Rattling Around: The Baxter Boys #5 (The Baxter Boys ~ Rattled)

by Charles, Jane

  “That’s when it became Jackie’s mission to make the school become a reality and she convinced the Foundation to replace the summer camp with year-round school. A boarding school, which is also what Theo wanted.”

  “Foundation?” Alex asks.

  “The Foundation is made up of members of the family. They decide how money is spent and the best way to raise funds. Charity is the hallmark of the foundation. That side of the family has enough money that they could retire but the school, and the other charities they support, are too important to all of them. They’ve only had a handful of kids who can actually pay the tuition but no kid who would benefit from Baxter will be denied.”

  “They accept everyone?” Alyssa asks. “I thought it was hard to get into.”

  “It’s very hard to get into. Besides trauma, or unbearable homes, or crime, or juvie, or the streets, along with a talent, the kids also need to have that desire for something more. Something better. If a kid can’t see that, or if they don’t think violent tendencies can be curbed, then they don’t get in.”

  “So, knowing all of that, and knowing that we were those students, how do you feel about sitting here with us?” Kate asks.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re a Baxter, or a relation, and I and my friends are… well… the troubled.”

  “I don’t see it that way. What happened before Baxter is in the past. What does matter is that you are here now. You have friends, you’ve gone beyond. Not just Baxter graduates but college graduates. This is what Theo always wanted, and if even half the things I know about Theo are true, he’d be so damned happy with this outcome.” She looks around. “You were also kids. Is it fair for me to judge you on that any more than it is fair for you to judge me on being related to the Baxters?” She replies back. “Besides, I’m the outsider here and I envy what you have.”

  I don’t want her to be an outsider. If nothing else, she lives across the street and I think she needs us more than we need her right now.

  “Thanks.” Joy stands. “Now, I’ve got to go see your grams.” She grins. “Zach just told me that Mrs. Dempsey is Doris.” It’s almost like she’s giddy.

  They are all looking at her like she’s lost her mind.

  “Wait, the lady who let you help take care of the gardens?” Mia asks. “She lives across the street?”

  I guess Zach only told Joy that part.

  “I’ve got to go too.” Noelle stands. “If my grandparents are moving tomorrow, I want to spend time with them.”

  “A truck pulled up about an hour ago. Maybe we should help them load,” Christian offers. He’s hardly ever been over there, and even though we are all about giving forward, it would be nice to give back to a Baxter.

  “Let’s play it by ear,” Zach says. “Mr. Dempsey wants to get some stuff loaded, if Dylan and I are available, but he’s afraid too many people might overwhelm his wife.” Then he looks at Joy. “If she and Joy are in the garden, we might be able to get more done.”

  “Then, let’s do it.” Zach didn’t mention me, but I’m not going to sit back here. Besides, I don’t know how it’s going to affect Noelle as stuff is taken from her childhood home.

  I said my goodbyes this morning and hugged my grandparents until Gramps pushed me out the door so I could get to work on time.

  It wasn’t a bad day but all I really learned was that Chef George is a dick. But, most guys are when ego goes before skill and knowledge. I got his number as soon as he told me that he didn’t need to go to school and was self-taught, which is fine because a lot of great chefs are, but he seemed to resent me having a diploma. The truth really came out when he complained to one of the other cooks that he didn’t know how to make half of the appetizers. What I listed wasn’t hard and his lack of skill will eventually hold him back, since he has stopped learning. No matter the profession, you should never stop learning.

  Besides himself, he’ll hold Rosetta’s back, but it was only my first day so I kept my mouth shut. Today the brunch was about as basic as you could get on any buffet that I grew up visiting. Sad! Not that the food wasn’t good, but it was uninspired. I don’t know what he cooks as a private chef or for private parties, because I didn’t really ask exactly what he does, but if this is what he’s doing for weddings, Rosetta’s isn’t going to go far. But, it was only my first day and maybe that’s what this bride wanted and next weekend will be different.

  The bright side of all of this is, if Chef George was the type of competition that Moira and I would face, we could take over. But, this is New York and Chef George is just one of thousands out there trying to do what we want to do.

  I dread seeing what the house looks like now that Grams and Gramps are gone. Nothing got moved out last night. Grams loved seeing Joy but when she came inside and saw some of her stuff gone, she insisted on it coming right back in and put where it belonged. The guys were going to come back this morning and load again, after Uncle Tink picked my grandparents up to drive them to their new home. Destiny and Kaden are with them and will spend the week up at the lake house, giving me time alone.

  I’m glad I started the job this morning. Being busy with prep, cooking, and serving with Chef George yelling at me helped keep my mind off what was happening back at the house. But, now I’m here and I’m afraid to go inside.

  It’s not haunted, but I feel like it is and I’ll be all alone in there for a week, with my memories.

  But, maybe that’s a good thing. It’s time I worked through and move past. I learned that yesterday. Burying and denying aren’t healthy and it’s probably better to deal with whatever is going to happen when Kaden is not around. He’s got his own stuff and doesn’t need to worry about me.

  With a deep breath, I walk up the steps and unlock the front door for the first time since I returned home and step inside. My eyes water as I take in the nearly empty living room. Gramps left the furniture, except his desk and chair. The television is still here too, which Kaden will appreciate, but all of the pictures and the knickknacks are gone, and the dining room is completely empty.

  Empty shelves are covered in dust, except for where something sat and for the first time I’m noticing cobwebs in corners. This place was not only crowded but dirty, not that anyone would have known from the clutter that used to be here.

  What happened to all the magazines, newspapers and mail that was here? Surely they didn’t take everything with them. I get the pictures and maybe some of Grams’ favorite things, but not the crap. So, where the hell did it go?

  Confused, I wander in looking for leftover boxes, maybe garbage bags.

  “You aren’t going to blow us up are you?”

  I stop at the voice from the kitchen. It sounded like Zach.

  “Of course not.”

  That was definitely Sean. Why are they here?

  Slowly I walk to the kitchen.

  “Turn it on,” Sean says.

  “We’ve got flames,” Zach announces.

  As I step inside, Zach is turning off the stove and Sean is on the floor.

  “I can cook!” That stove being on before it was turned off was one of the best sights I’ve seen.

  Sean leans back and grins up at me.

  “You good?” Zach asks. “I’ve got to get going.”

  “Yep.”

  “See ya, Noelle.” He heads out the back and I look around the kitchen. All of the clutter is gone, along with the coffee pot and toaster, but those are easy enough to replace. Where they used to be is a fresh bouquet of flowers in a delicate vase and a bottle of red wine. The same kind Dylan served the first night I was over there.

  Sean gets up off the floor. “So, how was your first day of work?”

  “Busy, but wonderful.” It was. Even if Chef George is a dick.

  “So, you okay?” He’s studying me like I might break.

  “I’m good.” And I mean it. “I’ve been going so much that I hadn’t really sat with my grandparents until last night.” It didn’t take lo
ng to see how bad she really was. Anything from the past, like when she was talking to Joy about the gardens at Baxter was as clear as if they were there yesterday. The events of the past two years, however, were a fog. She didn’t know who the president was, or that Mom was dead, and a part of me wonders if her brain just won’t accept it.

  Then, watching Gramps trying to move around was just painful. More for him, physically, than me. Wanting them to stay was selfish. They’ve lived good lives and it is time for them to be somewhere comfortable where they’ll be cared for.

  “So, what do you want to do first?”

  I do a slow turn and stop to look out the back window. “What is Joy doing?”

  Sean comes up and puts an arm around my waist. It’s so easy to just lean into him.

  “She came over early to distract your grandmother while your grandfather packed up the clothing. Joy promised her to take care of the garden while they were away.”

  “Away?”

  “She thinks they are vacationing.”

  I slowly nod. Gramps started calling their trip today a vacation, which Grams was okay with.

  “Joy doesn’t have to do that.”

  “She wants to. Seeing Doris, brought back some good memories and she wants to do this for her.”

  “Then I’ll have to hire her to keep up on it since I was not born with a green thumb.” She never said anything when she came in this morning to put out the centerpieces and decorate the various tables. We talked, but she didn’t tell me she’d been here or that she’d be back.

  As I’m watching. She stands, then grabs some weeds, tosses them in a wheel barrow and drops them into a large recyclable trash bag. Then she takes off her gloves and heads to the house.

  I go outside. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  She’s grinning. “I wanted to, for Doris.”

  “It looks really nice.” Especially when I see how much is actually blooming out here. So much of it had been hidden by weeds and grass.

  “It’s a pretty backyard. I wish I had one.”

  “She lives in an apartment with a lovely view of the street,” Sean says.

  “You can come and play in my backyard anytime you want.”

  “I’ll take you up on that.” She laughs. “But, I gotta go.” She starts heading toward the gate but stops. “Hey, how did it go? Do you think you’re going to like it?”

  “It felt good to be cooking again,” I answer honestly.

  “So, you don’t think Chef George is a dick?”

  I bite my tongue. I’m not going to trash someone else on the first day of work.

  She laughs. “I do too.” Then she is gone.

  “How bad is he?” Sean asks as we head in.

  “Not that bad. Ego before brains, but we’ll do fine.”

  I blow out another sigh when we are inside. Where do I start? Kitchen, living room? How bad is it anywhere else?

  “Pizza?” Sean asks.

  “Yep.” Kitchen first. Until this place is cleaned and organized, I won’t be able to do anything else.

  There is a box of garbage bags on the counter and I grab one and open the first cupboard. The one with all the canned food. I’ll hang on to some because Kaden likes to eat this stuff, being only eight and all, but some of it has to go. Like the expired cans in the back that were purchased like ten years ago. That’s what happens when you live in the same place for decades.

  By the time I’m finished, I have two boxes of food that is still good but I don’t want. “Do you know any place that will take this?”

  “Sure do.” Sean takes them and sets them by the front door just as the pizza arrives.

  He brings it into the kitchen and sets it on the counter. Gramps took the kitchen table too. I go to grab plates out of the cupboard but they’re dusty at the edges. He took the top half of the stack with him.

  Sean grabs the paper towels. “Plates aren’t necessary for pizza.”

  He’s right of course.

  “Wine?”

  “I’m afraid I’ll stop working if I start drinking.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  I stare at the bottle. It’s been a rough week and it’s not like anyone else is living here right now. Kaden won’t be back until next Sunday. “Not at all.”

  He starts going through the drawers. “No corkscrew?”

  “Probably not. Grams wouldn’t allow any alcohol in the house.”

  “I’ll get one from across the street.”

  “No need,” I call as I head up the stairs. “I always travel with one.”

  And, it’s just where I left it. In the top zipper part of my suitcase, where it lives so I always have it when going anywhere.

  We don’t have any wine glasses, but Gramps left clean coffee cups and that’s good enough for me.

  21

  She started tackling the house practically the minute she walked in. I really hope it isn’t to bury her feelings or avoid what’s really happening.

  But, Noelle does seem okay.

  “What’s next?” I ask her after we settle on the couch, the box of pizza and bottle of wine on the table in front of us.

  “Clean this place.”

  It is kind of dirty.

  “Buy things.”

  She says it like she wants to go on a spending spree.

  “He took the coffee pot. I cannot live without one, if you must know.”

  I laugh because whenever ours has broken, someone is headed to the store to get a new one within five minutes.

  “Though, an espresso machine would be amazing. I miss the one that’s back in Paris.”

  “So have you thought about what you want to do with the place?” I have. It’s what I thought about all day.

  “Not really. You’re better at answering that than me. What does need to be done, besides a good cleaning?”

  “The plumbing is good. I checked that out earlier. The wiring, on the other hand, could really use an upgrade.

  “Is it safe?”

  “For now, but it’s older and I’d feel better if it was all replaced.”

  “Then I guess that’s what we’ll do first.” She bites into her pizza.

  “How much of an upgrade you’ll need to decide, though.

  “How so? Wiring is wiring, right?”

  “It all depends on what you decide to do with the kitchen. If you are going to renovate and consider opening the catering business here, it’s something to think about. You might even want to keep this floor separate from the rest of the house.”

  “That is so far down the road.”

  “It’s better to do it all at once, planning for every contingency, than to keep going back.” Plus, I want her thinking of her dream, and not just fixing an old house.

  “I guess.”

  This may seem like too much right now, but until she came back, it was her dream. The one she shared with Moira. “Play along with me. When you saw your catering business, what did you see?”

  Noelle takes a sip of wine then smiles a little. “The prefect kitchen with plenty of room to work and another area where we could meet with clients. Moira would have her desk and office area, but she didn’t want to be in an office. She wanted to be out there with a sitting area, maybe at a table where we could sit down with potential clients. The reception, office, and meeting area were hers to decide. The kitchen was mine.”

  “Okay, then we build that kitchen and leave this open.”

  “I don’t need that size of a kitchen for myself.” She laughs.

  “Your kitchen will be on the second floor.”

  She blinks at me.

  “That is where you will live. The second floor, where your Grams and Gramps had their bedroom will become your living, dining, and kitchen. Then the next two floors will still have bed and bathrooms and plenty of room.”

  “This is a big house. More than we need.” She looks around. “But I hate to put all that work in on this floor if nothing comes of our dream.”

  �
��If you don’t do it now, when will you take time to start building for your dream?”

  She takes another drink of her wine and sits silently.

  “Look, your grandfather gave me a lot of money toward your renovations. A lot. Do it now, while you can, instead of playing catch-up later. When you and Moira are ready to go, you’ll be set instead of being stalled because you have to build or find a place.”

  “That’s true. Plus, we won’t have to rent or buy.” She starts smiling. “And, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll still have a dream kitchen.”

  “So, you’ll let me put some designs together?”

  It’s not only my dream but Sean’s as well. He wants to renovate and have his own company. Why the hell shouldn’t we go for it now? Even if I don’t have the business right away, I’ll have the place. And, he’s right. Why wait when the hard work can be done now?

  “Let’s do it.” I grab my laptop. “But, I want Moira as part of the conversation.”

  “Fine by me.”

  I connect with Moira and wait for her to come on. “What’s up?” she asks as she appears on the screen, wearing very little. “Crap.” Then she’s gone and back a moment later wearing a towel.

  “Sorry about that.”

  “A little warning next time.”

  “It’s not like you were naked.” I laugh.

  “Who’s the guy?” She’s focused on Sean and I make quick introductions. “He’s going to renovate the house.”

  “Great!”

  “We’re going to operate the business from here.”

  Her eyes widen. “How?”

  I look at Sean and he explains. By the time he’s finished, Moira is practically bouncing with excitement.

  “What I need you to do is send me photo references of how you see your area for your office, meeting with clients, and that type of thing. Noelle will tell me what to do with the kitchen.”

  “This is so exciting.”

  I’m laughing at her enthusiasm as much as my own. It’s like I finally found the right path again after being lost in the woods.

  “Well, I already have an entire Pinterest page devoted to looks I like.”