“Brooke,” Holly said. “This is Paige Bradley.”
“Nice to meet you.” Paige offered her hand.
“You’re the woman whose shoes I have to fill.” Brooke’s attempt at a joke succeeded. A little.
“Actually, after Holly told me about you coming on board, I thought I’d come back and give you some one-on-one help.” Paige’s smile widened. “It’s my day off at the hospital. If you don’t mind. It can be tough sometimes being a nurse and those days make me long to be a server again.”
“I don’t mind at all.” Brooke shook her head. “I appreciate the guidance. Um.” She glanced over at the small figure half asleep and half collapsed on the counter. “Is she yours?”
“Charlie.” Paige nudged the little girl, who mumbled something and set her pigtails to flapping.
Brooke recognized her now—it was the little girl who had been in the bookstore the day she’d first seen Mandy.
“Sorry,” Paige laughed. “I told her that since her father’s got the night shift, if she wanted to go to the community center this morning she had to come in with me. I might have neglected to tell her I was coming here at the crack of dawn.”
“Dad told me,” Charlie said on a yawn, but didn’t open her eyes. “I told him it was okay.”
“That was before you had to actually get up.” Holly grabbed a mug and pushed a button on a machine behind the counter. “Hot chocolate usually helps. Heads up, Charlie.” She pushed the mug in front of Charlie’s nose, which instantly started twitching. “You need to be awake and alert for today.”
“Today’s the grammar school’s teacher conference,” Paige said.
“Not for Simon’s school, though, thank goodness,” Holly muttered. “I need him out of the house. He’s started experimenting on the twins.”
“Experimenting how?” Paige asked.
“Last night it was a scientific hypothesis about which one could splash more water out of the tub. For the record—” Holly motioned for Brooke to follow her to the coffee machine “—it was Zoe. Luke’s already looking at soccer uniforms for her and she can’t even walk yet. Do you have any experience with espresso and coffee machines?” she asked Brooke.
“Plenty.” The unease rolling inside Brooke began to subside. “We have that same model at home.” Her mother would have been mortified to know Brooke had learned how to operate it soon after it arrived as a supposed gift for their housekeeper. Never one to like being waited on, Brooke had secretly started fixing her own drinks and meals whenever her mother left the house or was distracted.
“Great.” The surprise on Holly’s face flashed so quickly Brooke wondered if she’d imagined it. Hadn’t she believed Brooke the other day when she’d told her about having worked for her mother’s friend’s company? “Why don’t you brew a pot of regular and then one mocha, an espresso and a latte, light foam for Paige. Everything you need is in the cabinet underneath.”
“On it.” Brooke’s hands barely shook as she accepted the black apron to tie around her waist.
“Charlie, how’s the cocoa?” Holly asked.
“Hot,” Charlie mumbled. “Mom, can I have pancakes?”
Brooke stooped down and examined the cabinet contents, memorizing where things were before she pulled out what she needed. It took a few minutes to shake out her nerves, but soon she could smell the fresh-dripping coffee and smiled at the familiar hissing of the espresso machine. By the time she set the cups on the counter near a now semialert Charlie, she was feeling a bit more in the zone.
“Looks good to me.” Paige picked up the latte and sipped. “Tastes perfect. Holl?”
“Coming!” Holly emerged from the kitchen, spatula in hand. “Ursula’s off today, but don’t worry about me being in the kitchen. Twyla will be here by seven to help serve and we have another server, Kevin Pine, who works swing shifts. I’ve got the griddle heating up. Here.” She handed Brooke a stapled list. “I made this out for you last night. Opening and closing jobs we do every day, things that can keep you busy during downtime. Not a lot of those, though. Don’t worry. I won’t test you. Yet.”
Brooke scanned the paper, then flipped the page. Everything seemed pretty straightforward. Fill the condiment bottles and salt-and-pepper shakers, keep the pies lined up and on full display in the glass case by the register. Wipe down tables... The tasks went on and on and definitely meant she’d be busy. Exactly what she’d been hoping.
“We’re going to start you at a six-hour shift,” Holly said and gave her approval for the coffee. “It means you’ll be off by lunch today so you can head home to decompress and then debate whether you want to come back.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Brooke heard the unexpected defensive tone in her voice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—” She heaved a sigh. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“All right then.” Holly nodded. “I’ll leave you in Paige’s hands from here. She can run you through our usual procedure. Charlie? You want to help me with the pies after I get your pancakes? I’m doing lemon cream today.”
“Yum.” Charlie’s eyes lit up and she slurped her cocoa. “I’m awake now. And I’m Charlie Bradley.” She held out a very proper hand to Brooke, who wiped hers off before accepting Charlie’s. “Mom told me you used to live here.”
“I did, yes.” Brooke cleared her throat. “My family moved here when I was in high school. And stayed until...” Paige and her daughter didn’t need her sob story. “Well, I moved away after I graduated.”
“I’m going to stay here forever and ever,” Charlie announced. “I might have to go away to school so I can study butterflies, but then I’m going to come back and work at the new sanctuary. I’m going to be a butterfly doctor.”
“Lepidopterist,” Paige said as she checked her phone.
“Yeah, that.” Charlie dropped off her stool and picked up her mug. “Butterflies need help. Especially these days. That’s why we planted a bunch of bee-and butterfly-friendly plants in front of all the houses in town. So we can boost the population across their migaratory—”
“Migratory,” Paige corrected.
“Uh-huh.” Charlie nodded, as if used to the interruptions. “We’re going to be doing that in the spring if you want to help. Mom says many hands make light work.”
“That sounds like fun,” Brooke said, unable not to smile at the little girl’s crooked-toothed enthusiasm. “I might like to do that.”
“Cool. ’Bye.” She left and joined Holly in the kitchen.
“She’s sweet,” Brooke said.
“Most of the time,” Paige agreed with a nod. “There have been times I thought about selling her to the circus, but Fletcher would never forgive me.”
Brooke’s heart cracked open and wept. What had Mandy been like at that age? Had she mispronounced words Sebastian had to correct? Was she an early riser or did she like to sleep in? Did she like hot chocolate? At Paige’s assessing expression, Brooke ducked her head and grabbed a towel. “You know about me, don’t you?”
“I know what Holly told me.”
Brooke pushed out a laugh. “Could be worse. You could have heard about me from some of my less than sympathetic peers.”
“Fletcher Bradley filled in some blank spots,” Paige added as she came around the counter. “Takes a lot of courage to return considering what happened.”
What happened. Not what you did. That was an unexpected and welcome distinction. “Don’t think I’ve ever been accused of that,” Brooke said, trying to joke. “Being courageous.”
“Self-deprecation’s never been high on my list of admirable qualities,” Paige said. “I’m not one to judge anyone on their past, Brooke. I’ve made enough mistakes myself to know we do what we have to in order to survive. Did you do what you had to do at the time?”
“I—” It surprised her to hear the question delivered so directly and with such potential for unde
rstanding. “Yes. At the time, leaving was the only decision I could make.” The only decision that would give Mandy the life she deserved. The life Brooke wanted for her.
“Then that’s good enough for me.” Paige gave her an encouraging smile. “Let’s get to work.”
CHAPTER FIVE
SINCE HE HADN’T SEEN a sign of Brooke except for that day on the beach, Sebastian half assumed she’d skedaddled out of town again. Until he’d heard it confirmed from multiple sources around town to expect to find Brooke Ardell working as a waitress at the Butterfly Diner.
He stood outside, watching her move from table to table during the early lunch rush, coffeepot in hand, an open smile on her face as she responded to customers’ questions and requests. Her hair was drooping out of her ponytail and her blue T-shirt was splattered with diner debris, but she seemed to be coping. Not just coping, but thriving. Not surprising, he thought. Brooke had always risen to a challenge. Most of the time. She’d also been capable of more than she believed. Certainly more than her parents had believed.
Not for the first time, Sebastian noticed how thin she looked. Drawn. And withdrawn. Her jeans sagged in the back, as if she’d lost a lot of weight very quickly. There were flashes, very quick ones, of the Brooke he’d known—the ebullient, attention-grabbing Brooke he’d fallen in love with. But that Brooke seemed almost like an apparition who hovered in the distance and only appeared when her defenses were low.
With Mandy back in school and Willa minding the shop, he’d run out of excuses not to approach Brooke. When was he going to learn not to make important decisions over a bowl of ice cream in the middle of the night?
“I’d heard Brooke was back in town.”
Sebastian recognized the familiar voice, and faced Gil Hamilton, his former high-school classmate and current mayor of Butterfly Harbor. The once happy-go-lucky golden boy leaned on the hand-carved cane he needed as a result of surviving the fire that destroyed his former office building this past Christmas Eve. “Afternoon, Gil.”
Gil didn’t answer at first, which caught Sebastian off guard. Gil was notorious for his quips, as well as his mayoral policy shenanigans. In the few years since he’d been elected, Gil Hamilton had done the near impossible and ticked off even more Butterfly Harbor residents than the previous mayor. A family talent, clearly, Sebastian thought, considering Gil’s predecessor for mayor was his own father. No doubt Gil had hoped to fix the damage Hamilton Sr. had done to the town, and while he’d had some successes, he always seemed to go about things in the wrong way. The sneaky way.
What was the old saying? If you’re ticking off both sides, you’re doing something right? Definitely not true in Gil’s case.
In Sebastian’s personal experience the mayor often thought he was the most clever person in the room. There were rumors, however, that the fire had had a lasting and sobering effect on him. Sebastian was more inclined to believe that the recall campaign and special November election aimed to get Gil out of office had jarred the less appealing qualities out of him. Or at least quieted them. It seemed despite some successful projects, Gil’s charm had finally been tarnished among the population of Butterfly Harbor.
“Wanted to see for myself if it was true,” Gil said. “You, too?”
“I saw her the other day,” Sebastian confirmed. No doubt Gil already knew exactly what had happened in his town.
“She here for good?”
“No idea.” But he hoped not. A week into her visit and Mandy was all twisted up, and that was unacceptable. “Thought I might ask her that myself. You going in?”
“No, just taking a walk. Trying to get back in shape.” Gil winced. “Back’s still giving me issues, along with the leg. But seeing you saved me a trip.”
“To the store?” Sebastian tried to recall the last time the mayor had dropped by Cat’s Eye.
“Hunter MacBride’s book on the Liberty Lighthouse is ready to go to print. We’re publishing it ourselves, plan on selling it on the town website and in various shops, but I was thinking maybe we could do a launch at your store? Make an event out of it?”
Sebastian didn’t have the heart to tell Gil that Hunter had already approached him with the idea. It had been a while since he’d had a signing. With Butterfly Harbor off the beaten track, there weren’t a lot of authors knocking on his door. “It’s completely doable. Did you have a day in mind?”
“How about the weekend after Mandy’s birthday?”
Sebastian’s eyebrows rose. Gil remembered Mandy’s birthday? He was giving Sebastian a choice? Usually the mayor could be mistaken for the town steamroller. “Yeah, that’s plenty of time. I can get together with Hunter, see an advance copy of the book to get some ideas as to how to market the event. A Saturday would probably be best. We can draw in from Monterey and Durante.” He had a mailing list for both nearby towns. “Maybe get other businesses involved with sales and fun offerings. Holly could create a lighthouse special lunch to coordinate.”
“Perfect.” Gil looked oddly relieved. “Why don’t you pick a day and let me know. We can also give you a budget—not a lot of money, but should be enough to help cover expenses. Just call my office and leave a message if I’m not there.”
“I’ll do that.” Sebastian offered a quick smile and pulled open the diner door. He waved to Holly, who he spotted at the pass-through, before taking a seat at the counter. Brooke hadn’t seen him yet, and over his shoulder, he watched her fill coffee cups and take the order for the couple in the far booth.
The diner was busy and in good spirits, probably due to the cold burning off early. People were basking beneath the sun by the ocean, which explained why Holly’s to-go orders were piling up by the register.
“Coffee, Sebastian?” Twyla, Holly’s long-time waitress, set a mug in front of him as if by rote. The smile she offered was typical, as was her over-the-top makeup and hair, highlighted this week with a rich turquoise blue color.
“Thanks, Twyla.”
“Anything else?” the young waitress asked.
“Yeah, actually.” He rattled off an order to take back to Willa at the store.
“Great. Give Holly about ten for that.” She glided off as easily as if she was wearing skates on her feet.
Sebastian sipped as Brooke swept around the corner, set the coffeepot on its burner and slipped an order tag onto the metal wheel. “Two burgers, medium, one with cheese, one without. One regular fries, one sweet potato.” She leaned closer to read her own writing. “And a grasshopper shake, two glasses.”
“I’ve got the shake,” Twyla called.
“Got it, Brooke.” Holly shifted her gaze over Brooke’s shoulder to Sebastian, who continued to drink his coffee. Brooke turned and her pale cheeks went pink.
“Hi.” She smoothed her hands down her stained apron. “Um...”
For an instant, Sebastian wanted to soothe her to tell her everything was okay, that it was going to be all right. Just as he had for countless days and nights years before. But that was the past. They were different people now. She wasn’t his main concern any longer. “I think we should talk.”
“Yes. Of course.” She glanced at the clock over the milkshake machine. “I’m off in fifteen minutes. Did you want to wait? I can come to the store or we can talk...here.”
Her gaze shot to the booth in the far right corner—the booth where so much of their lives had unfolded. The booth where he’d learned he was going to be a father. Resentment battled the warmth of memories he continued to cling to.
“Or maybe the beach,” she said before he could find the words to refuse. “We could have lunch—”
“No, thanks,” Sebastian said. “But the beach works to talk.”
“Okay. Sounds good.” The smile she flashed him almost made the last fifteen years fade away. Almost.
“Sebastian?” Twyla held up a paper bag. “Your order’s ready.”
* * *
BROOKE HAD NEVER wanted time to slow down more.
Despite her previous experience—she now realized how limited it was—the morning had been challenging, one filled with a fair share of broken plates and spilled coffee. On the bright side, they were mistakes she wouldn’t make again. Now that her first shift was coming to an end, she actually felt...good. Accomplished. Paige had been right; Brooke had fallen into a bit of a routine that had her feeling secure more quickly than she’d expected. What’s more, she’d enjoyed herself. She’d even earned a good number of tips.
She’d had a nice conversation with Leah Ellis, Butterfly Harbor’s family lawyer, who had recently announced a run against Gil Hamilton in the recall mayoral election in November. Brooke and Leah had bonded over Leah’s designer laptop bag, which Brooke had seen in a recent holiday catalog. Brooke liked the idea of becoming friends with someone who had no frame of reference where her past was concerned. A clean slate. Possibilities.
While her mind and heart were full, her body was not so forgiving. There were aches and pains shooting through parts of her she had forgotten existed. The lethargy that pulled at her arms and legs was frighteningly familiar, but she was determined to push through. Now that she knew what to expect, she’d probably manage to sleep tonight. Hopefully.
She shifted slightly, glancing to where Sebastian sat at the diner counter.
That tiny, exhilarating zing she remembered so vividly shot through her system. He’d always had a way of looking at her that made her feel as if she was the only person in his universe. She’d never been able to explain it, not even to Frankie during one of their numerous sleepovers, when they’d spent hours giggling over boys while gorging on crispy marshmallow treats and bags of chips.
Even now, as Brooke refilled coffees and served heaping plates of steaming hot food, she felt more alive than she had in months. Maybe years. Coming back to Butterfly Harbor had recharged her emotional battery. She tamped down the dread threatening to climb into her chest as she went to grab her things from her locker.
A Match Made Perfect--A Clean Romance Page 7