The Tea Series

by Sheila Horgan

  Realizing what she’d just said, Suzi got quiet and pale. She took a deep breath and continued.

  “So we go in. He has reservations, and we only wait a couple of minutes. They take us to our table. We chatted for a couple of minutes. Literally a couple of minutes. Then all of the sudden these two guys are running in and yelling. I didn’t even know what they had said. Todd responded instantly. He grabbed my leg and pulled it so hard I just flew toward him. He put himself between the bad guys and me. He was amazingly quick.”

  A.J. was trying to stay calm, but he wasn’t succeeding, and Evelyn was picking up on the tension. “What were they doing? Why would they rob a restaurant? How much money could they get?”

  “Where did you hear robbery?”

  “The news.”

  “They were wrong. The guys with guns were actually trying to escape. I guess they were robbing that pawnshop that’s down the street. They had a bunch of diamonds and Rolex watches and stuff, but the big thing they were after was some valuable painting that the owner was holding for some famous person. I’m not sure of the details, but anyway, the bad guys start to rob the pawnshop and that goes bad, so they run away but end up in our restaurant. They figured they could grab a hostage or two and get away.”

  “That only works in the movies.”

  “Exactly. The whole thing only took a minute or less. Bad guys run in. Start pointing guns at everybody. People screaming and running. Todd is practically sitting on my lap. Not that it would stop a bullet from the kind of guns they were carrying, but it was sweet all the same.” Suzi was starting to look really pale again. “Hold on. I gotta go throw up. Can I have some more tea?”

  She handed Evelyn off to A.J. and ran for the bathroom. I made more tea. We waited.

  When she came back out, we got the story in a shorter version. The details seemed to make her too shaky. We’d get those later.

  Suzi and I had always thought this place was a plain old pawnshop. Apparently, it turned out to be pretty high end. The new owners were focusing on art and had an important piece being showcased.

  A.J. instantly went to the dark side. He knows everything about all the businesses in Old Town, and he felt like he should have warned Suzi. Like he would know that some bad guys were going to rob a pawnshop and end up in the restaurant where Suzi just happened to be having a date. Her first one since the whole Barry thing and having Evelyn.

  Guess Suzi and I weren’t the only ones that assumed a place like that would have a pretty lackluster security system. Those idiots showed up with guns and tried to take the art and anything else they thought might have some value. There were several expensive pieces and one huge canvas that was described as important.

  On Facebook.

  I know social media is important and all that, but you would think if you were going to mention that your pawnshop had a zillion dollars’ worth of stuff in it, you would be smart enough to mention something about armed patrols and security.

  I would.

  Anyway, a few idiots saw the comments and decide a robbery was in order. No real prep work, just guns and attitude.

  The robbery lasted about a minute. The security was a whole lot better than the bad guys assumed. Their getaway guy had driven around the block because a cop on a bicycle had told him to keep it moving. The bad guys come running out of the pawnshop, and there was no getaway car. Not to mention they didn’t get the art, so they were scared and mad. They ran to the nearest place where they thought they would have a pick of hostages. They wanted someone that looked like they could keep up.

  Suzi had never been their focus. Nor had Todd. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to blend in with the woodwork.

  The cops showed up within moments. Took the guys away. It was traumatic, but they weren’t in danger of being shot.

  A.J. growled. “Why the hell didn’t you call?”

  “When Todd grabbed my leg, my purse fell. My cell phone was dead on arrival. I don’t know if one of us stepped on it, or maybe the table leg, but something broke it.”

  “I’ll get you a new one tomorrow.” A.J.’s voice was so stern it took Suzi back about three steps.

  “A.J., you don’t have to do that.”

  “It’s a work phone. No problem.” He handed Evelyn to Suzi and walked out of the room.

  Suzi turned to me and whispered. “Is he mad?”

  “It scared him. Really scared him. He’s trying to calm down.”

  She started to hand the baby to me. “I’ll go talk to him.”

  “If you want, but you might just let him go. I don’t think he wants either of us to see him like this. I think he showed anger, and now he wants to be alone to let out everything else. A.J. isn’t really good with the whole emotional thing.”

  “Yeah, my dad pretty much whipped that out of him.”

  The look I gave her must have showed my horror at the thought.

  “Okay, maybe whipped was the wrong word. My dad didn’t actually whip us. Much. It was more about telling us to knock it off or walk it off or whatever. He didn’t see any reason to show a lot of emotion, and he sure as hell didn’t want to see that kind of stuff from a boy.”

  “That’s just wrong.”

  “I agree. Gran and Pappa were really good about it. They would explain everything to us, but it was hard on A.J. He was an emotional kid. He wasn’t into competitive sports. He liked sports, and liked to play with his friends, but he didn’t really want to do the school team stuff. That pissed my father off. You don’t even want to know what he said to him about stuff like that. I remember one time, A.J. missed a home run, and my dad went ballistic.”

  “I’ve known parents like that.”

  “I can’t imagine your parents doing that.”

  “No, my parents were pretty much the antithesis of that. Teagan was all about sports. The other parents would take one look at her and tell her she should be a cheerleader. Then she’d beat the crap out of their son in any sport she liked, and they’d get all snippy about it. Liam was like A.J. He really likes sports but didn’t want to do the whole school sport thing, so my parents argued with some pretty insistent coaches. They all thought Liam might be a pro some day.”

  “I never knew that.”

  “He didn’t want to do it. Said it was more work than he had the passion to support.”

  “Smart.”

  “The coaches would get mad and say he was lazy.”

  “Sounds like my dad.”

  “My dad would just laugh and say they were right, at least when it came to sports. That no one had to give one hundred percent to everything, and if Liam wanted to focus on something else, that was his decision.”

  “What did Liam focus on?”

  “Mostly girls.”

  We were laughing when A.J. came back out. “I’m sorry.”

  I gave him a hug. “Nothing to be sorry for. That was a terrifying event.”

  “Yeah, well, the last thing Suze needed was me…”

  Suzi walked over and gave her brother a hug. “Wrong. Everybody needs to know someone cares.”

  “You know I care.”

  “Yes, I do. I’m grateful. Evelyn and I are going to call it a night.”

  “What about Todd?”

  “We’re going to try again next week. He was so nice about it.”

  “I like this guy. Protective. I like that.” A.J. gave Suzi a lopsided grin.

  “I know it’s not politically correct or anything, but I liked it, too. I have a baby to raise. My health and well-being are more important now than they have ever been. Speaking of which, I bought myself one of those special strollers for running. I got it at that secondhand place. It’s almost new. You want to go for a run in the morning, Cara?”

  “Me? Run? Really?”

  A.J. smiled. “I’ll run with you.”

  “You have to take it slow,” Suzi warned him. “I’m just starting again.”

  “No problem.”

  “They have an ap
p for beginners I’m going to use.”

  “You don’t need an app. You’ve got me. Your doctor say it’s okay to run?”

  “A.J., I had a baby, not a terminal illness.”

  “That didn’t answer the question.”

  “I didn’t ask, but I feel great, and I’ve been taking walks.”

  I had to back A.J. on this one. “Suzi, I hate to be, well, me, but you had a C-Section. It might be a little soon to start running. You should call your doctor.”

  “Cara...”

  “I think it’s great that you want to get back in shape, but you’re the one who said your health and well-being are important. You should listen to your doctor.”

  “Fine. I’ll call her tomorrow. I’ll let you know what she says. I think we’ll be running the next day.”

  Suzi decided to accept a snack after all, and we got a little more detail about the robbery. Turns out the only reason that it made the news was because there was a news truck in the area doing a story. Seems that all the work Morgan and A.J. had been doing to get the attention of not only tourists but locals was finally starting to pay off. They had a news crew doing a “feel good” story about how safe and fun it is in Old Town when all hell broke loose. They got it all, and unfortunately, the way they framed it made it look a whole lot worse than it was. And you know how the news is. One channel isn’t going to let another channel broadcast something they don’t have. By the end of the night, it was everywhere.

  First, the attack outside the studio, and now this. Both incidents made the news. Both were pretty negative. Both would negate much of the work that A.J. and Morgan had put in. I watched A.J.’s face fall as that realization hit him.

  “Maybe you can put a positive spin on it,” I told him.

  “Yeah? How are we going to do that?”

  “The attack on you and the studio brought the community together, and the response to the robbery was almost immediate. The cops responded so quickly that there was no real robbery, and no one got hurt. There are problems in every community, but in your small community, people are taking action to make things right.”

  “Actually, that does sound pretty positive.”

  “And Morgan is so much better at this stuff than I am. I bet if she puts her spin on my spin, she’ll come up with something great.”

  “You’re right. I’m gonna call her.”

  A.J. probably hadn’t made it into the office before I turned to Suzi and wiggled my eyebrows. “So, how did it go?”

  She knew what I meant without explanation. “It was nice. Todd is nice. I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere, but it was nice to have a night out. Even if it ended a little differently than I had planned.” She let out a soft laugh.

  “I think it could go someplace. He put his life on the line for you. That’s gotta mean something.”

  “It means his momma raised him right, and he didn’t have time to think. He just responded. Courageously.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Cara, please don’t turn this into more than it is. It was a lovely thought, but I’m not ready. I just had a baby. I’ve only been divorced for a little while. I don’t want to jump into something.”

  “As Sinead would say, you don’t have to jump into something, but you could jump onto someone.”

  “I don’t think so.” Suzi laughed. “I’m a mom now. I don’t want to be all crazy.”

  “You were never the crazy type, Suzi.”

  “I think the very definition of crazy was marrying Barry. I knew what he was, and I went ahead with it anyway. Why did I marry a guy that was so messed up? Staying with him when I knew what he was, was the definition of crazy.”

  “That wasn’t crazy; that was dumb. You’re a smart person. You learned from it. Now, we leave it in the past and move on.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  I didn’t want to get into the whole thing again. I kept telling myself that I’d let it go, but comments like that just couldn’t slide. “No, not really.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry, Cara. I still can’t believe you and your family are willing to put up with me after all I put you guys through, but I’m grateful. More than you know.”

  “You’re family, Suzi. Always will be. O’Flynns have a crazy side too. We’re crazy loyal.”

  “Thank God. Listen, I’m gonna go. It’s time for me to put Evelyn to bed and call it a night. I think I’m a little more shook up than I thought. I just didn’t want to say that in front of A.J. He seemed really on edge.”

  “He thought something terrible happened to you. He was beside himself. Literally. I’ve never seen him like that before.”

  “I have. When you were in the hospital. It was painful to watch.”

  “Yeah, my mom said something like that about when he was at her house watching over me. I’m sorry I put him through it, but I have to be honest, that kind of thing defines relationships. I’m grateful he was able to hang in there instead of freaking out and taking off. A lot of guys would, you know.”

  “I know.”

  “Same thing about Todd. He’s a stand-up kind of guy.”

  “Maybe. We’ll see. If I do anything at all, I’m going to do it very slowly. Your mom explained to me that I have to be healthy and whole, or the person I attract isn’t going to be healthy and whole, and I don’t want someone broken around Evelyn.”

  “Or you.”

  “Right. Or me.” Suzi leaned in and gave me a hug. “Thank you. For everything. You know, if something had gone really wrong tonight, like the bad guys had killed me, I think Evelyn would be okay.”

  “Don’t even say that.”

  “I’m serious. I think you and A.J. could raise her, no problem.”

  “You know we would do anything you wanted, but Evelyn needs her momma, so stay safe and take your vitamins.”

  “Oh, I will. I intend to dance at her granddaughter’s wedding.”

  “You have been talking to my mom.”

  A.J. caught the last of our laughter as he walked back in the room.

  They said their good nights. A.J. kissed Evelyn, and she smiled.

  I know everybody says that little tiny people don’t really smile; it’s just gas or an automatic response. But I don’t believe that. I think that little tiny people are a whole lot smarter and more responsive to us big people than we give them credit for.

  Sometimes, I wish I had a camera in my hand all the time to capture the images so I could share with other people. Then they would see it and understand. I’m sure everyone feels that way when there’s a new baby in the house.

  A woman that comes in to have professional sittings with A.J. every three months has thousands and thousands of pictures of her little one online. It seems like every moment of the child’s life is recorded.

  I refuse to spend my time recording my life instead of enjoying it. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen that are so busy taking pictures of their kids — or themselves, or their pets — that they lose the importance of the moment trying to make sure they get it on camera.

  The good news is that I’m quite certain I will never forget the little things I see in the kids when they’re tiny. For some reason, stuff like that indexes properly, and I actually remember it without any kind of trigger.

  By the time we crawled into bed, I was exhausted.

  A.J. pulled me close. “Where are we in the threes?”

  “What?”

  “When I first met you, you counted everything in threes. Don’t you do that anymore?”

  “Not really. I’ve lost track.”

  “Damn.”

  “Why? What’s up?”

  “There has just been so much going on. So many bad things happening. I just wish I knew when we’re going to get a break.”

  “We’re okay. Compared to most people, we have a very blessed life.”

  “You’re right, but I don’t want to compare myself to most people. I want my life to be my life. Seeing Suzi’s car there tonight ju
st about killed me. What would I do if something happened to her?”

  “Evidently, you would be raising Evelyn.”

  “Can you believe that? I heard her say that and about fell off my feet. It makes sense. She doesn’t really have anybody else but Gran. Still…”

  “It’s a hell of an honor. Suzi trusts you with her daughter. You really can’t say something better about a person than that.”

  “True.” He snuggled closer.

  I was lost in thought for a minute or two, and when I started to speak again, A.J. was breathing slowly and deeply.

  Asleep.

  I wasn’t far behind.

  FOUR

  “WE NEED TO get married.”

  I didn’t drop the eggs on the floor. I’m proud of that.

  “Need?”

  “Cara, you know what I mean.”

  “When someone makes an announcement like that at five thirty on a weekday morning, when I’m half asleep, I take nothing for granted.”

  “Don’t you think we should get married?”

  “Should? Have to? These are not the words a woman wants to hear about marriage.”

  “Sorry. I’m not Jessie.”

  I knew that A.J. was talking about the over-the-top romantic weekend that Jessie had planned for Teagan, only to have everything kind of fall apart right after that, but I didn’t want to mix that conversation up with the one we were having. “Thank God!”

  That brought a smile to A.J.’s face, which was good. If you’re going to turn down an offer of marriage, which was exactly what I was gonna do, and you want to continue your relationship with the guy that’s proposing — well, it wasn’t really a proposal the way he put it. But if you want to continue your relationship, then you’d better be gentle, and he’d better be smiling. “What’s going on?”

  “What if it had been you in that restaurant last night? What if things hadn’t turned out so well?”

  “A wedding ring doesn’t stop a bullet, A.J.”

  “I know that.” He got very quiet.

  I’d obviously hurt him, but I didn’t know what else to say. I tried something different. Not so flippant. “You know that what we have isn’t defined by a piece of paper.”