“I’ll go and tell them we’re closed,” Haley said.
Abby had a line of baskets in front of her ready to be picked up the following day. However, they needed to make ten more before they could go home for the night. The oven was on and several trays of muffins were baking. The wonderful aroma of fresh-baked goods wafted in the warm air.
A young blond police officer stood at the door, red-faced from the wind and the cold.
“We’re closed. I’m sorry,” Haley said.
“I really need a basket. Please. I know you’re closed, but I have to go to my sister’s fiancé’s parents’ house tonight. My sister came into town unexpectedly. She called today and invited me. It didn’t give me much time to pick something up.” He was shouting through the glass door.
He looked so cold as he stood there shivering that Haley opened the door.
“Come on in,” she said. “You look like you might freeze to death.”
“It’s cold. That’s for sure,” he said shaking the chill off of him. “It smells wonderful in here.”
“We’re baking. We have lots of orders still left to fill. They have to be filled by tomorrow,” Haley said. “But like I told you, we’re closed for business now.”
“Is there any way I can buy a basket of muffins? Please?”
“I have a bag of bottoms.”
“I don’t want to bring that to someone’s house for dinner,” he said. “How much is a basket?” He looked up at the prices on the menu board over the register. “Twenty dollars for a large basket? I’ll give you forty.”
Haley laughed. “I can’t. We don’t bargain like that! Besides, I don’t have any extra baskets to sell to you.”
“What about one of those?” He pointed at the long line of baskets.
“Those are orders that belong to other customers,” she said. Haley and Abby had lined up several baskets on the front counter and had even more lined up in the back.
“Oh jeez. What am I going to bring tonight? I’m not good with this sort of thing. I guess I’ll have to go to Dominick’s and buy something from their bakery. It won’t be as good, but my mother would be appalled if my sister told her that I came empty-handed.”
Haley looked at him. He had come all this way and he was still red with cold. She had just put up a pot of coffee for herself and Abby.
“Would you like a cup of coffee and a bottom?”
“I really would,” he said.
“I’d offer you a muffin top but all I have left are bottoms.”
“Beggars can’t be choosers.” He smiled and she noticed he had a clef in his chin. His eyes were as green as the green in a peacock’s feather.
She poured him a cup of steaming coffee.
“I have pumpkin-chocolate chip, and cinnamon apple-ricotta left. What would you like?”
“Pumpkin. Thanks. By the way, I’m Warren. Warren Coleman.”
“Haley Levi.”
“Nice to meet you, Haley. And thanks so much for the hospitality,” he said as she placed the muffin bottom on a plate in front of him. “This is delicious,” he added after taking a bite.
“I’m glad you like it. Have you been here before?”
“Never, but some of the guys I work with at the station have mentioned the place. They said your stuff was great. They were right.”
She smiled. He was attractive. It had been a long time since Haley had even thought about a man as attractive. She was far too busy with the divorce, the baby, and the business for romance. And yet, this man was really handsome. She couldn’t remember ever having seen eyes that green before. And there was something about the way he looked in his uniform that tugged at her heartstrings. “Hold on. I’ll be right back. I have to talk to my sister about something.”
Haley walked into the back. Abby was putting a tray of muffins into the oven. “Ab . . . ” Haley said.
“Yeah?” Abby closed the oven door and turned to look at Haley.
“Listen. You’re gonna kill me for this . . . ”
“What?”
“I know we want to get out of here. But I’ll stay and make another basket myself.”
“What? Why? I just put the last of the muffins in the oven. Once these are done we’ll have just enough to put the final ten together. Then we can leave and go home.”
“Yeah, I know. But this guy came in . . . and well, he needs a basket for tonight.”
“Did you tell him we can’t do it, we’re closed?” Abby asked. She had already begun assembling another basket. She stopped what she was doing and looked up at Haley. When she saw Haley’s face, she shrugged her shoulders and let out a laugh. “You like him. You like him!” She was smiling.
“Oh, come on,” Haley said.
“You do.”
“It’s just good business. You never want to turn a customer away.”
“Sure. Do you want me to put another tray of batter in the oven for you?”
“Yeah, could you?”
“Sure. Do you want me to wait or go home?”
“Go on home. I know you’re tired. I’ll catch a taxi.”
“Uh huh,” Abby laughed.
“Stop it!” Haley said. Then she laughed too.
Haley walked back out to the front where Warren was finishing his coffee.
“I just put in a batch of muffins. If you can wait, I’ll make you a basket,” Haley said.
“That’s really nice of you. Of course, I can wait,” Warren smiled.
There was that damn attractive clef again, Haley thought, but she said, “How about another cup of coffee?”
“Sure. I’d love one.”
“And now I need a favor,” Haley said. “My sister has to leave. Since I’m staying to make a basket for you I am going to need a ride home. Can you give me one?”
“I’d love to. And . . . since you went out of your way to help me out how about if I take you to dinner?”
“I thought you were going to your sister’s finance’s house tonight?”
“I am. So not tonight. But how’s Saturday night?”
Haley couldn’t believe she was going to accept a date. She hadn’t even thought about dating in such a long time that she forgot what it felt like to be excited about the idea. But now, sipping coffee with Warren, she remembered. “Okay,” she said smiling.
When Haley got home that evening, Abby had prepared a light dinner. Eidel was napping with Julie in the bedroom. “I made fish because it’s too late for anything heavy,” Abby said.
“Yeah, it is late. But it’s really great that we were so busy.”
“So what happened?” Abby asked. “Was he nice?”
“Yeah, he’s nice. He’s a cop. Lives a few miles from us. I made him a basket and he’s taking me out for dinner Saturday night.”
“Woohoo! You got yourself a date,” Abby said.
“I know. I haven’t been interested in anyone since Simon and I broke up, and quite frankly, I am scared. The way Simon behaved, in the end, was atrocious. He knew how vulnerable I was. Julie was just born but he didn’t care, he just walked out. The least he could have done was wait until she was a little older. Thank God for our parents. They pulled me through it. I was devastated.”
“I know what you mean. I feel the same way about dating. Before Dad died, I was involved with this guy, Bill, in Tennessee. In fact, the night before Dad’s heart attack I had just left Bill and went to stay with Mark. Bill was very abusive. I was afraid of him. When you get involved with someone you don’t know who they really are until you’re in too deep to get out. It’s really frightening. And what’s even worse is that every guy I ever dated was after one thing. I always felt used.”
“Right. I keep thinking I should break the date. Everything in my life is going so well. You and I have become the best of friends and I am so glad that we have, Ab. The business, thank God, is doing well. Mom’s health is good and Julie is growing up to be a wonderful child. What more could I ask for? Love?” Haley said. “Love can be trouble but some
damn stupid part of me yearns for it.”
“Yeah. I get it. You want love. It’s a shame but there is always this need in the back of everyone’s heart for true love. And, yeah, everything is going really well in our lives. We have so much to be thankful for. But I do really understand why you want someone in your life. I want it and at the same time, I am terrified of it. But I’ll be honest, there are some nights that I feel so lonely and I wish I had a guy to hold me in his arms and tell me that I mean something to him,” Abby said.
“Oh, Ab,” Haley said hugging her sister.
“I’m fine. Just thinking out loud,” Abby said forcing a smile when she felt like crying. “Let’s wake Mom and Julie. I’m starving. I thought you’d never get home.”
“I’ll go and wake them up,” Haley said.
“I’ll set the table.”
CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT
Warren arrived at seven on Saturday with a bunch of flowers. He handed them to Haley and she put them in a vase. Eidel and Abby were sitting in the living room with Julie pretending not to pay attention.
“This is my mother, my sister, and my daughter,” Haley said.
“Nice to meet all of you,” Warren said.
“Nice meeting you,”Abby said.
“Yes, it’s a pleasure,” Eidel said.
They made small talk for a few minutes then Haley suggested that she and Warren get going. Once Haley and Warren were outside, he turned to her.
“You didn’t tell me you had a kid.”
“We didn’t really have a chance to talk. But, yes as you can see, I have a daughter.”
“Cute kid.”
“Thanks.”
They went to dinner at a steakhouse in Buffalo Grove. It was a long drive, but the place had a great reputation. Haley had never been there before, but Warren had and he told her she’d love it.
“If you don’t love it, don’t tell me. Lie to me,” he said.
She giggled. “I’m sure it will be great.”
Haley liked the way Warren made her laugh. He had a take-charge attitude that in many ways reminded her of her father.
They were seated at a table in the corner. Although the restaurant was busy it was a surprisingly quiet atmosphere.
“The filet is very good, so is the ribeye. But if you prefer fish, I like the walleye,” he said as they looked at the menu.
“It sounds like you come here often.”
“On a cop’s salary, fat chance. I’m just trying to impress you. I’ve been here a few times on special occasions. Like tonight . . . ”
“So tonight is a special occasion?” she asked cocking her head flirtatiously.
“For me it sure is,” he said.
The waitress came to the table.
“Would you like a drink?” she asked.
“Not for me. Just iced tea. But feel free to have whatever you’d like,” Warren said to Haley. She ordered a glass of white wine.
After the waitress brought the drinks, she took the rest of their order. Haley ordered Lake Superior whitefish and Warren ordered a steak. After they placed their order, there were a few moments of uncomfortable silence.
“What high school did you go to?” Warren asked trying to make conversation.
“Niles East. You?”
“Senn.”
“If I remember correctly that school was full of tough kids,” she said. “Am I right?”
“I guess you could say that. Would you believe me if I told you that I was a JD when I was a kid?”
“What’s a JD?”
He smiled. “I was a juvenile delinquent. I was smoking and drinking before I was fourteen. I cut school. I was a bad kid.”
“Not me. I was the goody, goody girl. I never wanted to cause my parents any grief. But it sounds like you were rebellious like my sister was as a kid.”
“My father was an alcoholic. That’s why I don’t drink.”
“Are you in recovery?”
“Nope, I never started drinking because I saw what it did to my dad. It ate him alive. He knew it was destroying him but he couldn’t stop. In the end, all of his organs began breaking down. My mother was always worried. It broke her spirit. She aged quickly and badly. Seemed like every week he was being rushed to the hospital. Meanwhile, my mom was carrying the burden of trying to provide a decent life for me and my sister.”
“That had to be hard to watch.”
“Yeah, it sure was. He’d come home after a hospital stay because of some major illness and swear he was done drinking. But within a few weeks, he was back at it again. When he didn’t have alcohol he was mean. When he did, he just laid around the house watching television. I resented him and what he was doing to our family. I wanted my mother to leave him, but she said she couldn’t. She was afraid he would die if she left. He didn’t eat unless she brought him food. All he wanted to do was drink. I was an angry kid. I was mad at him and I couldn’t understand her. I felt like I wanted to lash out at someone. Then I got involved with a bad group of kids. We sold drugs. All of my friends took drugs, but I didn’t because I didn’t want to be like my father. I was dealing and making money. Then I got into some real trouble. Big trouble. I did a drop-off and this guy refused to pay me. He was a big, massive boy. He punched me in the face and broke my nose. I was carrying a knife. The fight started and I stabbed him. I could have gone to juvey, or worse … if the kid died. But I got lucky, the kid made it. Then this juvey cop took me under his wing and worked with me. In a way, he was like a dad to me. He died last year. I miss him. He was a great guy. He was the reason that I decided to work with JDs. If I can be half the cop he was, shit, half the man he was, I’ll be happy.”
“That’s a hell of a story, Warren.”
“Yeah, it is. But we all have stories, don’t we?”
“Yes, I suppose we do. You’re just so different from anyone I’ve ever dated,” Haley said.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Probably not a bad thing at all,” she laughed. “My ex-husband was a real jerk. The king of jerks. And I guess I always dated that same type of man. Spoiled brats who were handed everything by their parents. My ex went to private school. He came from a rich family. He thought he was very entitled. We got married. I got pregnant right away. Of course, I grew a big baby bump—that is what happens to pregnant women. But it turned him off. He wanted out of the marriage. He felt pressured. I guess the idea of a wife and a kid was too much for him.”
“What an asshole.”
“Yeah, he sure was.”
“How’d you meet him?”
“College.”
“A college girl. Did you get a degree?
“Yeah, I was a substitute teacher for a while.”
“You must not have liked it very much. So, here you are, a beautiful girl with a degree who owns a muffin shop?”
“Yep. Me and my sister. We own it together. We opened the business and I can’t say I ever regret changing my career.”
“You like it, huh?”
“I love it. Do you like being a cop?”
“I really do. I feel like I am making a difference in the world. You know what I mean? I feel like if I can help even one kid to get on the right path, I will have done something good with my life. Something meaningful.”
“That’s beautiful.”
He let out a laugh. “I don’t know about beautiful. But what I do know is that each of us leaves a mark on the world when we die. It is our choice what we want that footprint to look like. My father left a bad and hurtful mark on my mother, my sister, and me. I want to leave behind something good.”
“I’m sorry, but we’re closing,” the waitress said, putting the bill on the table in an envelope.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize it was so late,” Warren said, taking a roll of bills out of his back pocket. He paid the check then he and Haley walked to the car.
When they were on their way back to Skokie, Haley turned to Warren. “You seemed surprised and maybe a little disappointed that
I have a child.”
“I’ll admit I was at first. I didn’t want to date anyone with kids. I had this notion that I wanted my own children, not kids that belonged to another guy. But since I met you, I don’t feel that way at all. Your daughter is a beautiful little girl. And you, Haley Levi, are one hell of a wonderful woman. I’d be ecstatic if you would go out with me again. And then again after that.” He smiled. “And then … again.”
She laughed at him. “You are so outspoken. You have a way of saying exactly what you mean. I’m not used to anyone being this open. But I like it.”
“Well, I have to say that I like you, Haley Levi. I like you a lot.”
From that day on, Warren found ways to make himself useful to the Levi women. He climbed up on ladders to change light bulbs both at the house and the shop. He rented a steam cleaner at the grocery store and surprised Eidel by coming to the house and cleaning all the carpets. He fixed the leaky sink in one of the bathrooms. And then one winter morning when there was a heavy snowfall, Warren drove over to Haley’s house before work and shoveled the walkways and dug the cars out of the snow. After he finished, Warren went to work. It was very early and he didn’t want to wake the girls. Instead, he just left a note for Haley in the mailbox; just a piece of white paper and a rose that was frozen by the time Haley found it. The note simply said, “I shoveled because I didn’t want any of you to slip on the ice. Kisses, Warren.”
CHAPTER FORTY NINE
Christmas 1993
Mark was sitting in his apartment alone. He was having a shot of fine Irish whiskey. It was warm and smooth going down his throat. He had to be at work that night and dreaded taking the subway in the cold. He had come to hate the holiday season since he and John broke up. The weather was miserable. New York city was decked out to the nines with decorations and tons of people jammed the streets. The department store windows were done up with beautiful Christmas scenes of tiny villages with moving trains. Men dressed as Santa stood on every corner ringing their bells for the Salvation Army. The tree in Rockefeller Center was illuminated by thousands of tiny lights, while skaters danced on the ice below. When Mark first came to live in New York City, the holiday season was his favorite time of year. He even went with friends to stand outside, all of them freezing as they watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. But now this time of year did nothing but remind him of how lonely he was.
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