One Hot Summer

by Heidi McLaughlin

  Sitting at the table, he took in everything around him, but mostly focused on her and the way she smiled at her customers, hugged the ones she knew from what seems like a lifetime ago, and talked lovingly about the Java Hut.

  He stayed until he ran out of excuses, not that she bothered to come check on him and see if he needed anything else. No, the Java Hut wasn’t that sort of place. He was a big boy and if he desired more coffee, he’d have to get up and get it himself. Thing was, he gave her his last twenty and couldn’t see himself using his credit card to order a refill. Although, he’s done dumber things in his life, letting Taffy leave him was at the top of that list.

  5

  Kelly

  Kelly couldn’t find enough things to do around the shop to keep her busy, let alone keep her mind off the fact that Danny Weatherly, her high school love and the boy who was going to change her world all those years ago, was sitting in her café, taking his sweet time drinking his espresso. When there was a lull in customers, she cleaned and cleaned again, and made notes about possible sandwiches she’d like to have on her menu and found herself naming them Danny, Danny Broke my Heart, Danny the Jerk. She crumpled the piece of paper and tossed it into the trash, only to start over again, but the names seemed too generic and she wasn’t happy with them. If she was going to create a lunch menu, she wanted it to stand out and be something everyone remembered.

  Every so often, she’d look up and stare at Danny while his attention was focused elsewhere. He looked the same, only older and with that ridiculously sexy stubble that defined his sharp jaw. When he had stood at her counter and she looked into his brown eyes, her knees knocked together. She tried to play it cool. That was until he asked if she remembered him. She had never forgotten.

  She also watched the dog, which sat obediently outside, hoping it was his and not a stray that had taken up residence by her door. Her daughter would be beside herself happy if a dog found its way into their lives. She’s asked for one in the past, but living in an apartment in New York City, Kelly thought it was inhumane to keep a dog locked up all the time, without the freedom to run around.

  When Danny would try to catch her eye, she’d turned away and pick up a rag or jot something random down on her notepad. What she should do was start baking for tomorrow’s morning rush, instead of gawking at the eye candy occupying one of her tables. Didn’t he have a job? A family to tend to? Somewhere else he needed to be other than her café?

  Her pastries barely lasted through the morning and even the brownies sold out, which she thought would serve as after school treats for Kori, Carolyn and Brett, but she was mistaken. She would have to triple what they made last night in order to meet the demand, which was definitely not a bad problem to have on your opening day.

  As much as Kelly wanted to get to work, she couldn’t leave Danny sitting there by himself. She prided herself on being hospitable. She wanted people in town saying nothing but positive things about Java Hut. She had already towed the line when she wouldn’t speak to him earlier. She would have to rectify that but wasn’t sure she could get her mouth to work in his presence.

  She decided to sweep the floor. It wasn’t dirty, but she was doing anything she could to keep her eyes away from the boy-turned-devilishly-handsome-man who had stolen her heart, all while standing as close as she could to him without being obvious.

  She waited for him to say something to her so she could respond in kind and apologize for being standoffish when he came in, but he said nothing. His cup was empty, she noticed, and she thought about offering him a free refill since he tipped her so generously. However, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything, primarily because she didn’t know what to say.

  Coward.

  Their eyes met, he smiled, and her world stood still. She was back on the beach, sitting between his legs with his arms wrapped around her. All their friends were gathered around, everyone was laughing, and the waves crashed loudly toward them. Everyone talked about what they should do as a group for summer vacation. The last summer vacation together before people went their separate ways for college. Danny and Kelly had already made plans and he whispered them into her ear, reminding her of their road trip out west. The plan was to leave six weeks before school started and drive across the country, stopping and seeing all the sights they could, falling in love more and more, and finally he would drop her off at her dorm at Santa Clara, and he would continue down the road to Stanford.

  Their plan was flawless, until the unthinkable happened and her life changed. She was no longer the popular girl, no longer on the ballot for prom queen and instead she was made fun of constantly, thanks to Danny.

  If they were sharing a moment, it had passed once Kelly remembered clearly how things ended with them. She opened her mouth to tell him how she felt all those years ago, how she still felt, and how coming back to Gray, knowing those who tormented her were still around, was one of the hardest decisions she’s ever had to make, thanks to him. Instead of saying those things, she shook her head and retreated behind her counter and through the door where she didn’t have to look at stupid Danny Weatherly anymore.

  She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Her chest heaved up and down, there were signs of an impending panic attack if she didn’t get her breathing under control. Years of therapy were undone by a single visit, and it didn’t make much sense. He may have committed the act that spiraled everything out of control, but it was the people she thought of as friends who made her life a living hell. If she had an ounce of luck, he’d be gone by the time she was able to compose herself. Her phone rang and she reached for it, answering breathlessly on the first ring.

  “Please tell me you met some incredibly sexy surfer and you’re having wild monkey sex in the kitchen.” The voice of Melody sang through the receiver.

  “First, gross. Second, have you ever seen monkeys have sex? If so, was it really wild and out of control or are you just making that up? Third, there’s a hot surfer in my café, but no, we’re not having sex. I would never do that, especially with this man. Why didn’t you tell me Danny was in town?” Kelly whined to her best friend.

  “Danny’s there?”

  “Mel?”

  “Because you wouldn’t have come back and call me selfish, I wanted you here. Your parents wanted you and Kori back in Gray. Now tell me, is Danny there?”

  “No, he’s on the beach having wild monkey sex with some chick. Where else would he be, Mel? Of course, he’s here.” Kelly pushed the kitchen door open slightly and peered out. Sure enough, he was still sitting at the table, doing something on his phone. “What I want to know is why you didn’t tell me.”

  “Honestly, Kel, I didn’t think it was an issue anymore. It’s been fifteen years. You got married and had Kori, and Danny… he moved back a few years ago and sort of keeps to himself. He doesn’t even hang out with Chad or anything so it’s not like we’re in the same circle.”

  “Does he hang out with the…” Kelly sighed. She couldn’t even bring herself to mention the rest of the people she used to call friends.

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Danny looked shocked. He called me Taffy.” She looked out the door, only to find him gone. Part of her was relieved while the other part rejoiced with happiness that she could let her guard down. “I wasn’t prepared.”

  “For what? How hot is he? Geez, Kel, can you even imagine...” Melody didn’t have to finish her sentence because Kelly was already imagining what life with Danny would’ve been like or could be like, if she were open to exploring relationships again. She was definitely off the market until Kori turned eighteen and graduated from high school. She figured that would be a good time to take an adventure, maybe to Europe and fall in love with a man named Alejandro or something equally exotic. Until then her focus was on raising Kori as a single hardworking mom.

  “I’ll never get over what happened, what he did.”

  “And I’m sure he never got over it either, which is why I t
hink he just does his own thing around town.”

  “But the damage was done.” Kelly closed her eyes. “Why did I come back here?”

  “Because we’re your family and we love you and we’re going to protect you from the big bad crazy world.”

  “Does that include Danny?”

  “Definitely, not.” Melody laughed. “Talk to him, Kel. Find out what he’s been up to. He might surprise you.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “Not with that kind of attitude. We’ll talk more when I drop Kori off. Go find Danny. Kiss and make up.”

  Kelly rolled her eyes. “I don’t even know where to find him.”

  Melody laughed. “If you think hard enough, you’ll know where to look.”

  Kelly hung up and walked back into the café, her mind reeling with questions, but needing to keep her focus on the café. She’d be open for the rest of the afternoon, serving coffee to anyone who needed a pick me up. She stood in the doorway and watched as people strolled up and down the boardwalk by-passing her little shop. Not a single one of them giving her a second glance. It was too warm for hot coffee and right now that’s all she had to offer.

  She quickly grabbed her wholesaler catalog again and made a quick list of everything she’d need. She was going to expand her drinks menu immediately. Java Hut would become a hot spot for tourists and residents, even if she went bankrupt doing it.

  With her list in hand, she called and placed the order. After, she looked around her work area, wondering where she was going to put the flavoring for the Italian Iced drinks and the blender for her frozen drinks. “You didn’t think that one through very well,” she mused aloud.

  “Talking to yourself?”

  Kelly looked up at the sound of her dad’s voice. He came around and gave his daughter a hug. “How was opening day?”

  “Busy, but since noon it’s been dead in here. I don’t have anything to offer past the breakfast rush. I spoke to Chad earlier about my plans to expand with a lunch menu and I just placed an order for an assortment of drinks, but the space as is doesn’t allow for it.”

  Her dad, a jack of all trades and local handyman, pulled out his measuring tape and started mumbling to himself. “How much decaf did you sell today?”

  “Maybe a pot, why?”

  “Here’s what I’m thinking. Let’s move the decaf to the back, which will open this space here for everything to shift down. You’ll want your cold drinks to be made near the ice machine anyway. Tonight, I’ll build you a cabinet to put at the end there that’ll give you some additional storage, with extra countertop space. Unless you want to close down for six to eight weeks and let me do a full remodel.”

  The sound of closing made her heart hurt, but she loved the idea of a full remodel. The café wasn’t functional in its current state, at least not for what she had planned. The space was odd, and a different configuration utilizes the space better. “Closing would be out of the question. I’ll miss the height of tourism season.”

  Her father leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I’d never let you close right now, but come this winter, I think we should look at it. Until then, let me make sure everything is functional.”

  “Thank you, Dad.”

  “You’re welcome. Now, how about I run over to Pete’s and pick us up a pizza to share?”

  “Sounds good. Better grab some sodas while you’re there, unless you want coffee.”

  “Soda and pizza. I’ll be right back.”

  Kelly followed her father out, stopped and leaned against the doorjamb. She looked out toward the ocean, she could see people surfing and the parking lot off to the side was full of cars. It’d be only a matter of a few days until the streets became so crowded the locals didn’t dare venture out. Surprisingly, she was looking forward to it. Late spring and summer had always been her favorite time of year in Gray, and now she was in the heart of it all.

  6

  Danny

  Danny walked to his office in a stupor, trying to reason how or why he spent hours sitting in a café letting his coffee grow cold, yet still drinking it, instead of going up to Kelly and speaking to her. For the life of him, he couldn’t come up with a healthy explanation. He could say it was because the girl who he once considered the love of this life was in the same general location as he, a woman he hadn’t seen or spoken to in years but thought of often. She was right there, within arm’s reach, and earshot of hearing him if he were to speak, sweeping the floor and all he could do was glance at her in quick succession.

  How had he not heard that Kelly had bought the café or that she was even in town? Not a single word or warning from Chad, who certainly knew, or anyone else in Gray. It would be completely out of character for Kelly to do anything unplanned, unless of course she’s changed. Time does that to people, change them. But that doesn’t negate the fact that her return stayed tightlipped. It’s one thing for someone new to move to town, it takes a while for the wildfire of gossip to spread, but not the reemergence of one of their own. This is front-page news, headline making. Yet, he was the last to know.

  He was surprised a parade or party wasn’t planned to welcome her home. Maybe there was and the notice was in his pile of junk mail. Not likely since Martha would’ve told him because the Women’s Guild would definitely have a float made, that was their thing – over the top celebrations. Nope, a parade wasn’t Kelly’s style. She’s the least unassuming person he’d ever known, being one of the attributes that drew him to her. They could hide in the shadows together, yet be a formidable couple when need be.

  Danny vaguely remembered the walk from Java Hut to his office and was happily surprised when he looked down to find Rambo sitting by his feet, waiting for his master to open the office door. He turned and looked out to the front of the street, wondering where he left his van, and hoped it’s at the beach. Of course, that’s where it is, becoming annoyed with his state of confusion. He felt around his pocket for his keys but found nothing.

  Damn.

  He opened the door to office, and welcomed the quietness, which he’d learned to love about having a small-town practice. Busy, he was not, and right now, he needed a moment or two to gather his thoughts to try to remember where it was he left his belongings. Unfortunately, for him, the peacefulness lasted only seconds with Martha’s voice rising to an octave he hadn’t ever heard come from her.

  He almost fell to the ground when she tackled him, which was her attempt at a flying hug or some new technique she must’ve learned at her ninja class. He groaned and bent over, trying to catch his breath, which he knew wasn’t how things worked. It seemed that all his doctoring skills were going out of the window, along with his ability to remember where he left his keys.

  “Isn’t she beautiful? Did you ask her out?” Martha’s words came at him rapidly. She clapped her hands together, waiting for him to respond.

  “Who?” Danny knew well and good who she was referring to, but thought about playing this game a bit longer. Anything really, to prolong the gut punch he was trying to recover from. As the ache subsided, he righted himself and waited for the confusion on Martha’s face to lessen. He cocked his eyebrow and turned his head slightly to the side, as if to tell her he has no idea who or what she’s referring to.

  “Ms. Franklin, the single woman who bought Java Hut. You spent the morning with her.”

  “I did no such thing.”

  Martha opened her mouth to protest but smiled instead. She waggled her finger at him. “Tricky. You almost had me there, Doc. You didn’t “spend” time together, right.” The air quotes almost made Danny laugh. What didn’t make him laugh, was the gossip. He knew Kelly would not appreciate this given their history.

  “I stopped in for coffee and a muffin, like most people in town did this morning to help support a member of the community and a business. It’s what the people of Gray, North Carolina do.” Danny hoped this would suffice. Yet, as the features of her face changed, he knew it wouldn’t. He had called her ear
lier to check his schedule, and she would’ve assumed he had been surfing. Yet his hair was completely dry, and his van was missing. Well parked at the beach he hoped.

  No, it was… he was sure of it — pretty sure anyway. Maybe? Since when does Dr. Weatherly forget anything?

  “You stayed for coffee. Long after your muffin was gone. You sat there.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “I have my sources.” She sported a wicked little grin.

  “I was thinking.”

  “It took you four hours to think?”

  He looked down at his watch to verify the time. He wasn’t sure what time he stepped into the café, but his usual morning surf lasted for about an hour or so. He calculated that he stepped foot in the Java Hut between eight and nine, and now it was almost noon. Had he really spent the entire morning sitting on that wrought iron chair, searching for a way to speak to Kelly? It seemed he had. “I had a lot on my mind.”

  I apparently lost my mind…

  He left her with those words as he made his way to his office. He shut the door as soon as he walked in, something he’s never done. Not that it did anything to deter Martha because it opened almost immediately. He looked at her, then his dog, who looked rather put off as he ambled to his bed.

  “I’ve never seen you like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “Flustered over a woman.”

  Danny sighed. He was flustered, in so many ways. He wanted to know more about her and what her life had become, but at the same time, he felt sorry for her because something had clearly happened to bring her back. From her last name alone, he knew she was married or at least used to be. The faint line on her ring finger indicated something had been there more recently. He hated thinking she had been hurt. He had done enough of that to her when they were teens and now all he could think about was how he could make her smile because she had the best smile. The kind that could melt your heart or make you weak in the knees.