The Second Chance Café

by Alison Kent

  She was still digesting what Ten had told her about his brother, and she had yet to figure out why she was letting Dakota’s history bother her. She didn’t know him, and from what she’d learned, his incarceration had been a punishment he’d chosen to accept even before he’d delivered a retaliation he and Ten agreed was deserved.

  Ten was right. His brother standing up for his sister’s honor had nothing to do with his work as her contractor. And yet prison and an ex-con’s time served always brought her back to her mother and her inability to settle her feelings about the past. She’d been in Hope Springs two weeks now, and she had yet to do anything that wasn’t related to the conversion of the house into a café. Next week, she swore. No matter if the chasing down records meant a whole day spent away.

  Hearing a car door slam, Kaylie looked out the kitchen window to see the fifth woman of the morning walking up her driveway. Except she didn’t have the day’s fifth appointment scheduled until later this afternoon. The woman, big sunglasses hiding much of her face, appeared to be close to Kaylie’s age, and similarly sized, sharing the same taste in boots, T-shirts, and jeans, though where Kaylie drove a Jeep, this woman drove a low-slung sports car splattered with mud, and that careless contradiction had Kaylie smiling.

  She put aside her paperwork, told Magoo to stay where he was stretched out on the kitchen floor, and met her visitor at the back door before she could knock. “Hi. Can I help you?”

  “I’m looking for Kaylie Flynn,” she said, and when she pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, Kaylie knew who she was. “I’m Indiana Keller.”

  She had Ten’s eyes, and the same caramel-brown hair, though hers was twisted into an unruly rooster tail against the back of her head. Kaylie wondered if Indiana knew her brother was here, if she would care. Wondered, too, what she’d thought about him getting in touch on behalf of someone else, not because they were family and close.

  Though little about the reasons why made sense, he’d made it clear they weren’t. Close, anyway. He couldn’t do much about their being family. “I’m Kaylie. I’m so glad to meet you. But full disclosure in case you’d like to go somewhere else to talk, Tennessee’s here, working upstairs on some wiring issues.”

  “Then I guess it’s a good thing I need you to show me around outside, isn’t it?” she asked, before a joyless smirk caught at her mouth. “I’m kidding. Ten’s a man alone by choice. A ridiculous choice, if you ask me, but what do I know? I’m just the sister who managed to screw up both of her brothers’ lives.”

  Wow. Kaylie wasn’t sure what to say to that. She certainly hadn’t expected such a forthright confession from a woman she didn’t even know. But then she’d been doing a lot of confessing herself lately, hadn’t she, sharing pieces of her life with strangers she now called friends. This house. Something about it was magic…

  She took in Indy’s expression, saw a flicker of anxiousness beneath the bravado. “Ten’s told me a lot of what happened with the three of you. I hate that such a sorry person had this impact on all of your lives.”

  Indy’s head bobbed, and this time her smile was true. “I like that he told you. I like it a lot. Almost as much as his finally, finally, calling me. When I heard his voice on my machine…” She let the sentence trail, reached up with a shaking hand to rub at her eyes. “I can’t wait to grab him for an appropriately embarrassing public hug. Stupid, hardheaded man.” She stopped and blew out a long breath. “But now I should shut up and pretend I’m a professional instead of dying to see my brother. Show me what I’ve come here to see.”

  Indy’s honesty, her frankness…Kaylie liked the other woman already. Stepping outside, she led the way through the breezeway to the back side of the garage. “I need to get a landscaper out here to do something with the flower beds. Right now the whole place looks abandoned. Which I guess makes sense. It’s been a while since anyone has lived here.”

  “Are you living here now?”

  “I’m camping out. I didn’t want to move all my things until the renovations were done. Easier to clean up the postconstruction mess when it’s on the floor and not in the creases of my clothes.”

  “Good call. I had my living room painted recently, and even with drop cloths covering everything, I keep finding bits of the old stuff that was sanded off the door and window facings.”

  Kaylie feared even with her precautions, she’d be finding the same. “I appreciate you making the drive. Dolly Breeze told me you live in Buda?”

  “I rent a small place in town,” Indy said, pushing her sunglasses back in place. “But I spend most of my time at the greenhouse several miles away. I’m thinking now I need something like what you have here. A home and a business all in the same spot.”

  Kaylie laughed. “It may turn out to be a disaster, but since I always take my work home with me anyway…”

  “This way you don’t have to panic in the middle of the night if you’ve forgotten something in the office.”

  “Oh, I’ll still panic, but I’ll be able to run downstairs and hopefully find it,” Kaylie said, stepping over a fallen limb. Yeah, she really needed to get in touch with a landscaper. She wondered if Ten knew someone…“Do you provide landscaping services, too? Or do you just supply produce? Ten didn’t explain all of what you do, just that he’d talk to you about the garden.”

  “Nope. I’m strictly fruit and veggies. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have time to take on something new. But I can give you a half dozen names of businesses who’ll do right by you.”

  “Thanks. Ten’s been great to recommend local services, but I hate to go to him for everything.”

  A wry smile crept over Indiana’s mouth. “Oh, I doubt he minds. He likes to help and, well, not to be jumping to conclusions, but you’re exactly his type. Or what I last knew to be his type, anyway.”

  Warmth spread over Kaylie’s chest, up her neck, along her hairline, prickling uncomfortably. Talking about Ten to Luna hadn’t caused this sort of awkwardness, but then Ten wasn’t Luna’s brother. “He’s made it a lot easier for me to navigate the local waters. Things have changed a lot since I lived here before. I’m still getting my sea legs, as it were.”

  “I didn’t know you’d lived here before.”

  Meaning Ten hadn’t talked about her to his sister. And that realization brought with it a frown. “What exactly did Ten say in the message he left you? I’m really hoping he didn’t beg a favor because you’re family. If you don’t normally provide this sort of consultation—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Indy said, waving her off. “I have to meet a vendor in San Antonio this afternoon, so I’d already cleared my calendar today. As long as I’m not imposing on you by showing up unannounced, we’re good.”

  That didn’t exactly answer her question. “I don’t even remember what imposing means. I’ve had people coming and going for two weeks now. Which is another reason I’m waiting to move in my things. I’m just using the bedroom and I’m rarely out of sight of my laptop…”

  “Oops,” Indy said, and Kaylie laughed.

  “It’s okay. No one’s inside at the moment except for Ten. And probably Will. I haven’t seen him, but they usually show up about the same time.”

  “Will, huh? Is he one of Ten’s pet projects?”

  Did that mean that even though she wasn’t in contact with her brother, Indiana knew about the parolees? “He just came to work for him recently,” she said but left it at that. She was still working through what she felt about Ten’s outreach.

  “Ignore me,” Indy said a few moments later, blowing out a breath heavy with exasperation. “I shouldn’t be digging for news on what’s going on with him.”

  At the sound of Magoo’s bark, Kaylie turned, needing a moment to get her bearings. He was racing toward her, obviously freed by someone going into or out of the house. She walked backward as he ran up to her, bending to snuggle his face before he bounded off again.

  “I’m sorry Ten doesn’t stay in touch,” s
he finally said to Indiana.

  “Love the dog,” the other woman replied, then, after watching Magoo nose at the ground, added, “Ten seems to think keeping his distance is the best way to hold the family drama to a minimum, or so I’m assuming, since I honestly don’t know what he thinks. But his telling you about what happened…I really want to take that as a sign that he’s coming around and getting over this whole guilt-trip thing.”

  Kaylie didn’t want to give the other woman false hope. Everything she’d learned about Ten said he was mired in self-blame. “He did tell me about Dakota, but he only volunteered the information after one of the women I interviewed for the cook’s position let it slip.”

  “Or wanted you to know what you were getting into?”

  “I suppose that could be the case, but it seemed very innocent.”

  “Oh, I’m sure it was. I’m the cynical Keller. You’ll have to forgive me. Change of subject.” She waved both arms in an arc. “How big is your lot, and how do you feel about taking out trees?”

  Not any better than Ten had felt about taking out walls. “It’s just over an acre, and I’d like to keep all the trees if I can.”

  “You need direct sunlight for a garden to do you any good.”

  That much she knew. “There’s a big spot that was cleared years ago. It’s where we played softball when I was a kid. It’s a mess of brush right now, with some smaller saplings I don’t mind getting rid of. But it’s close to the wooded acreage next door, so the wildlife might be too much of a problem.”

  “We can take care of that with eco-friendly fencing and repellent, but you might want to consider a greenhouse. Show me the place and let’s see what you have to work with.”

  The women spent the next thirty minutes walking the edge of Kaylie’s lot, and oh, the memories. The trees she’d climbed. The cozy little hideaways where she’d sat with a book, or slept, or daydreamed, or made notes about the brownies she’d taken to school, what the kids liked, what they thought gross and disgusting.

  The trees were older, some brittle and broken with weather and time, some stronger than ever, and taller. If she scaled to the top, what would the view be like now? Would she see more than downtown Hope Springs? The spire on the top of the Main Street Bank? The bell that rang from the top of Second Baptist’s steeple?

  Thinking about it now, she realized she hadn’t heard the bell since she’d been back. Next time she was in town, she’d drive by and see if the building was still standing. And she’d ask Jessa or Dolly about Pastor Ross. If he’d been charged in the sex scandal that had driven him from town. Funny that she’d remember the gossip surrounding his downfall and so little else.

  As they returned to the house, the conversation slowed, both women lost in thought, and then Indiana’s steps slowed, too. Kaylie glanced over, wondering what Ten’s sister was thinking. And then followed the direction of her gaze to where her brother stood, hands at his hips, watching the two of them make their way back to the house.

  Ten was the first to speak. “You two have been gone long enough to get the garden planted and the first harvest in.”

  Indiana looked over at Kaylie. “In case you haven’t run into this yet, Tennessee likes to keep an eye on things. Like clocks. And if you’re not careful, every move you make.”

  “I’ve noticed,” Kaylie said, cutting her gaze back to Ten. The smile he had for his sister had her melting.

  “Good to see you, Indy,” he said, stepping toward her.

  She met him, an audible sob breaking in her throat, before he’d made it halfway. “You could’ve seen me anytime you wanted to, and you know that.”

  And then her arms were around his waist, his around her shoulders, his cheek resting on top of her head and his eyes closed. Kaylie held one arm tight to her midsection, pressed the fingers of her other hand to her mouth. Why in the world would he deny himself this…veritable joy as he held Indy and rocked her and finally picked her up and twirled her around?

  Indy beat her fists on his back, laughing and then stumbling backward when he finally let her down. “Don’t do that again,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “And I don’t mean the hug. I mean the silence and the absence. Enough is enough.”

  “We’ll see,” he said with a wink; then sobered, he added, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know how to make up for what I let happen. The distance, not seeing you…it made it easier not to think about all of it. Except I’ve thought about it every day since.”

  “You didn’t let anything happen, Ten. Stop beating yourself up. You have nothing to make up for, not to me or to Dakota. Well, nothing besides the distance thing.” She reached up and rubbed at his shoulder. “I couldn’t believe it when you called,” she was saying as Kaylie finally pulled herself together and walked closer. “I heard your voice on the machine and screamed so loud Anne, the girl in the office who keeps me sane, came running. She caught her shoe on the edge of her floor mat and sprained her foot, and now she’s on crutches, and I’m no longer sane. So you owe me.”

  “Remind me not to leave you a message again.”

  “You’d better leave me a message,” she said, slapping playfully at his biceps. Then slapping again, this time harder, with a little bit less play. “You’d better leave me tons of them.”

  Ten gave her a lopsided grin, rubbing at his arm. “I guess this means I’ll be seeing a lot of you from now on?”

  “More than you were ready for.”

  “Did you decide on a spot for the garden?” he asked of Indy as he looked sheepishly at Kaylie.

  “We did. I’m going to send out a crew to get started. Most likely it’ll be next week. And since we’re right on the edge of when I like to plant, we’ll use starter plants rather than new seedlings.”

  “Girding your loins against summer?”

  “Something like that,” she said, her gaze drawn past Ten’s shoulder as Will Bowman came around the edge of the house, his arms hooked over the bundle of two-by-fours he held at his neck. Kaylie decided it made him look like he was in stocks, a visual she found inexplicably troublesome knowing where he’d been the last few years.

  Ten followed the direction of her gaze and motioned the other man over. “Indy, this is Will Bowman. Will, my sister, Indiana Keller.”

  “Mr. Bowman,” Indy said, offering him her hand.

  “Ms. Keller,” he said, dropping the bundle to take it, giving off the same hungry vibes Kaylie had sensed the morning he’d met Luna.

  She looked at Ten. Ten looked at her. She wasn’t sure which of them was the first to roll their eyes.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Meadows Land sprawled over eighty-five rolling acres on the outskirts of Hope Springs. Kaylie made the trip alone, having left Magoo at home, pouting. She knew her dog, his friendly temperament, his loyal, protective nature, but was well aware his size and his teeth often gave strangers pause.

  And then there was the fact that he put his own ninety-pound spin on rambunctious, which she just couldn’t see being compatible with kids in their Easter best. She promised him and herself she wouldn’t be gone long. And with a reluctant, hangdog sigh, he’d curled into a ball and watched her go.

  Spending Easter Sunday relaxing, instead of working, with people she didn’t know wasn’t exactly how she’d thought she’d wind up the month. In fact, spending it in Magoo’s company would’ve been fine. And even though Indy Keller would have a crew out to put in the garden next week, Kaylie couldn’t imagine a better use of the quiet day than clearing the easily managed detritus from the area, leaving the larger downed limbs and buried stumps to the pros.

  Winton Wise had been the one to plant in her the seeds of self-sufficiency and independence. While May had nurtured her emotions, Winton had fed her practical nature, and the lessons had stuck. To this day she had no trouble changing the oil in her Jeep, or replacing a toilet’s ball cock, or installing a garbage disposal in the kitchen sink. She paid others who were more efficient to do those things, but in a pin
ch, she was there.

  She also knew football and baseball, though Winton had never understood how to follow a rugby scrum. They’d laughed about it one day when rewiring May’s washing machine after a rat made its way into the mudroom and chewed through the cord. Dealing with the dead rodent had grossed out both of them, and they’d laughed about that, too, but only until May had tossed it into the yard and buried it, then ordered them to bleach every inch of the room.

  Turning in at the sign to Meadows Land, Kaylie found herself swept gladly back in time. It had been forever since she’d thought of that day, the hilarity as May grumbled about having to be the one to change diapers and gut fish and now deal with a fried rat because Winton had no stomach for the squickier things in life.

  Winton had apologized with a bouquet of sad wildflowers picked from the patch of yard set to be Kaylie’s garden. She’d remembered the picnics and softball games when walking the patch with Indy, but she’d forgotten about the sweet pastels, the blues, pinks, and yellows that had brought a very naughty smile to May’s face.

  As she navigated the farm’s long, narrow road, Kaylie lowered her window. She breathed in air musky with grazing sheep and tiny lambs bouncing on springy little legs, and thought about true love. Not the love of exotic hothouse blooms, but the day-to-day emotion binding two people. Love that saw past bouquets of thin wildflowers to the intent and the eyes behind. Strange thoughts to be having, she knew, but the last week of revelations shared with Luna and Ten, Dolly and Indiana, had left a strangeness in its wake.

  Parking to one side of the paved circle in front of the house, she turned off the Jeep, pocketed her keys, and headed in the direction of the noise. It spilled from the yard behind the Meadowses’ sprawling stucco ranch. Smoke rose from a barbecue pit built out of a fifty-five-gallon drum, and monstrous bowls of potato and macaroni salads, baked beans, and buttered corn on the cob weighed down picnic tables covered in red-and-white gingham cloths.