Why did he think letting a problem fester was the right move to make? The thought of Conrad giving up on being a father physically pained her. As premature as it had been, even they’d talked about kids, and she remembered his excitement at the prospect.
“What happens next with the store?” He changed the subject.
“Melanie’s prepared me to take over in case of an emergency. It appears that time is now. Aunt Cathy is willing to come in and help if I need her. And Melanie’s mother’s flying in the week before Christmas. She’ll take over at the store during Mel’s maternity leave.”
Conrad frowned. “Melanie’s mother.”
Lila tilted her head. “You sound surprised.”
“Her mother worked here part-time for a while, but if I remember right, I don’t think they got along really well. Melanie said they embodied different philosophies about running the place.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” Had Melanie run out of viable options? Lila made a mental note to discuss it with her when things returned to normal. Lila turned over the “Closed” sign and locked the door.
“Closing up for the night?”
“It’s time.” She only wished she had a reason for them to stay. Instead, she snapped off the lights to the front of the store.
“You wouldn’t be interested in picking up a burger, would you? Suzanne’s working late tonight, and I really don’t want a can of chunky soup again.”
How could she say no to that request? She was famished, but the truth was, if anyone but Conrad had asked, she’d never consider it. “Are you kidding? I’d love a patty melt and onion rings.”
Conrad grinned. “I thought so.”
She turned to him, her face begging the question.
“You’ve got that ‘I’m dying for a burger’ look written all over you.”
Lila let out a hearty laugh. “Oh, is that right? So now you’re telling me you can read me like a book?”
He gave her one of his rare million-dollar smiles. “Always could.”
“Aha. Let’s go.” She grabbed her coat and purse off the hooks in the office, and walked through the door he’d opened for her.
When Lila stepped into Husby’s Food & Spirits and took a quick glance at the menu, her eyes grew to the size of saucers. There were fourteen mouth-watering burger variations.
“This is an outstanding menu. I’m not sure what to order.”
Conrad rubbed his chin. “I figured you’d like it. Why don’t you get your favorite, the patty melt with onion rings?”
“Well, the onion rings are separate. They don’t come with the burger, fries do.”
“My treat tonight. Let’s let her rip.”
Lila giggled. She released the barrette that kept her hair presentable during the work day, but now with Conrad, she could relax and allow her hair the freedom it craved. She found his eyes upon her when she peered over the menu and wished she’d slathered a fresh coat of lipstick on her mouth before she’d taken a seat across from him.
A waitress approached their table, pencil in hand, ready to take their order.
Conrad handed the waitress the menus. “I’m going with the primetime burger with a slice of Colby.”
Lila scanned the selections. “I’d like a patty melt.”
The waitress straightened the checked apron around her waist. “Fries?”
Conrad bent over the table. “If you want the onion rings instead of the fries, order them.”
Lila grinned. “I’d like to switch out the fries for the onion rings, please.”
The waitress scribbled on her notepad. “It shouldn’t be too long.”
“Would you add two root beer floats to the order please?” Conrad asked.
Lila blinked hard. He remembered everything right down to their favorite drink.
The waitress stuck the pencil behind her ear. “You got it.”
A woman meandered through the restaurant, waving in Lila’s direction. “Is that…?”
Conrad turned to look. “Mrs. Albright, yes.” He stood to greet the woman.
As a teenager, Mrs. Albright hired Lila often to babysit her children.
As she neared, Mrs. Albright’s smile brightened the room. “Well, who do we have here? If it isn’t Lila and Conrad. It is so good to run into you two young people again. How are you, Lila?”
Lila gave her a slow smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Albright, I’m well. Conrad and I are just—”
Mrs. Albright laid a light hand on the table. “You babysat our children years ago. You were so good to them. I also remember finding you, Mr. Hamilton, on my couch more often than once.” She wiggled a wrinkled finger at Conrad.
Conrad raised both of his hands in surrender. “I promise you nothing inappropriate was going on.”
Mrs. Albright’s attention shifted from Conrad to Lila and back again. She released a laugh that sounded as delicate as a cardinal’s song. “I noticed the stars in your eyes at that time, young man, as I do now. There’s no fooling an old woman.”
Lila cheeks burned.
The waitress placed their floats and on the table but was interrupted by a younger woman.
“Mother, there you are.” Maggie, Mrs. Albright’s oldest and a much younger version of the elderly woman approached the table with an apology written across her face. “I went to pay the bill and turned around, and she was gone. I’m so sorry. Oh, hello, Lila. Conrad.”
“Actually, we were enjoying a wonderful conversation reminiscent of old times. Thank you for saying hello, Mrs. Albright.” Lila said.
“They think because I’m old I’ll run off with the postman and forget where I live,” she whispered. “It was so pleasant to visit with you both.” And with a wink to Lila, she left with her daughter.
Conrad worked the ice cream in his glass. “That was sweet.”
“She has a pretty good memory despite her age. I hope I’m that lucky.”
Conrad’s smile deepened. “The Albrights celebrated their fiftieth anniversary not too long ago. Big article in the paper. You wonder how many couples will make it that far today.”
Was he thinking of his own destiny with Suzanne?
Lila was about to ask the question when their food arrived. Conrad picked up his steak knife, cut his sandwich straight down the middle, and separated his fries into two piles. He pushed his plate toward the center of the table and smiled.
Lila pinched herself to make sure what she was witnessing was real. This had been their ritual whenever they went out for burgers. She’d thought he’d long since forgotten about it. With the expertise of a practiced sous chef, Conrad lifted one half of the sandwich off his plate. Lila followed his lead with her own sandwich. He slid his half on her plate, and she placed her half on his. They divided up the onion rings and French fries in the same way.
“Like old times,” he said and took an enormous bite from his burger.
She raised her gaze to meet his. “The best memories of my life.”
He squinted at her as if he may have misheard.
Lila reached for an onion ring, dunked it into a mound of ketchup, and lifted it to her mouth.
Her point hit home.
16
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Lila jotted down a list of the sold-out items for inventory purposes.
Conrad walked into the kitchen. He was instructing the workers to take their lunch break and she assumed he would do the same. He kept a tight rein on his subcontractors and usually broke for lunch when they did.
Lila had taken over for Melanie after the doctor had been able to stop her early labor and had ordered strict bedrest for his patient.
“How’s the begruntled patient doing?” Conrad asked.
“She loves this store. It’s been her life until now. How would you feel if you couldn’t get up and do your job every day?”
“When you put it that way, I guess I can really feel for the girl.” Conrad placed his metal lunchbox on the end of the island. He t
ilted his head. “I’ve got a sandwich inside of this little baby, but I could use some company. What are you doing there?” he asked, nodding toward her paperwork.
“I’m tallying the Thanksgiving sold-out items. We’re completely out of all chocolate and paprika cloth napkins and the matching napkin rings and the brass-colored charger plates. If I suspected a run on those items, I would have ordered twice as many to hold us through the holiday.”
“Sounds impressive. You keep track of that stuff, huh?” he asked as he flipped open his lunchbox.
“Well, yes, a simple inventory alerts you to what quantity to order for next year. Once I’ve got the tallies I’ll input them into a spreadsheet.”
“Hmm, sounds like a system that may work in my business.”
“How do you mean?” Lila asked. She placed the pencil next to the paper and gave Conrad her undivided attention.
“In the spring of the year, we tend to do more deck and pergola construction. Summer’s filled with additions and piers. Fall and winter projects move indoors—rec rooms, second bedrooms, or garage work. If I understood what caught me up the year before, I’d be able to better plan and avoid some of the fires I end up having to put out.”
“I’d be happy to show you the spreadsheet program. It’s the same one I use to organize my characters and scenes.”
“Sounds good. I have to do something to keep things straight.” He pulled out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from his lunchbox.
“Don’t tell me that’s your lunch,” Lila asked.
“It works in a pinch.” He shrugged off her concern and acted as if he was holding a steak sandwich in his hand.
“At least allow me to heat up a bowl of the beef stew Aunt Cathy and I made the other day to go along with it. That’s what I’m having.”
“I’d like that. I don’t make it over to Mom’s enough to enjoy home cooking during the busy season.”
“And Suzanne? Doesn’t she cook?”
“Suzanne’s as busy as I am and doesn’t enjoy cooking. We eat out more than in.”
Lila pulled out the quart container of soup and a few salad ingredients from the fridge. She placed them on the island. So, Melanie was right again. Suzanne didn’t cook, either. Lila was beginning to wonder if she’d make a good wife for Conrad. She poured the soup into a stainless-steel pot, clicked the gas burner on low, and then reached for the lettuce to chop.
The bells over the entrance in the other room signaled the arrival of a customer. She dropped the knife. The handle hit the carton of cherry tomatoes at an angle, sending little red balls in all directions. “Oh, good grief!”
Conrad stood. “Don’t worry about this. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks a million, Conrad. Sometimes I’m such a klutz in the kitchen.”
She darted to the checkout counter to find three attractive women meandering through the store.
“Hello, ladies. How are you today?”
“Miranda, why don’t you ask her for the item?” a tall pretty brunette suggested.
“We’re searching for a Pipka Santa Claus,” the woman asked.
The hair on the back of Lila’s neck stood up. Something was off. “The local retailers don’t carry them. However, you can find them at Pipka’s. The store is a few blocks from here, right down on Mill Road. Are you visitors to Sister Bay?”
“No, we’re local,” Miranda said.
If they were local, that much was common knowledge. Everyone in the village knew where to find Pipka’s. The store was recognized worldwide.
One of the other women held up a hand-fired platter embellished with a Norman Rockwell Christmas scene, part of a six-serving set. “Oh, Jess, that is lovely.”
“How much do you want for this?” Jess asked. She held the platter in one hand and lifted it slightly in the air.
Lila moved forward and gently took the piece from her. “I’m sorry, but this platter is part of a Christmas set. It’s not available as a single item.” Lila gestured to the matching plates, cups, saucers, and bowls on a nearby table. “The entire collection is priced at two hundred and fifty dollars.”
Jess placed her hand on her chest. “What?” she asked as if the price shocked her right out of her high-heeled designer boots. “I’d like to talk with Melanie about that. Is she here?”
Lila returned the platter to its display holder. “Melanie is on medical leave. I’m in charge of the store until her return.”
The other woman stepped toward Lila. She tucked her red leather clutch under her arm as if she’d need both of her hands free. “And who are you?” she asked with a tilt of her head. Cat-like eyes, outlined in kohl eyeliner, glared at Lila for an immediate answer.
Lila took an intake of breath to diffuse her nerves until the footsteps behind her drew closer.
“Hello, ladies,” Conrad’s tone implied that he’d caught three little girls with their hands in a cookie jar.
“Conny, hi,” three voices harmonized a reply. “We didn’t think you’d be here of all places today,” Miranda gushed.
“Brittany.” Conrad nodded toward the only one in the group whose name was unknown to Lila.
Brittany retraced her steps and aligned herself shoulder-to-shoulder with Jess.
“We thought we’d stop in over our lunch break,” Miranda sputtered as if offering a peace treaty.
Jess gazed down at her oversized watch. “But we really should be getting back. It’s almost time.” She tapped a red-painted fingernail against the watch’s face.
Brittany nodded. “Yes, I think you’re right. Thank you for your help ah—”
“Lila,” Conrad advised.
“Yes, thank you, Lila, and please give Melanie our kind regards.”
Lila was relieved to watch the trio leave. “Thank you for stopping in, ladies. I’ll be running a nice sale on Black Friday. Do come back and visit us again.”
After they left, Lila turned toward Conrad and released a breath. “Friends of yours?”
He shook his head. “Not mine. Suzanne’s.”
His tone told Lila the three women never would be friends of his either. “Ah, that makes sense. Come on, you. Let’s get back to that lunch of ours.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They were becoming a team. Lila smiled. If only it could last forever.
With everything going on, Thanksgiving came and went with little notice. Lila and Conrad wished each other a nice day, but the realization that they couldn’t spend the holiday together didn’t sit well with Lila. Conrad told her that he and Suzanne were invited over to Luke’s house this year, but Suzanne’s preference was to accept her parents’ invitation in order to enjoy the day in peace without having to tend to Luke’s children. Not wanting another argument, Conrad agreed.
Lila and Cathy spent the morning watching the parade on TV and enjoying a roasted duck. They played Scrabble and then took a leisurely walk around the neighborhood. As far as Lila was concerned, it was one of the best Thanksgivings she’d enjoyed in a long time. It certainly beat her typical routine of picking up a premade turkey dinner from one of the gourmet grocers and dining alone while watching a Christmas movie.
A few days later Lila wandered through the store while on her usual mid-day call with Melanie.
A cold draft swirled around Lila as she approached the store’s front entrance. “Brr. I think it’s time to switch out the screen door for the winter storm door,” Lila explained.
“Oh, sure, it’s in the back of the large closet in the kitchen. Why don’t you ask Conrad to come over and do it?”
“Because he’s a busy man. I found the hammer last week and pounded down all the loose floorboard nails. I think I can tackle this little job.”
“My, oh my. Aren’t we becoming handy?”
Lila giggled at the thought—her handy with tools? “You don’t realize what you can do until you try.”
“You sound pretty confident. How about you pushing these two babie
s out for me?”
“Oh, no. You got yourself in that pickle.”
“I hope to be saying the same back at you one day. How’s the chalet addition going?”
“He’s working hard to get it finished on time. Then all the room will need is a good coat of paint and for the furniture to arrive.”
“Well, he’ll make sure the contractors show up and the furniture is delivered. That’s what I love about Conrad. He told us he’d finish by mid-December and he’ll come through.”
Lila wanted to agree but with a whole different set of reasons for loving Conrad. “Yes, he’s a man of his word.”
“I read in the newspaper that everything’s in place for the Ski Hill’s grand opening. I hope I was right to go ahead with this addition. What do you think now that it’s nearing completion?”
“Let me ask you something—was there ever a time that you’ve been wrong about anything involving the store?”
“Ah…yes, but I tend to bury those little incidents.”
“My advice is to continue to believe in your instinctual ability to run a business. It usually guides you in the right direction, and it will come through for you again.”
When the calendar turned over to the first days in December, icy winds and frequent snow showers arrived. The outermost edges of the lake froze over and the native birds became scarce. Tourism slowed, and so did the local customers. It wouldn’t be long and the cross-country skiers and snowmobilers would bring new life back into the village, but until that happened, Lila grew concerned with each passing day. She needed a spark to draw attention to the store so they wouldn’t lose the upward momentum they gained since her arrival.
“What do you do to bring in customers this time of year?” Lila worked in the kitchen and talked on the phone with Melanie.
“The Chamber had mentioned something about Santa Claus visiting the village this year. I wanted to arrange for him to come in for an hour or so in the afternoons and offer picture packages for our customers.”
“I like the idea, and it’s never too early for Santa. Who should I talk to arrange it?” Lila asked.
A Christmas Kind of Perfect Page 9
