Adrift

by Robin Wainwright

I’ll put some special lotion on that sunburn?”

  “Oh, I have some aloe.”

  “Aloe is okay but this lotion is especially for deep burns like you have. It will have you back to a medium rare by night fall.”

  “It’s true,” Jennifer said. “It’s Mrs. Abers’ special blend and it has helped me out many times.”

  Feeling like a burnt piece of toast, Heather agreed and followed Mrs. Abers back out the front door and along the side of the building to a short flight of stairs. Heather thought Mrs. Abers was taking her up to her office, so she was startled when Mrs. Abers opened the door and she saw what looked like a living room. Heather hesitated on the doorstep until Mrs. Abers turned and looked at her impatiently.

  “Come on in dear and close the door behind you, the AC is on.”

  The walls of Mrs. Abers’ home were painted a misty moss color with the exception of one accent wall in the living room that was painted a vivid forest green. The rooms were filled with mission style furniture with gleaming wood and soft pale-colored fabric.

  “You have a beautiful home Mrs. Abers.”

  “Thank you dear, it’s served me well. But my heart is in New Mexico with my grandbabies.”

  “Jennifer told me you were looking forward to moving to New Mexico in the fall.”

  “Oh I am dear. I just wish I could figure out a way to keep Jennifer and Betty together.” Mrs. Abers put a gentle hand on Heather’s arm, which made Heather flinch. “Oh dear, I’m sorry. Follow me.”

  Mrs. Abers led Heather into a small eat-in kitchen where she pulled out a tall backed chair and gestured for Heather to have a seat. Heather sat at the dining room table, a solid looking oval of gleaming golden wood, and Mrs. Abers opened the refrigerator to pull out a jar of white lotion.

  “This will set you right,” she said, and taking Heather’s hand, she began to spread the cream up Heather’s arm. Heather sighed and Mrs. Abers grinned. “I know, feels good huh? Old family recipe.”

  “Wonderful,” Heather agreed. Mrs. Abers smiled and continued to apply her magic sunburn cream to Heather’s face and neck.

  Feeling much better already, Heather smiled at Mrs. Abers and said, “Thank you.”

  “Glad to help dear, you were so red I just couldn’t let you leave looking like that. You wouldn’t get any sleep tonight.”

  “Speaking of not sleeping, Sarah recommended I swing by and get a Three Musketeer latte.”

  Mrs. Abers laughed, “That Sarah, bless her heart. She does love her sweets. Let’s go get you one of those lattes.”

  Heather’s legs complained about the stairs but the smell of good coffee hastened her steps.

  When they came through the door Jennifer smiled and said, “You may be a little greasy now, but that will pass and tonight you’ll be much happier.”

  “This young lady came in to get one of Betty’s Three Musketeer lattes, thanks to Sarah.”

  Jennifer laughed, “I guess I’m going to have to cut Sarah in on my tip jar. Why don’t you choose a seat and I’ll bring it out to you.”

  “Thanks,” Heather said and returned to her favorite table by the window. She was surprised when Mrs. Abers pulled out the other chair and sat across from her.

  Mrs. Abers smiled at Heather and said, “So, what brings you to our little village?”

  Heather looked uncomfortable and Mrs. Abers reached across the table and patted Heather’s hand. “Sweetie, one of the many benefits of getting old is you can be nosey. If that question is too personal you can just smile and tell me to mind my own business.”

  “No, no, it’s not that.” Heather smiled and looked out the window trying to decide if she should open up to Mrs. Abers or make something up. Before she could change her mind, she just blurted it out.

  “My dad passed away and I just needed to get away.” Mortified Heather felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks.

  “Oh honey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset. I’m just a nosey busy body, please forgive me.”

  “No, no it’s okay. I know it will get easier, just right now it is still pretty raw.”

  “It does get easier honey, just be patient with yourself.” Turning away from Heather, she yelled over toward the counter. “Jennifer we could really use that latte now.”

  Jennifer hurried over to the table with a large mug that smelled like chocolate sin. Giving Heather a worried glance, she placed the mug before her and gently patted her shoulder before she headed back to the counter.

  Heather dried her eyes with a napkin and picked up the coffee mug. The smell alone was almost enough to make her moan, but as the brew slid over her tongue, her eyelids closed in appreciation. Heather heard Mrs. Abers chuckle softly and could just imagine what she looked like. Heather lowered her cup and smiled at Mrs. Abers.

  “Amazing isn’t it?” Mrs. Abers asked, and Heather nodded.

  “Many people in this town are going to mourn the loss of that particular latte come October.” Mrs. Abers looked down into her own mug of coffee and in a very quiet and sad voice said, “The thing I hate most is the idea of Jennifer not having a job.”

  “That is a shame. I can understand you wanting to spend more time with your grandchildren, but this seems like a profitable business. The couple of times I’ve been here the stream of customers has been constant.”

  “It is very profitable.”

  “Couldn’t you just find someone to manage your business for you?”

  “Hmmm, I hadn’t really thought of that. To be honest I just want to pack it all in and rush down to spend time with my grandbabies. I tried to get Jennifer to run the place but she said she just wanted to make the coffee. Guess after all these years she is set in her ways.”

  “Managing isn’t that hard, you just have to pay attention to the little details.”

  “Really? Sounds like you have some experience.”

  “Before my Dad got really sick I use to manage a small café.”

  “So what are you doing now?”

  “Well, right now I’m just making my way up the coast, after that, I’m not sure. I’ve got a little money in my nest egg, plus our house…” Tears welled up in her eyes again as she thought of the home she and her father had shared. She remembered how empty it had felt with him gone. The thought of returning to that house made her feel queasy.

  She shook off the feeling and thought, I just need a little more time. Gently blotting the tears from her eyes, she looked up at Mrs. Abers and continued, “But I haven’t worked in a few years, so I’m not sure what I’ll do when I get…home.” Heather took another sip of her coffee and tried to shake off her dark thoughts.

  “Do you like our little village?” Startled by the rapid change in topic Heather replied, “Yes, it’s really beautiful.”

  “Good, good. Do you like the Java Junction?”

  Feeling confused Heather replied, “Why yes. Actually, the coffee I’ve had here is some of the best I’ve ever tasted. You’re really lucky you have Jennifer… oh, and Betty of course.” Heather smiled.

  Nodding her head Mrs. Abers continued, “Good, good. I have a proposition for you.” Heather looked at Mrs. Abers feeling like a trap had been set and was about to snap closed.

  “Okay…”

  “Manage Java Junction for the balance of the season.” Heather started shaking her head no, as the world around her took on a surreal quality. “Don’t say no just yet. You can keep enjoying our village, plus some of the best coffee on the planet, and add a little money to your nest egg. And at the end of the season I can give you a glowing recommendation.”

  Heather sat in stunned silence. “But I don’t have anywhere to stay and as beautiful as this village is I’m sure rentals aren’t cheap. Plus you don’t even know me, not really.”

  “First, the job will include the apartment upstairs – as soon as I can pack up and move. I’d say by the end of the week.” Mrs. Abers’ eyes lit up, and she actually started rubbing her hands together in anticipation. “Second, I
am an amazing judge of character, and although I haven’t known you long, I can tell you are someone I can trust.”

  “But, but…” Heather tried to interject, but Mrs. Abers was on a roll and didn’t even pause to let Heather speak.

  “You can either work for an hourly wage or a share of the profits. We can work out those details later.” Mrs. Abers started to stand up and pushed her chair back under the table. “Jennifer has the employment paperwork under the counter, don’t you Jennifer?” Jennifer shot Mrs. Abers a thumbs up.

  By this time Mrs. Abers had reached the front door. As she opened it she looked back at Heather and said, “Who knows? By October you may be ready to make me an offer,” and out the door she went.

  Heather looked up at Jennifer with a dazed expression on her face.

  “I really should have warned you. Although Mrs. Abers appears to be a sweet old lady she is really a steamroller, and nothing is going to keep her from her grandchildren. I’m surprised she has lasted this long.” Heather just shook her head in disbelief not sure what to say.

  “So, should I get you your check or those employment papers?”

  Heather looked out the front window at the beautiful village and thought, A couple of months in this beautiful place, plus the chance to reestablish my employment history. Should I take the leap? What do I have to lose? No one is waiting for me back home. That thought caused the knife that had seemed to become a permanent reminder in her heart to twist painfully. Turning back to Jennifer, she smiled and said, “I’ll take the employment papers.”

  “Anything you say boss,” replied Jennifer smiling broadly.

  Later Heather found herself back on the steps of Sarah’s B&B. She couldn’t wait to see Sarah’s reaction to the fact that for at least the next couple of months she was going to be a temporary resident of Crescent Bay.

  Opening the door, she was surprised to see Sarah standing there with a big grin on her face. “Your room is made up and waiting for you, and I have a special week rate that you’ll be able to take advantage of.”

  “Wait, how did you find out so quickly?”

  “Jennifer called me as soon as you left Java Junction. So, you met ol’ steamroller Abers.” Heather laughed and nodded her head.

  “I’m still not sure what happened. One second I was having the most amazing cup of coffee in my life, you were right about the Three Musketeers by the way,” Sarah grinned and nodded, “and the next second I’m the new manager of Java Junction. What the hell?”

  “Life is like that sometimes; it sneaks up on you and takes control.”

  “No kidding. Well I guess life decided I needed to spend the next couple of months in this beautiful village, it could have been worse.”

  Sarah handed Heather her room key and said, “Well go get your bag and settle back in.” Laughing Heather nodded her head and did just that.

  8

  Heather and Mrs. Abers worked out a nice pay rate that Heather felt was much too generous, especially since her new job included the little apartment above the coffee shop, but Mrs. Abers lived up to her nickname and rolled right over all of Heather’s objections. Over the next week, Heather and Mrs. Abers spent a lot of time together going over the management details of the coffee shop. By the end of the week Mrs. Abers was packed up and handing Heather the keys to both the little apartment and the café.

  The apartment was mostly furnished so all Heather had to do was bring up the rest of her summer clothes, a few personal knickknacks and pictures and the little apartment would became her new, if only temporary, home.

  The trip back to her old home was a tough one. To delay going inside the house she unlocked her mailbox. Even though she’d only been gone a little over a week, her mailbox was jammed with mail. As she leafed through the envelopes and catalogues, she realized that her attempt to delay her grief hadn’t worked.

  The majority of the mail was addressed to her father. Most of it would be deemed junk mail—catalogues and requests for donations from all sorts of charities. Her father had always been a soft touch. Standing over the recycling bin, Heather sorted and tossed out all but three of the envelopes. The remaining envelopes were addressed to her and were bills of course. Wiping tears from her eyes, she realized that she’d have to figure out what to do about mail delivery while she was gone.

  Heather braced herself as she unlocked the front door. When she had left, she hadn’t closed the house down for an extended trip; she had just grabbed some clothes and ran. Stale smelly air greeted her as she walked into the living room.

  Trying to delay the pain as long as possible Heather avoided her father’s part of the house. Instead she went to her bedroom and packed more clothes, then she went room to room unplugging the electronics and setting up a couple of lights on timers. She unplugged the phone and answering machine, figuring anyone who really needed to reach her knew her cell number.

  After unloading the refrigerator and freezer and then taking out all the trash, Heather realized she couldn’t delay any longer.

  She opened the door to her father’s suite of rooms and was immediately hit with his familiar smell, a mixture of flannel and Old Spice. Heather thought she might collapse right there in the doorway, but she made it downstairs and collapsed into his favorite easy chair instead.

  Then she lost herself in the pain caused by his absence. She cried and wailed, and finally understood what it meant to keen—to lose yourself in waves of emotion until all you can do is give your pain and loss a voice.

  Later she slumped back in the chair, exhausted by her emotional cleansing. “Ah Papa, I miss you so much. You’d love how crazy my life has become. You were always so adventurous. I’m going to live in a beautiful seaside village for the next couple of months. You would love the characters that live there. Dad, I think it will be a good place to heal.” Her shoulders relaxed when she realized how true that statement was. Crescent Bay would be a good place to heal. She was rebuilding her employment history, had plenty of time to relax in a beautiful environment and she even had some new friends. With a newfound sense of peace, she quickly shut down her dad’s rooms and made her way back to her car.

  As she drove away, her spirits lifted at the thought of the adventure ahead.

  Heather’s new job was simple. Jennifer was used to supervising both the store and herself, so all Heather had to do was make the bank deposits, pay the bills, and make sure that Jennifer had the supplies she needed.

  For the first couple of weeks, Heather sat in the little office behind the counter looking for something to do. She saw many improvements that could be made around the café but since it wasn’t hers, and since its days were numbered, she didn’t feel right making any changes.

  Finally after what seemed like the hundredth time that Jennifer had to push by Heather to get something that she needed, she stopped and took Heather’s hand and said, “Heather, please don’t take this wrong. I really appreciate you taking care of the annoying details around here, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mrs. Abers as happy as when she handed you the keys to this place, but I’m used to working alone here. Betty and I have things under control; you don’t have to waste these beautiful summer days sitting back here. Please, please, go enjoy the sun.”

  “But…”

  “No buts. I have your cell number, and it’s a small village, so if I need you you’ll only be a couple of minutes away.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry but I’m so used to being busy.”

  “Well now you can relax, you’re on village time. It’s like island time only everyone knows what everyone else is doing.” Heather laughed because she had to agree that there was very little privacy for the residents of Crescent Bay.

  Yesterday while picking up groceries at the local market she’d heard all about how Samuel’s dog had torn down Mrs. Johnson’s laundry, again, and how Mrs. Johnson had called the mayor to complain. But, the clerk behind the counter at the store, “Call me Patti,” thought that Mrs. Johnson actually had a sweet
spot for Samuel, “you know her being a widow and all.” Heather had no idea who Mrs. Johnson and Samuel were, but it didn’t seem to matter to Patti.

  Over the past couple of weeks, Patti had shared with Heather many of the same sort of local news stories. When Heather asked Jennifer about the local gossips, Jennifer had acted offended.

  “We don’t gossip! We are proud participants of the Scuttlebutt.”

  “Scuttlebutt?”

  “Yes Scuttlebutt, a proud tradition in our little seaside village.” When Heather had continued to look confused, Jennifer had explained that a Scuttlebutt was the cask on the ship used to serve water. “Kind of like an office water cooler only on the ocean. So you see, when we share news with each other we are merely honoring our seafaring ancestors. The Scuttlebutt.”

  Of course, Patti and the other participants of the “Scuttlebutt” didn’t feel that they were gossiping, they thought they were just being neighborly. Heather hoped that she never gave them any reason to be “neighborly.”

  “Okay Jennifer, I’ll make myself scarce.”

  “Thanks. Oh and don’t forget the city council meeting is this evening.”

  “The what?”

  “The council meeting. Didn’t Mrs. Abers tell you about it?” Heather shook her head no.

  “Mrs. Abers used to go, so I just assumed you’d be taking her place. It’s a monthly meeting of our elected officials and not much happens really. They talk about ways to increase the number of tourists and such. The main reason she went was because the easiest way to end up on a committee is to not attend. At least that is what Mrs. Abers always said, so she never missed a meeting.”

  “Okay,” Heather said, “then I guess I better attend and represent Java Junction. Where and when?”

  “Since the Foghorn doesn’t close until late they usually hold the meetings in the back room there, plus that way Maggie can attend. The meeting is at 7:00, though I’d recommend you get there early so you can partake of a little liquid fortification.” Heather thanked Jennifer and headed back up to her apartment; if she was going to spend the day outside, she sure wasn’t going to forget to put on lots of sunscreen.

  9

  Heather arrived at the Foghorn Tavern at 6:00 so that she could treat herself to another one of those wonderful cheeseburgers for dinner. Maggie smiled as Heather came through the front door and even pulled her into a hug.

  “I wondered when you’d come by and say hi. Being that you’re our newest resident and all.”

  “Yeah, it’s been a very hectic couple of weeks. In fact I’m here to represent Java Junction at tonight’s council meeting.”

  “So this isn’t a social call then?”

  “Oh I’m pretty good at mixing business and pleasure. And speaking of pleasure, how about another of Mario’s amazing cheeseburgers?”

  “No problem. Let me get you settled at a table in the back.” Maggie led Heather through a door at the back of the restaurant and into a medium sized meeting