by Lyn Cote
Nearly a week had passed without a third fire. Keir hovered in the dark alley near Audra’s café’s backyard. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or not. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this trouble had only begun. But this evening his overall anxiety for Winfield was superseded by a more immediate concern.
You shouldn’t be here and you know it. But when he’d visited Tom at Shirley’s this evening, he hadn’t been able to refuse a request to deliver two messages—one from Evie and the other from Shirley. But he hadn’t missed the gleam in Shirley’s eye. It was a matchmaking gleam. At thirty-six, he was well able to recognize it. But that didn’t stop you from coming here. He’d wanted to come, hadn’t been able to stay away any longer. He could at least be honest with himself.
Over the week, each morning, he’d given in to temptation and stopped in to buy coffee from her. Each time something troubling had lurked in the depths of Audra’s royal blue eyes. So far he’d waited for her to broach whatever was bothering her. But he couldn’t wait any longer. It might have to do with the fires. He had to find out what was troubling her.
Brent, Ramsdel’s son, strolled out Audra’s back door. He called over his shoulder, “See you tomorrow, Audra! Tell Evie I’m going to take her to the beach tomorrow.”
Feeling something like a dieter caught with unwrapped chocolate in hand, Keir hung back in the shadows. If you don’t want to get her into trouble with her family, you shouldn’t be here. This is the last time you give in to temptation. The last time. Get her to open up, tell the truth and then leave.
“Hey, Brent!” Chad stepped out from the shadows around the streetlamp at the end of the alley.
Brent halted, turning to locate Chad in the dim light. “Oh, it’s just you.”
Keir groaned. Not now.
“We never settled our previous disagreement,” Chad jeered and then he rushed Brent.
“Stop that!” Audra shouted and came running out of her back door.
“Stay out of this, Audra!” Brent yelled.
“That’s right, stay out of this, Audra,” Keir repeated, moving fast.
Chad punched Brent and the two teens went down hard.
Keir charged out of the shadows. He couldn’t let Audra try to break up two teens fighting. Even at only fourteen, Chad and Brent were strong enough to hurt her if she got between them. “Freeze!” Keir called out. “It’s the sheriff!”
The two guys were tangled together, punching and rolling around on the cracked asphalt. Keir bent down and dragged them apart by their collars. “Cool it! I mean it! You’re disturbing the peace and if you don’t stop it, I’ll take you both in.” Keir didn’t want to contemplate Hal Ramsdel’s reaction to his taking Brent into the station, but that couldn’t be helped.
Both teens glared at him and tried fruitlessly to pull from his grip.
“Chad, you’re supposed to be home by now, aren’t you?” Keir challenged.
Chad swiped at dirt on his cheek. “What business is it of yours?”
“Because I like Shirley and I don’t want her to be losing sleep over you. Don’t you think you upset her enough by running away last week?” Keir went on without giving Chad a chance to answer. “Now head home and I’ll be there to check up on you shortly.” He let the kid loose and pushed him in the direction of Shirley’s.
Then he let Brent pull himself from his grip.
“Don’t touch me again.” Brent glared.
“Don’t make me.” Keir nodded in the opposite direction from where Chad was walking. “Head on home and don’t get near Chad again.”
Brent grumbled under his breath, but stalked away to his bike.
Audra stood in her backyard, taken aback by the sudden violence. Keir walked toward her. “Audra, are you all right? That was just kid stuff.”
At the sound of his deep commanding voice, excitement rippled through her. But her uneasiness over her uncle’s mental state had begun after the argument between Keir and Hal at her place. It had dogged her all week and now spoiled her sudden joy at seeing Keir here. I won’t bring it up. I have no proof. It’s only a feeling. Just because my uncle’s upset doesn’t mean he could have anything to do with the fires. It’s ludicrous.
“I’m so glad you were here to stop them,” Audra said, trying to sound composed. “I’m going to have to ask Tom and Shirley to have another talk with Chad about steering clear of Brent.”
Keir hung back just beyond the light cast from the doorway. “It’s just kid stuff,” he repeated. “And I’ll talk to Tom. It’s too bad that Chad’s father didn’t lose custody of his son earlier. Chad wouldn’t have this deep well of anger then.”
“Why didn’t anyone turn Doyle in for abuse?” Audra asked.
“My guess, Chad’s dad is cagey and has nasty ways of getting even with anyone who crosses him.”
The lingering anxiety pinched her again. I can’t talk about my uncle. Not with Keir. Audra wrapped her arms around herself and half turned. “I have a little bit more to do before I leave. Thanks—”
“I came to deliver two messages—one from your daughter and one from Shirley.” He still hung back as though he wouldn’t be welcomed here.
His obvious hesitance to be seen at her door pricked her like a sticker weed. The memory of the awful scene last week between this man and her uncle still made her stomach lurch. And she resented it, which only irritated her more. What right did her uncle have to spew his venom about this good man?
The better memory intruded—the sweeter one from last Sunday that had lightened her spirits all week—of him lifting Evie in his arms and making her little girl glow…. She decided to follow her instincts. Her uncle was wrong and she wouldn’t go along with his self-destructive behavior. “Come in, Sheriff,” she said with a sudden welcoming smile. She threw open the door for him.
He eased inside, his eyes searching hers. “Do you lock the door after you close up?”
She shut the door behind him. “Yes, I like the undisturbed quiet time after the day’s rush.” His presence trickled through her like warm maple syrup. In self-defense, though, she turned her back to him and went to work measuring out ingredients for the next morning’s sweet rolls. “What were the two messages?” she asked in a businesslike tone.
“Well, first Evie told me to tell you ‘Good night. Sleep tight.’” Keir’s voice softened as he spoke her daughter’s name.
This clutched at her heart. He really cares about my little girl. How she hated not to be at home to put Evie to bed herself. Unexpected guilt twisted inside her. But it has to be this way for Evie’s sake. Then Audra stiffened her mother’s heart against the obvious appeal of Keir bringing this message to her. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“I…She’s a great kid. But if you want me to step back…”
Audra swung around to face him. So he’d sensed her caution over his attention to Evie. But who was really important here—her Uncle Hal, the town gossips, or her innocent, loving daughter? The answer was easy. “Don’t step back. I appreciate the attention you show Evie.”
Audra’s pulse thrummed at her own boldness. “You and Tom have been great for her. Before Tom moved into Shirley’s as a boarder and then started courting her, Brent was the only male who showed Evie any attention. And until last fall when they moved north, that only happened at holidays and summers. Please don’t stop. Evie thinks you’re wonderful.” She swallowed then, as breathless as if she’d just sprinted around the block twice. But it’s the truth.
They stood looking at each other. Audra’s gaze then focused on his large, capable hands, strong but gentle. She recalled how he’d patted Evie’s hair with such care.
“I don’t want to give people any room for gossip.”
His words pulled her back from her preoccupation. She shook her head. “People should know better.”
He leaned back against her closed door. “I don’t want to cause trouble for you.”
There was nothing to say to this. People should know better, but
how many did? She turned to her measuring cups, shutting out the flagrantly masculine image he made lounging against the door. “What was Shirley’s message?”
“Your mother called and would like you to call her back.”
This news sent an instant frost through her. How could she change her negative reaction whenever she was confronted with her mother? It isn’t right. But how do I get back to the way we should be? The thought nagged her. “Did Shirley say anything else?” she asked, outwardly cool.
“Not much. Your mom’s up for the weekend and would like to hear from you.”
“I wonder why she didn’t call me here,” Audra said, pointedly not looking at him. But it was happening again. His presence was filling up the space, making the room and her lungs feel smaller, tighter. Making her want to confide in him. I’m just jumping to conclusions about my uncle.
“Maybe your mother didn’t want to take up your time while you were working.”
“I suppose.” Or maybe she’s unhappy about Megan working for me and wants to vent. Audra cut off the babble of uncertainties over Megan and her mother that fizzed up inside her.
“Well, I’ll be going then.” Keir moved to leave. Audra turned to say goodbye. Her phone rang and after one ring, it went to the answering machine which played her “Sorry please call again” message. She walked on toward the door to lock it.
A harsh and familiar voice came on after the beep, “Audra. Pick up.”
Halfway to the door, she froze in place. Shocked. What would he be calling her about?
“Audra, I know you’re there. Pick up.”
She shook off the shock of hearing that voice and proceeded to the door. She had nothing to say to the caller and there was nothing she wanted to hear from him. “Sheriff, thanks for the messages,” she said, ignoring the voice over the phone. “I have to get busy and put the ingredients in and set the dough machine timers.”
“Audra, pick up. Aud—” The answering machine clicked off.
After glancing between the phone and her, the sheriff pursed his lips. “Is that something—”
“No, nothing.” She cut him off. “Just an old acquaintance who wants a loan,” she ad-libbed.
He didn’t look convinced, but he left. Behind him, she clicked the dead bolt into place and then slipped the key into her pocket. The voice over the phone had sounded angry.
Audra switched on the radio to the oldies station and turned the volume up loud. “Forget it,” she responded silently to the caller. “I’m not calling you back. Stay away from me.”
Her mind turned back to Shirley’s message. Why had her mother called Shirley? Was this one of her mother’s “I want to salve my conscience and act like I care about my daughter and my only granddaughter” calls?
Uncle Hal, Brent, Megan, now her mother. Maybe Audra was small for thinking this, but all of a sudden she felt as if she had way too much family and way too many of them were in Winfield.
The phone rang and the answering machine picked up. The same voice spoke again. Audra turned up the volume of the radio even louder, drowning him out with Lesley Gore’s classic, “It’s My Party.” Humming along, she took a deep steadying breath. The lingering apprehension about her uncle having something to do with the fires had become an itch she wanted to scratch. It’s just my overwrought imagination.
FIVE
The second week of June came. Another Saturday morning swept in with a fresh rush of coffee-deprived customers. By now Audra had become inured to sleep deprivation. Or maybe she’d become too sleepy to notice? The weekend crush of tourists was gratifying and she was pleased to see repeat business, a good indicator that her specialty coffees and baked goods were a success. Meanwhile, she’d decided her vague suspicions about her uncle were groundless. She was glad she hadn’t said anything to Keir about them.
After the first wave of customers, she had turned back from starting another pot of fragrant flavored coffee, when her mother came walking up the flagstone path of Audra’s Place. With a sudden pang, Audra’s heart leaped and sped up. Would this be another one of their frozen, stilted meetings? I don’t want to feel this way about my mother, or act this away with her, Lord. Help me make things better between us.
As usual, Megan was there busy wiping tables with Evie. Megan had said nothing this morning about their mother. Tall and slender as always, her mother wore a blue-and-white designer jogging outfit. Had her sister known their mother would be stopping by without giving Audra any warning? Audra braced herself.
“Good morning, Audra,” her mother, Lois, said when she reached the counter. “Since you didn’t call me back, I decided to drive in for a cup of coffee and a roll.” Her mother’s voice didn’t betray anything—neither disappointment nor irritation over Audra not returning her call.
“Hello, Mother.” Audra felt her face warming. “I was going to call you this morning when things calmed down. I got your message too late to call you last night.” Which was true, but just barely. Audra waited for her mother to comment archly about Megan working for her.
Lois gazed around. “Your location is very good. I’ve always admired this house. I like the exterior color scheme you chose. Green and white with light touches of country blue. It’s just a bit out of the ordinary without being gaudy.”
Her mother’s approval was completely unexpected. For a moment, Audra was at a loss for words. Then she managed, “Thanks. Can I get you a coffee?”
“Yes, please. Just black. And one of those almond biscotti might be tasty.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Audra saw Chad and Tom, both dressed in their work clothes, walk in through the gate. “Hey, Evie,” Tom greeted the little girl with a friendly wave.
“Hi, Tom. Hi, Chad!” That was when Evie appeared to notice her grandmother’s presence. She hurried along with the two males up to the counter. She looked up at Lois. “Hello, Grandmother Blair.”
Her daughter’s painfully polite tone was a fingernail on the chalkboard of Audra’s nerves.
“Hello, Eve.” Lois smiled. “I see you have an Audra’s Place apron just your size.”
“Yes, I help my mama every morning. I wipe the tables and Auntie Megan carries the mugs to the kitchen and washes them.”
Now the feathers would hit the fan. Waiting for her mother’s reaction, Audra poured her coffee. Evie had approached her grandmother as if she were a visiting queen. Not the way Audra had always joyously greeted her own two grandmothers. Did her mother even notice this? Care about it? And what did Tom make of all this as he stood, watching, waiting his turn?
“That sounds like a good plan, Eve,” Lois said with an approving nod.
The nod evidently encouraged Evie. As if wading into frigid water, the little girl edged closer to her grandmother.
Tom quietly ordered two mocha lattes to go. Audra began to concoct them, keeping an eye on the polite conversation that Lois was painstakingly pursuing with Evie. This was unprecedented.
Megan with her hair pulled into a high ponytail strolled up. “Hi, Mom. What do you think of Audra’s Place?”
Audra held her breath. Now it would come. Megan had issued an open invitation for a negative comment about Megan working for Audra and Audra’s café.
“Good location and very appealing, almost like a European outdoor café.” Lois picked up the mug of steaming coffee. “So this is where you hurried off to this morning?” Lois lifted a professionally plucked eyebrow.
“Yeah, Evie’s great at cleaning the tables but she needs some help.”
Evie claimed Megan’s hand and leaned against her.
With lips parted, Audra waited for one of her mother’s usual cutting remarks.
Lois sipped her hot coffee cautiously. “Well, Megan, I’m glad you’re making yourself useful.”
Audra’s mouth snapped shut. Silently she added the espresso to Tom’s lattes.
“But why couldn’t you just tell me where you were going?” Lois shook her head and sighed.
“I’m ju
st a woman of mystery these days,” Megan said with an airy lift of her hand.
Lois turned to Audra. “I’m looking for someone to do some yard work. Old Charlie has retired at last. Can you recommend someone?”
Her mother’s calm acceptance of Megan’s presence still threw Audra off balance. What had her mother asked? “I really—” Audra began.
“Audra, Chad might be able to do some yard work,” Tom spoke up.
After a glance at Tom, Lois sent Audra a questioning look.
“I’m sorry. Mother, this is Tom Robson. He owns the repair garage here in town.” Then Audra nodded toward the teenager. “And Chad works for Tom.”
“Yeah, I work for Tom,” Chad sneered, “in between setting fires.”
Audra blushed, embarrassed for Tom.
Tom shook Chad by the shoulder. “Chill. Mrs. Blair, I think Chad is just the person to do your yard work. I can’t keep him as busy at my shop as I’d like to. He’s too young to work on some of the stuff I deal with. Here’s my card.” Tom pulled one from his pocket. “Call me or Shirley Johnson, she’s Chad’s foster parent, and we’ll set something up.”
Chad made a sound of derision and turned away, muttering something about “rich summer people.”
Audra felt sympathy for Chad and at the same time wanted to shake him.
“Thank you,” Lois said. “I didn’t expect to find someone so easily.” Lois accepted the card from Tom’s work-worn hands, but still held it as if it might be contaminated. “But what’s this about fires?”
“Lois!” Hal’s voice boomed over the chatter of Audra’s customers.
Hail, hail, the family’s all here. Audra groaned inwardly. She silently urged the frothy milk to come out of the machine faster. She didn’t need Hal, Chad and her mother all together in front of her counter. She finished concocting the two lattes and Tom handed her a five-dollar bill.
