movie people left. They could definitely handle it, and she would get some precious time away to clear her head and make a plan before talking to Ryan more extensively. And rest. She’d miscarried once before and did not want to exhaust herself. “I love the idea. Let’s get something luxurious and pamper ourselves.”