by Parin, Sonia
“Here you go, enjoy.”
“Quit grinning, Markus. I’m onto you.” Mitch strode back into the bar. Looking up, his step faltered. Elizabeth wasn’t where he’d left her. Had she gone?
“Over here.”
Hearing Eddie call out, he whipped his gaze around the bar and saw her waving at him from a table by the corner. She had Elizabeth with her. This could work for him…
Striding over, he set the big burger down in front of Elizabeth and watched her eyes widen. Without taking his eyes off her, he turned to Eddie and gave her the vegie burger. “Here, try this.”
“What is it? It looks different.”
“Eat it, it’s good for you.”
“Wait a minute, is Hannah doing lunch?”
He ignored Eddie and, smiled at Elizabeth. “If that’s too much, I’m happy to help out.”
She nodded and handed him one half.
“Why didn’t you get her the kiddie burger? We have those for kids,” she explained to Elizabeth.
Mitch knew he could lie and say they’d run out of buns but lies had a way of lurking in corners, ready to pounce at the worst possible moment. So he ignored Eddie and sank into a chair opposite Elizabeth.
As expected, Eddie meandered off topic.
“I’ve added Elizabeth to our phone tree.”
“That was quick... I mean...” The girls had obviously decided they liked her. But he’d never known them to move so fast. “You’ll need to be firm and draw boundaries, otherwise Eddie will call you at all hours.”
“Hey, don’t tell her that. She’s working on... stuff and we want her to feel she can call on us for anything.”
Stuff? What stuff? “Are you working on your business idea?”
“I’m… dabbling.”
“So, you’re staying?”
She took her time answering. “Eddie was telling me there aren’t any rental properties around, so it could become a problem for me. I can’t stay at Rosebud Cottage for ever.”
“Why not? Has Glenda asked you to leave?”
“Elizabeth doesn’t want to live out of a suitcase. I get that. She wants her own space.”
“I’ll ask around. Something’s bound to come up.”
“Don’t give her false hope. You know there hasn’t been a house on the market in like forever, as for the surrounding area, there are only farm houses around, and they’re all privately owned and occupied.” Eddie drummed her hands on the table. “Now, there’s an idea. We could build some apartments. The hospital’s getting a new wing which means there’s going to be a demand for housing…”
“The town planners already thought about that and ditched the idea.”
“They’re stodgy. New buildings don’t necessarily have to look new. They could hire a company that specializes in…” she shrugged, “Replicas.”
“If you’d attended the town planning meeting you’d know they didn’t want to bring in outside investors.”
“Why don’t we put up the money?”
Mitch frowned. This wasn’t the way he’d imagined the conversation going.
“Some people are happy to buy off the plan. That’s one way to raise capital. I’m definitely looking into this. Not everyone who wants to live in Eden is going to be raising cattle and living in a farm and not everyone is in a committed relationship. Someone needs to do something about this. The needs of single women in Eden are being overlooked.”
“Are you going to address these injustices all by yourself?” he asked.
“Why not?”
“And who, apart from Elizabeth, is going to live in these apartments you’re going to build?”
“Hannah is single. Helena and Sophie are stuck out at their parents’ farm because they have nowhere else to live. And… and Joyce. She’s living above the café but only out of necessity. Then there’s whoever is coming to work at the radio station. I heard they were hiring someone new. That’s six hypothetical tenants. I’m going to be rich!”
“You’re financing this?”
“Theo will love the idea. It’s about time someone thought about developing the town. We can expand. There’s plenty of vacant land around.”
“Um...” Elizabeth looked out the window, her gaze aimed at the other side of the main street. “I’ve been meaning to ask…”
Eddie shook her head. “That’s the Wilde side of Eden. We’re on the Sterling side. And never the twain shall meet.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Sounds like a Hatfield/McCoy feud.”
“More or less. There hasn’t been a Wilde in Eden in over fifty years. There are rumors about the heiress, but so far no sighting of her.”
“Seems like such a waste. All those lovely buildings…” Elizabeth shrugged and checked her watch. “I should get back to work.” She looked up and smiled. “Feels good to say that.”
Before Mitch could come up with something encouraging to say, she waved goodbye and left.
“Why are you smacking your forehead?” Eddie asked.
“I should get back to work too.”
* * *
Elizabeth felt like a soda bottle that had been given a vigorous shake. She was about to burst. She’d stayed up working until late and even when she’d gone to sleep her mind had continued to churn out ideas. That morning she’d lined up all her jars against the window and had spent close to an hour admiring how pretty they all looked. Glenda had marveled at the deep reddish amber color saying she could not have done better herself. As for the labels... The idea they’d come up with had been a stroke of genius. Luckily, she’d brought her laptop.
She needed to get another batch started now, maybe even have two on the go, but that meant going back for more rhubarb. Doing a quick check on her mental schedule, she decided she’d make the time. But first, she needed to find a parking spot. She’d run into the grocery store, get the sugar she needed, then she’d drop into the small office supply store, pick up her new label machine and rush back to Rosebud Cottage. No stopping at the café, she told herself. There would be time enough for that later on.
She’d spent the night trying to make her doodles look like rhubarb, but her efforts had been laughable. And then Glenda had taken a look. Her fresh eyes had seen something Elizabeth had missed. She’d suggested doing a line drawing and then using broad brushstrokes of watercolors to add highlights. The end result had been stunning in its simplicity. Then they’d connected her laptop to Glenda’s printer/scanner and by the end of the night, had come up with the perfect image.
Today, she was making the final decisions on the font. An elegant script for the name, Eden Jams, and something more playful to identify the type of jam, with the drawing of a rhubarb stalk placed just off centre.
She was happy and she’d be happy with her efforts even if no one bought her jams. Smiling, she went inside the grocery store and, finding the aisle she wanted, she crouched down to inspect the different size bags of sugar available.
“Put me down for a hundred. One week from Friday. I don’t think he’ll last another week, but I’ll risk it.”
“Just so we’re clear, you’re saying Mitch will make it to Friday next week.”
Joyce’s voice, Elizabeth thought...
“Well, how much time are you giving him?”
She knew she shouldn’t eavesdrop. In her defense, she was trying to decide between buying the largest bag of sugar or…
She heard Joyce say, “I’m giving him until this Saturday night. This is his first time going cold turkey,” Joyce explained, “I think I’m being fair. Friday night will be a trial for him, but he’ll stick to his guns. However… There’s a really good band playing on Saturday. The place is going to be packed to the rafters.”
“I’ll stick to a week from Friday. But be warned, if you make a play for him, you forfeit your bet.”
“Same goes for you.”
Elizabeth’s mouth gaped open. Surely they wouldn’t play dirty.
“Need a hand with that bag?”
She
shot to her feet. “Mitch. Hi.” Looking over her shoulder, she saw Joyce and a blonde woman step out of the store. “Um. That’d be great. Thanks. I’m parked just outside.”
“That’s convenient. Are you one of those people who always finds a good parking spot?”
“I was lucky to snatch this one.”
She paid for her sugar and then followed Mitch outside, her eyes gobbling up his broad shoulders, narrow hips... and... oh, the way his jeans fit around his butt...
She opened the trunk and stepped back, her gaze outlining his profile, the straight nose, lips that curved slightly at the edges, his firm chin…
She pressed her hand to her cheek then slid it down to her stomach.
“Are you okay?” Mitch asked.
“I… yes, why do you ask?”
“You look flushed.”
When he smiled, all she could think of was smiling right back and pressing her lips against his…
She jumped back.
“Wow! What just happened?”
She waved her hand in the air.
“Crap...”
Oh, crap, she never said crap.
“Um…I’m jittery. It’s my new business venture. I could be days away from falling on my face or…”
“Relax. You’ll be… great.”
“You don’t know that... I could be a complete and utter crackpot...”
“I can still encourage you. Do you need a hug?”
“What? No, no you can’t do that.” If anyone saw them...
“Um… okay.” He folded his arms across his chest and looked around him.
“That’s not what I meant. I mean… I’d like nothing better than for you to… but, you can’t.” She closed the trunk and hurried into her car. “Sorry, I have to go.”
Chapter Six
“What did she mean by…” Mitch strode into The Gloriana and went to stand by the fireplace, his hands hitched on his hips, his brows furrowed.
Maybe he’d heard wrong.
He sank down next to Markus who was occupying his usual chair, his feet stretched out, his hands clasped under his chin.
Mitch shot to his feet, then sank back down, only to scramble to his feet again and head toward the door. He stopped... turned back.
“Are you coming or going?” Markus asked.
He shook his head. Women liked hugging. And he was a good hugger.
“She said she’d like nothing better—” Mitch pushed out a breath.
“You wanna talk about it?”
He stabbed his fingers through his hair and shook away all thoughts about Elizabeth Charles.
“Is this about The Flea?”
“The who?”
“Felicity.”
He threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. “No. Good riddance to her.” He’d been a fool to fall for easy offerings. A blind fool. Felicity liked to make guys itch for her. She didn’t normally follow through, but she’d had an agenda—to make her boyfriend jealous and desperate enough to propose to her. Being used like that had given Mitch the wake-up call he’d needed. He’d had his share of fun. Now he wanted what he’d never had. A once in a lifetime experience. Something unique. Eddie had found it with Theo—
He sat down again. “I’ve got vandals to deal with.” Right after bumping into Elizabeth, he’d driven out to his place to drop off some timber for the new floors and, looking out the window at the stretch of land he would soon call his backyard, he’d found a clearing that hadn’t been there before. Something... someone had been trampling around the back paddock pulling out rhubarb plants in a neat row...
“Now you’re making less sense. Oh, hang on, you’re talking about the place no one is supposed to know about.”
“Shut up about it.” No one knew he’d gone ahead and bought the old house. They’d only laugh at him and say he was nesting.
Brushing his hand across the light bristle on his chin, he frowned. “Someone’s ripping up my rhubarb. Who’d do a thing like that?”
“Maybe it’s the ghost of Wilbur.”
A boar. He hadn’t thought of that. His place sat on a couple of unfenced acres and it backed onto Rosebud Cottage. If a wild pig had come down from the hills, it could make its way to Glenda’s garden and mess it up...
He jumped to his feet and went upstairs to the room he occupied above the pub. Moments later he strode down, a backpack in one hand and his hunting rifle in the other.
“Where do you think you’re going with that?”
“Hunting.”
“For what?”
Mitch shrugged. “The ghost of Wilbur.” He grabbed some water bottles and snacks and put them into his backpack, then slung it over his shoulder. “I won’t be back tonight, don’t wait up for me, hon.”
“Hang on a sec. You’ve been acting funny lately and not in a ha-ha way. Maybe it’s time you called off this ridiculous ban you’ve imposed on yourself.”
“What are you saying?”
“You need to get laid.”
Mitch chortled. “That’s a typical male solution to everything.”
“It used to be yours too, back in the days when you were normal. Look at you now. I’m having a hard time recognizing you.”
“You’re being dramatic. I think the Eden Thespians are getting to you.”
Markus put his hands up. “You know the rules. No uttering their names out loud. It invokes them…”
Matthew strode in from the dining room and taking one look at Mitch, he set his feet apart and folded his arms across his chest. “What the hell are you up to?”
“Taking care of business.”
“I’m worried about you, Mitch. Look at you. You’ve lost your spark. People are starting to ask questions. You used to be a barrel of laughs, now you disappear for long spells, you don’t tell anyone where you go. Are you seeing someone? A married woman?”
Mitch wished it could be that simple. “I’ve got bigger problems than that. Now, if you’ll step out of the way…”
“Not until you tell me what you’re up to.”
He pushed out a breath. “Okay, I’ll tell you. There’s a rhubarb thief among us and I’m going to find out who it is.”
* * *
“Of all the silly things to say… he must think I’m a certified nutcase. Actually, I’m sure there’s no doubt in his mind. He’ll never talk to me again. Ever. I’ll never be able to set foot in town… I’ll—”
“Knock, knock. It’s me.”
Elizabeth swung around, and thinking her face was now the color of a cherry tomato, she fanned herself. “Eddie. Hi.” How much had she heard? “I wasn’t expecting visitors, I must look a fright.”
“I knew you’d be up to your eyeballs in rhubarb so I brought you some coffee from Joyce’s.”
“You’re a mind reader. I’ve just been thinking how much I could do with a shot of caffeine and here you are.”
“Next time call me. I’ll be happy to swing by.” She handed her the coffee and looked around. “Wow, look how pretty these are.” She strode up to the table where Elizabeth had stacked all the jars. “I’m impressed. You’ve got a serious production line happening here. Where did you get the labels?”
“Glenda and I worked on them.”
“It’s amazing how much you’ve achieved in just over a week.”
That meant she had two weeks before her money running out.
“Soon you’ll be joining the Chamber of Commerce or maybe we could form our own group. Like a women’s league.”
“Getting a bit ahead of yourself. I don’t know if any of these will sell.”
“They will. Mark my word. They’ll be a hit with tourists. They drive all the way out here and they don’t like going home empty-handed. Before you know it, they’ll be contacting you to see if you can supply city stores.”
Elizabeth gave a dreamy sigh and took a drink of her coffee. “Pull up a stool.”
“Thanks. So… what’s this about you not setting foot in town again?”
&nbs
p; Elizabeth groaned. “You heard me rambling to myself.”
“Bits and pieces. What happened?”
“Oh, nothing. Everything. Your brother…”
“Which one.”
“Mitch.”
Eddie’s eyes narrowed. “Did he come onto you? You shouldn’t take him seriously. He has a reputation for being… friendly. In a nice, flirty sort of way.”
“It’s not what you think. In fact, it was sort of the other way around.”
Eddie laughed. “You made a pass at my brother?”
“Why is that funny? Oh, I get it, I’m not his type.”
“No, it’s not that. You… well, you don’t strike me as the type to flirt. He’s more used to women who are… oh, you know—”
“Confident?”
“Assertive.” She shook her head. “I’m not saying this right. I don’t want you to think you’re lacking in those areas, it’s just that—”
“I’m not his type. I get it. And it’s okay, I know what I look like… with my hair tied back and the way I dress, all neat and tidy. I’m the twinset girl.” She shrugged. “I’ve tried the casual look... wearing jeans but… well they just don’t suit me.”
“There are jeans for everyone. You need to find the right pair for you.” She looked around the shed. “Can you spare some time tomorrow? We could go shopping.”
“You and me?”
“Sure. Theo’s still away and I can’t make any major decisions about the restaurant until he comes back, so I have some free time on my hands.”
“Great. I’d love to go shopping.”
Eddie smiled at her over the rim of her cup. “So… That’s interesting. You like my brother.”
Had she said that? “Please don’t tell the others.”
“Is that a yes?”
She wrung her hands together. “I’m not… in the right place. My life is in transit. I don’t even know if I’m staying.” Or if she ever wanted to become involved again.
