by Regina Duke
Now she was back, and the memories came rushing in. It took her a few moments to realize that George looked stricken. “Something wrong?”
He cleared his throat. “No, no, I’m fine. I’ll just go talk to my boss.”
On impulse, Faith grabbed his jacket sleeve. “I’ll go with you.”
“No, really, that’s okay.” He looked worried.
She refused to be put off. “Look, it’s a small town. People who live here have to take work where they find it. There’s nothing wrong with that.” She gave him her best eager smile. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to see what went on inside. I loved it when the old man who owned it had horse auctions out back.”
George appeared to relax. “He passed away a few years ago. His nephew owns the place now. Nice guy. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
They got out of the car and went inside. The small waiting room was practically filled by a large Christmas tree. The bracing scent of pine kissed their faces as they entered.
“Oh, that’s so lovely.”
George gave her a lopsided smile. “I decorated the top third.”
Faith laughed sweetly. “Of course you did.”
Behind a chest-high counter, a friendly looking man with dark wavy hair was wiping his hands on a blue paper towel. “Hi, George. Who’s this?”
George did the introductions. “Brady—Mr. Felton—this is Faith Bernard. We went to high school together. She’s moving back to Eagle’s Toe. Faith, this is my boss.”
“It’s a pleasure,” said Faith. “I remember your uncle very fondly. When I’d sneak into the horse auctions, he’d always buy me a Coke out of the machine.”
“He was a sweet and generous man,” said Brady.
Faith cocked her head to one side. “Do I hear dogs barking?”
Brady’s face lit up. “That’s my wife. I mean—” He shook his head. George hid a smile behind his hand. “I mean, my wife does animal rescue. She’s out doing petsitting jobs at the moment. We’re building a kennel on that back lot where my uncle held his horse auctions.”
“No more horses?” Faith said, disappointed.
Brady said, “So far it’s mostly dogs and cats, but I have a feeling I may find a few equines out there any day. Sunny is very serious about helping animals.” He glanced from Faith to George and back. “What’s up with you two?”
George looked suddenly uncertain. “I was hoping it might be okay if I took the afternoon off. Unless you had a big job come in while I was gone?”
Brady shook his head. “No such luck. You go on. People are busy buying Christmas presents. Car repairs will pick up in January. Oh, by the way, you might want to check into this.” He pulled out a newspaper and tapped one of the personal ads.
“Thanks,” said George. “I’ll see you Monday then.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Faith as they headed back to the Volkswagen. Once inside, she tried to catch a glimpse of what was so important in the paper. “Are you looking for dates in the personal ads?”
George laughed. “Not quite.” He handed her the paper as he started the car. “Second ad from the top.”
Faith read aloud, “Nineteen-seventy-one Beetle, manual, good tires, bad paint, needs TLC. Eight hundred dollars.” Her forehead crinkled. “You already have a VW.”
“I have seven, actually. Six. I just sold one last week.”
Faith looked at him with renewed admiration. “You restore classic cars?!”
George nodded.
“Oh my gosh, that’s huge! You’d be a rock star in Reno. They do a classic car show every year. And the prices they get for those rebuilt cars are phenomenal.”
George grinned. “Oh, I don’t know.” He shrugged. “It’s just paint and body work and a little engine tuning.”
Faith gawked. “Is that all?” She shook her head. “I don’t think you realize how specialized your skills are. Did you rebuild this one? The one we’re riding in?”
George nodded humbly.
“It’s fantastic. Even the interior looks brand new. My car is thirty years newer and looks like a wreck.”
George tilted his head to one side. “I could spruce it up for you?”
“Really?” Faith reined in her excitement. “I’d love that, but I’m not sure I could afford it.”
George offered shyly, “I could give you a special rate. Let’s get hold of the Garrisons and find out when we can go pick it up.” He pulled into the Cattleman’s Inn parking lot and pulled out his phone. A few minutes later, everything was arranged. “We can go out tomorrow morning and get your car. Polly is taking little Odin home tonight and she’ll be at the cabin until around ten a.m. That’s when she heads back to the hospital.”
“Has the new baby come yet?”
“Not yet. Thor was a bit rushed because he was following his wife into the delivery room. I ended up talking to his mother. So now we can enjoy our lunch and talk about important things, like color and interior, stuff like that.” He gave her an eager smile.
“You really love rebuilding cars, don’t you?” Faith could feel the old fondness returning with a vengeance.
George had his hand on the door handle, but paused to reply. “That first day of class, freshman year, when I walked into the shop at high school, I felt like I’d found my place in the world. Does that make sense?”
“It does. When I was a little girl, my favorite Christmas presents were those nurse and doctor sets. You remember those? With fake stethoscopes and boxes of dolly bandages and colored bottles of candy pills? I used to spend my allowance in the pharmacy, buying rolls of gauze and anything else my mom would let me play with. That’s when my passion for nursing started.”
“Nursing? Not being a doctor?”
“Medical school is even harder to get into than nursing school, and I wanted to do something I could get a job with right after graduation.”
George nodded his understanding. “It’s getting colder. Let’s go inside and have lunch.”
Faith was glad to oblige. She was starving.
George asked, “Do you want Italian? We can eat at Il Vaccaro. Or if you want something lighter, there are a couple of new cafes on the other side of the lobby. They added a dozen little shops when they built the tower.”
“How can things change so much in five years?” Faith asked nostalgically.
“Nothing stands still,” said George. “But for the most part, the changes have been good for the town.”
“In that case, let’s see one of those new cafes.”
“Great. I’m partial to Pam and Eggs.”
Faith laughed. “I love the name. Pam and Eggs it is.” She let George lead her through the marble lobby, past the huge Christmas tree and the elevators, toward the gleaming string of storefronts on the ground floor of the tower. About halfway down the row, they turned left into a little cafe. They were seated immediately.
“Where’s the Christmas music coming from?” asked Faith.
“Carolers,” said George. “Nice, huh?”
Faith ordered a burger and fries. George followed suit. Faith said, “The last time I had a burger and fries in Eagle’s Toe, it was at the Nest. Please tell me it’s still there.”
“Still there and better than ever.”
“Don’t tell me they’ve added a tower, too.”
George laughed. “No, nothing like that. But they’ve brought in a couple of their grandkids to help with the workload, and frankly, the service now is amazing.”
Faith took the paper off her straw. “I’m so glad. I want my home town to stay the way it was when I was growing up here.” She felt George’s eyes on her. “I’m feeling a little nostalgic,” she said. “I had big plans when I went off to college, and they didn’t all pan out.” She stuck her straw in her soda and focused on the ice cubes floating on top.
George tapped his straw on the table. “We’ve all had some let downs since high school.”
They slaked their thirst for a while, neither wanting to disturb t
he comfortable cozy feeling of renewing an old friendship. The carolers were in Dickensian costumes, and they paused outside the Pam and Eggs to sing an old English carol, then moved on.
In the silence that followed, George asked the question that Faith had been fearing all along.
CHAPTER FOUR
George set his empty glass on the edge of the table to signal for a refill, then asked casually, “The middle of winter seems a strange time to come looking for work. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to see you again. But why Eagle’s Toe? Especially now, given that your parents are in Arizona.”
Faith was silent, but he could see two small red spots on her cheekbones. She seemed to be gathering her thoughts.
After several uncomfortable seconds, he unfolded his napkin and played with his silverware. “I’m sorry. Maybe it’s none of my business.”
Faith reached out as if to touch his hand, but stopped short. “No, it’s fine. I mean, of all the kids I went to school with, you are probably the one boy—man—that I could have this conversation with. I’m just trying to figure out how to answer your question without making you regret inviting me to lunch.”
George closed the gap between their fingers and covered her hand lightly with his. “When I saw you on the Garrisons’ front porch, my heart threatened to leap out of my chest. I missed you terribly after you went to college. I thought you’d come home during the summers and we could reconnect, but you never did.” He dropped his gaze to his napkin. “I even went to Reno once, hoping I’d run into you. I walked all over your campus. I was such a coward that I talked myself out of actually finding where you lived.”
Faith’s expression was filled with regret. “Oh no. I’m so sorry you didn’t.” She squeezed his hand. “I could have used an anchor from my old hometown. Reno was too much of a city for me. Too big a temptation.” She pulled her hand back as the waitress arrived with their food. Once she’d gone, Faith put on a brave face. “Gee, this smells great.”
George was heartened by her reaction to his attempt to find her. “You don’t think I was stupid to go looking for you?”
“Not at all. I think it’s the most romantic thing I ever heard. I’m just sad we didn’t run into each other.”
“Your parents had already moved to Arizona, and I didn’t have any contact information. I guess I’m more a man of action than a thinker.”
Faith squirted catsup on her plate. “Thinking is highly overrated.”
George smiled and took the catsup from her.
Faith picked up her burger. “Why did you stay? You have so much talent. I never expected to find you working at the garage.” She took a bite.
George realized she’d turned the tables on him. Without answering his question, she’d basically asked him the same thing. What went wrong after high school? He made a big show of layering his pickles on his burger. He needed time to think. Should he tell her the whole story? Maybe just a part of it until he had a chance to see if she still had feelings for him. He began, “I wanted security. I wanted a paycheck right away. I wanted to pay my own way. My aunt and uncle were so generous all my life, I wanted to give something back. And I wanted to be able to play with cars. When Brady Felton took over, he kept finding old jalopies for me to rebuild, and then he’d sell them and split the profit with me. He just made it so easy for me to do what I love and make money at it. Every now and then, I think I should strike out on my own, but life can feel a little overwhelming when your work is all you’ve got.” He fell silent.
Faith dabbed a fry in catsup and nibbled the end. “I can’t tell you how wonderful that sounds to me right now. To be in the same job you got after high school? To be making a salary and extra money, too, for doing something you love? That sounds heavenly.”
“How about you?” asked George. “What happened to you in Reno?”
Faith’s expression darkened. “You promise not to run the other way?”
George made a goofy face. “What? Are you running from the Mafia?”
Faith didn’t laugh. “No, not quite that bad.”
George grew serious. “But you’re running from something else?” His concern was evident.
Faith shifted uneasily in the booth and set her burger back on its plate. “Some people should not live in Reno.”
“Translation?”
She ran a finger along the edge of the Formica table. “I did okay until I turned twenty-one.”
George’s brows drew together as he puzzled out her answer. “Hey, we all have a beer now and then. Was that the problem?”
Faith shook her head. “No, no, I—When I turned twenty-one, I was legal in the casinos.” She searched his face for comprehension and saw none. She look a slow, deep breath. “I seem to have a gambling problem.”
“Oh.”
Faith waited, but silence followed. At last she said, “Oh? That’s all you have to say?”
George licked his lips. “Well, I’m wondering, do you mean you like to play slots? Or did you blow a paycheck on roulette? Or—”
Faith burst in with, “I couldn’t stop. I barely graduated because I spent days at a time in the casinos. Every time I lost, I thought the next pull of the handle would be the big one. The next poker hand would be a winner. I missed classes. I racked up credit card debt. I fell in with a very bad crowd.” She pushed her plate away. “Sorry. My appetite is gone.”
George was tearing his straw wrapper in tiny pieces. “So when you said you didn’t pass your nursing boards?”
Faith’s voice was very small. “I didn’t pass because I didn’t go.”
George nodded.
Faith continued. “I finally realized I was ruining my life. I went to Gamblers Anonymous for help. Got a job. Negotiated structured payments to get out of debt. I threatened the creep who sucked me into gaming with a stalking charge.” She spread her hands. “I came back to Eagle’s Toe for a fresh start. I need a job. I’ll do anything.”
“Even hiring on as a nanny,” said George, finally understanding why she was interviewing with the Garrisons.
Faith nodded. “The good news is, you haven’t walked away yet.” She hazarded a faint smile.
George took a moment to gently slide Faith’s plate an inch closer to her. “You may eat without worry. I’m not going anywhere.” He picked up his own burger again. “Besides, you may need your strength when I tell you the rest of my story.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“Your story?” Faith perked up. “I thought you already told me. Wholesome, handsome high school athlete pursues his passion in his home town.”
George’s brows rose. “Handsome? I like that.”
Faith relaxed and smiled. “You know how good-looking you are. You had hearts swooning right and left in school.”
George seemed surprised by that. “No kidding? Huh. Isn’t it funny? When we’re teenagers we feel things so deeply, but we don’t have a clue about how to let other people know.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” Faith was comfortable enough now to take another bite of burger. After she swallowed, she said, “By the way, you’ve blown your cover.”
“What cover?”
“You were trying to make me think you work with your hands because you don’t have the mental chops to do other stuff, but what you said about teenagers was very deep. Your cover is blown.”
The corner of George’s mouth curled in a half-smile. “Thanks.”
“So what’s your terrible story? Why aren’t you running away from me as fast as you can?”
George brushed the remnants of his straw wrapper away from his plate. “First of all, I had a mad crush on you in high school and never had the nerve to tell you.”
Faith’s smile lit up the room.
George peeked at her from under a crinkled forehead. “And after you left for college, I was feeling sorry for myself. Fell into a rough crowd. Nothing illegal, exactly. But we drank too much, and we drove too fast. For a while, I thought I had a chance to hook up with a race car te
am, but it didn’t pan out.” He played with his spoon, turning it over and over. “Then one night, I decided I could drive myself home after several hours of drinking, and there was an accident.”
“Oh no.” Faith’s voice was full of sympathy. “Was it bad?”
“Bad enough. I hit another car. Thank God I didn’t kill anyone. And because it was local and my family knew the judge, I got probation and public service instead of jail time. That’s why I never left for college. I realized then that I’d been really lucky, and I’d better straighten out and fly right. Once I did that, I just settled. It was like all my energy for risk-taking evaporated. I just focused on learning more about my craft.”
Faith seemed surprised to discover most of her hamburger gone. She pushed the plate aside and sipped at her soda. “Thanks for telling me, George. And thanks for not leaving when I told you what happened to me. How many of our high school alums do you think are in the same boat? I mean, we admired so many of them, and where are they? Okay, Madlyn is getting married. And that’s really swell, but in high school she was known as a nice girl, a sweetheart. The ones we thought would make the big time seem to have dropped off the map.”
George propped his chin in his hand. “Maybe they haven’t had time yet. I read somewhere that when J. K. Rowling was our age, she was broke.”
“Oh yeah, I saw that on Facebook. There was a whole list of famous people who were nothing at our age.” She laughed. “Gosh. That’s reassuring.”
It was George’s turn to laugh. His cell phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to check the call. “It’s the Garrisons. Just a second. Hello?”
Faith watched his face as it lost its good cheer over the course of the conversation. At last, he hung up. She asked, “Well? What’s going on?”
