Best of all, I had Poppy's word that he hadn't killed Hal Humberger. I had never seriously believed that my grandfather was a murderer, but I had needed to hear it from his lips. Whatever his faults, Poppy wasn't a liar. He couldn't stand dishonesty, which was one of the reasons that he too often spoke his mind without concern for people's feelings. I based my conclusion on years of overhearing my parents talk about Poppy. My father had called my grandfather, “Honest to a fault. He doesn’t even know when to sugarcoat bad news.” My mother had said, “My father hates lying and liars. He couldn’t tell a lie if his life depended on it. He might clam up, refuse to talk, and run away, but he wouldn’t lie.”
I didn't have concrete proof that he was innocent, but I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders. My grandfather might be an old coot, a curmudgeon, and a grump, but I didn’t think he wasn't a murderer.
Things were looking up.
Sort of.
I owed Cooper Rivers a big apology for accusing him of trying to deceive my grandfather. I dreaded facing him and asking his forgiveness. Only then could I bring up the idea of selling him Poppy’s old spot.
Once again, my life was turned upside down. At least, I didn’t have to sell The Treasure Chest. Seemed to me like Jodi Wireka had been stirring up trouble just to be mean.
Sure, it would take a while to wind down Poppy's business, but that was okay. Meanwhile, I would have the joy of building a business. That streak of entrepreneurship ran deep in me. Even though we hadn't gotten far, I could see how Skye and MJ enjoyed their efforts. We were part of something. Something worthwhile.
If I pulled the plug right now, Skye would have nowhere to live. MJ's particular talent of linking a buyer with an item would be wasted.
I opened my phone, and called Kiki. With the windows rolled down, there was a light breeze blowing in the car, enough that my makeshift office was comfortable.
She answered quickly. Without asking if she was busy, I blurted out all that had happened, all that might happen, and then sputtered to a stop.
"Look," she said. "You were misled by that real estate agent. You had a reason for talking to Cooper the way you did. You didn't mean to ruin someone else's plans. Quit blaming yourself. It's a case of good intentions and bad results. You were just trying to protect your grandfather."
"He told me he's tired of owning the Gas E Bait. He says it was going to be mine someday, so the decision is mine. Philomena and Cooper can buy Poppy's place and use it for the convenience store if they want."
"Go on, Cara," Kiki urged me. "Keep talking."
"Poppy would be free to work part-time for Cooper. The problem with the Fill Up and Go would be solved—of course that depends on whether the franchise people will accept Poppy's location. But I'd think they would. The two businesses are practically side by side. There will be less of a hassle, too. Since the ground needs to be dug up to remove the old gas tanks, why not replace them with new ones while they're at it? That would kill two birds with one stone. Of course, there's bound going to be a cost involved for the cleaning up the leakage, but that's got to happen one way or another."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Kiki.
"But if I don't need to save Poppy's business, should I continue with The Treasure Chest? I mean, I started this project because I was worried about Poppy and didn't want him run out of business. Now that's not a problem."
"What would you like to do?"
"I don't know," I said.
"If you had only yourself to consider, what would you do?"
I couldn't answer that.
She waited.
"I'm not sure," I said. "See, there are all these other people—"
Kiki cut me off. "I'm not asking those other people. I'm talking to you. There'll be time to consider them. What about you? If I could wave a magic wand, if all your dreams could come true, what would that look like?"
I ran my hand over the steering wheel, feeling the bumps along under my palms. The truth was that I'd spent my entire life making other people happy.
The one time I'd followed my instincts, I'd married Dom. After that, I'd stuffed down my feelings. Some part of me had pledged itself to making up for my mistake. If I were to be honest, I would admit that I'd continued working at the restaurant because I had felt it was my responsibility to make it up to my parents for nearly bankrupting them.
But if you could pray someone out of purgatory, why was I stuck here for the rest of my life? When would I be released?
A tear ran down my face. I wiped it off with the back of my hand. "I-I-I…"
"Cara," Kiki said softly. "You have the right to be happy. Or at least to try for happiness. Where is it written that everyone else should be happy but you? You devoted your life to the restaurant. You've raised your son. You took care of your mother when she was sick. You took care of your dad. This is your time! Your chance! Yours! Make a wish!"
"I want to run this store," I blurted out. "I have this concept, a-a-and I think it would be cool, and there's nothing like it in Stuart. I think I could make a go of it. I like being in charge. I like doing things my way. I like seeing how excited Skye and MJ are. And I think I'll like living in Stuart! I love being close to the ocean. I always have."
This tumbled out of me in a hurry, the sounds coming so fast that they almost didn't make sense. Except they did. They really did, and once I said my piece, I felt this fabulous sense of excitement. For the first time in decades, I was thrilled about my future.
"But what if I fail?" Just like that I came back to reality.
"Then you try something else," Kiki said. "But there's no reason for you to fail. You're a smart woman. You know how to run a business. If things don't go the way you want, make the necessary changes. That's the beauty of it. You're in charge! You can do this, Cara. I know you can!"
And there it was. "I can do this," I said.
Yes, I can!
53
At last, I’d gotten “real” about what I wanted to do. I’d actually confessed out loud to wanting to start my own business. Although Kiki had been the only other person on the line, I’d made a public confession about my plans.
Now there was no way around it. I needed to talk with Cooper. I owed him an apology. In fact, I sort of admired him for not tattling on my grandfather and telling me about the leaking gas tanks. Tapping his name into my smart phone, I learned that he had an office three blocks away. Slowly, I pulled out of my parking space at the hospital. I didn't want to face my old boyfriend, because of the wild, out-of-control feelings he kindled in me.
But I couldn't avoid him any longer.
If I planned to live here in Stuart—and I did—I would bump into Cooper and Jodi from time to time. This was a small town. Better to speak to him on my terms than to be caught off guard.
Argh.
I comforted myself with the reminder that he had made the first move toward reconciliation by sending his fiancée to me with an invitation to their wedding. It was my turn to reciprocate. I could act like an adult, too, by telling him what Poppy had said about retiring. I would offer to let Cooper buy the old location.
If Cooper objected to a swap, I could phone MJ from his office and have her divert Jimmy.
Celine Dion would get her tile back. She would owe me a favor.
Not likely.
Driving slower than everyone around me, I made my way to a building off of Ocean Boulevard. Cooper's business shared a bank's excess office space with a handful of other firms. The only parking spot I could find was at the back of their lot. I pulled in, turned off the engine, and mustered up my courage.
Indecision wouldn't fix my problems. It could only make matters worse.
I climbed out of Black Beauty and started toward the building, wishing I'd had the chance to clean up a little. As I walked, I stretched and felt the pleasant soreness that comes with physical exertion. The slightly fecund scent of ocean air swept away the cobwebs. Oh, for a day on the beach!
That would have t
o wait.
With every step I took, I revisited that summer I'd had with Cooper, so long ago. We had met at a dance held on the beach, on a night so clear that the stars seemed too close to be real. I had noticed Cooper about the same time he noticed me. Our eyes were drawn to each other, although we both kept looking away only to sneak more glances.
The other girls wore adorable sundresses, but my mother had fought my every effort to show a lot of skin, so I had on a pair of modest shorts and a gauzy peasant blouse. I was far too shy to walk over to Cooper and speak first. In fact, I forced myself to quit looking his way, so when he popped up at my elbow, his presence surprised me.
I can't remember what he said, but eventually he and I went off on our own. We walked down the beach. The moon reminded me of a white dinner plate on a velvety black tablecloth. When we approached a spit of land, he took off his shirt and laid it at the edge of the dunes so we could sit on the beach. It was as if we'd been waiting our whole young lives to meet each other. Once we started, we couldn't stop talking.
I lost all track of time. As I crept up the stairs to the little apartment in Essie's building, the sun chased away the night sky. I vividly recall the marmalade shades of orange and lemony streaks.
Today, I realize how dangerous it might have been for me to wander away from the crowd. At the time, it didn't feel dangerous. It felt right. Cooper and I clicked in true "love at first sight" fashion. Except for the hours when he worked at the pier, cleaning boats and running errands, we spent all our time together. We never fought. Never disagreed. We took it for granted that we'd be together the rest of our lives, even talking about what we'd name our children.
It was all so simple until my mother interfered.
That memory forced me to quicken my steps until I arrived at a glass door painted with the name: Cooper Rivers Design. Through the pane I could see people answering phones, running a copier, and generally being busy. He'd told me that first night on the beach that he wanted to be an architect. Clearly, he'd succeeded.
I hesitated, one hand on the push bar and the other jammed in my pocket, acutely embarrassed by how underdressed I was for this meeting. What if Jodi was there, too? Did she still work as his secretary? My face grew hot thinking of the poor first impression I'd already made. Maybe I should run back to the apartment and clean up first. Get my hair cut. My nails done. Lose ten pounds or twenty.
Stop it!
There was no turning back and I couldn't stall any longer. Each second of delay might cost me dearly.
I gave myself a little pep talk: The meeting wouldn't take long. I would speak to Cooper in a measured businesslike way devoid of emotion. I'd explain what Poppy had told me, and ask if I could swap the Gas E Bait for The Treasure Chest. Of course, any difference in value would have to be worked out. I'd apologize for the hassle I'd caused—and I'd thank him for offering Poppy a job and for taking it upon himself to do something about Poppy's leaking gas tanks.
Yes, I had big plans.
But first I needed to step inside.
54
Just inside the front door was an empty cubicle with Jodi’s name on a metal tag. I stuck my head around the corner of it and peeped in. The office chair was empty. I scanned the space for a purse or other signs of an occupant. It looked like no one was home. Immediately, I felt more optimistic about the visit. In my mind's eye, I'd pictured Jodi in all her perfection, greeting me, escorting me into Cooper's office, and holding his hand while I struggled through an apology.
"May I help you?" A woman walked up behind me.
"Is Jodi Wireka here?" I said as I turned to face my questioner.
"Oh!" The woman's mouth fell open when she saw me. A hand flew up to adjust the cheater-readers that were perched low on her nose. She peered at me, her curiosity apparent.
"Oh, my," she said, as she blinked in confusion.
"May I see Cooper, please?"
"Did you have an appointment?"
"No."
"May I tell him your name?"
"Cara Mia Delgatto."
"Oh!" She scurried off down the hallway. Of course, her urgency wasn't too surprising. Everyone in this office had probably heard how I'd swindled Cooper out of Essie's building. Well, crud, being notorious wasn't exactly how I planned to start my new life.
There was an empty molded plastic chair in a tiny seating area just beyond the front door. I sat down and discovered a small piece of masking tape stuck to the bottom of my shoe. It took some work to dislodge it from the tread. It helped to have something to fiddle with. As I dug at the tape, I realized how ragged my nails were. I could do nothing about how I looked. Nevertheless, I told myself that I would be calm and professional when Cooper and I talked.
I smelled him before I saw him. The familiar scent of pine trees and suntan lotion with a hint of patchouli brought back happy memories.
"Cara Mia," he said, in a husky voice. When he opened his arms, I couldn’t help myself. I flew into his embrace. Ms. Cheater-Reader stood a respectful distance behind him.
"I'm sorry," I said, as I burrowed my face into his knit shirt.
"It's okay," he murmured, hugging me tightly. "I acted like a jerk."
"I didn't know you had offered Poppy a job." I tried to step away so I could look up at him, but he didn't turn loose of me.
"Let's go to my office." He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. I could almost hear Ms. Cheater-Reader's jaw hit the floor.
"Come here, you." Cooper led me to a leather sofa, where we could sit side-by-side, holding hands.
"I didn't know about the gas tanks," I blurted. "I never meant to trick you. I only wanted to take care of Poppy. I didn’t know you were the intended buyer until after I signed the paperwork. You know I didn’t come down here to ruin your life, don't you? I was worried about my grandfather. That’s all. Now that Mom and Dad are dead, I can't lose Poppy, too!"
So much for a careful, unemotional explanation.
"Shhh," he said, pulling me into his arms. His lips touched the top of my head. It wasn't a sexy kiss, so much as a comforting one. A part of me wanted to resist, to create space between us, but suddenly I was tired of fighting the world all by myself. There with Cooper, I'd found that haven I'd always wanted, and I never wanted to leave.
I sighed and rested my head against his chest. "Coop, I'm so sorry I messed up your plans."
"I should have realized that Dick hadn't told you," he said. "That grandfather of yours is one stubborn dude. No one on the city council wanted this to get out of hand. After he threw one of the EPA inspectors off the property, I volunteered to go over and reason with him. One thing led to another, and the best solution seemed to close down the old gas station. We’d been needing a bigger, more modern gas station for years."
"It was so kind of you to offer him a job at the new place."
I stared up into Cooper's eyes. I loved the new crinkles at the corners.
"Of course I want him to stay employed! We can't have an old coot like Poppy running all over town causing trouble. Besides, who knows cars like he does?"
We both laughed.
"Did my dad know there was a problem with the gas tanks leaking? He never mentioned it to me. But then, maybe he pushed it aside. He was awfully busy with my mother. He went so suddenly after she did."
"My turn to apologize. I should have told you how sorry I was about your loss the minute I saw you. I feel like a creep because I didn't send flowers. But I didn't know about either of the funerals until after the fact. Your mother wasn't my favorite person, but she did love you. I know she was trying to do her best. Did she suffer much?" Cooper stroked my hair as he talked.
"Yes. It was awful. Just awful." My voice cracked. "Her death broke Dad's heart."
"I can imagine. They were a couple of lovebirds."
"Lovebirds." I sighed. I hated to change the subject, but it was the only polite thing to do. So I added, "That reminds me, thank you for the invitation."
"Wha
t invitation?"
"To your wedding."
"The invitation?" He sounded confused.
I stayed tucked under his arm. I didn't want him to know how sad I felt about losing him again. Not that I had a right to feel that way. Cooper did, after all, have a right to his own happiness.
To distract myself from the torrent of emotions, I let my gaze wander around his office. Taking up most of the space was a large walnut desk. Behind it was a wall of shelves with books of all sizes, bindings, and colors. At the far right, I spotted a faded photo in a simple frame. I knew that picture! It was of Cooper and me together, standing on the lawn of Jupiter Lighthouse.
"You didn't throw all the photos of me away!" I said.
"Huh?" He held me at arm's length so we could stare at each other. "Of course I didn't."
My lower lip trembled and my heart hurt. All these years had gone by, but he hadn't forgotten me.
"How did you get an invitation to, uh, the wedding?" he asked.
"Jodi was kind enough to drop it off. She seems very nice."
"She is." But his endorsement sounded half-hearted, and inside I did a little happy dance.
I sat up a little so I could look around. Were there more photos of the two of us? More relics from our past? Immediately behind his desk was a fantastic landscape painting of a sunset reflected on a river.
"That is beautiful. It's absolutely breathtaking!"
"It's a Highwayman painting."
"Wow. Now I know what all the fuss is about," and I sat forward a bit so I could see it better. "It's just fabulous."
"Some consider Al Hair the most talented of the bunch. That's one of his."
"I heard about the missing paintings. Did Essie ever talk to you about them?"
Kiki Lowenstein Books 1-3 & Cara Mia Delgatto Books 1-3: The Perfect Series for Crafters, Pet Lovers, and Readers Who Like Upbeat Books! Page 83
