by Sally John
Quinn said, “Whoa! A kiss at the airport?”
Jasmyn shook her head. “A peck on the forehead. Like between friends. Like it’s been fun getting to know you, have a good life.”
“It sure didn’t look that way to me. Quinn, in the three years I’ve known him, I have never seen the guy show even a hint of emotion.”
Jasmyn squirmed. “This is a pointless conversation. I only brought him up because I ate the barbecue sauce too.”
The other two laughed.
Jasmyn realized the talk wasn’t totally pointless. Her confession released some tension inside. She really did like Keagan in that way.
Quinn finally caught her breath. “Seriously, Jasmyn, love knows no distance. But if he shows up here, I will ask him the tough questions. Like, is he standoffish because he has a broken heart or because he’s a serial killer?”
“Well.” Sam cleared her throat. “It’s the first.”
“What did I tell you, Jazz? That’s exactly what I said. He’s hiding behind a broken heart.”
“Sam!”
“I can’t say for sure. This came from Chad, who was drunk when he heard it and not quite sober when he told me.”
Quinn said, “Chad’s the hottie who could pose for cologne ads?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. He’s been known to go off the deep end now and then. Keagan has helped him through some bad times. He dumped his alcohol more than once and intervened for him with Liv.”
Jasmyn said, “I didn’t know that.”
“Keagan and Liv don’t talk about it. And Chad’s been doing well the past six months or so. One time Keagan brought him home from a bar. You know how crazy Chad is about Piper.”
“Piper,” Quinn interrupted. “The drop-dead gorgeous shopping expert.”
“You have been paying attention.” Sam grinned. “Anyway, Chad was whining about her complete lack of interest in him and what a snob she could be. Keagan pushed him up against a wall and said that until he saw his fiancée gunned down, he had no right to talk like that.”
Jasmyn turned to Quinn. “Piper’s fiancé was killed in Afghanistan.”
“How awful.”
Sam nodded. “The thing is, Piper didn’t see it happen, and it was an IED, not a gun that killed him. Chad might have the words all confused, but Keagan’s extreme reaction was real enough. It struck him that Keagan was referring to himself.”
Quinn said, “Which would explain why he’s brokenhearted and standoffish.”
“Totally unapproachable.”
Jasmyn disagreed, but kept her thoughts to herself.
Quinn said, “That’s a sad story too.”
“Mm-hmm. Even if Chad imagined three-fourths of it. Do you have a sad guy story?”
“I do.”
Jasmyn said, “Quinn, you and Andrew are crazy about each other and he’s a keeper.”
“Except he’s in Chicago most of the time now, for work. Even on weekends.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
Quinn shrugged. “It’s too sad to talk about.”
They sat in silence for a long moment.
Quinn said, “What’s really sad is that those three men are going through life without us.”
Jasmyn snickered first. Sam snorted. Quinn giggled. Soon each of them were doubled over in laughter.
It felt like a balm seeping into wounds long scarred over, softening them, pouring new life into them. It felt like a promise that no matter what, Quinn and Sam would always be there for her.
Seventy-Four
Liv’s office door opened and Keagan walked in. “Liv, are you okay?”
Seated behind the desk with Tobi on her lap, she wondered how he knew. They hadn’t seen each other since Sunday. He didn’t have firsthand knowledge of her phone calls with the girls, her witness of Beau’s odd behavior, or of her own rattled demeanor. How did Keagan do it?
He sat across from her. “The gate. You left it unlocked and it’s eleven p.m.”
“Well.” She glanced at the computer screen with her favorite gardening website in view, at her hands stroking Tobi’s fur, at the monitor again as it winked off, and finally at him. “I’m okay.”
He grunted.
“I talked to the girls. They’re fine. Except Sam voiced concern yesterday about Jasmyn, who seems a little too over-the-top idealistic about her plans to buy the restaurant. Jasmyn called today and confided that her boss’s wife has cancer, which means the sale needs to happen immediately. Beau took off for Hollywood. I have no idea for how long. Louis’s gone into the hospital for tests, Tasha has strep throat, and the new van driver, who brought Coco back from her senior activities center, couldn’t find the Casa, so it took forever to get her home. She was frazzled.”
“You’ve had a day.”
“Yes, I have.” She waited, giving Keagan time to ponder. “What do you think? Besides the life-is-difficult stuff.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “It’s too soon for Jasmyn to make a major commitment like that.” His voice was brusque. “She needs to give herself a whole year to recover.”
Liv had not expected such a harsh response from him. “Maybe I could offer that bit of wise advice to her.”
“I already did.”
“She’s a stubborn little fighter. She could make it work.” Liv’s shoulders sagged. How she hoped Jasmyn would not make a mistake. No. How she hoped Jasmyn would just change her mind and leave Valley Oaks altogether.
Keagan stood, muttering something about stubbornness, and went to the door.
“Keagan, why is Beau in Hollywood?”
He stopped and turned. “It’s complicated.”
“You brought him into my world and now I’m hooked. I like him in it. Is he coming back?”
“I don’t know.” He sat down again. “When I met him a few years ago, he’d work out every day at the gym like a man possessed. Eventually he calmed down. He told me that he and Tallie Shay had been engaged.”
“The actress?”
“Yep. I don’t know why he lives here and she lives there, but he goes up every so often.”
Liv sighed. “And here Jasmyn and I thought he had a crush on Sam. I guess I can cross that romantic scenario off my list.”
He gave her a funny look.
She smiled and refrained, as she had so often refrained, from asking why he did not have a significant other, other than herself, in his life.
He soon left and she burst out laughing. “Oh, Tobi. Evidently, I am his only significant other. Dear Lord, I do appreciate how he watches over me, but let’s get real. He needs someone else, and I am willing to share.”
The next morning, Liv’s unease still festered.
“Lord, I don’t want to meddle. You know I don’t want to meddle, but…”
She found the phone number for the Flying Pig in Valley Oaks and hoped Jasmyn was not there.
Danno Johnson answered the phone. His voice sounded exactly how Jasmyn had described him, gruff and yet gentle, distant and yet approachable.
Expressing her motherly love for the young woman he had watched over for years was like having a chat with an old friend.
They were on the same page.
Seventy-Five
Two characteristics were fairly easy for Jasmyn to admit about herself to herself without thinking she was obnoxiously tooting her own horn.
One, her memory was good.
Two, her heart was good. She felt compassion for most of the people she knew, including the townspeople who were not so nice to her after she sold the land.
Her memory and heart combined made her a good waitress. She hoped they would make her at least an average business owner who gave to the community and paid her own bills.
The only drawback now sat across the wide conference table from her and Quinn in a downtown Rockville office building. His name was Nick Bloome. He did not have a room in her good heart, not even a corner in a closet. And in his presence, her good memory was turning to oatmeal.
He said, “Jazzie, you with us?”
She blinked, long and slow. Why had she agreed to this? True, he was the best local business consultant. True, Danno was his client and highly recommended him. True, she and Quinn needed his input and expertise. But still…
“Sure.”
Quinn stood abruptly. “Will you excuse me, please? I’m going to the ladies’ room.” She sent a glare in Jasmyn’s direction and scooted out the door, closing it firmly behind herself.
A clock ticked. A distant train whistle blared.
At last Jasmyn looked at him. “I don’t think this is going to work. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m sorry.” His brown eyes—the ones that used to seem so romantic—reminded her of a doe’s. Not a buck’s. A doe’s.
He was soft. Nothing at all like Keagan.
“I’m sorry for everything.”
By that, she supposed he meant for dumping her when he got Becka Piehl pregnant. Surely he wasn’t sorry for his marriage and his one and one-on-the-way children or for his successful business.
She sighed. “Nick, I’m not angry or hurt anymore. It was for the best for both of us. But there’s this…” She waved her hand between them.
“Baggage. I understand.”
“I think I’ll leave now.” She stood.
“Wait. Please.” He gathered papers and folders together. “I need to tell you something. You’ll hear it soon, but maybe not soon enough. You did not hear this from me, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Two gung-ho type guys wanted to buy the Pig.”
“Danno told me that.”
“Well, when he told them that you had dibs, they made other plans. You know the empty lots on the other side of the bank?”
She nodded.
“These guys are building two restaurants. Somehow they’ve managed to keep things hush-hush. In a couple of weeks, the town council will most likely approve their plans. They’re set to go after that. And no, they’re not working with me.”
“Two restaurants?”
“First a sports bar, big screens, the works. They plan to open in time for the Super Bowl. By summer they plan to open a second one, a family-friendly, hamburgers, pizza, indoor playground, rah-rah-siss-boom-bah place.”
Jasmyn sat back down. “Wow. In Valley Oaks.”
“Yeah.”
“Worth a drive from the interstate.”
“It won’t have the history or the small-town ambience the Pig is known and loved for.”
“Or the sauce.”
He shook his head. “Nope. No sauce.”
“So you’re saying we shouldn’t buy?”
“I’m not saying that.”
“Do we have to pay you to say that?”
He smiled. “No, Jazzie. Speaking in generalities, if you paid me, I would show you numbers and they would show that you had a fighting chance. And it would be a fight. It would be a long shot, but a shot nonetheless. There’s nothing like Danno’s place.”
“Maybe for good reason.” She shrugged and stood again. “Thanks, Nick.”
“You’re welcome.” He moved around the table, opened the door for her, and shook her hand, holding it and the eye contact a tad longer than necessary. “Good luck.”
She hurried down the hall, grabbed Quinn as she emerged from the ladies’ room, and steered her through the well-appointed office.
“Jazz, what happened?”
She didn’t answer until they had gone through the glass doors and were almost to the car. “The short version is that Nick just made up for every mean thing he ever did to me.”
Jasmyn and Quinn treated themselves to the Chinese buffet across from the Rockville mall.
“What are we going to do?”
They took turns asking the question.
Quinn said, “Get jobs at the new place.”
“Which one? Screaming kids or screaming sports fans?”
She wrinkled her nose.
Jasmyn said, “Or let’s just go for it. We’ll stop at the bank this afternoon. Sign some loan papers.” With the amount she had tucked away there, she assumed asking for a loan would not be a problem. “We can just slide on in and keep things as is. Nobody will even notice Danno’s gone. We don’t shut down for redecorating. We can do that some other time.”
“At least, supposedly, business would continue as it is.”
“It should.”
“Do we tell Danno?”
“Do you think he knows?”
They stared at each other a moment, and then they shook their heads in unison.
“Nah.” He would have told them.
Jasmyn said, “This is all starting to feel complicated.”
“I wish I could blame it on the crazy year you have going, but it feels the same to me. It’s another red flag. A huge one.”
“I want to take a long nap.”
“Don’t check out on me yet, hon. We’ll talk to Danno. He’ll know best. He might even be able to keep the place open long-distance, and we could just run it for him while he’s gone.”
“Maybe.”
“There’s always the beauty shop idea. Or Andrew’s dad’s auto shop.”
They had joked about combining the two shops. One-stop car and hair repair.
Andrew had graduated a few years ahead of them. He went off to college and landed a big-time job in Chicago, something to do with software. When his mother died and his father got sick, he returned to Valley Oaks to care for him and his auto shop.
That was when he and Quinn got together. When his father passed away some months back, Andrew had begun to work more from home for his old company and less at the shop. Lately, he’d worked from the office…in Chicago.
Jasmyn said, “What’s really going on with Andrew?”
“Who knows? Let me count the days since he’s been in town. Or since we’ve talked on the phone long enough to get past the weather report and how busy he is.”
“I’m sorry.” Jasmyn thought of how the two had hit it off, how perfect Andrew was for Quinn.
“His dad’s partner is finally ready to buy him out, and Andrew’s back in love with Chicago.”
“Does he talk about moving there permanently?”
“No, but there’s nothing to keep him here anymore.”
“Quinn, stop. You’re here. He loves you.”
“It’s a tough competition. Me versus Chicago. What would you choose?”
Their eyes met and they each set down their chopsticks.
Quinn said it first, “Me versus California?”
“It’s not exactly the same.”
“Close enough. With Danno, your job, and your house gone, there’s only me here for you.”
They sat in silence, old, close friends whose minds—Jasmyn figured—were running the same circuit.
At last Quinn said it only because Jasmyn would not voice it first. “I could go with you.”
“You have your mom and dad and brothers and sisters and your grandma’s house, and you’re halfway to getting a beautician’s license.”
“Three-fourths.” She bit her lip. Quinn never cried but she clearly was on the verge. “Jazz, you know you’re more family to me than they are.” Her hushed voice quivered.
Jasmyn wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry or take that long nap.
Seventy-Six
Sam stood on the large front porch of a rambling, two-story, neatly kept old house in Lynn Center. Painted white, it had dark green shutters on every one of its countless windows. Through the tall ones that ran along the porch, she saw lace curtains.
A corner of the curtain moved and then the door opened. A man stepped onto the porch, his hand extended.
&n
bsp; “Hi. I’m Ruthie’s grandson, Jack Moore.” The guy was tall and narrow with wavy dark blond hair and a friendly smile. He wore blue jeans and a long-sleeved shirt the shade of green that she had noticed on farm equipment and caps. “Otto called.”
She shook his hand. “Sam Whitley.”
“Nice to meet you. I hope you don’t mind me butting in. Gran sort of comes and goes. I might be able to help keep her coherent.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe this is too much to ask?”
“Not at all. She will love talking to you. Come on inside.” He opened the door for her.
Sam walked through it, noticing the logo on his shirt. “Did you have to take off work?”
“No problem. My dad and I run the dealership in town here.” He followed her inside. “To the right. Gran! That lady I told you about is here.”
Sam turned from the entryway with its staircase and stepped through a wide arched opening into what could only be described as a parlor, something out of another era. There were overstuffed sofas and chairs with high backs and spindly legs, end tables with old-fashioned globed lamps, and lace everywhere. A sweet fragrance greeted her, and she spotted a huge bouquet of white roses.
Ruthie Moore, white-haired and frail looking, smiled from the chair beside the white brick fireplace. She wore a floral dress and a lacy white cardigan. “What lady was that?”
Jack winked at Sam. “This one. Her name is Sam.”
The woman frowned as if confused.
Sam reached her chair and leaned down to greet her. “Samantha.”
“Oh.” Ruthie smiled and grasped Sam’s hand between hers. “Hannah’s girl.”
Neither Sam nor Jack corrected her. If she remembered there was a connection between Sam and Hannah, that was enough.
Ruthie studied her closely, her blue eyes sweeping Sam’s face and hair, right to left, left to right, up and down, down and up. “The coloring’s all wrong. But.” She smiled again and squeezed Sam’s hand. “The spirit is there. See this, Jack?”
He stepped closer. “See what?”
“This.” Ruthie touched Sam’s right cheek, near the corner of her mouth.
Sam met Jack’s gaze. His brown eyes were clearly apologizing.
