by Kym Roberts
“O.M.W. I’m sorry, Charli. I should have said we’d wait. I just started worrying about the time and needing to get back to the salon.”
“It’s fine. Really, it’s no big deal.” I strategically placed my purse on my lap and picked up the menu. I knew it by heart, but I thought looking at the choices would help me decide. In the end, I went with chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans with sweet tea to drink. Scarlet chose a grilled chicken breast with a side of sliced tomatoes, and as she put it, “Treat me with a sweet tea with a lemon wedge.”
“Is he coming back for dinner?” she asked.
“Who?”
“Mateo!”
Mr. Draper, who owned the second largest ranch in the county next to Calloways, and his ranch hand looked down the bar at us. Even in winter, Mr. Draper’s skin looked more tanned than the saddle I was sitting on, and his wrinkles were a testament to the man’s undying belief that you work on your ranch if you want it to be a success. I had no idea how old he was, but if he grew a mustache and beard, he’d make a mighty fine Santa. Provided we gave him a pillow to stuff his belly. Mr. Draper winked and went back to eating his sliced roast beef.
“He didn’t mention anything about dinner.”
“Why was he there?”
“I don’t know, we barely said two words.”
Scarlet grinned. “I told you he had a thing for you.”
I changed the subject to something more pleasant. “Do you know why anyone would want to murder Delbert Perkins?”
“So the rumors are true?”
I nodded.
“Delbert’s been in Hazel Rock for the past six years, but I don’t know anyone who knew him well enough to hate him. When anyone had an issue with their computer, they called Delbert and he’d come and look at it. It took him very little time to figure out what the problem was, and he repaired things really quickly, unless he had to order the part.”
I had to agree. I’d called and talked to Delbert over the summer and he’d ordered the software we needed, along with an inventory barcode scanner and some type of networking system to link our two computers. It was overkill for the Barn, but I was hopeful for the store’s future success and it really hadn’t been that expensive.
“Someone had to know him outside of his working on their computers,” I insisted.
“Not that I know of. He never ate at the diner and he didn’t go to the Tool Shed Tavern either. He was a loner.”
“What about family?”
“I honestly don’t know if he had a family or not. He had a business partner.”
“He did?”
“Well, sort of. Mac Patterson’s doesn’t like to talk to people. If a computer needed extensive work, Delbert took it to Mac and he would fix it. But as far as house visits and business calls, Delbert did all of that.”
“How did they become partners?”
“From what I understand, Delbert contacted Mac when he moved here since Mac was already fixing computers out of his home. Once in a blue moon Mac would go to a business to do a repair, but that didn’t happen very often and since Delbert didn’t like being stuck in one place, the idea of Delbert making the outside calls worked for both of them.”
“Why wouldn’t Mac just do both? He’d make a lot more money.”
“Mac is very shy. People take his demeanor as standoffish, but it’s really the exact opposite. He doesn’t know how to talk to people. Mac’s lived alone for so long, he defines the term ‘socially awkward.’”
“Did he and Delbert get along?”
“Mac gets along with everyone, as long as he doesn’t have to talk to them. And before you go getting any ideas, Mac doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He’s a big teddy bear. You’ve seen him.”
“I have?”
“Yeah, he’s been in here a couple of times in the past month when we came to the diner. He’s a big guy about six foot, close to three hundred pounds. Short wavy hair that looks like it needs to be washed. I’ve offered to cut it and shape it for him several times, but he just turns beet red and says, ‘Thank you, Miss Scarlet, but I’ll pass.’”
“Maybe I should talk to him.”
Scarlet took a sip of her sweet tea. “I doubt you’ll get him to say anything beyond ‘hello.’”
“Why’s that?”
“He doesn’t know you. I’ve known him almost his whole life. My mom babysat him as a kid, and he still barely talks to me.”
I made a mental note to contact Mac. I might not be able to get anything out of him, but if I didn’t talk to him, I’d never know.
Our food arrived and we ate in silence. The aroma from my chicken fried steak was enough to make me drool. Fried to a deep golden brown, it was seasoned to perfection and with the creamy gravy on top. I was in heaven. The steak took up the entire dinner plate, so with my side orders of sweet corn, green beans, mashed potatoes smothered in the creamy gravy, and my biscuit and honey, I was taking up a lot of room. Scarlet, on the other hand, had one plate with grilled chicken and large red tomato slices. It looked good, if you were starving. My food looked divine.
For the next several minutes, I was only able to focus on the noise of the diner and the sound of my knife screeching against my plate as I devoured one bite after another. The waitress came back to ask if we wanted dessert but Scarlet said, “No thank you,” before I could even open my mouth. It was a little disappointing considering I had a piece of pumpkin pie on my mind, but Scarlet was buying my lunch for my birthday, so I kept my mouth shut. The waitress brought our bill and we headed out the door saying goodbye to Mr. Draper and hello to Betty and Franz as they walked in the front door. The rest of the diner seem to have emptied out while I’d had my head down shoveling food in my mouth.
“Wow, the lunch crowd disappeared quickly.”
Scarlet shrugged. “Maybe everybody wanted to do their pre-holiday shopping.”
“I should probably get over to the Barn and help Dad.”
“I’ll join you. I wanted to talk to your dad about moving my trailer.”
That stopped me in my tracks. Scarlet had a vintage Airstream trailer that she parked behind Beaus and Beauties Hair Salon. She’d had the interior brought back to its early ‘70s glory with modern touches. She loved it, I felt the same way in it as I did in her two-seater car—trapped.
“You’re going to move and you’re just now telling me?”
“O.M.W., Charli. I’m only going to move the trailer at a different angle to block off noise from the road.”
“Oh, I thought you were talking about moving away.” I wasn’t sure what I’d do if Scarlet moved out of Hazel Rock.
We made our way across the street as the wind started to pick up. In Texas, the weather could change on a spinning dime. I would be sitting outside enjoying a seventy-degree day in the middle of winter, then the wind would change and it would suddenly be twenty degrees with snow hitting the back of my neck. Our motto: If you don’t like the weather, wait twenty-four hours and it’ll change—though that rule didn’t apply to summer.
Now it felt like it was going to change for the worse. I hopped up on the front porch to the store and the doors to the Barn swished open. Princess ran toward me as a cheer broke out before I made it across the threshold.
“Happy birthday, Princess!”
The pet Princess and I jumped at the unexpected explosion of noise. Her small hard shell curled up like the back of a frightened cat. As soon as her feet hit solid ground, she scurried off under the counter.
I looked around, bewildered. The Barn was full of people. The owners of the Tool Shed Tavern, Joe Buck and his wife, Leila, were standing behind my dad, packed in like sardines among most of the other shop owners of Hazel Rock. Cade and his parents were looking down at us from the loft. J. C. didn’t look happy to be present, and if I were honest, I’d rather he wasn’t
there either, but I knew he wasn’t going to leave his wife’s side. The stairs were filled all the way up to the second floor. Betty and Franz entered behind us, pushing forward to get out of the way of the automatic door.
“Happy birthday, Princess,” my dad said as he approached me with a pumpkin pie in his hands. When I still stood there stunned, he looked at Scarlet. “You didn’t let her have any for dessert, did you?”
Scarlet laughed. “You should’ve seen the disappointment on her face. It was as if I was telling her we weren’t going to have a snow day tomorrow.”
“Please tell me we’re not going to have a snow day tomorrow.”
“No, Charli, we’re not going to have a snow day tomorrow.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. That was the last thing we needed for business.
“Did you think we’d forget your birthday?” my aunt asked as she came up next to my father. Again, I got that creepy feeling that they were a couple. I didn’t want to judge them, yet at the same time, Violet was my mom’s sister—her twin sister. Her being with my father was just too weird for me to grasp.
“I just didn’t expect a party.”
“Is it true? When you turn thirty you don’t want to celebrate?” Sugar stood with her hand tucked in her boyfriend’s arm. She was a waitress at the Tool Shed Tavern who worked at the Barn part-time and was the town’s version of Barbie. She had a brilliant smile with one crooked tooth.
I laughed and Sugar’s boyfriend cringed. Despite her young age, the man by her side had passed forty. “Let’s just say it’s not like turning twenty-one.”
“You don’t look a day over twenty-five, young lady,” my aunt assured me.
“You’re the best looking thirty-year-old in this room,” added Dean MacAlister, Sugar’s boyfriend who was at least fifteen years her senior.
“She’s the only thirty-year-old in this room.” Leave it to my cousin Jamal to bring me down to earth.
I shot him a death look and he winked.
My aunt broke up our quibbling. “We’ve got more pie and presents upstairs in the loft waiting for you.”
“Presents?” Presents always made the years that passed more bearable.
“You can’t have a milestone birthday without presents.” Mateo walked up and kissed me on the cheek. He handed me a small gift-wrapped box and whispered in my ear, “Open this when you’re alone.”
My face heated, and I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be jealousy shining in Cade’s eyes. I wasn’t sure if that made me happy, sad, or if I even cared. I slipped the package into my purse and announced, “I think it’s time we move this party to the loft. I see some pumpkin pie with whipped cream in my future.”
Scarlet took the pie from my dad and headed up the stairs.
“Is there enough pie for everyone?” I asked my dad. The Barn seemed to be overloaded with people.
“We have ten more pies upstairs.”
“Ten?”
“I wouldn’t want you to go without having leftovers.” He smiled and disappeared into the tearoom.
I followed Scarlet and Jamal upstairs to the loft, with Mateo picking up the rear. Cade welcomed me at the top of the steps with a hug. I couldn’t tell if there was eye contact between him and Mateo over my shoulder or not, but that hug was the most intimate embrace we’d had in months. I had to wonder if maybe Cade was beginning to believe I wouldn’t stick around and wait for him.
The loft was decorated over the top with pink and white crêpe paper, balloons, and pink party favors everywhere. The two large tables we used for our book art craft classes were filled with place settings along with five pies on each table. Tubs of Cool Whip were in the center with a scoop for each tub. Eggnog or water was available for everyone.
At the end of the farthest table, my throne made from book art waited. It was the neatest piece of furniture I’d ever owned. Made from a repurposed high back chair, the cushions were removed and were replaced with book spines on the back and the seat. I hated to use the chair, I wanted it to stay pristine, but it seemed Cade and my dad were determined I use it.
Cade took charge. “Today is your day. The men of Hazel Rock will be serving…with the exception of Bobby Ray. Bobby, if you could have a seat next to Princess.”
I took my seat at the head of the table, with my aunt seated to my left and my daddy to my right. Scarlet sat next to my dad while Sugar and Betty and the rest of the women sat down at the table with us. It was kind of weird that the women waited for the men to serve dessert. Our town was still steeped in traditional roles, which meant I wasn’t the only one receiving a rare treat. Granted, the men didn’t make the pies; I knew my aunt was behind the delicious desserts adorning the table.
“There’s a gluten-free pie down on the end if someone needs it,” she said. “Otherwise you won’t be able to tell that it’s gluten-free. Don’t be afraid to eat it if no one else does.”
“Did you bring a pie booth for Charli to sit in?” Jamal asked.
“What?” asked Cade.
“Jamal!” His name hissed between my teeth, but my cousin refused to listen to the warning.
“As a kindergarten teacher, Charli was chosen every year to sit in the pie booth at the elementary school fundraiser.”
I could feel Mateo grinning. Cade laughed out loud and several of the women at the table giggled. Including my best friend. Traitor.
I played it off with a nonchalance I was never able to carry as a teacher. “Yes, well, those days are over. We don’t have pie booths in Hazel Rock.”
Daddy patted me on the shoulder. “That’s right, Princess. You’re safe here.”
Soon everyone was seated at the table, and Cade brought a special pie and placed it right in front of me. I looked at the candles, and although there were quite a few, there weren’t anywhere near thirty.
“Did you only have eighteen candles?” I asked.
My daddy was the one to answer. The look on his face was half-sad, yet happy to be here in the moment. I didn’t understand it until he explained. “I missed your eighteenth birthday, and I plan on celebrating it with you today.”
“Oh, Lawd, you’re going to make me cry.” My aunt turned away and wiped her eyes. My own eyes were filling up so fast, I wasn’t sure I could say anything. My vision was blurry and the one pie in front of me with candles on it looked like it was three. I blew out the candles on the middle one, hoping I chose the right one. Luckily, I did. I almost got them all out, but two candles remained lit at opposite ends of the pie. I looked up and saw Cade on one side of the table, and Mateo on the other.
It was kind of strange how life could divide your pie in half. Then I wondered which side I should blow out first. Sugar and Scarlet made up my mind for me. They each leaned over and blew out the last two candles.
Everyone else cheered and started chanting, “We want pie, we want pie!” Scarlet turned my pie in her direction and sliced me a piece right down the middle.
Sugar popped a big scoop of Cool Whip on top and slid the plate in front of me. I decided not to think about life too much and just enjoy the piece of pie in front of me. My first bite made me want to tell everyone they had to leave so that I could have the rest of the pies all to myself. It was rich and spicy, a little creamy but not too much, with the frozen dollop of Cool Whip, just the way I like it. I moaned with pleasure and Sugar laughed.
“No man can do that for you.”
“I think I might be insulted,” said Dean as he nuzzled Sugar’s neck and she giggled in response. It was the happiest I’d seen the two of them. Theirs was the longest relationship Dean MacAlister had on record. Of course, he was also getting up there in age. In his early forties, the man was a good ol’ Southern boy with Southern boy ways. As the only mechanic in town, he would’ve been well off, but he also had a bunch of kids by different women and his child support left him continuously bro
ke. Yet the man had a heart of gold and had rented me a car when I first came back to town at a dirt-cheap rate.
We heard moans of pleasure all the way down the table and the next table; everyone was enjoying Violet’s pies. Including my daddy who’d gotten up from the table and was standing next to her while the two of them laughed about something.
“Let them enjoy each other’s company,” Cade whispered in my ear. He recognized my discomfort when no one else did.
“She’s my mom’s identical twin. Isn’t that a little creepy?” I asked.
“It’s only creepy if it is to them.”
He had a point, but I still couldn’t imagine what life would be like if my dad and my Aunt Violet started to date.
The pies were polished off in record time—so much for leftovers. I’d have to convince my aunt to make me another one or wait until the holidays arrived…but then she wouldn’t be here. I eyed my dad and aunt whispering in the corner.
Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. A shiver ran down my spine. I couldn’t help it. As much as I wanted both of them to be happy, the two of them together did not work for me.
“Time for presents!” Scarlet announced.
I looked around at all the smiling faces as Mateo wheeled out one of our book carts full of packages wrapped in all different sizes—they were all wrapped in muted tones of brown, black, and white with splashes of color. As the cart got closer, the theme popped out at me—they were all wrapped in book pages. The care and artwork of the packages alone was almost too much to absorb.
“Those are all for me?” I felt like the Grinch at Christmas when his little bitty heart grew and grew and grew. My chest wasn’t big enough to hold all that love…so it spilled out in tears.
Fuzz buckets.
Since I’d returned to Hazel Rock, I’d cried more than I had my entire adult life. Scarlet first handed me a tissue, then a finely wrapped package. She’d used plain brown paper because of the size of the gift, with roses made from book pages arranged neatly in one corner. Brown twine crossed over it attaching a delicate tag made from card stock, a book page, buttons, and lace. It was a beautiful gift just the way it was.