“What shouldn’t he tell Eden?” Eden looked back over her shoulder at Nathan as she entered the office.
Jack’s eyes shot over to the ticket and then back to her. His heart raced. He couldn’t let her find it. Not yet. He tried to act casual as he sat down and opened the desk drawer and swept the ticket along with some other papers inside, and quickly slammed the drawer shut.
“Eden,” he said, leaning back in the chair with his hands behind his head. “I didn’t hear you coming.” He hoped she didn’t notice what he had done.
“Are you hiding something from me, Jack?” She narrowed her eyes and looked at him suspiciously. It was hard to get anything past her.
“Me? Hide? I don’t know what you mean. I was just talking over some plans with Nathan, that’s all.” He looked down into the trashcan, eyeing the cigarettes and really feeling like he needed one now. She walked up to him and looked down to see what he was staring at.
“Did you stop smoking, Jack?”
“Yep.”
“That’s great!” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “I knew you could do it.” Then her eyes traveled over to the desk drawer. “Oh, I think I know what this is about,” she said and plopped down atop his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, liking the way her body felt so close to his. She must know he’d bought the ticket, but she didn’t seem upset about it at all. But Jack was upset with himself, and had to explain to her why he’d done it.
“Oh, hell, Eden. I hope you’re not upset. I was only trying to do the right thing.”
“Upset?” she asked and laughed. “Why should I be? I’m thrilled about it.”
Well, maybe she didn’t want to stay with him after all. And maybe Jack was beating himself up over nothing.
“Ruthie told you my birthday was coming up, didn’t she? I bet you’re planning some sort of big surprise party and don’t want me to know about it.”
“Birthday?” asked Jack. She thought he had done something for her birthday? He hadn’t even the faintest idea when it was.
“Stop pretending you don’t know my birthday is on the same day you set for The Golden Talon’s grand opening. I bet that’s why you chose August 30th, wasn’t it? You sly devil.” She played with his hair and gave him a small kiss on the nose.
“I thought we chose that day because it was the feast day of Santa Rosa of Lima, some big fiesta day in Peru. Not to mention, it was a weekend and a good time to do business.”
“Jack, you are such a kidder. I’ll play along if you want and pretend I don’t know a thing.”
She didn’t know a thing about his plans, Jack realized. And there was no way to tell her about the ticket now. He’d have to wait until later. Or at least until after he had planned a party for her. After all, he couldn’t disappoint her when she had told him she was expecting one, could he? There was still time.
“So, what do you want at this little party of yours, Eden?” Jack loved the way Eden got excited, her blue eyes lighting up and her cute little mouth curving in a mischievous smile. Even those braids looked cute on her now. That was something Jack thought he’d never get used to. At least she wasn’t wearing that hideous big hat of hers. That was where he drew the line.
“Well, in Peru, we have all sorts of entertainment from la corrida, to horse racing, to cockfighting at festivals,” she explained.
“No horse racing in here,” said Jack. “And the only cock I know of doesn’t want to fight.”
“Jack.” She hit him playfully in the arm and blushed. Her cute little rump squirmed on his lap, making him excited. He knew Eden would notice.
“What is corrida?” he asked her.
“Bullfighting,” she answered with a smile. “Out of the question?”
“I get enough bull from my employees, I don’t need more.”
She looked at him strangely, and he figured his joke went over her head. “What else have you got?” he asked, shifting her so her legs straddled his waist. He pulled her closer and buried his face against her chest.
“Jack, stop it,” she said with a giggle. “We’ve got work to do. We need to plan this grand opening before your father returns, or have you forgotten?”
He hadn’t forgotten, although he wished he could. Facing his father after changing everything about his restaurant wasn’t something Jack was looking forward to at all. He turned her around and set her feet on the floor. Then he got up and paced the room.
“We can set up a sapo in the back of the bistro,” Eden suggested. “That is, if you don’t think it’s going a bit too far.”
He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. “Well now, that all depends,” said Jack. “What is a sapo?”
Eden laughed and put her arms around him, squeezing him in a hug. “Sorry, Jack. When I get excited I sometimes slip into the Quechua language, forgetting you don’t know it. Sapo means toad.”
“Toad?” Jack put his arms around her and looked down into her big blue eyes. “First you want horses, then cocks and bulls, and now you want toads?”
“It’s not a real toad,” she explained. “It’s a game. You use a large metal toad that has its mouth open. Everyone takes turns tossing disks to see who gets the closest. The one who gets the disk inside the toad’s mouth scores the highest.”
“Not a bad idea,” he said, thinking it could be fun. “Now we just need to find someone to play the part of the toad. Maybe we can get Nathan for the part, since he’s pretty ugly. No warts though, as far as I know.”
Eden’s laugh filled the room and also lightened Jack’s heart. She was the sunshine he needed in his dark life. But in another month, he would have to send her away. He looked over to the desk where the ticket lay hidden, having second thoughts about his decision. He wasn’t at all sure about anything anymore.
Chapter 22
Jack looked around the restaurant at the wonderful transformation that had taken place in the last few weeks. The bistro looked like a page right out of the travel encyclopedia depicting the life and style of the mountain people of Peru.
It was the first night of the chica fiesta, which Eden told him was a week of more or less total partying, playing music, eating –the works.
Business had picked up immensely since Martin Noble’s place was shut down. And when Mabel Durnsby’s coupon book came out a month early with The Golden Talon’s six-star rating listed, people were waiting at the door at opening time. Mabel had added an extra star, or made it up actually, right after she and Levi had stopped by on another visit last week to see how things were progressing. Eden had played the panpipe while Jack strummed along on the guitar. Of course, the fact that Jack gave Mabel flowers probably helped the matter some. He was so happy, that he could have kissed the old bitty, but just smiled and kissed Eden instead.
For some reason, Eden had been wearing only skirts lately and not those snug fitting jeans that kept looking better and better on her all the time. She even came up with the idea that the waitresses should wear the native costumes. Of course, Jack drew the line when she suggested they braid their hair and wear tall white hats as well.
Jack looked at his new bistro, amazed how it had flourished since the first time he’d laid eyes on the girl from Peru. He then spotted Eden across the room, greeting customers in her Quechua language of, napaykullayki, or hello.
“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” Ruthie walked up, wearing a bright pink skirt and a short black jacket. Jack actually thought she looked pretty good, especially since she no longer chomped on gum anymore. Eden had worked with her on her food cravings, and now Ruthie ate only at mealtimes and didn’t even need gum anymore.
“Yeah, that new hostess we hired is working out well,” said Jack, teasing Ruthie.
“That’s not who I’m talking about, Jack, and you know it.”
“Who then? The new waitresses? They’re not doing a bad job either.”
Jack’s business had picked up so much he even had
to hire more people to work the floor. Alfredo had come to him and told him he had family from Mexico coming to live with him who needed jobs. Jack not only hired Alfredo’s mother as hostess, but his six sisters as waitresses and his cousins to help in the kitchen and to bus the tables. And ever since some of his cousins had started helping cook, Alfredo hadn’t burned a thing.
Jack had explained to Alfredo he couldn’t pay them much right now, nor give him that raise he’d promised, but Alfredo said it didn’t matter. He was just happy Jack gave them jobs.
“I think Eden fits in nicely around here, don’t you?” asked Ruthie. “Tisha’s kids love her, and she’s a wonder with Alfredo’s family since most of the rest of us don’t know a word of Spanish.”
Ruthie was right. Jack didn’t know what he’d do without Eden. But he had the ticket sitting in his desk drawer, even though he still hadn’t told her he planned on sending her home soon.
“What’s the matter, Jack?” Ruthie hit him on the arm to get his attention. “You seem so distant lately. Aren’t you happy that Eden helped you turn this place around? Your father will be so proud that he’ll be busting buttons on his coat. He’ll give this place to you now, Jack. There’s no doubt about it. Doesn’t that make you happy?”
Jack nodded his head slightly. “Yeah. I’m happy,” he told her in an unconvincing voice.
“It sure doesn’t sound like it, Jack. You look tired. Maybe you haven’t been getting enough sleep lately. You know, since you moved in with Eden?” Ruthie winked and walked over to take an order at a table.
Jack should be happy with all his success lately, so why did he feel miserable? He reached into his pocket for a cigarette before remembering he gave up smoking for Eden. Looking up, he saw a large group of women coming through the front door. The women talked with his new hostess, and then Eden joined them. He walked closer to find out more.
“I’m the president of a romance writer’s critique group,” said a short woman with cropped, dark hair. We’re looking for a place to go after our meetings that take place every Wednesday night.”
“Really?” asked Eden. “Well, I think you’ll find The Golden Talon the perfect place to socialize.”
“Well, that all depends,” said the woman. “Some of the members of the group aren’t sure they’ll like Peruvian food. Is there any way they’d be able to special order items that are not on the menu?”
“I’m sure you’ll like the food once you try it,” said Eden.
“But can we order things that aren’t on the menu?” asked the persistent woman. Eden looked over to Jack. He scowled and shook his head. What did they think he was running, a smorgasbord?
“I’m not sure the owner will agree to that,” said Eden. “However, I might be able to convince him to have a buffet every Wednesday night, offering a variety of different foods, and including some favorite American dishes.”
Jack cleared his throat, not agreeing to the idea at all. Fifteen pairs of eyes stared at him in silence, waiting in anticipation. There was one big blue pair in particular.
“What do you say, Jack?” asked Eden. “I think it would be a good idea.”
“Aw, hell,” he said aloud, thinking how much more work that meant, as well as an extra food order each week. “Eden, I don’t think –”
“Every Wednesday night,” she reminded him. “They’re a rather large group,” she pointed out.
“We have more members joining every day,” the woman assured Eden. “This is actually a small gathering tonight.”
Jack looked at Eden’s pleading eyes, and then back to the rest of the women awaiting his answer. He knew a regular group of this size is exactly what the restaurant needed. He also knew women talked, and word would get around fast that The Golden Talon was a bistro that not only served ethnic food, but also catered to people’s needs. It would be good, free promotion.
“Well, are you going to seat them or not?” he asked Eden. “After all, it is Wednesday. I’ll see if Alfredo can whip up a few items not on the menu.”
Eden flashed him a look of gratitude and led the large group to their table. Jack looked on, shaking his head.
“That was big of you, Jack,” said Ruthie from right behind him. He turned around to see Ruthie actually smiling. “You’ll do anything for Eden, won’t you?”
“It sure does seem that way, doesn’t it? I swear, that girl will be the death of me yet.”
“If you didn’t care so much for her, you wouldn’t talk that way, Jack. Here.” She handed him a pack of gum.
“What is this for?” he asked.
“Eden told me you gave up smoking. I don’t need this anymore, but I think you might.”
He blindly took the gum as Ruthie headed off to wait on the romance writers’ table. In a daze, Jack walked into his office, feeling himself weakening and changing faster than he liked. He tried to clear a space for his feet on his cluttered desk. It was a desk that had always been spotless before all these major changes in his life. He pushed some of the paperwork aside, noticing Eden’s Bible under a huge stack of papers.
“So that’s where I put it.” He fished it out and, leaning back in his chair, he opened it up. Eden had been asking him about it constantly, but he honestly hadn’t remembered where he left it. It was very important to her for some reason. So important that she was willing to break into his room and nose through his duffel bag trying to find it.
Jack flipped through the pages, read a couple verses, and was ready to toss it back atop the mess on his desk when he saw a paper sticking out of the back cover lining.
He put his feet on the ground and made a quick scan out the door to make sure no one was coming before he pulled out the paper to read it. It was a letter with Eden’s name on it that was all written in Spanish. He didn’t know Spanish, so he couldn’t begin to read it. He noticed it was signed by Jonathan Starke and figured it was just some old letter. He was jamming it back into the lining when he realized it wouldn’t go back in until something else came out.
After grabbing his letter opener, he pried out an airline ticket. His heart beat faster as he put down the opener and looked inside the envelope. It was a ticket for next weekend in Eden’s name. All along, she had a ticket for her to return to Peru.
He was more hurt than angry, thinking she somehow got a hold of a ticket and didn’t even tell him about it. She did want to go home, but was pretending she didn’t lately for some unknown reason. Then he noticed the postmark on the envelope and realized the address on the front was Jonathan Starke’s. Suddenly, everything made sense. Her father had a ticket for her to go home all along, but he’d hidden it in the Bible. He must not have wanted her to find out about it until later. But why? There had to be an explanation.
“Hola, Jack.” Rafael walked by the open office on his way to the kitchen to start his shift.
“Rafael, wait. Come here.” called Jack.
The man entered the room. In the entire time Rafael had worked for Jack, he’d never been called into the office for anything. Alfredo practically lived in there, but this was new to his cousin, and Rafael seemed to think he was in trouble.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.
“No, no. Not at all. Have a seat. Relax.” Jack offered the cook his chair.
He had to know what was in that letter. He couldn’t ask Alfredo, because Alfredo would tell Eden about it. Rafael was different. Jack thought the man would keep his mouth closed if asked.
“I just want you to read something for me. Something in Spanish,” Jack explained.
“Oh, is that all?” Rafael sat down and smiled.
Jack held out the letter, his hand shaking slightly. He hoped Eden wouldn’t stick her head in the office while Rafael was spilling all her precious secrets to Jack.
“This letter is to Eden.” Rafael looked up with questioning eyes.
“I know. Look, Rafael, I need to know what it says. And you have to promise me you won’t tell Eden I found it and asked you to read
it.”
Rafael nodded slightly and started to read the letter aloud to Jack.
When he’d finished, everything made perfect sense. Jack now knew exactly what he had to do.
“Thanks, amigo.” Jack smiled and took the letter back from Rafael.
“Sure, Boss.” Rafael got up and left the room.
Jack was just putting the letter and ticket back into the lining of the Bible when Nathan walked in.
“What’s up, Jack? Reading the Bible? Wow, has Eden changed you!”
Jack fixed the lining the way he’d found it and slammed the book shut. “I know what to do about Eden, Nathan.”
“I thought you already decided that. That’s why you bought her that ticket home.”
“Well, I’ve changed my mind,” Jack told him.
“Then, you’re letting her stay? I don’t understand.”
“I found an airline ticket with her name on it in the Bible. Her father put it there along with a letter before he died.”
“What are you getting at, Jack?”
“The professor liked me, Nathan. He wanted his daughter to marry me. He wanted me as a son-in-law, but he wanted Eden to decide for herself whether she wanted to go back to Peru or stay here with me.”
“I don’t get it,” confessed Nathan, raising his palms in the air.
“Don’t you see? She’s known about this ticket for a long time,” Jack told him. “That’s why it was so important for her to get this Bible back.”
“She was going to leave and didn’t want to tell you?”
“Just the opposite. I think she wanted to stay and didn’t want me to find this ticket and send her home.”
“How can you be sure about this? It’s kind of a long shot isn’t it?”
“Not any more of a long shot than I’m about to take right now.” Jack put the Bible on the desk and picked up the phone.
“Who’re you calling?”
“The airline.”
“Jack, you’ve lost me coming and going.”
“I’m calling to get another ticket to Peru.”
“But you’ve already got two of them for the girl. Why the hell do you need another one?”
Bistro Bachelor: Working Man Series - Book 2 Page 18
