by Parin, Sonia
“This boss person you worked for… did you also… you know…”
“Hang on a sec, I’ll put the wine back on the line.” She took another sip, and then tipping her glass back, swallowed the rest of the contents. “Yes, I lived with him.”
“Ouch. I think that trumps me being dumped via text message… two weeks before my wedding.”
“Not even by a margin,” Elizabeth joked. “I’m sure you didn’t see it coming, whereas I… I sort of forced myself to be blissfully ignorant and naïve. Of course, the lingerie was a dead giveaway. I’m not sure how I managed to overlook that for as long as I did.”
“And so here you are. In Eden. Was it a deliberate choice or did you end up here by accident?”
She nibbled on a cracker. “I knew someone who was raised here and she was always so happy, I thought it might have had something to do with growing up here.”
“Who was she?”
“Tash Knightly.”
“We went to school with her,” they all chirped.
“I was friends with her mother,” Glenda said. “What’s become of Tash? She left here years ago when her parents divorced and we haven’t heard from her since.”
“I wish I knew. I’m trying to get in touch with her. It’d be good to reconnect with her. Although I feel guilty because I let my personal relationship get in the way of our friendship. Never again,” she said and poured herself more wine.
Joyce lifted her glass. “Here’s to never making the same mistake twice. And that reminds me, a hundred bucks says Mitch won’t last until the end of the week.”
Helena hooted. “I’m in.”
“I don’t know…” Sophie swirled her wine around and took a sip. “I think he’s serious.”
“I agree. My brother’s never sworn off women before. He’s got a point to make. I know him, he can be stubborn.”
Elizabeth bit the edge of her lip. “So what’s the story with Mitch? Why is he off women?”
“Felicia Benson, we call her The Flea, used Mitch to make her boyfriend jealous.” Sophie shook her head. “She told everyone she’d broken up with her boyfriend, but he was the last to know.”
“I know everyone sees Mitch as a good time guy,” Eddie said, “But… I think there’s something worthwhile under his bon vivant exterior. One of you should marry him—”
“Did you just say bon vivant?” Helena hiccuped.
“It’s only been a few months and you’re already sounding like Theo.” Joyce laughed.
“Don’t make me blush. You know it clashes with my hair.”
“You two look so cute together. I wish I’d been there when Mitch rocked up with Wilbur in tow.” Helena tossed her hands up. “That reminds me, Joyce, you owe me a hundred. Pay up.”
Joyce reached inside her bag. “Here, I suppose I’d be nit picking if I insisted on waiting until Eddie makes it official.”
“Wait a minute, did you bet against me marrying Theo?”
“It’s only fun and games, don’t take it the wrong way. If it makes you feel better, I sat on the fence until the last minute. You kept delaying your answer.”
Sophie clapped her hands. “I just remembered. Approval’s just been given for a new golf club with a function centre. Elizabeth would make a great hostess.”
They all agreed until Elizabeth asked, “When’s the club opening?”
Sophie slumped back. “Next year. I guess that’s too far into the future.”
They tossed around a few more ideas, and then their conversation trailed off until someone yawned.
“I guess it’s time to call Mitch and tell him to come collect us.”
They all insisted on helping to clear up the table and by the time Mitch arrived, they were outside again, three of them squashed into the swing chair.
“What have you done with Glenda?”
Eddie yawned. “We wore her out. She went to bed an hour ago.”
“I suppose I’m going to have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you to the car,” Mitch said not bothering to hide his amusement at the sight of her and Joyce trying to keep each other sitting upright.
“Yes, please,” Eddie said and stretched her arms out.
“Too bad, I was only kidding.”
When his smile landed on her, Elizabeth felt a quiver race all the way to the tips of her toes.
“I hope they haven’t set a bad example or given you the wrong impression of Eden.”
She could see why everyone thought of him as the town bad boy. His jeans hung low on trim hips. He wore a T-shirt like a second skin and it did its job, highlighting his broad chest and shoulders. “I’m afraid it’s the other way around. I plied them with alcohol and forced them to tell me all the town’s secrets.”
“I guess that means you’ll be leaving at first light.”
“If half of what they told me is true,” she yawned and stretched, “I forgot what I was going to say. It’ll probably come to me when it’s too late and I’ve grown old enough to retire.”
“It pays to have a short memory. Otherwise, you’ll have a hard time facing people the day after. Okay, first one up gets a piggy back ride to the car.” He pulled his cell phone out and took several snaps of them scrambling to their feet. “I’ve hit the jackpot.”
“You better delete those photos, Mitch,” Eddie warned. “You don’t want to invoke our wrath.”
“I’ve waited a long time to have something to hold over you, by the way, your mascara is running.”
“Making those photos public would be beneath you, Mitch.”
“I’ll barter with you when you’re sober.” He turned to Joyce. “Up you go, Joyce. You’re the winner.”
“Giddy up.”
The others followed, quietly giggling as they plotted against Mitch, just in case he refused to delete the photos he’d taken.
“Okay, buckle up,” he said as they stumbled into their seats, “I’m going to do a head count. I’m not coming back for strays.”
When everyone had settled into their seats, Mitch turned to her. He took a step and then seemed to hesitate.
For a wild moment, Elizabeth thought he was about to take another step toward her, she even imagined his gaze had lingered over her face, settling on her lips, but then he turned and got in the driver’s side of the car, and with a wave, drove off.
Chapter Five
“That’s it?”
“That’s the hard work done.” Glenda patted Elizabeth on the shoulder.
“I’m not sure about that.” Elizabeth worried her bottom lip. “Cutting the rhubarb was the easy part, stealing it…”
“You did no such thing.”
“Oh, so suddenly it’s only me. Hey, you were there too.” Elizabeth smiled at Glenda. “Thanks for all your help. So now I just let the rhubarb rest with the sugar overnight?”
Glenda nodded. “It extracts a lot of juice. The real work starts tomorrow.”
“And I was gullible enough to believe it would be easy.” She read through the instructions, running the steps through her mind. Making rhubarb jam would be time consuming, but that would be part of the appeal. People didn’t want to spend hours slaving over a hot stove cooking at low heat and stirring and then waiting for the jam to rest and then repeating the process. It was all a walk in the park for someone intimately familiar with the drudgery of repetitive work. She’d spent countless hours addressing envelopes by hand because Andrew had insisted, and…
“Remember, you’re after a reddish amber color. But don’t worry, I’ll be hovering nearby if you need any help.”
“Thanks, Glenda. You’ve done heaps. Including aiding and abetting.”
“You really need to stop worrying about it. You saw how the place is overrun with rhubarb. Now, have you thought about the labels?”
“When I went to the store to get sugar this morning, I browsed the shelves. There’s nothing particularly distinctive with the mass produced jams, but they do take up a lot of shelf space. There were a few locally ma
de ones and most had plain labels. Whatever I decide on will have to be eye-catching. You know, to stand out from the crowd. That’s assuming my jams ever make it to a grocery store’s shelves. Obviously, it’s early days yet. I only need to focus on the Twilight Market.”
With the morning’s hard work done, she finished cleaning up and then decided to reward herself with a trip to Joyce’s for lunch. It made a difference to have a purpose, she thought as she drove into town.
Hearing her name called out, she turned and saw Sophie Wright driving by, her hand waving vigorously at her. That too made a difference. She’d met people she could become long-term friends with. Since arriving in Eden, she’d spent some time alone, but she’d never felt lonely. She’d enjoyed her trips to neighboring towns but when she’d returned to Eden, there had been a sense of coming back to something familiar. She knew it was too soon to call Eden home, but she didn’t think it would be long before she did.
She was about to step inside Joyce’s Café when she gave into a twitch of curiosity, her gaze drifting over to the pub down the street. As if to justify her impromptu decision, she glanced inside the café.
No free tables, she thought.
“Maybe I’ll have better luck at the pub…”
* * *
“How many days is it now since your self-imposed lunacy… I mean celibacy?”
“I’m not dignifying that with an answer.”
“The growl says it all.” Matthew took some empty beer glasses and started stacking them into the dishwasher.
“You’re obsessed with something that is deeply personal and private,” Mitch said as he leaned against the bar. He hung his head and turned to look over his shoulder. He wasn’t sure what had prompted him to do so, but the impulse had been like a tug in his gut. Just as quickly he turned back, his heart slamming against his chest. Elizabeth Charles had just walked into the pub and…
Ever since the other night when he’d gone to the cottage to pick the girls up, he’d been thinking about her. Running their encounters through his mind and playing around with their conversations.
He should do something. Go up to her. No, that wouldn’t be a good idea. He didn’t want to make a pest of himself. He’d stay put, wait to see what she did. She’d probably come here for lunch…
“Now you’re starting to sound like a girl.” Matthew said.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You not wanting to talk about your celibacy but deep down, you’re bursting to share. We know girls talk about this stuff all the time,” Matthew said. “In fact, I’m willing to bet they think about sex as often if not more than men. And when they’re not thinking about it, they’re reading about it. I’ve seen some of the books Eddie has stashed in her bookshelves, not to mention the ones Joyce keeps in her café. Makes you wonder what we’re competing against.”
“You’re raving. And you should stop wondering and read some, then report back to me.”
“Babe alert. On your left.”
Mitch flicked his gaze over to the mirror behind the bar. Elizabeth Charles was chatting with Markus, her lips curved into a small smile, her gaze skating around the place. She looked undecided.
“If you were serious about being off women how come you checked the mirror? You know what? Don’t answer that. The fact you had to check says it all. You’re off your game.”
If only. His inner radar was in fine working order. “Yeah, if you say so. Can I have that order for table five or do I have to come around and pour the beer myself?”
“Now you’re getting cranky. Time of the month?”
“Oh, you’re pushing your luck. Eddie’s standing right behind you.”
Matthew whipped around.
“Gotcha. Scared of a little girl, are you?”
“That was below the belt.” Matthew pushed the tray of beer toward him. “Make sure you smile nicely for the customers, otherwise there’ll be no tips for you.”
“Shut up.”
Mitch picked up the tray and when he turned, he knew he’d spend the rest of the day trying to figure out why he’d gone left instead of right, as he’d meant to do. Thanks to his reflexes, he lifted the tray up in time to avert spilling the contents on Elizabeth. “Close call.”
“Sorry, my fault,” she said. “I feel like an accident waiting to happen. Pubs aren’t exactly my… milieu.” She fanned herself. “I can’t believe I said that. Please tell me you didn’t hear me.”
Mitch chuckled and kept walking. Crap. He should have said something. Set her at ease. Idiot. Now she was going to feel uncomfortable coming here and…
He looked over his shoulder to see if she’d fled for her life.
She hadn’t.
His breath hissed past his gaping mouth. Shut your trap before your tongue hangs out, he told himself. What the hell was wrong with him?
“Ladies, your drinks.”
“Oh, honey. I know you went to school with my daughter, but this is my weekly lunch with friends. Try again.”
“Girls.”
“That’s better. We don’t like to be short changed. When we come here, we expect the full service.”
And Mitch knew exactly what that meant. They wanted a taste of Flirty Faydon.
It was as if he’d been branded for life.
He’d never shake it off.
It wasn’t his fault if he had an easy smile.
“Enjoy your lunch, girls.”
He strode back to the counter and set the tray down. Elizabeth had settled into a barstool and was reading the menu on the chalkboard.
“Sorry about nearly making you spill your drinks.”
“Don’t worry about it. Occupational hazard. It tests my balancing skills.” Okay, enough explaining, now you can shut up.
“This place really fills up at lunch.”
“It gets even busier at night and on weekends.” He threw his gaze around the bar and realized that even if he tried, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. “There’s always a different band playing. Do you like music?”
She nodded.
He reached behind the counter for his bottle of water and took a long swig. “Bar tending is thirsty work. Are you waiting for a table?”
“I’m happy to have a counter lunch.”
“Okay. Let me know when you’re ready to order.”
“I’m still deciding.” She cupped her chin in her hand. “I’ve been doing a lot of driving around and… you seem to have lots of cattle in the area.”
“It’s cattle country,” he nodded and called himself all kinds of stupid. He knew he was trying too hard… to not smile too brightly, or lean in... too suggestively. He brushed his hand across his chest. Damn. He was either suffering from indigestion or experiencing early warning signs of a heart attack.
“The burger sounds good.”
“That’s everyone’s favorite.” He hitched his hand on his hip then thought better of it and slid it into his back pocket. Either way, she probably thought he was posing. Flirty Mitch Faydon strutting his stuff.
“So… do I order here or…”
Okay. Deep breath. Take her order. Smile. Walk away. “One burger coming right up.” He strode off only to stop and double back. “Sorry… you did say you wanted a burger.”
She smiled. “Yes, I was about to, but you read my mind.”
“Okay.”
“Um.”
Before he could stop himself, he leaned in. She smelled good. Like springtime, and when she looked down, a tiny wedge formed between her eyebrows, and then disappeared.
“Do they come in different sizes? You know, like junior burgers.”
He told himself to blink. The burgers at The Gloriana only came in one size. Big. “I’ll ask the chef to cut it in half.”
“Oh, you don’t have to go to the trouble…”
“No trouble.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see Matthew shaking his head and laughing. Mitch told his legs to move in the direction of the kitchen. Payback, he mout
hed. Yes, payback was going to be sweet.
Half way to the kitchen he remembered they did have a junior burger for kids but the thought of going back to double check with Elizabeth tied his stomach into knots. He should go ahead and order the mini kid burger. Mitch shook his head. If he put an order in for the kid burger, he’d have to explain the change in orders because if he didn’t explain she’d think the mini burger was the regular large size burger and then…
Damn it. Then she’d think he’d been exaggerating about the size and when women got that into their heads…
There was no shifting the misconception. She was going to think his idea of big differed greatly from hers.
Size did matter.
“A large burger… with the lot.”
“Which table?” Markus asked.
“Counter lunch. Elizabeth.”
“Does she know we have a vegetarian burger now? I put it on the board this morning. She looks like the type who’d go for that. Go and ask her.”
Mitch raked his fingers through his hair. “No. She definitely wants the big burger.”
Markus shook his head. “The thing is, Hannah’s really excited about introducing this new burger and so far, no one’s asked for it. It would make her day if—”
“Hannah? Why is she doing lunch?”
“Chuck’s spending the day with his kids. It’s going to happen more often now that his wife, Ruby, is on night shift at the hospital. We’re lucky to have Hannah. So... change the order to the vegetarian burger?”
Mitch gave a slow shake of his head. “Elizabeth wants the big burger with the lot,” he insisted. “If you’re worried about Hannah’s feelings, why don’t you order the veg burger?”
“She’ll think it’s a sympathy order. She deserves better than pity—”
“All right, I get it.” Mitch looked down at the ground and pushed out a breath. “Okay, I’ll try the damn vegan burger. But you owe me. And quit grinning.” He took a step, and then stopped. “Um… what exactly goes into a vegetarian burger?”
“I don’t know. Some soya crap.” Markus patted him on the back. “It’s good for you.”
Mitch brushed his hand across his face. He needed to pull himself together and start acting like himself. Then again, that meant reverting to his old ways. Flirting had always been an icebreaker for him and, now more than ever, he wanted… needed to use his skills. He’d always known how to talk to women. Now, the more he saw of Elizabeth, the less sure he felt about himself. What if he put his foot in it and said something to make her instantly dislike him?
