by Tessa Gray
“Mom, I’m sorry. Josh and I just got bored and we-”
“Josh? Who’s Josh?”
“He’s a boy in my math class.” Carly jumped to her feet, an indicator she was aware of how angry Meredith was.
“Carly, what were you thinking? Do you even know this boy you were hanging out with? We’ve been here for barely a month and you’re acting like a juvenile delinquent.” After Meredith said it, she realized how hysterical she sounded.
“Mom, I’m sorry. I promise not to do it again.” Tears streamed down Carly’s face as she spoke and Meredith regretted how judgmental she sounded. What Carly said next broke her heart. “It’s hard making friends here. Everyone already has their groups they hang with. I feel out of place. I wish we’d never moved here.”
As she stared into her daughter’s eyes, she felt as though someone slugged her in the gut. Thirteen was such an enormously vulnerable age—an age she’d struggled with herself. In Meredith’s case, she’d been sent to an exclusive boarding school several hundred miles from home. Like Carly, she had been powerless to stop her parents from making a decision that would come back to haunt her.
When she stretched out her arms, Carly raced over to her and they embraced. “I know it must be so frustrating for you, honey. Adults are making all kinds of decision that affect you, and no one is really asking for your opinion.” After she said it, Carly nodded.
“That’s how I feel, Mom. No one asks Travis or me what we want.”
Meredith struggled to choose just the right words and continued. “Whatever I do, Carly, whatever decision I make is to help make your life better. I moved here because the university accepted all the credits from the college I went to in Dallas. That means that in about one year, I can begin teaching. I want to be a teacher so that I can make our lives better. If we can just get through the next year, things will be better. I know that in the lifetime of you and Travis, it seems like an eternity.” Meredith stopped talking, fearful of burdening her daughter.
“Are you going to lose your job?” Carly dabbed at her eyes as she spoke, and Meredith quickly reassured her.
“No, honey. Stephanie gave me the rest of the day off. Things at the diner are pretty slow today.”
“Oh, okay. I need to use the bathroom. When I come back, can we talk for a little while longer?”
“Yes, Carly. The restrooms are over there.” She pointed to the bathrooms and her daughter raced across the room.
After Carly left, Adam walked over to the table with two drinks. “Thought you ladies could use something to drink.” He gazed at Meredith and winked, “They’re on the house. This time, I hope you’ll accept them.”
Pleased he wasn’t holding a grudge, she smiled. “Thank you, Adam. That’s very kind of you.”
He exhaled and looked her squarely in the eyes before speaking. “I think your daughter’s a good kid, Mere. She just made a mistake. And the boy she was hanging out with, he’s a nice kid, too.”
“Nice kids can do pretty stupid things. Children don’t understand the gravity of bad choices they make. All it takes is one fatal error in judgement to wreak havoc on a child’s life. One minute you’re skipping school, hanging out with someone you think you know . . .” She felt her eyes well up as she remembered, and squeezed them shut.
“Hey . . .” Adam touched the tip of her shoulder, but she quickly brushed his hand away.
“When Carly gets back here, we need to go. Thanks for the drinks,” she said, holding up the plastic bottles. “Would you mind if we just take them with us?”
“Yes, of course.” His gaze held her own for a moment, and even when she looked away, she could feel him watching her. Gathering her things, she realized she’d said too much.
Chapter 6
Stephanie Carter whirled around the counter of Penny’s Diner just in time to see Meredith Chapman standing at the window, staring outside. Closing her eyes, Stephanie wondered if she could afford to keep Meredith on. She’d been here over a month, and things weren’t looking promising.
Meredith was nice enough once you got to know her, but she wasn’t terribly skilled at giving the loyal customers at the diner the attention they deserved. She seemed distracted—often by her children, as she spoke on the phone with them continuously throughout her shift. The concept of customer satisfaction appeared to elude her.
For Stephanie, being a good waitress came instinctively, she could anticipate almost to the second when her ‘regulars’ needed their tea glasses refilled or were ready to order dessert.
Meredith, on the other hand, seemed to need constant reminding. It wasn’t that she was stupid. Quite the contrary. But as far as developing a rapport with her customers, Meredith was sorely lacking. Maybe the woman had led a charmed life, giving little thought to serving others. Or maybe she simply didn’t care. Either way, she’d be getting her walking papers if things didn’t change soon.
“Meredith, go check on that couple over there and see if they need anything.”
“Umm, okay.” Meredith had a pinched expression on her face as she ambled over to where an elderly couple sat. The Randalls hadn’t set foot in the diner for over a year, ever since Warren’s stroke. His wife, Irene, had had her hands full as she patiently nursed her husband back to health. To everyone’s delight, Warren’s health had improved remarkably, and except for the slight limp, the effects of the stroke weren’t noticeable.
Thankfully, their lives had returned to normal, well, nearly normal. The grandchildren they’d been raising for the past five years had moved in with Nathan Wainwright and his wife, Kelsey. Little Tommy and Jessica were thriving now, but anyone with a brain knew how much their grandparents missed caring for them.
Stephanie sighed as she cleared several plates from the counter. As she rinsed out the glasses before tossing them into the dishwasher, she wondered if Meredith had what it took to survive in Alpine.
Out here, people looked after one another, much the way Nathan Wainwright had when he took on the Randall children. Warren and Nathan went way back, so it surprised no one when he’d volunteered to look after those children. Of course, that concept no doubt went right over Meredith’s head. The woman could barely take care of the two kids she had, let alone take on someone else’s. And by all accounts, that teenage daughter of hers was struggling.
“Looks like Irene needs more sugar for her tea. I’ll bring her a couple of packets.” Meredith Chapman smiled weakly after she spoke and reached over to refill the plastic container holding the condiments. “They’re a very sweet couple, aren’t they?”
Stephanie gazed over at the woman who seemed out of place working here, and suddenly felt sorry for her. She was like a ‘fish out of water’ here. While the other female employees wore your run-of-the-mill blue jeans, Meredith wore jeans with enough bling on them to blind someone. And although Stephanie had supplied the woman with several tee shirts sporting the Penny’s Diner logo, Meredith sometimes insisted on wearing her own tops—tops that left little to the imagination. Was she being obstinate, or perhaps just wanting to stand out in a crowd? To be sure, she was difficult to figure out.
~ ~ ~
Meredith handed the elderly woman several packets of sugar before setting the container of condiments down on the table. She was just about to head back over to help Stephanie clear the dishes when the customer stopped her. “I’m Irene Randall, and this here is my husband Warren. Sit a spell and talk to us, honey, won’t you?”
Meredith instinctively look over at her boss, wondering if Stephanie would approve. To her relief, Stephanie gave her the nod and motioned her to sit down with the Randalls.
“Umm, sure, I can stay for a few minutes,” Mere said. As she sat down, the woman’s blue eyes lit up.
“Warren and I don’t get out much, not since his stroke. Course he’s nearly returned to norma
l now, whatever that means,” Irene said. Warren gave her a playful punch in the arm.
“My wife probably told you more than you need to know. Been married to this little woman for nearly fifty years, and I guess she’s not going to change.” Warren gazed down at his wife, and after he spoke, Irene reached over and squeezed his hand.
Meredith studied the couple, marveling at the way they looked at one another as though the love between them couldn’t be contained and was about to come spilling out. She thought of her own parents, how they seldom touched one another, how they’d begun traveling solo. It was a grim reminder what a loveless marriage felt like, and who better would know than Meredith? She felt sorry for her father.
“Don’t know if you’re aware of this, but our grandchildren are living with a mutual friend, Kelsey Wainwright. I hear you and Kelsey have been friends for years.” Irene stared across the table at Meredith, as though waiting for a reply.
“Oh, yes . . . I see the connection now. Little Tommy and Jessica are your grandchildren. Sorry it took me so long to figure that out.” Meredith nodded in understanding as she made the connection.
“Your friend, Kelsey, was an absolute godsend to Nathan, and the children, of course. How long have you and Kelsey been friends?” Irene Randall leaned over, as though wanting to get the entire scoop.
“Kelsey and I go way back. She’s one of the reasons I came out here. I’m taking classes at Sul Ross and it’s worked out well for me to live here. Kelsey’s my built-in support system, although, frankly, I don’t see much of her. The new babies keep her pretty busy.”
“You’re recently separated, aren’t you, sweetie?” After Irene said it, Warren stared down at the table, shaking his head.
His reaction made Meredith laugh.
“It’s okay, Warren. I don’t mind. Yes, my husband and I separated this past summer. Since I’ll be on my own now, I came out here to finish up my degree, but once I’ve graduated, I’ll be heading back to the Dallas/Fort Worth area.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Meredith. Alpine might just grow on you. It surely has on Kelsey.” Warren stared at her intently after he said it, as though expecting some type of response.
Meredith’s first instinct was to tell him she was dying to get the hell out of Dodge, to put this all behind her and head back home, but somehow, she couldn’t bear to rip the town apart. It was clear the Randalls loved it out here. By all accounts, they seemed happy. Happy and deeply in love.
Even though she was in college with people half her age and cringed every time she ran into Adam Lightfoot, even though Carly was coming apart at the seams and the townspeople were probably talking about her, Meredith decided to at least pretend living in Alpine was palatable. “Maybe it will grow on me, who knows?”
When Meredith heard another customer enter the diner, she decided she’d probably spent enough time with the Randalls. “I’d better get going. Looks like we have another customer.”
“Nice visiting with you, honey. You’re a very good waitress, course, you’ve got quite a role model. Ms. Steph is the best. One in a million.”
“That she is. Y’all take care now.” Meredith headed over toward the counter after she bid the Randalls farewell.
When she saw who had just entered the diner, she froze in her tracks.
~ ~ ~
Adam frowned when Stephanie headed to the back of the diner for a break. He’d assumed Meredith wouldn’t be working today. But there she was. He watched her wait on several tables, chatting with the customers.
A month had passed since Carly’s school-skipping incident, and he wondered if Meredith was still embarrassed about her daughter’s behavior. He’d run into her several times on campus, and each time she’d been cold and distant.
When she strode over to greet him and smiled, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hello, Adam. Black coffee, right? Here’s a menu.”
“Thanks.”
“While you’re deciding what to order, I’m going to see if the Randalls need anything.” Without waiting for him to answer, she scurried back over to the table where Irene and Warren Randall were seated.
Maybe she was stalling—hoping Stephanie would come back and take his order. He felt guilty, realizing how cynical he’d become.
He looked over at the table where the Randalls were seated long enough to see Meredith hugging Irene. As the couple headed toward the cash register, Meredith called over to Adam. “I’ll just check them out. It’ll take me a few seconds. I’ll be right back.”
Nodding, he realized that in her own way, Meredith was trying. Initially he had assumed she wouldn’t be very good at waiting tables, but by all accounts, she seemed pretty good at it.
He pushed the menu away, avoiding the temptation to order the fries.
Half a minute later she returned to take his order. “Sorry I took so long. What can I get you?”
“Burger and a small salad, ranch dressing on the side.”
“Anything to drink?”
“Just water.” He glanced up at her and managed a smile.
“I’m surprised you’re not ordering the fries. They’re amazing.”
“Ordinarily I would, but I’m in training. I plan on running the Boston Marathon in the fall.”
Meredith’s face lit up, and he wished he’d kept that to himself. She hadn’t exactly asked for his life’s story, and here he was, telling her plans he’d shared with almost no one.
“I’m impressed, Adam. What a wonderful sense of accomplishment that must be.” When he didn’t respond, she scribbled down the order and stuffed the order pad back into the pocket of her jeans.
“Is Carly doing okay?” After he asked, Meredith froze in her tracks.
“She’s doing just fine.”
“That’s good to hear. Like I said before, she seems like a nice kid.”
“I’ll get your order started.”
She glanced over at the cook as he flipped the burger and quickly turned back around. “Guess Chris read your mind.”
“I come in here for lunch nearly every day. After the Marathon, I’ll probably order fries just to mess with his head.”
It surprised him when Meredith didn’t crack a smile. She glanced about the diner, as though distracted. Maybe she was thinking about her daughter.
He decided to test the waters, to see if he could get her to confide in him about Carly.
“Josh’s parents grounded him for two months. Guess they were pretty pissed about him skipping school. He’s normally a good kid, but sometimes good kids make bad choices.”
Meredith was squirming now, picking imaginary lint off her jeans. Adam wondered when she’d have the nerve to look him squarely in the eye and level with him about Carly. She inhaled deeply, and finally responded to what he’d said.
“Yes, they do.”
He nodded. “Josh’s parents have taken away his cell phone until summer. He’s spending lots of time at the barbershop helping his dad out. Bet he’ll think twice before screwing up again.”
“Carly’s learned her lesson as well. I doubt she’ll be skipping school again.”
“I suspect it’s a challenge raising teenagers, isn’t it?”
She smiled at his comment and nodded. “You know, when I moved here two months ago, I probably wouldn’t have clamped down on Carly for skipping school. As you’re probably aware, she’s done far worse things.”
He swallowed, hoping Meredith wasn’t beating herself up for her daughter’s mistakes. “It’s probably a difficult time for her.”
Meredith smiled faintly. “Knowing my daughter, when you reprimanded her for skipping school, she probably told you I’d made my share of mistakes . . .”
“Well, she did mention that, but what kid wouldn’t.”
&n
bsp; “When Blake and I were together, we often made excuses for Carly’s behavior-ran interference for her when we shouldn’t have.” She stopped for a few seconds before continuing. “My parents did the same thing for me, and the result was catastrophic. I’m not going to make the same mistake with my daughter.”
He reached out to her, touching her arm. “You’re doing the best you can, Meredith. That’s all any of us can do.”
She glanced out the window, her eyes welling up. “I shouldn’t be talking about this with you, Adam. This is a family matter, between my daughter and me. It’s foolish of me to burden others with my problems. I’ve taken up too much of your time. I’ll check on your order as soon as I seat these people. It shouldn’t be too much longer.”
As she raced over to wait on a couple who’d just walked into the diner, he watched her. He always considered himself to be secretive about his past, but apparently, Meredith Chapman had her own share of secrets.
~ ~ ~
“You can go ahead and leave, Meredith. I doubt we’ll be getting any more customers. It’s nearly seven.” When Stephanie smiled at her, Meredith felt a rush of relief. All things considered, she’d done well today, at least, better than she usually did.
“Thanks, Stephanie. I really enjoyed working today. For some reason, things went better than usual,” Meredith said, a genuine smile lighting up her face.
“That’s because you took time to visit with the customers. They appreciate it, Meredith, more than you realize. For some of them, this is a big event, dining out like this. Many of them live paycheck to paycheck, and for them, having someone else cook for them is a real luxury. I always try to remember that. Remember that spending money at a restaurant, for some people, is a rare treat. I want us to always give them something to remember,” Stephanie exclaimed.
Meredith watched Stephanie’s face light up as she spoke about her customers. It was almost as though they were children under her watch. The woman was a regular mother hen. “Stephanie, you’re probably the best waitress I’ve ever met, seriously. It’s obvious that you care deeply for these people,” she continued.