Changed Somehow

by Chloe Flanagan

  Natalie shook Darla’s hand. “Natalie Rivers.”

  “Hmm,” Darla mused. “You look familiar. Have we met?”

  “She’s an actress,” Glenn volunteered.

  “Oh, okay. Were you in Along the Path last season?” Darla asked.

  Natalie’s lips parted. “Yes. I was understudy to the second lead, but I only did a few performances.”

  Darla nodded vigorously. “I thought so. You did a fine job, and it was a good play.”

  “Thanks.”

  Darla turned to converse with Glenn, but Natalie didn’t follow the discussion.

  Darla was an odd one. There was a no-nonsense kindness in her words, yet her face stayed nearly a constant neutral mask. It was as if she were reading lines for the first time without bothering to get into character yet.

  “Natalie is going to help with the cookies,” Glenn announced, reclaiming her attention.

  Darla squinted. “But she’s an actress.”

  “Yeah, but she’s a non-homicidal baker too.”

  “Oh. Unlike you, you mean?”

  Glenn laughed. “Exactly!”

  Of all the ways she’d envisioned spending her Sunday afternoon, none of them involved baking three dozen chocolate chip cookies or teaching two complete strangers the finer points of forming the perfect cookie dough. Yet Glenn and Darla were gracious students and eccentric to the point of being entertaining. Maybe that’s why she didn’t even realize until she returned to her apartment that she had just devoted most of her day to helping someone without once wondering what was in it for her.

  10

  Natalie tossed the bowtie pasta in her homemade dressing until it was fully coated. Then she wiped her hands and turned up the volume on the Bluetooth speaker that Jaden kept in his kitchen. She swayed her hips to the sensuous tango-like cover of “Some of These Days.”

  And when you leave me, you know you’re gonna grieve me …

  She smirked at the lyrics. Since she’d more or less landed on her feet, she wasn’t grieving Sebastian’s absence. But then, he probably wasn’t grieving hers either. The gritty truth of their relationship spread out before her like a negative play review.

  With a sigh, she popped one of the coated pastas into her mouth. Mmm. Perfect. It was tangy, yet smooth, with a dash of full-bodied sweetness from the red wine vinegar.

  One thing was certain: If she’d started cooking for him earlier, Sebastian would probably be begging her to come back by now. That thought brought her little glee, though, as she continued tossing her salad.

  Did she actually possess any real talent beyond that of being a diner cook?

  Ever since that stupid argument with Marlowe, she had been thinking over her years of acting, all the way back to her first high school play. It had been Macbeth. She honestly couldn’t remember anything about the rehearsal or preparation. All she could recall was standing on the stage at the end of the show, taking her bow while families and school staff cheered and clapped. For a second, she had closed her eyes and savored the sound. It had felt like the first time she’d received a genuine embrace in ages.

  She closed her eyes now and groaned. What had it all been about anyway? The acceptance and approval she got from being the best “faker”? That’s what Marlowe had called her. What if—

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  Her eyes flew open at the interruption. “Now what?” she grumbled, even though she was sort of glad to be pulled from the swirling vortex of her reflections.

  She opened the door to find Glenn standing in the hall and smiling. “Got a minute?”

  Her own smile emerged, wide and unforced. “Sure, come on in.”

  As he walked in, he seemed immediately drawn to the speaker. “Nice band. Who is it?”

  “They’re called the Hot Sardines.”

  He closed his eyes and listened, appreciatively nodding in time with the beat. “They’ve got good brass. You a jazz fan?”

  “Yeah. The lady who ran the diner I worked in when I was young loved the old standards—everything from Fats Waller to Duke Ellington.” She pointed at the speaker. “I like these guys because they take the classics and spice them up. I’d love to hear them live sometime.”

  Turning her back to him, she moved to adjust the volume. “Anyway. I’m sure you didn’t come here to talk about music, so I’ll turn this down.”

  “Funny ya should say that. I am here about the music. See, it’s pretty loud. I can hear it all the way down the hall, and it’s disruptive. Ya really ought to be more considerate of your neighbors.”

  She froze in place. What? Then a startled laugh bubbled up inside and threatened to burst out. But she forced it down. What a joker!

  It took only half a second to get into character. Then she turned to face him. Her shoulders drooped, and she sent a guilty stare down to her shoes. “Oh, gee, Mr. Valenti,” she said, her tone one of chagrin with a Jersey flair. “I’m so sorry. I’ll bet ya think I’m da worst neighbor evah!”

  Glenn’s eyebrows shot up and he gaped at her. But then he doubled over with laughter. “Oh man, if they ever make a play based on my life, do me a favor and don’t audition for the lead. Not sure my ego could handle it!”

  “I won’t, I promise,” she assured him with a laugh. “Now what did you want to talk to me about, really?”

  He wiped his eyes. “Oh, that. I was wondering if … hey, something smells good.” His eyes scanned the kitchen. “Did I interrupt your dinner?”

  “I was just about to start, actually. Would you like to join me?”

  His face brightened at the suggestion, but soon dimmed again. “Ya better hear what I have to say first. Might want to throw me out after that.”

  “Okay …”

  “Well, you know the camp Darla and I are going to take the kids to for a couple of weeks?”

  “Yes, I remember you mentioning it yesterday.”

  “So we had this guy lined up to make all the food for it. He owns a restaurant, so he’s really good at that kind of thing. But he called me this morning and said he caught a stomach bug, and he doesn’t feel comfortable serving anything to anyone right now.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  “Yeah, and we’re leaving tomorrow, but now we’re scrambling to find somebody to replace him.” He took a deep breath. “Look, I know it’s not your work now, but I remember you said you used to work in a diner when you were a kid. So I was wondering, since you’re in between plays and everything … would you consider coming along to help us out? We would pay for your time, of course. It’d basically be a temporary job and you’d be doing us a big, big favor.”

  She took a dazed step backwards. A job? That was unexpected, but she was going to need to find something soon before her money ran out completely. Her original plan had been to go home and work at Betty’s Diner, anyway. This wasn’t much different. Feeding a couple dozen kids would be challenging, but nothing she couldn’t handle. And the money could help her stay in the city until she either got another job, or better yet, landed a new role.

  Refocusing on Glenn, she found him fidgeting with his necktie and sweater-vest, all while pretending not to watch her. “Sure, I would be glad to help out with that.”

  “Great! I thought you would.” His grin returned in full force. “Darla said I was off my rocker to ask. She said you’d have better things to do. But I said, ‘I’m sure she does have better things to do, but I’ll bet she’ll help us out anyway. She has a good heart; I can tell.’”

  Natalie swallowed and chuckled nervously. “You can stop with the flattery now. I already agreed to do it.”

  He held up his hand in an appeasing gesture. “No flattery! My specialty is guilt-tripping, remember?”

  “Oh, that’s right. How could I forget?”

  Yet he hadn’t done either of those things with her. He had relied on her heart, believing she’d agree out of kindness! Yet all she’d done was think about the money. The disconnect settled in her stomach and soured there.
It was the same odd feeling she’d gotten a few nights before, when thinking about how she had treated Kyla.

  Clearing her throat, she did her best to ignore her discomfort. “Since I’m leaving tomorrow, I can’t save this pasta salad for leftovers, so please help yourself to a plate.”

  He rubbed his hands together. “That’s so nice. Thanks!”

  They sat down and, while they ate, he provided details on the camp and kids, interspersed with frequent compliments on her food.

  ◆◆◆

  The next morning, Natalie found herself seated at the back of a small church bus that also held Glenn, Darla, and about thirty children, ages ranging from pre-adolescent to teenagers.

  As the bus rumbled across bridges and highways to finally leave the city behind, brighter and brighter sunlight began to stream through the windows. It would’ve almost been tranquil, were it not for the nearly constant commotion caused by her traveling companions.

  Leaning her head back on the seat, she closed her eyes against the cacophony of chattering, giggles, and occasional spats. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t given full consideration to how much she would have to be around these kids when she’d accepted the job. How shortsighted.

  Still, with any luck, there would be no need to really interact with them except at mealtime, during which, the barrier of the kitchen would insulate her.

  She was about to drift off to sleep when a memory overtook her.

  She was in the living room of the tiny apartment she’d lived in almost fifteen years ago.

  “Natalie, could you come in here, please?” a voice called from inside the bathroom.

  She walked in and saw EJ tickling and making faces at the baby that sat on the bathroom counter. When he heard her enter, he turned. “Natalie, I absolutely have to see my grandmother today. If I don’t go now, I won’t catch her before she goes to bed. Do you think you could finish up Timmy’s bath?”

  “Yeah, sure. Go on.“

  His forehead crinkled. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

  “EJ, I think I can give my own baby a bath!” she snapped.

  He flinched and held up the hand he wasn’t holding the baby with. “All right, all right. I’m sure you can. I’ll see you later.”

  It didn’t take long for her to realize that she had overestimated her abilities. Timmy grew fidgety, fussy, and uncooperative as soon as EJ left, probably because he was used to getting his baths from EJ. When she finally managed to finish the bath and get the baby diapered and dressed, he randomly started wailing for no reason she could figure out.

  She stared at him for a few minutes then hugged him against her, but he continued to squirm. Slowly, she went numb all over, and her chest tightened, constricting her breath.

  The sensation had come over her a couple of times before when she’d held him, but she hadn’t told anyone. Abruptly but gently, she pulled the baby away and put him in his crib.

  He continued crying and, by the time EJ returned, she was at her wit’s end.

  To his credit, EJ didn’t gloat over her failure. Instead, he held Timmy until the crying stopped. But he never asked her to bathe him again, and she didn’t give him a chance. From then on, she kept her distance whenever possible.

  “Natalie!” her eyes snapped open to see Darla standing over her.

  Glenn stumbled to the back of the bus and glared at Darla. “You should’ve let her snooze. She’s got her work cut out, ya know?”

  Darla sat down next to Natalie. “We need to give her the contract.”

  With an exasperated sigh, Glenn sat down on Natalie’s other side.

  Darla reached into her large shoulder bag and pulled out a piece of paper. “Here you are, Natalie. This is a low-key contract we drew up for what you’ll be doing for us in the next two weeks.”

  Natalie accepted the document and began scanning it. These business types sure liked to check all their boxes.

  Almost immediately, her eyes went to the paragraph about compensation, but the figure printed there almost made her drop the paper. It was more than twice what she’d anticipated.

  She stared at the figure and bit her lip. These two had clearly never employed anyone in food service before. Their unfamiliarity with such matters was definitely going to benefit her. It would be best to hurry up and sign before they changed their minds.

  “Everything look fair and square?” Glenn asked.

  She looked at him and then at Darla. They were both perched near the edges of their seats, anxious, it seemed, to see if she was happy with the terms.

  “This is too much money!” she blurted out.

  Several wordless beats passed. The kids continued to chatter, and the bus continued to rattle. But the conversation had screeched to a halt.

  It was a troubling mystery that she’d felt compelled to make such an outburst. The only thing resembling an explanation was a vague notion that she couldn’t bring herself to swindle these people.

  After a moment, Glenn sent Darla a wink. Her only response was to shrug before returning her focus to Natalie. “We did a quick study of industry standards for this type of work and started there,” she explained.

  “Right,” Glenn continued, “and then we took into consideration the opportunity cost of the work you’d be missing by helping us for two weeks.”

  “W-wow. That will be great, thanks.” The trite response didn’t properly convey either her shock or appreciation, but it was all she could think to say.

  After talking a few more minutes, they left her alone to finish reading the contract, but all she could do was gawk at their retreating figures.

  She’d overheard enough of an earlier conversation to get the idea that Glenn and Darla were funding some of the camp themselves, including the cost of hiring her. Maybe the money they were giving her wasn’t much to them, but it was a big deal to her. It would keep her going until she found more work.

  It was also a big deal that they’d put so much consideration into what to pay her. They seemed to think it was fair, but it was more than that. It was generous.

  She hadn’t known many generous people, but she did know there were different types of them. There were those that threw money around to enjoy the tax breaks, see their names on buildings, and hear themselves called ego-boosting names like “philanthropist” or “patron of the arts.” But Glenn and Darla didn’t really fit that part. They seemed to throw their time around more than their money.

  There was a lull in the kids’ chaos just as Glenn pointed his thumb toward Natalie and leaned toward Darla. “Told ya she had a good heart, didn’t I?”

  Her stomach plummeted.

  Then there were the people who were fair and generous with like-minded people.

  She leaned her head back and cringed. Glenn and Marla thought she was like them.

  Sure, they were in a different socioeconomic class, but they were also churchgoing, kind, and considerate. And somehow, she had managed to make them think she was too. What an absurd turn of events! If they only knew! She bit her lip to keep from laughing aloud, but before long, her merriment died.

  If they did know what she was really like, they wouldn’t want anything to do with her. They might even fire her. That would be just her luck!

  She couldn’t let that happen. She would have to make sure they didn’t find out about her. If keeping this job was contingent on her kindness and good nature, then so be it!

  She was an actress, after all. And this would just be another role.

  11

  The property where the camp was located was nestled in a verdant wooded area fifteen or twenty miles away from anything resembling a main highway. Several cabins for the kids to share were sprinkled through the trees and arranged around a clearing where a larger building stood. This housed the kitchen, dining room, several other multi-purpose rooms, and two sleeping quarters—one for Glenn and one that Darla and Natalie agreed to share.

  The bus trip had been long since they’d stopped once
for lunch and another time to let the kids blow off steam in a park. Once they arrived, Natalie barely had time to assess the kitchen equipment and purchase supplies before it was time for dinner. For the first night, she elected to keep things simple with tomato soup and grilled cheese.

  “I thought those kids devoured pizza, but that was before I saw them with star-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches,” Darla announced from the kitchen doorway.

  Natalie looked up from the counter where she was collecting dozens of bread crusts. “I’m glad they liked them.”

  “That’s a lot of leftover bread!”

  “Yes, I thought I would save it to make homemade croutons for a salad bar later this week.”

  A subtle flicker of approval flashed through Darla’s eyes. “That’s very efficient.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Hey, good news, Natalie!” Glenn burst through the kitchen door, nearly crashing into Darla. “The kids are over the moon for your little stars!”

  “Huh?” He elbowed Darla. “Huh? Over the moon for the stars? Get it?”

  Darla rolled her eyes. She picked up the final tray of sandwiches and swiveled toward the kitchen door, but before she left, she showed Glenn her teeth. “Don’t be so cheesy!”

  She stalked off, accompanied by the sound of Glenn’s roaring laughter. “Cheesy! That’s a good one!”

  Natalie chuckled at their banter. “I’m beginning to see why the kids like you guys so much.”

  She moved across the kitchen to pick up a large pot she had earlier filled with soapy dishwater to soak away the residue of the tomato soup.

  “Hey, thank you,” Glenn said. Then he saw what she was doing. “Oh! Here! Let me carry that to the sink.”

  Natalie stepped back and allowed him to take the pot, still trying to get used to his courtesy. Earlier, when she’d returned from the grocery store and had started unloading the supplies, Glenn had immediately appeared by her side to take the big items for her. Now he was carrying the heaviest dishes to the sink.

  “You really don’t have to do that,” she said. “I can manage.”