by Amy M. Reade
It wasn’t long before Lilly’s phone buzzed. Laurel made a point of scanning the menu with hawk-like concentration and Lilly knew who the text was from. She decided to make another point rather than looking at her phone. She could read a snarky text from Laurel anytime.
“It’s rude to use your phone at the table, Laurel. Haven’t we spoken about that many times before?”
“Yeah,” came the surly reply.
“Then please leave your phone in your pocket while we’re eating.”
“We haven’t even ordered yet.”
“Then please leave your phone in your pocket while we’re in the restaurant.”
“It’s barely a restaurant.”
“That’s enough, Laurel,” Lilly said in her best warning voice.
Laurel rolled her eyes and Lilly made a mental note to remind her daughter that boys did not find disrespectful girls attractive. Or did they? At any rate, she was going to have to remind Laurel who the adult was in the family, at least for the time being.
The waitress came to take their orders just in time to stop Laurel from saying anything else. Lilly waited while Nick ordered a shrimp cocktail and a prime rib platter and Laurel and Tighe ordered club sandwiches, then she ordered a cheeseburger and fries. Settling back into the booth after the waitress left, she asked Nick if he played any sports.
“Yup. Basketball,” he said. Lilly smiled.
“I should have guessed that. How tall are you?”
“Six four,” came the answer.
“He scored the most points all season last year,” Laurel said proudly, clearly more pleased with the direction of this conversation. Nick preened.
“I did,” he said, making a valiant attempt to sound self-deprecating.
“That’s wonderful. What do you like to do in your spare time?” Lilly asked.
“Mom, he isn’t interviewing for a job,” Laurel said in a warning tone.
“I know. I’d just like to get to know him a little better. After all, he’s dating my daughter,” Lilly answered with a wink.
The eye-roll again. Laurel’s earlier pleasure at the direction the conversation was taking evaporated quickly.
“I like to play video games, skateboard, stuff like that,” Nick answered.
“Where do you live?” Lilly asked.
“In one of the condos off Deer Run Road,” he answered. “I want to move. I can’t park my truck there because there are only two parking spots for each condo and my parents each have a car.”
“So where do you park your truck?”
“I just park in other people’s empty spots.”
The waitress brought Nick’s shrimp cocktail and he devoured it in a matter of two minutes. He offered one shrimp to Laurel, but she wrinkled her nose at him. He grinned.
An uncomfortable silence lingered at the table while the foursome waited for the rest of the meal to arrive. Lilly’s phone rang.
“It’s not polite to answer your phone in the restaurant,” Laurel said pointedly.
“It’s okay if you’re a mom,” Lilly retorted. She excused herself from the table and answered the call. It was Bill.
“Did you find him?” she asked, walking to the vestibule of the diner.
“Sure did. Found his truck, ran the plates and everything.”
“Where’s he staying?” Lilly asked.
“If I tell you, do you promise not to do anything stupid, like showing up at his place?”
“Of course,” she answered, exasperated. “Why would I do that? He’s the last person I want to see.”
“Okay. He’s staying at a fancy-schmancy complex outside of town, on Route Nineteen. He’s got himself a big two-bedroom right next to the clubhouse, which incidentally has an indoor pool and hot tub. I can just imagine Mom in there having a soak.”
Lilly let that image flee her mind before speaking. “Thanks, Bill. Has anyone from the police station talked to him?”
“Not yet. We just got confirmation on the whereabouts of his apartment.”
“Okay. I’m at dinner with the kids. We’re celebrating because I hired an assistant today.”
“That’s great. Maybe you can take some time off now.”
“That’s my plan. The kids have already placed their orders for trips to Hawaii and Paris.” Bill let out a loud laugh.
“Let me know when you’re leaving and I’ll hide inside one of your bags.”
“You got it.” Lilly hung up with a smile. Somehow it was comforting to know that the police knew where Beau was staying. Not for the first time, she felt a sense of security knowing that Bill was looking out for her.
She didn’t spot Beau until she was making her way back to the table. He was standing at the counter, probably waiting for a to-go order. He was talking to one of the waitresses and not looking in her direction. Instinctively she turned her head away from him, hoping he wouldn’t turn around and see her.
But her wishing was for naught. She sat down at the table next to Tighe and put her phone on the table next to her.
“Who was that?” Laurel asked.
Lilly glanced at her, warring with herself over whether to answer the question that was clearly none of Laurel’s business. She decided not to pick that battle and answered, “Uncle Bill.”
“What did he want?” Laurel asked.
Lilly glared at her daughter for a moment. “Nothing,” she finally said. Laurel locked eyes with her mother in a silent test of wills and Lilly felt a slight thrill of triumph when Laurel looked away first.
But the sense of triumph, however small, dissipated immediately when Lilly looked up and noticed Beau walking toward her table. She busied herself rummaging through her purse, praying that Beau hadn’t seen them and that he was just visiting the restroom.
No such luck. Beau stopped at her table and looked down at her. “Hi there, Lil. How’s everything?”
“Fine, thanks.”
“Who’ve you got with you tonight?” he asked, as if he didn’t know.
“These are my children, Tighe and Laurel,” she answered, not making eye contact with her ex. Then she gestured toward Nick. “And this is Laurel’s friend.”
Beau was silent for an awkward moment, though it seemed to Lilly like an eternity and she used the time to pray that he wouldn’t announce to everyone at the table that he was the kids’ father. Somewhat to her surprise, he didn’t reveal the secret.
“Nice to meet you, kids,” was all he said. Lilly breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She had dodged a bullet—this time. He turned to leave and winked at her. She ignored him, hoping the kids hadn’t noticed.
She needn’t have worried; Tighe was looking at the dessert menu that was printed on a framed postcard propped on the table and Laurel and Nick were nudging each other and giggling like little girls.
“Want anything for dessert?” she asked. Laurel shook her head and looked at Nick. Much to Lilly’s surprise, he declined. She glanced at Tighe, but he put the menu back on the table and said, “Nah. They don’t have anything but banana pudding and ice cream. If they had chocolate cake I would have some.”
Lilly signaled for the bill and walked up to the cash register at the front of the diner to pay, then she waited for the kids to gather their coats and the four of them walked outside. Lilly’s eyes scanned the parking lot, but Beau had apparently driven off.
Laurel and Nick had decided to skip the library. Lilly and Tighe sat in the car waiting while the two lovebirds said goodbye, as if they might not see each other for the next six months instead of at school the next day, then Laurel joined them and they drove home.
Laurel scooted upstairs as soon as they went in the house and Tighe stood at the kitchen counter, opening and closing cupboards for no apparent reason while Lilly refreshed Barney’s water and fed him.
It was clear Tighe wanted to talk about something. Lilly turned to him when she was done feeding Barney.
“What’s up?” she asked, cleaning a couple mugs that were in the sink. She didn
’t face Tighe, thinking that he would prefer to talk if she wasn’t looking at him. She had learned a thing or two about teenage boys in the past several years.
And she was right. Tighe shuffled his feet while she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Finally he spoke. “Who was that guy who came over to our table at the diner?”
Chapter 31
The smart thing would have been to act nonchalant, continue washing the mugs, but Lilly froze and Tighe noticed.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Nothing. He’s just someone I used to know.”
“Laurel looks just like him.”
The realization that Tighe had probably figured out who Beau was hit Lilly like a fist.
“You think so?” was all she could summon the courage to say.
“Yeah. Is he our father?” Tighe had stopped shuffling and stood still now, staring at Lilly. She couldn’t lie to him and she couldn’t avoid answering the question.
“Yes.” She met his gaze but her voice was barely audible.
“I knew it. Why didn’t you guys say something?”
“That wasn’t the time or the place.”
“Does he live in Juniper Junction?”
“I hope not. He showed up in town recently and I assume he’s not planning to stay.”
“Why’s he here?”
Lilly shrugged. She couldn’t tell her son that Beau wanted to be his father again.
“Where’s he been all this time?”
“You mean, since he left us?”
“Yeah.”
“I asked him the same thing. He said he’s moved around a lot. He goes where the jobs are, it seems.”
“What’s he do?”
“Like I mentioned earlier, he’s a ski instructor. I don’t know what he does when there’s no snow.”
Tighe smiled. “I wondered why you freaked out when Nick said he wants to be a ski instructor.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Yeah. But I don’t blame you. I think he’s a loser.”
“I have to agree with you there, but let’s keep that between us for now. I don’t want to come right out and tell Laurel what I think of him. I’m hoping she’ll come to that realization on her own.”
Tighe nodded. “Hopefully they won’t get married before she realizes it.” He looked up and saw his mother wince at his words. “Sorry. That didn’t come out right.”
“That’s okay. I know what you mean. I definitely should have done some serious thinking before I married your father. I would have come to the same conclusion as I hope Laurel will.”
“Did Gran like him?”
Lilly grimaced. “She didn’t when we were married, but apparently she thinks he’s just wonderful now.”
“What do you mean?” Tighe had been looking down at his fingernails but Lilly’s mention of his grandmother snapped him to attention. Lilly immediately regretted saying anything.
She tried a breezy approach. “Oh, it’s no big deal. He just stopped by to say hello to her for old time’s sake.”
“And she liked him?” He sounded incredulous.
“She told me she did.”
“I can’t believe he would go see her. Does Uncle Bill know about it?” There was that protectiveness again. Lilly felt another pang of sadness at the thought of her son leaving for college.
“Yes,” she answered, nodding. “As you can imagine, Uncle Bill was not happy to hear about that. He and every other police officer in Juniper Junction has been trying to figure out where Beau’s staying.”
“What was he like?” Tighe asked. The questions were slipping into untested territory for Lilly. She had never said much to the kids about their father except to tell them that he had left when they were very young, and as they got older they had learned that questions about Beau were not met with eager communication.
“He was very exciting when I met him. He was athletic, a great ski instructor, and he had all kinds of plans for the future. He was going to go into the construction business with a friend and make his fortune that way. But he got sidetracked with the ski life and his interest in going into business waned. Eventually he got itchy feet and wanted to move around to other ski meccas, like Utah and Vermont. He apparently didn’t feel like he could take a wife and kids with him to explore a lifestyle like that, so he left. I never did find out where he went. After he had been gone and I hadn’t heard from him for a certain number of years, I got a court order to declare us divorced.” She deliberately didn’t mention Beau’s indiscretions with other women.
Lilly took a deep breath. She had just shared with Tighe more about Beau than she had ever said about him in the past fifteen years.
“Wow. So he’s just a loser, too. Like Nick.”
“I’m probably the wrong person to ask if you want an unbiased opinion about Beau.” Tighe smiled at her.
“He left you, he left me and Laurel. That makes him a loser,” he said. His voice was firm and strong.
To her astonishment, Lilly started to cry. She hung her head and the tears started flowing as if someone had turned on a faucet.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Tighe hurried over to Lilly and wrapped her in a big, warm hug. That only made her cry harder.
“I just don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you and Laurel,” she said through her sobs. “I’m going to miss you both so much when you go to college.”
“Well, at least me,” he said. She laughed.
“Laurel, too,” she said with a hiccup.
“I know. I’m just kidding. I’m sorry if my questions made you upset. We don’t have to talk about Beau anymore.”
Lilly pulled herself away and looked at her son with eyes that glistened from tears. “You know, I actually feel better after talking about him.”
They both turned when they heard a noise on the stairs.
“Mom, why are you crying?” Laurel had come into the kitchen with an empty water glass. “Tighe, what’s wrong?” Her voice was rising as she approached them.
Lilly looked at Tighe and smiled. “Tighe figured out something at dinner and I’m just relieved about it, that’s all.”
“What did you figure out?” Laurel asked, turning to her brother.
Tighe gave Lilly a questioning look. “I’ll tell her,” she said. She took a deep breath and spilled the secret that she had been hiding—that Beau was back in town and that Laurel had met him earlier that evening.
Laurel was speechless. She looked from her mother to her brother in wide-eyed disbelief, making sputtering noises for a few moments before being able to form words.
Chapter 32
“That long-haired guy at the diner was our father?” she asked.
Tighe broke in. “Mom, I’m going upstairs. Goodnight.”
Lilly hugged him again and turned to Laurel. “You want to sit down?” Laurel nodded. They pulled out chairs at the kitchen table and sat across from each other. Lilly repeated to her daughter the story she had shared with her son. Laurel’s reaction was similar to her brother’s.
“How come he came back after all this time?” she wanted to know.
This wasn’t the time to reveal that Beau had professed his desire to give the whole fatherhood thing another whirl.
“I don’t really know,” Lilly answered. After all, it was the truth. She had no idea why Beau had come back with such a preposterous notion. “But what’s important to know is that nothing is going to change with us.”
“Is he going to be coming around?” Laurel asked.
“I’ve asked him not to, and Uncle Bill is keeping an eye out for him because he doesn’t want him bothering us or Gran.”
Laurel’s eyes widened. “Do you think he would actually bother Gran?”
“He’s already paid her a visit or two and we don’t want that to continue. She’s too confused sometimes to realize that he does nothing but cause pain wherever he goes.”
“Maybe one of us should stay with Gran all the time to make sure he d
oesn’t bother her.” Lilly gazed at her daughter. She might be a contrarian, but her heart was in the right place. Lilly couldn’t be more proud that both her kids had reacted with a protectiveness toward their grandmother when faced with the prospect of her being hoodwinked.
“Hopefully your Uncle Bill will be able to dissuade Beau from vising Gran anymore. But if we find out that Beau’s gone over to her house again, we should think seriously about your idea. Maybe you and Tighe could take turns with me and Uncle Bill spending nights with her. And hiring an assistant at the shop will give me more time to spend with Gran, too, so I can keep a better eye on things.”
Laurel looked down at her intertwined fingers. “You didn’t like Nick, did you?”
Lilly was surprised by the abrupt change of subject. “He was all right, I suppose. I just want more for you, that’s all. He doesn’t seem to have much ambition and I want the best for you.”
“Were you thinking about Beau when you heard that Nick wants to be a ski instructor?”
Lilly gave a tiny chuckle. “I suppose I was. I don’t associate ski instructors with stability and happiness, and I suppose I projected my disappointments onto Nick. I’m sorry if I did that, but I do wish he had a bit more drive.”
“Just because I’m dating him doesn’t mean we’re getting married, Mom.”
Lilly sat back and fixed Laurel with an intense gaze. “You know, you’re absolutely right. I guess I’ve been thinking long-term and it never even occurred to me that you might not be thinking the same way I do.”
Laurel rolled her eyes and grinned. “Mom, I rarely think the same way you do.” Lilly had to laugh.
“Go to bed,” she told Laurel. “Don’t worry about Beau. Uncle Bill and I will take care of him.”
Laurel kissed her mother’s cheek and hurried up the stairs. Lilly smiled to herself, a calm settling on her now that Laurel had told her that marriage to Nick wasn’t on her young mind.