Cape Hope Capers

by Winnie Reed

  He smiled for the first time since I’d met him. “It’s funny. I have a hard time imagining him like that. He’s had a hard go of it. Thanks to me, mostly.”

  “Why you?” I asked, careful to be gentle. I didn’t want to come off like I was prying, but anything I could learn about this mysterious man would be helpful.

  Just what sort of person was he? There had to be more to him than just a cad who’d used and discarded a girl once she got pregnant.

  “I was a handful. My parents died when I was a toddler. I barely remember them, no matter how hard I try. Of course, the passage of time doesn’t help things. He raised me, rather than letting me go to an orphanage. He always said it was the least he could do.”

  To think of it. He’d run away from his responsibility to Millicent, but then ended up caring for his nephew. Like karma wouldn’t allow him to run away for long.

  “That’s a shame, I’m sorry about your parents.”

  “I made out pretty okay, believe me. He was a good uncle. Still is. Strict, you know? Hard on me. Old school, like the kids say today. I rebelled, like we were all doing in those days. Grew my hair out, the whole thing. Got in a little trouble here and there. He always took me back every time I ran off. I figure the least I can do for him now is make sure nobody hurts him or takes advantage of him when he’s not all there anymore.”

  “It’s that bad?” Joe asked. He’d calmed considerably and was finally starting to sound more like a human.

  “He has good days, don’t get me wrong. But yeah, it’s getting worse. I go in to see him a few times a week to make sure he’s okay. Not that I don’t trust the staff, but you never know. When my wife was sick—just in the hospital, mind you, not in a home like that—her things would sometimes mysteriously walk off while she was sleeping.”

  “I’m sure that can be a real problem,” I mused. This was a good man, and to my surprise Frank sounded like a good man, too. Like he’d done everything he could to make up for his big mistake by taking care of a rebellious nephew.

  “Anyway, when Bridget called yesterday to say he was in a state and you were the one who made him that way, I looked you up and came down as soon as I could this morning. I was really fixing to give you a piece of my mind.”

  “And you did.” I grinned. “But it’s okay. I would’ve done the same thing.”

  He jerked his chin toward the café. “That’s your mother in there?”

  “Yes. It’s her place.”

  “She’s tough,” he chuckled. “I’m glad you brought me out here. I thought she might take a rolling pin to my head or something. Like I said, my wife would’ve talked me outta doing this if she was alive. Women usually have more sense about these things.”

  “Sometimes. I never should’ve visited your uncle yesterday. I really am sorry for upsetting him.”

  “It happens. He gets upset over plenty of things I can’t understand.” He stood, shaking Joe’s hand. “My apologies.”

  “No need,” Joe assured him.

  “I’ll drive back out to see him now, make sure he’s okay,” Charlie said. “Thanks for not holding an old man’s temper against him.”

  “I don’t. No worries.” Since he was in such a good mood now, I figured it was worth a shot. “Would you mind taking my number? Just in case he does remember something. I know I’m being a pain—”

  “You’re not. Like I said, he has his good days, too.” He pulled out a flip phone; it was precious, it really was, just like the little clip attached to his belt to hold it. And entered my number. “And tell your mother I’m sorry. I’d go in and tell her myself, but like I said. Rolling pin.” He chuckled as he replaced his phone in its clip.

  I was laughing as we shook hands, and stood next to Joe as Charlie walked away. “I can’t imagine how stressful it must be, taking care of somebody in that condition,” I whispered. “Always worried somebody’s taking advantage of Frank. And he’s a widower, too. Poor guy.”

  “At least we know Frank seems like a decent person,” Joe offered.

  “Which doesn’t add up, does it?” I turned to him, frowning. “That’s not the guy who’d abandon his girlfriend. You saw how he looked at her in that picture. Like she hung the moon.”

  “A baby can change a lot of things.”

  I couldn’t help but think of Holly and my father. “Yeah. No kidding.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “You really don’t have to hang around.” Darcy finished shelving an armful of new books before turning to me. “I’m sure Lola would like to go home and rest there.”

  “Not after you spent the night last night, helping me with her. The least I can do is help you stock before closing.” Lola was snoozing away in her bed behind the counter, anyway, so it wasn’t like she cared. She was taking well to the cast, though watching her walk with that leg held carefully in the air broke my heart every time.

  It would be a long month for both of us.

  Foot traffic on Main Street was starting to quiet down. Right on schedule, too, with it being nearly eight o’clock. There was way too much fun to be had on the boardwalk.

  “It’s a shame what happened with Frank,” Darcy sighed, leaning against one of the bookshelves. “I mean, all the way around. Even if he did abandon his girlfriend and baby, nobody deserves that sort of ending.”

  “I know. At least he has somebody who cares enough to check in with him. Not everybody has that.” I pulled another stack out of a box and started to shelve the books. “I hope I do when the time comes. At this rate, I won’t. Who’d wanna put up with me for that long?”

  “Oh, knock it off.” She snickered. “I bet Joe would. He’s that sort of guy. Stand-up. Solid.”

  “Stop putting ideas in my head. Are you collaborating with Mom on this? Did she tell you what to say?”

  She threw her hands into the air. “No! Dork. I’m capable of my own observations and opinions, and I see what I see. That’s all.”

  “If you say so,” I muttered, totally not believing her. “No, he’ll go back to work next week or later this week or whenever he’s supposed to, and he’ll forget all about me in favor of his job. Which I guess is the way it should be. Same with Deke. I’m fun when a guy has time on his hands, but after that?”

  I didn’t get the chance to finish my thought, nor did my sister have the chance to argue with me. The door opened and a new customer stepped into the shop. “I hope I’m not here too late.”

  Darcy’s jaw just about hit the floor. It was a good thing she wasn’t holding any books, because she would’ve dropped them on her feet.

  Holly didn’t venture any further into the store, only far enough that the door would close behind her. She folded her hands, chewed her lip, and looked monumentally uncomfortable. But she’d made the attempt. That much, I had to give her credit for.

  Instead of saying a word to her, Darcy turned to me. Her jaw snapped shut. Her eyes narrowed.

  “What?” I asked. “You have a customer.”

  “I was hoping you might carry baby books someplace around here,” Holly offered. Boy, was she nervous, right down to the tremor in her voice. I caught her eye and tried to encourage her without saying anything.

  Darcy stammered. “Uh. Um. Yeah, we do. I can show you where we stock them.”

  “That would be nice. Thanks.”

  When my sister wasn’t looking, I gave Holly a thumbs up. So far, so good.

  I then walked around the counter and positioned myself behind it so I could watch from afar as they made extremely awkward, extremely painful and stilted conversation. But Darcy hadn’t thrown her out of the store, which seemed like a good sign.

  “This one’s pretty much the baby bible,” Darcy said, holding up a copy of What To Expect When You’re Expecting. “I carry it because the women who see other women picking up a copy swear by it every time, without fail. But there are a few other books here which cover different topics. And a book of baby names, too.”

  “Thanks. I need a
ll the help I can get. I’m completely clueless about this. I guess I spent too much time worrying about my career and didn’t bother paying attention to my pregnant girlfriends,” Holly admitted.

  “But here you are now, right? It happened when it was supposed to.”

  Even I was surprised to hear Darcy say that. I thought Holly might fall over.

  Darcy’s face scrunched up a little like she was fighting off a strong wave of emotion. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to get all weepy.”

  “No, no, it’s okay. I hope—”

  “It’s not your fault,” Darcy assured her, shaking her head while trying to keep herself under control. She was losing the battle, though, whenever her face got splotchy and her nose went red, she was good and worked up. “I told myself to treat you like any ordinary customer, but you’re not. And the baby isn’t some stranger.”

  “I really hope that’s true,” Holly murmured. “Because I don’t want the baby to be a stranger. I don’t want you to be a stranger to us, any of us. I’ve missed getting to know you. I don’t ask you to be my best friend. I don’t expect that. But I’d like us to get to know each other. And I know your dad wants you to be part of the baby’s life.”

  Lola licked my foot when she noticed I was crying my eyes out. I wasn’t sure how this would turn out when I’d first set it up. I thought Darcy might kick both Holly and me out of the store and out of her life. But I could never in a million years have imagined this.

  I left them to their conversation in favor of bending to give Lola a kiss. “See? Sometimes I get things right. I needed a win. We both did, right?” She licked my hand in agreement.

  Darcy joined me at the counter. “I still don’t know whether or not I wanna kill you,” she whispered.

  “You don’t. You know you don’t.” I grinned at Holly and started ringing up her books. “Have you started thinking about names yet?”

  “I’m afraid we’ll run through at least a hundred names by the time the baby comes,” she admitted. “I’ve always imagined naming my daughter, if I had one, after my mother. He doesn’t agree.”

  “What’s her name?” I asked.

  She grimaced. “Ursula.”

  Darcy and I waited a split second before the laughter burst out of both of us.

  Holly was a good sport about it. “Hey! It’s a nice name!” she insisted, giggling.

  “Yeah, but I can’t help thinking about The Little Mermaid when I hear that name,” Darcy shrugged. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed.”

  “Anyway, your dad hates the idea. It’s gonna be a while before we reach common ground.” Holly craned her neck to see behind the counter. “Oh, my gosh! He told me about the cast and everything but I never imagined! Poor sweetheart!”

  “Don’t let her fool you.” I smirked. “She knows how pitiful she is, and she plays it for all she’s worth. But I wouldn’t deny her anything, especially not now.”

  Her face darkened. “I just about died when that awful guy came into the diner, raving about some girl and her dog. The minute he said Maltese, we knew who he meant. I hope you hit him, the jerk.”

  “I should’ve, especially since he shoved me,” I grumbled, thrusting the books into a tote bag. Just thinking about it got my adrenaline pumping all over again, like I was right back in that situation. “Screaming at me that it was none of my business whether he settled Millicent’s estate or not. I mean, granted, maybe it’s not technically my business, but he could’ve come up with a straight answer. He refused.”

  “I heard through the grapevine that he put up a stink when the house was donated with the purpose of having it turned into a museum,” Holly confided, looking from me to Darcy. “I don’t know why he cared, but he did. He went to the historical society and everything.”

  “What’s with this guy?” Darcy asked.

  “Entitled,” I decided. “Still thinks his opinion matters. Mad that Millicent didn’t leave him anything, though to hear him talk about it he was her best friend and closest confidant. She gave him permission to call her Millie, don’t you know.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Anyway, he’s a creep. He’d better hope I don’t see him around town.” Holly’s eyes narrowed menacingly.

  “Same here,” Darcy agreed. Even though we were talking about a pretty unpleasant person, it was so good to see them agreeing about something. This was the common ground they could build something on, I just knew it.

  Their mutual dislike of Bernard Lewis, and the baby. What a strange world it was.

  I gave Holly another thumbs up before she left. She smiled from ear to ear. I could practically feel the relief pouring off her.

  “I won’t pretend I’m thrilled about that,” Darcy murmured when we were alone.

  “I don’t expect you to be thrilled. But she’s nice, right? You two seemed to hit it off.”

  “It’s easier to be nice to somebody than it is to be a jerk to them,” she sighed. “And yeah, she seems like a good person. I can tell she’s sincerely excited about the baby.”

  “And the name Ursula,” I reminded her with a chuckle.

  “Yeah, let’s make sure that doesn’t happen. No offense to the Ursulas of the world, but that’s a very big name for a very little baby.” Darcy started turning out the lights while I opened Lola’s stroller.

  “She won’t always be little—if it’s even a girl,” I pointed out. “It could be a boy, and this will all be moot.”

  “The son Dad always wanted.” A sad little smile played over Darcy’s lips. “I do miss him.”

  “I know you do. You don’t have to, though.”

  “I know. But how do you walk back years of refusing to talk to somebody?”

  The fact that she was willing to even suggest repairing their relationship made my pulse quicken. If I was dreaming, I hoped nobody woke me up.

  “You just do it,” I shrugged. “You just show up and do it. I know he’d be happy to see you and talk to you. No pressure, but think about it.”

  “I will. I mean, I do. All the time, to be honest. I’m too stubborn.”

  “That’s something I think we all have in common.” I settled Lola in just before my phone rang.

  “Hmm. Joe, maybe? Or Deke? Or some boyfriend nobody knows about yet?”

  “I couldn’t tell you. I don’t know the number.” I answered anyway, though I rarely did when I didn’t know who was calling.

  Maybe it was instinct telling me this was important.

  “Is this Emma? It’s Charlie Welburn.”

  Like my heart wasn’t already racing a mile a minute. “Charlie? Hi, yeah, this is Emma.” I held up a hand to silence my sister. “What’s up?”

  There was a nervous edge to his voice. “Can you come? I know it’s getting late, but something happened I think you’ll wanna hear about.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “You can’t bring a dog in here!” The girl behind the front desk at the nursing home just about jumped over the counter when she saw me wheel the stroller into the lobby.

  There was no time for this. I might’ve been a little more strident than I need to be when I answered. “She’s strapped in, she’s hypoallergenic, and she has a broken leg. I can’t leave her home alone. Charlie Welburn called to tell me his uncle wants to speak to me. He’s having one of his clear nights when he remembers things. I have to see him.”

  “I don’t know.” She folded her arms, looking at me and my sister in turn.

  “Please. We came all the way from Cape Hope and probably broke a hundred laws trying to get here before it was too late and he was too tired,” Darcy pleaded. “Who knows when he’ll want to talk to her again? Or if he will?”

  “Charlie said it sounded important, and Frank was starting to get agitated at the idea of my not coming.” I was practically jumping up and down, desperate to get to his room before the fog settled in and he couldn’t remember why he wanted to see me in the first place. “Please, please, let us go.”

  “All right.” The g
irl sighed. “I give up.” She called out to somebody working in the office behind the front desk before stepping out to lead the way through the maze.

  My palms were sweat-slicked. What did Frank want with me? What had he remembered? What was so important that we almost broke our necks getting there?

  Charlie was waiting for us by the door when we arrived at the room. He looked bemused at the sight of the stroller—and my sister—but ushered us inside without protest. “He’s been practically climbing the walls, waiting for you,” he murmured as I passed him on my way in.

  Sure enough, Frank was sitting at the edge of his bed in a pair of striped pajamas, tapping his feet on the floor. When he saw me, a look of utter relief washed over him. “Thank God you finally got here. I’ve been wanting to talk to you, young lady.”

  He sounded stern enough to stop me in my tracks. “Oh. Okay. What about?” I half expected him to ask what I thought I was doing, staying out past curfew.

  Instead, he sighed deeply. “Where did you find that picture? The one you showed me?”

  “You remember that?” I fished it out of my purse and held it out. “You can see it again. It was in a book, donated to my sister’s store. This is my sister, Darcy.”

  He nodded but was more interested in the picture. There was a lamp at his bedside, and he moved closer to it so he could see better. “There she is,” he whispered, his thumb stroking Millicent’s image. “There she is.”

  That simple gesture alone brought tears to my eyes.

  “So that’s you in the photo with her,” I murmured, moving closer. “You were her…”

  “We didn’t call it anything,” he was quick to explain in a choked voice. I gave him a second to clear his throat. When he continued, he never took his eyes from the picture. “We didn’t have to. Besides, I couldn’t sport her around town in the open. The old man never would’ve allowed that.”

  “Her father?”

  “George.” He spat the name out like it was poison. “That pompous old thing. Never liked the notion of her running around with a boy whose father did the gardening. She had to marry a DuPont or somebody of that ilk. I was never good enough. But she got her way, let me tell you. Nobody stood in Millie’s way when she wanted something.”