The Pancake Club Anthology

by Jennifer Conner

  He tried to convince her that they would just come back, but she spent the next three hours crawling around and stuffing steel wool into holes to make sure the mice wouldn’t. Tessa said she wouldn’t kill anything that didn’t need to be. She was right. He hadn’t seen any traces of them.

  It wasn’t one-sided. For every hour of work he did at her place, she insisted that she help him do those girly things around his house. He hadn’t really thought about the fact that he had no furniture...or drapes...or plates, until Tessa came over and pointed it out. She even helped him set up his man cave with dark brown wall paint and framed pictures of Harleys for the wall.

  When he came into the diner and joined the Pancake Club, Barb whistled through her teeth. “Looks who’s here. I thought you’d sworn off pancakes and ditched us.”

  Dolan laughed as he slid next to Chad in the booth. “I’ve been busy.”

  “Busy?” Chad joked. “Is that what they call it these days when there’s a beautiful woman involved? I think occupied would be a more fitting word.”

  “I like spending time with you guys,” Dolan countered.

  “But, you like spending time with her more. I’ve heard through the grapevine that this is the woman you were with the night the tree fell on your car. How does that turn into a date?” Jennifer chuckled.

  “You have to have skills with the ladies,” Chad said and slapped him on the back.

  “If we had someone special in our lives, I’d spend more time with him and less time with the Memories Diner’s pancakes. My waistline would thank me,” Barb said as she reached for the maple syrup.

  “I’ve brought Tessa here a few times to eat,” Dolan said as he ordered his usual breakfast from Sami.

  “Without us?” Barb picked up her butter knife and pretended to stab herself in the heart. “I’m crushed.”

  “I’ll tell you what.” Dolan laughed. “If she is off next Tuesday, I’ll bring her by so you can meet her.”

  “This must be serious,” Chad said.

  “Does she like pancakes?” Jennifer asked.

  “Tessa loves pancakes.”

  “We need to get a bigger booth,” Barb said with a laugh.

  Sami came over and sorted through the order checks in her hand. “The last time you were in here, I couldn’t place where I knew the girl you were with. She’s the daughter of Kelly and Mel who own a cabin on the lake.”

  “She moved back here from the city,” Dolan said.

  “That’s what I told the guys who were in here this morning,” Sami said as she filled his cup and dropped off the check in front of him.

  “What guys?” Dolan asked.

  “The guys from Seattle who said that they were looking for her.”

  Chapter Six

  When Tessa stepped from the radio station she was assaulted with a television camera and a female reporter.

  “Do the people in this small town know who you are?” A reporter shoved a microphone in her face and moved to one side to block Tessa’s way so she couldn’t step around her.

  “Yes. I mean no. I...I don’t know,” she answered.

  “Why are you lying to the people? Do they know about the scandal at the network affiliate you caused? You changed your name and now you think if you hide at a radio station people won’t know who you are? What do you have to say for yourself?” The reporter tipped the microphone her direction again as the cameraman stepped a few inches closer so they could capture her reaction.

  Charles the station manager, stood by the side door. He wore a grim look on his face. She should have been completely truthful and told him the whole story, but she needed the job. She’d only told him a half truth. He was a nice man and this would hurt him.

  Dolan’s stern, cop voice echoed across the parking lot, “You are blocking this woman from leaving her job. If you don’t clear the way to her vehicle, I’ll cite you with impediment.”

  “Where did you come from?” The reporter from KVSO News lowered her microphone. “Are you her watchdog?” She propped a bony hand on her hip and waved for the cameraman to stop filming.

  “Yes I am.” Dolan glared at the woman as he stepped between the reporter and Tessa to clear a path. “Come on Tessa, let’s get you out of here.”

  He reached for her hand but she pulled it out of his grasp. Fighting back tears, she said, “I don’t need a watchdog. I got myself into this mess and I’m the one who needs to get myself out of it, not you. The biggest mistake I ever made was coming to Mercy Ridge.”

  His face grew dark and he frowned.

  She fumbled in her purse for her keys and rushed for her car’s door. Once inside, she jammed the keys into the ignition and turned. The car made a grinding noise, but didn’t start. She tried again. This time, nothing.

  Tessa slapped her palms on the steering wheel and swore. “Are you kidding me?” Still the car wouldn’t start and hot tears streaked down her cheeks.

  The driver’s door creaked open. Dolan crouched down and quietly said, “Tessa, let me take you home. There’s a problem with your car and you can deal with this later. You’re in no shape to drive. I know you said you don’t need me, but as a police officer, I’m offering to take you home. Let me do this. It’s the safe and logical solution.” There was a hurt tone to his voice.

  She grabbed some Kleenex from her purse to wipe her eyes. He waited until she stepped out of the car and then walked between her and the news crew. The cameraman didn’t raise his camera to start filming again. If she wasn’t going to say anything condemning, it wouldn’t be a very interesting story.

  Dolan opened the passenger door of his patrol car and shut it after she climbed inside.

  He slid behind the wheel and radioed dispatch to let Lola know where he was and the time of their departure. Formal and to the point.

  They drove in silence. When they reached the cabin, Tessa got out. Dolan stepped out of the cruiser but didn’t move past the edge of the car’s door.

  “I’m sorry I upset you today. That wasn’t my intention. I really care about you, Tessa. People aren’t meant to do everything on their own. I’m sorry Bradley hurt you and messed up your career, but I’m not Bradley. If you aren’t ready to let me into your life, I understand. But don’t blame me for wanting to help.” Dolan looked at her for a long moment. “Say that you want me to stay.” It almost sounded like a plea. “Please, say something.”

  Everything that happened in the past six months came crashing down. She couldn’t seem to breathe and just shook her head.

  His mouth formed a thin line. “I see,” was all he said before he turned, got back into his patrol car, and drove off.

  She wanted to run after him— stop him— but she couldn’t move.

  How did her life become such a mess?

  Tessa wanted to say all the things she’d meant to say. She stood in the same spot and stared down the driveway as though it would make Dolan appear.

  When she finally went inside the cabin, she walked into the bedroom and pulled her suitcase from under the bed. She unzipped it and flipped back the lid. What else could she do? She was barely making enough money to make ends meet as it was. Without her job at the radio station, she would need to move back to Idaho with her mom and dad.

  Tessa sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and dropped her hands between her knees. She swiped at her tears with the back of her hand and then at her running nose.

  When there was a knock on the door, she jumped up and ran to answer it.

  She threw it open. “Dolan...” She stopped. “Charles? What are you doing here? I’m so sorry about what happened today. I don’t want to bring any bad press to you or anyone in this town. I came back to Mercy Ridge because it was the only place I could think of to go, and now everything’s such a mess.”

  “Can I come in?” When she nodded, he stepped through the door. “Come here. You’ve been crying.” He took her into his arms and patted her on the back. His solid, wrinkled hand felt reassuring.

 
“You’re like a second dad to me,” Tessa said through her tears. “I never meant to hurt you or your business.”

  He stepped back. “Hurt me? Are you kidding? I was so mad at those jerks from the news station, I wanted to deck ’em. They were trying to bamboozle you and see if they could get a story. I was afraid if I started yelling at them, I wouldn’t stop.”

  “I wasn’t completely truthful. I didn’t just lose my job in California, I left in the midst of a big scandal.”

  “I know,” Charles said.

  “You knew? But you never said anything when I asked to come back to my old job at the station,” she said.

  “I followed what happened. Mercy Ridge might be small, but we have something called the Internet. When you showed up out of the blue, I knew there had to be a reason, so I looked into what happened. Did you purposely report that false story?”

  Tessa shook her head. “My jerk boss, slash boyfriend, framed me so his girlfriend could have my job. No one would believe me. It was terrible.”

  “I believe you, honey. As long as I’m the owner of the station, you’ll have a job.”

  “I can’t have the press hang around and bring a bad name to your station.”

  “Tessa, I own the station because I love what I do. We’re a radio station, not a television station. I’m not making you a charity case or giving you special preference. From a business standpoint, the listeners have doubled during your time slot. Hell, probably tripled or more. Everyone in a hundred mile radius is always talking about the listener you had on this day or that. I’m getting more sponsors and you’ve breathed life back into my station. I thank my lucky stars that you came back here to Mercy Ridge. It’s you. It’s all you. Your show is great.”

  “Really? Thanks, Charles.”

  “Really.”

  “But what if the press keeps hanging around trying to beat a dead horse to get a story ?”

  Charles thought for a moment. “I could hire a security guard. I know this cop, who I think would go to the ends of the earth to protect you.”

  “He would, wouldn’t he?”

  “I expected to see Dolan when I came over. I assumed he took you home. Where is he?”

  Tessa sniffed again. “I behaved like a real jerk. I finally found a guy who’s great, and then I acted rotten and blew him off.”

  “We all make mistakes and say things we don’t mean. It takes guts to admit when we’re wrong. Some things are worth a second chance.” Charles’s eyes crinkled at the corners and Tessa kissed his wrinkled cheek.

  “Can you give me a ride?” Tessa asked. “I think I have an apology I need to make.”

  She grabbed her purse and they headed out the door.

  Chapter Seven

  Dolan jabbed at the steak on the barbeque with a steak knife. He knew by not using tongs, it would turn out tough as shoe leather, but he didn’t care.

  His relationship with Tessa happened too fast. He shouldn’t have wanted more. He knew she was coming off a bad relationship. The last thing he wanted to be was the rebound guy.

  Hell, this was why he was into casual flings in L.A. This was what happened when you cared... it hurt. And who wants that? He jabbed at the steak again. He hadn’t noticed that the flames licked up on the meat and now one of the sides turned black. Grumbling, he turned it over to at least brown the other side.

  Maybe he wouldn’t even eat the steak. He might just stick with beer. It seemed like a better meal right now.

  A hand touched his shoulder. He jumped, yanked the earbud cords out of his ears, and spun around so fast he nearly winged the steak off into the grass.

  “What are you doing here?” With his music playing so loud, he couldn’t hear anyone approach. His eyes raked over every inch of Tessa. Even though he’d convinced himself he shouldn’t care, he still felt concerned whether she was really okay.

  Tessa laid a hand on his arm. “Can we talk?”

  “I think you pretty much made it clear by not answering me back at the cabin. I’m not sure there’s anything left to say. You don’t need a ‘watchdog’ and that’s all I am to you.” He turned his back.

  She tugged on his arm until he reluctantly turned to face her. “There’s a lot more to say, and I’m going to start with telling you how sorry I am. When that news crew was there at the radio station, I got scared. I thought I’d hurt Charles’s reputation by hiring me and my scandal. And then you were there to see it all. I felt embarrassed and angry— not at you, but at the situation. I’ve always been in control of my future, but in the last few months, I haven’t felt as though I’m in control of anything. But even after all of that, Charles... wants me to stay on at the station.”

  “He didn’t care about your past or the television scandal, did he?”

  Tessa shook her head.

  “It’s so different here at Mercy Ridge than in L.A. No one cares. They see the skeletons in our closet and accept us anyway. I opened up about what happened to David with a few of the guys at the station. They both were involved in shootings with a child killed. No one is exempt from gun violence, but it felt good to talk about what happened with someone who understood what I’ve been through.”

  “I planned to run again and head off to live with my mom and dad in Idaho.”

  “But now you’re not. You’re staying for the job?”

  She bit her lip. “I’m staying for the job, but I’m really staying because of you.”

  His heart thumped unevenly in his chest. He tried to remember the mantra he’d told himself a few minutes earlier about keeping his distance, but with her standing there with the sun on her golden blonde hair looking so beautiful and lost, he wanted to believe her.

  “I won’t hurt you, Tessa. I want to make this work. What do you think we should do about this?”

  “If we spend more time together, we can see if it will work and you can see if you grow tired of me.”

  “What if I don’t?”

  “Then I’ll be the luckiest woman on the face of the earth,” she said and met his gaze. “Memories don’t leave like people do, but sometimes you have to wipe your memory slate clean and take another chance at love.” She smiled and his heart was gone.

  He stepped closer and wrapped a hand beneath the silky mass of her hair and pulled her closer. Maybe if he showed her without words how much he cared for her, she would have no more doubts about leaving Mercy Ridge...and him.

  She didn’t protest when he drew her wrists up to settle around his neck, wrapped his hands at her waist, and pulled her to him. He touched her lips with the tip of his finger.

  “I think I love you, Tessa.”

  She closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest. “Say it again.”

  He dropped his head and whispered in her ear, “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Love. Such a foreign and scary word, but this is right, isn’t it?” His smile reflected hers. He breathed in the scent of her, now so familiar, and kissed her. When his lips touched hers, he knew she felt the same way.

  He took her face in his hands. Her mouth was warm and sweet on his. He poured all of the emotions he’d felt into the kiss. He couldn’t stop. Dolan kissed a path down her neck and then back up to her mouth.

  He knew his kiss was hot and raw, but that was how he felt.

  When she finally stepped back, they both breathed heavily.

  She paused for a minute then laughed out loud. She lifted one of the ear buds hanging around his neck and pushed it into her ear. “I thought that’s what I heard. You’re listening to Taylor Swift?”

  Heat rose to his cheeks. “I searched for breaking-up playlists. I guess this was one of the songs on it.”

  “It’s only been an hour and already you’ve moved into the break-up playlists. Man...you sure didn’t give me much time. So we’re never ever getting back together?”

  “Maybe we can change the ‘never ever’ to forever?” He grinned. “Do I need to go all 80s on you and get a boom box a
nd stand under your window now with a playlist of love songs?”

  “I like 80s love songs.” She kissed the tip of his nose, looked down, and then laughed again. “I think you burned your steaks to charcoal briquettes. Maybe we could order a pizza.”

  “For some reason, I don’t seem to care as long as I’m with you. I was just thinking that I need introduce you to the Pancake Club.”

  “You’re in a Pancake Club? Tonight?”

  “No, not tonight. We meet in the mornings twice a week. Four of us get together at the Memories Diner for breakfast. They’ve been asking about you.”

  “They know about me?”

  “Of course they do. If you like pancakes, then you’re in. I told them after that first night that you were my guardian angel. If I’d been anywhere else, I would have been flattened by that tree.”

  “It’s a lot of pressure to be an angel, but I’m still happy you’re not flattened.” She ran a finger down his chest and looked up through lowered lashes.

  He turned the gas off and slammed the lid to the barbeque with the burned steaks still inside.

  Dolan’s gaze drifted to her mouth. Her skin was tan and golden beneath a dusting of freckles over her nose and cheeks. And those lips could tempt the dead. He twirled a tendril of her hair around his finger. “You’re so beautiful. We can take this as far as you want, but stay with me tonight.”

  “If you agreed, I already planned to.” She took his hand and pulled him toward the back door.

  “I’ll introduce you to the Pancake Club in the morning, and I’ll order that pizza...later.”

  “How about much later?”

  Chapter Eight

  Two months later...

  “Morning everyone,” Tessa said as she slid into the booth next to Dolan and kissed him on the cheek. “Guess what?” She had a difficult time containing her excitement. “I got the job!”