Kisses Between the Lines: An Echo Ridge Anthology (Echo Ridge Romance Book 2)

by Lucy McConnell

  Hot dog!

  She got to work refilling the coffee pots, then took around water pitchers and found out what drinks everyone needed to have refilled.

  Fay and Maria were hopping through the next two hours. She couldn’t believe the number of customers she had in her café— had it been this crazy when she was in high school and working for her grandmother? She couldn’t remember, then again, she had attended most home games, so maybe she hadn’t thought about how it affected the café. It was a good thing her food order was arriving in the morning because she was going to be out of nearly everything by the end of the night. She should have ordered more.

  When it slowed down enough she could check in the kitchen again, she found Hank and Austin chatting like old buddies. Which surprised her because Hank hardly ever spoke unless it was about work.

  “So, you. Here,” she said, looking at Austin.

  “You’re welcome.”

  She winced, realizing it should have been her initial reaction. “Thank you. Sorry. I did mean to add that before the previous statement, I was just too boggled by your help, and the way you act as though you know exactly what you’re doing. But how did you end up back here?”

  “Of course I know what to do. Who do you think picked up the slack here to help your grandma after you fled Echo Ridge senior year? It wasn’t like she could run this place without a full staff. Running a fryer isn’t exactly hard, you know, so it wasn’t a problem to pick it up again.”

  He had worked here? How had she missed that? “Yes, but why, how?”

  “I stopped in for dinner. Also, I was hoping there might be a slice of peach pie left. Alas, no. Instead I found the place in uproar, and Hank swearing softly under his breath as the food orders piled up. What, did the whole city eat here tonight?”

  “Not the whole city. My parents didn’t come in— unless they popped in before I got here.” Fay was exhausted, the day had started before six this morning and it was well after eight now. By the time they cleaned up, she was going to be dead on her feet. “So you saw an opening and jumped in?”

  “Someone needed to do it. I didn’t want people to get mad at you for not planning ahead for the game.” His lips quirked.

  “It wasn’t just the game. Several people I spoke to said there is a major conference up Ruby Ridge this weekend. It could get nuts tomorrow as well.”

  “Is that a request?” His tone was nonchalant but his eyes sparkled.

  She bristled. “No, without the game traffic, we’ll be fine.”

  They stared at each other for a moment before she let out a long breath. Why did he always push her buttons? “Did you get to eat?”

  “Nope. And Hank refused to let me snatch a fry now and then. He said it was against health regulations.” He held his stomach like he was about to faint from hunger.

  “So true. Fry up whatever you want. Dinner’s on me for all of you. Sorry I don’t have any peach pie left. I totally owe you a favor.” Admitting that was harder than she’d like to consider, but things would have been a real mess without him there. Apparently she needed to pull out her football game schedule.

  “That’s okay, there are lots of other ways to pay me.” A slow smile crept across his face, reminiscent of the way he had looked at her in her mother’s kitchen. She felt heat rise in her cheeks before she could drag her gaze away.

  Fay didn’t know how to respond as he turned his back on her and added more potatoes to the fryer, but she was tempted to smack him, just for the look on his face, even if he had only implied their kiss, rather than mentioning it specifically. And he had come to her aid in her moment of need.

  Instead of acting on the impulse to hit him, she turned and walked out. There had to be something to do out front. There was no way he was serious about taking a kiss in payment— verbalized or not, the look in his eyes had made it clear that was what he’d meant.

  She focused on how nice Austin had been to drop everything— including his dinner plans— to help her out. She hadn’t even asked. Maybe she would have to see about finding a few more peaches as a thank you.

  From a corner booth, Austin enjoyed the hamburger he had made after the craziness of the night had calmed. He watched Fay from the corner of his eye as she bussed a nearby table and then brought around the coffee pot one more time for Mr. Sylvester, who must have an amazing ability to sleep if he could drink that much coffee in the evening.

  Fay had softened at the edges after their conversations in the kitchen, as he’d hoped she would. Not that he’d only helped out as an ingratiating tactic— he’d worked plenty with Hank, who had been an employee at Fay’s for as long as Austin could remember. Seeing him trying to keep up with the crowd on his own on a night like this was enough of a reason to jump in and help. Fay hating on him less was a major bonus.

  He finished his food and was sipping at his chocolate chip mint shake when she came over with a rag to wipe down a nearby table.

  “Hey, can we talk for a minute?” Austin asked. He wasn’t sure how to approach this conversation, but he needed to clear the air, and since things had dramatically calmed by now and he didn’t have immediate neighbors, this was probably the best time.

  Fay shot him a curious look, tinged with not a little distrust. “I suppose.” She didn’t stop wiping the bench. “Talk.”

  He held in his frustration— he couldn’t expect one good deed to disarm her completely. “Can we both sit and have a real conversation?” he asked.

  Fay nodded, and took another swipe at the tabletop before returning the rag to the sanitizing bucket and then joined him, sliding into the bench across the table. “What is it? Need help with Quickbooks?”

  He smiled. “No, nothing like that.” He saw Hank glance their way and smile before he returned his attention to the grill. Could Austin have picked a less private location? Too late now. “Actually, I wanted to apologize.”

  “For helping me tonight? I think that’s the first thing you’ve done or said around me in years that didn’t need an apology.” Her lips curved at the corners, pairing with the teasing tone in her voice.

  He shot her an irritated glare. “Can you be serious for one moment? Obviously, I wasn’t apologizing for tonight. This apology is way overdue, though. Everything in high school is gone and over— past over— and I have the feeling that I missed some of the clues about what was actually going on in the background. Still, I want to apologize since you were hurt or embarrassed by what happened. I didn’t expect the consequences and...” he felt like a lame idiot. “Look, things didn’t work out the way I planned, either. We weren’t exactly buddies before, but I hate that you’re still mad about it, and I want to apologize for my part in it. It’s way too late for a do-over, but could we try being friends and not enemies?”

  Fay looked down and he followed her gaze to her hands— strong, slightly rough from hard work with no-nonsense, unvarnished fingernails. She wore two gold rings— both thin and delicate looking. She had good, solid working hands, but he doubted she saw them that way. Maybe she wasn’t seeing anything at the moment. “I’m not exactly good at trust.”

  “So don’t give me your money to invest.” He was heartened when her lips curled up in a smile. “I’m not saying we should run off and be business partners, but I’m here to stay and I think we’ll probably be seeing a lot of each other here and there. It would be nice if we could be friendly while we’re running into each other and being forced into family dinners.” He kept his tone light and teasing in the hopes that it would allow her to let her guard down a little.

  Fay lifted her eyes to peer into his. “Sounds like a good idea. Apology accepted. I’ll try not to jump down your throat, but I need you to leave all of the stuff from high school in the past.” She gestured like she was pushing something out of the way. “I don’t want to talk about it or be reminded. It was... well, it was worse than “not fun” by a magnitude of a hundred. If we’re going to start again, then let’s wipe the slate, like we don’t know
each other. Like we’ve never known each other.”

  Ouch. Kissing him hadn’t been that bad, had it? Or was she talking about school afterward? “Except I spent an evening helping you out.”

  “A nice payment for past sins, under the circumstances,” she teased.

  He would take it if it was the best he could do. “Okay. Hi.” He slid her hand into his and held it. Her hands were smaller than they appeared, or maybe it felt that way because she seemed larger than life most of the time. “My name is Austin. I’m opening a ski shop and I have a mostly absentee partner. I like to mountain bike, barge into people’s kitchens to help cook, and I’m thinking of getting a dog named Chuck.”

  “Where would you put this dog? And is it a dog that is named Chuck you’re considering getting, or are you thinking about getting a dog, whom you will then name Chuck? And what if it’s a girl dog?”

  He still had her hand and wanted to keep holding it, but decided that might freak her out, so he relinquished his hold and settled back for a spirited, if possibly ridiculous conversation.

  MIDAFTERNOON TENDED TO BE slower at the café and Fay was taking advantage of the lull to get things back under control after the craziness of Thursday night and the arrival of her supplies that morning. Maria had come in to help earlier, but her kids were getting out of school soon, so Fay had let her go early— she deserved it after the last twenty-four hours.

  Fay had scrubbed the counters and was doing a pass over the empty tables when the bell rang over her door. She smiled in greeting at the arrival until she recognized the man walking up to the counter. It had been a couple years since she’d seen her father and he had a lot more gray in his hair than she remembered. He was still in good shape, maybe a few pounds heavier than he used to be, but at fifty, he still looked good. No doubt his third wife appreciated it. Or was it his fourth? She had stopped counting, stopped caring after he left her mother.

  She steadied herself and did her best to pretend he was anyone else who came into the café.

  “Hello, what can I do for you?”

  He turned to her and smiled. “You look great. I love the pink in your hair, very daring and devil-may-care. I bet your mother hates it.”

  “She long ago stopped fussing about my hair. Did you come for dinner?”

  “Honey, no hug for dear old dad?” Sam held his arms out like he thought she would come running into them, the way she had when he’d first left. Before she knew he was responsible for her parents’ divorce and not her mom like she’d thought. The paper in his hand blew the air, fluttering, catching her attention.

  “I smell like bleach.” She went behind the counter to discourage any ideas he might have of snatching her into a hug against her will. “We have some terrific apple pie, and pumpkin. Bret says it’s the best he’s ever eaten. It has a layer of cheesecake on the bottom. Or did you need lunch?”

  His face fell, and she noticed the increase in wrinkles around his dark eyes. “Actually, I came in to say hi, and to drop this off.” He set the paper on the counter.

  She picked it up and read it. “You’re entering the Dutch oven competition?”

  “Along with Jeremy. We used to do these all the time when you were a kid. Don’t you remember?”

  She had forgotten about the two brothers and their Dutch oven dinners— it was like another lifetime. “Of course. I just didn’t think you’d make the trip from Hartford on a work day. Then again, what are you doing here today? Don’t you have an office you’re supposed to be at?”

  “I took the day off so I could spend the weekend with you and Jeremy. We’re doing the competition as a team. We don’t spend nearly enough time together lately.”

  “True enough.” She took the form, looked at the check to make sure it was for the right amount, and filed them with the rest of the forms she had received for the competition on Down Home Day of the library’s Harvest Hurrah. “I’ll make sure you get a booth. Thanks for bringing it by.”

  Sam was finished, but he didn’t move away. Instead, he prolonged the conversation. “I heard you were in charge of the food competitions.”

  “Yes, we have a donut-off competition Thursday for kid’s day. The Dutch oven competition Friday with the Down Home Dance, and Saturday we’re doing Oktoberfest with German foods.”

  “And you’re organizing all of them? That’s a lot of work.”

  “It’s all for the library. We need to improve the lift, move the children’s section and add a white noise machine so sounds don’t carry so easily. Those things aren’t in the city budget.”

  “I don’t suppose they are.” He looked around him at the café and Fay thanked the people who had left their table, accepting the payment they handed her.

  “You’ve done a nice job here,” he told her. “Your grandma would be proud.”

  “I hope so. I try to run it so she doesn’t need to be ashamed of how her name is being used.” When Fay had been a messed-up teen, her Grandma Fay had been the only person who seemed to understand her.

  “You did a great job with the renovation.”

  It was all Fay could do not to snap at him that she knew and he could go ahead and leave. She tried a different kind of dismissal. “Thanks. I’m sure Uncle Jeremy is looking forward to spending time with you this weekend. You’ll have to excuse me, I still have a lot to do today.”

  His face fell and he looked hurt. “Sorry to get in your way.”

  She did not care. If she felt a twinge of guilt, she could ignore that. “Have a good weekend.” She knew her voice was not particularly sincere, but she didn’t want to be chummy with him. He left his wife and child for someone else, and emptied the bank account when he’d done it. It was a miracle her mother had been able to keep the house— and Fay had long suspected she should call that particular miracle Grandma. That had been one of the reasons Fay kept the name of the Café when she’d bought it. Sure, they had the same name, but also, she wanted to honor her grandmother’s legacy and love.

  “Hey, I passed your dad on the way in,” Austin said as he entered the café. “He was your dad, wasn’t he?”

  What was with everyone she least wanted to see coming into the café? “Yeah, he was dropping off a form for the Dutch oven competition. He’s entering with his brother.”

  “She sent him packing,” Hank said from the window to the kitchen.

  “He did what he came to do.” She glared at Hank, who had never been susceptible to her displeasure.

  “Wow, he makes you madder than I do,” Austin said.

  “He abandoned us and left us with nothing. You think he deserves forgiveness?” She turned and stalked into the back. He could starve for all she cared. Who was he to judge her, anyway?

  He wasn’t the type to walk away, though, and the next thing she knew, he had wrapped his fingers lightly around her upper arm.

  “Hey, I’m not saying he didn’t make bad choices, or that he shouldn’t pay for them, but it’s been, like, thirteen years.”

  “Fourteen.”

  “Right, fourteen. Hasn’t this gone on long enough?”

  “Did you want to order something?” She ground out the words, done with any discussion of her relationship with her father.

  “A couple of burgers for Bret and me. We’re up to our eyebrows in renovation.”

  She took an actual look at him this time and saw the dust in his hair and paint splattered on his clothes, though she couldn’t be sure whether it was from today or not.

  “Hank, get him whatever he wants.” Fay pulled her arm out of his grip and headed to the storage room for napkins to refill the dispensers. It would give her an excuse not to stand at the counter and talk to him while he waited.

  She couldn’t forget the way she felt churned up inside, though. Why did family have to be such a pain?

  Since Bret was back, and her mom had harassed Fay about needing to come to another family event, she joined them after church on Sunday for lunch. It was the only day of the week she closed the ca
fé, and she knew she could have attended a lot more Sunday dinners, but it was often the only free time she had all week.

  That didn’t eliminate her responsibilities, though. As her mother frequently reminded her.

  “Hey, twice in one week, I wasn’t sure if I believed Mom when she said it would happen,” Bret teased as Fay came through the door.

  “We haven’t had time to talk since dinner the other night, and there were a lot of people there. I want the down-low on your life and why you thought this business was a great idea.” She was trying to adjust to the idea that Austin wasn’t the biggest jerk on the planet, though it was a struggle. She knew Austin and Bret were still close and Bret never jumped into something new without doing all his homework first.

  “Says the girl who runs a café her grandma barely kept afloat. And she didn’t have a mortgage.” He gave her a knowing look.

  “Touché. But, she didn’t live in a ski town, at least not until the end. The resort is growing in popularity every year, and the golf course is gaining notoriety, too. Our sales keep increasing.”

  “Hey, we should do some kind of promo, rent your skis or mountain bike with us and get a free slice of pie or piece of cake at Fay’s.”

  She liked the idea and turned it on its head. “Or maybe buy a meal at Fay’s and save five bucks on your mountain bike rental or ten percent on a purchase at your ski shop?”

  “Great, I’ll work something up with Austin and design a flyer or something so we can cross-promote.” Bret started making notes in a notebook he picked up from the desk. He’d barely had it out of his hands since he returned home. A glance inside showed a daily to-do list with several items crossed off.

  Fay was surprised at how pumped the idea of cross-promoting made her. “We should have a special deal for your grand opening.”

  “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with Austin and his wild business ideas, and now you want to be part of our grand opening too?”