Hometown Hope: A Small Town Romance Anthology

by Zoe York

  She smiled at the sound and continued adding a pinch of this and a pinch of that, layering in the spices for her minestrone.

  “Order up,” Leif said. “Where’s Gloria?”

  “Her feet were bothering her. I’ll take it out,” Lily said, quickly wiping her hands and collecting the hot meals before he could say something about her pampering the waitress. She added a slice of orange and a sprig of parsley as garnish, ignoring Leif’s look that suggested it was a waste, and hustled out with the meals.

  Gloria had been on staff since forever and could use someone looking out for her. She was one of the most reliable employees, and Lily knew if she had her on side everything would become easier.

  When she returned to the kitchen, Ethan was there, looking gorgeous in a soft, button-up shirt and faded jeans.

  “Hey, baby.” She stood beside him awkwardly, wanting to touch him, but knowing any physical gestures wouldn’t be rewarded.

  “How’s it going?” He’d made it a habit of checking in each morning before heading over to use Mandy’s kitchen to deal with any catering orders, and today was no exception.

  “Fine. Like always.”

  “She’s babying Gloria,” Leif grunted.

  “It’s true,” she admitted.

  Lily caught Leif’s smile.

  She lifted herself onto her toes to give Ethan a peck on the cheek, knowing that the cook had noticed how seldom the two of them touched. Ethan’s gaze softened and she decided he was a fine actor. When he wanted to be.

  “See you tonight,” she said. “Oh, and don’t make supper—I’m in charge for the next week. I want to try some new recipes on you.”

  “Sure.” He turned to go.

  “Ethan? Can you take this to my car?”

  She hoisted a box of mismatched cutlery. It jangled and threatened to give out on her as she brought it to him. She was curious to see if he’d reject the box, as he had the awkward bags of trash she’d asked him to take out yesterday. She knew he wasn’t lazy and she hoped if she pushed him enough he’d reveal why he didn’t want to lift or carry certain items. Was it because of lingering injuries from his accident or something else?

  “It’s time this stuff got taken away,” she said. “It doesn’t fit properly in the restaurant’s bins and is driving me crazy.”

  “Then buy new bins. Cutlery is expensive.”

  “It’s mismatched, like the carpeting in the dining area.” Soon she’d have this place the way she wanted it to be—neat, tidy and homey. It would take time and effort, but the place would at least look like someone cared about it.

  She hoisted the heavy, sagging box, hoping to push it on him, but he quickly said, “I’ve got to run—Fran needs her keyboard swapped out in the boutique again. Maybe next time.”

  Leif intercepted her, taking the box. “Watch the eggs for me.”

  “Ethan can carry it,” she said as Leif disappeared down the back hall. Her voice trailed off as she added, “He’s going that way and you’re cooking.”

  Why did someone foil her plans whenever she tried to get him to open up?

  Ethan followed Leif, stating he’d get the doors for him.

  “I needed you on these grills,” she said to Leif when he returned. She pointed to the stove where she was currently burning scrambled eggs as she tried to flip about twenty pancakes. Ticked off that she hadn’t managed to fit into Leif’s flow fast enough to save the food, she scraped the burned meals off the grill, tossing them into the full trash can.

  “What’s wrong with Ethan?” she asked. If her husband wouldn’t tell her, surely someone else would.

  “He needed help,” Leif said calmly, slipping the egg lifter from her hand and taking over once again.

  “Have you seen his shoulders?” she retorted. “Why can’t he carry a box?”

  “I suppose you should ask him.”

  Lily let out a grumble, causing Leif to smile, then she sighed. She’d seen Ethan act creaky and sore from curling over his keyboard, and maybe it wasn’t anything more than that. Maybe he just needed yoga and a better lifestyle.

  She made a decision. “No more eggs off the grill for him,” she told Leif.

  He glanced at her from the side, giving a soft chuckle of amusement.

  “I’m serious.”

  “I know, and I think it’s sweet that you care.”

  “Of course I care. He’s my husband.” She slapped ham on the grill, wishing her cheeks weren’t burning. “He needs a wife to whip him into shape. And I’m just the woman to do so.”

  Ethan decided it was time to finally find out what he was dealing with physically. Months ago Dr. Leham had had him get an MRI, to see why his joint pain hadn’t waned as much as the doc expected it to. Ethan had avoided going in for the results, worried what he might find. But he was a husband now and it was time to face it like a man. Especially if there was something he could do about it, because Lily was honing in, closer and closer, expecting answers.

  When he arrived for his appointment, he was led into Nash’s newly decorated exam room. It looked like his wife, Katie, had been there adding touches, just as she had in Devon’s home. Lily had slowly been changing things here and there in Ethan’s house, but not to the extent he’d thought she would. He’d been hoping she’d leave more of her imprint on the place, as her tastes weren’t bad other than her choice in a husband. Then again, she’d been working fairly hard and probably didn’t have the time. Or much stuff, come to think about it.

  The doctor entered the room, looking at Ethan in surprise. “Well, it’s about time. Here to see the results of the MRI, or did something else finally drag you in? Perhaps a foot that’s turned a funky shade of green and black? If so, write up your will for your new wife, because you’re toast. Congrats by the way.”

  “Good to see you, too, Nash.”

  The doctor smiled and sat on a rolling stool across from him. The man’s sharp blue eyes took him in as he held the clipboard against his stomach, checking it every once in a while. “How’s the pain? I’ve seen you hobbling around town worse than your grandfather. Are you taking turmeric?”

  “It didn’t make a difference.”

  Nash made a mark on the paper attached to his clipboard.

  “You still think it’s arthritis?” Ethan asked.

  “It’s not uncommon in people with your medical history to develop it.”

  Ethan must have been Attila the Hun in a past life—although maybe it was simply karma coming in strong for him laughing at Devon’s jokes about their stepmom’s fake boobs back when they’d been preteens. They hadn’t exactly been nice about how fake the enhancements looked.

  Ethan regretted their behavior—even if it wasn’t responsible for his current state of ongoing bad luck.

  Nash pulled up Ethan’s file on a nearby computer, angling the monitor so they could both see it. He did a bit of clicking, and black-and-white images of things Ethan had no idea about filled the screen. But the resolution was fantastic.

  “Nice monitor.”

  “Thanks. This is your MRI. These shady bits here would suggest arthritis. Strange that the turmeric didn’t help. It usually does.”

  “Could be something else?”

  “Possibly. Food sensitivities causing inflammation. Although if it is, it’s not presenting like a classic case.”

  “Cancer?”

  Nash shook his head.

  “But you never know, right?”

  “It’s not cancer, but as you know, nothing in life is guaranteed and something is going on there. I’d suggest playing around with your lifestyle habits, keep a journal and look for trends.”

  “Weather changes bother me.”

  “That could be related, but it’s also common in limbs that contain rods and pins. Either way, that’s likely to get worse as you age. I suggest you move to a more moderate climate with less variable weather patterns.”

  “Move?” He didn’t want to live in an old folks retirement village down south, where
the weather never changed. Plus he had to endure at least another year here for Lily.

  “Sell the businesses. Although I’m hearing good things about your wife’s cooking skills. Speaking of Lily, do you need birth control?”

  “What?”

  “I’m not taking new patients at the moment, but if you and Lily need to talk birth control, come in and I’ll set you up.”

  Ethan tried to close his mouth, but it kept gaping open.

  “Erectile dysfunction?” Nash asked, obviously misreading Ethan’s expression. “That can be an issue with patients who’ve experienced paralysis.”

  “It’s fine! I’m…fine. Really.”

  “Moving regularly can help ease the effects of arthritis.” He gave Ethan a wink. “So does having an open mind. The body takes hints. If our thinking is rigid that’s how our joints and muscles become. I recommend taking it easy, going with the flow. Open up.”

  Ethan snorted before realizing Nash was serious.

  “Come back in three months and we’ll take another MRI to see if any changes are happening that we need to worry about. In the meantime enjoy being a newlywed.”

  Ethan nodded, letting the man usher him out of the office.

  Birth control? Erectile dysfunction? He’d gone in to find out why he was in so much pain and hadn’t come away with a single helpful answer other than to play around with his habits, go with the flow and come back later. For birth control.

  Lily spread her papers out in the restaurant’s dining room in the quiet before the supper rush. Her office—Benny’s old one—was so stuffed she could barely get to the desk, and it would be weeks before she got it decluttered enough to work effectively in there.

  Lily felt someone watching her and looked up, to find Gloria gazing at her expectantly.

  “Sorry?” She glanced around. There was only one table of customers and the waitresses had collected nearby to fill the sugar shakers and wrap cutlery in paper napkins.

  “How did Ethan propose?” Gloria repeated, pouring sugar into a shaker. Lily’s best bet was that the five-minute task would take Gloria thirty. Frustrating, but then again, during the lunch rush Gloria was the waitress to be counted on. The tight, dated polyester uniform she professed to love, though? That had to go.

  Lily frowned at the list in front of her. She’d never had to deal with accounts before and had to admit some of it was mind muddling.

  “My daughter had a wonderful wedding,” Gloria said. “Amber and Scott had been in love for so long.”

  Lily nodded, vaguely recalling Amber from back in school. She’d seen her in the news some time ago, but couldn’t recall the details. “That’s nice.”

  “So how did Ethan propose?”

  Lily rubbed her forehead. Ethan. Right. She’d been cooking him both breakfast and supper this week—like a real wife might. She enjoyed their quiet meals.

  The other waitresses were obviously listening in, their expressions curious.

  Right! This was that moment she’d been waiting for—the one where they connected like a big ol’ family. One where she wasn’t just the boss and owner, but a friend.

  The proposal. Right.

  Lily’s heart sank. It wasn’t a romantic story and nothing like the moment she’d dreamed of, that was for sure.

  But she knew she couldn’t blow off the question. Waitresses could make or break a restaurant and she needed to bond with them, keep them happy.

  She gave a small, embarrassed shrug, figuring she’d stick close to the facts. “I proposed to him.”

  She was met with blank stares.

  “No, really,” Sasha, a waitress in her early twenties, prompted as she rolled a knife and fork in a fresh white napkin. “How did he propose?”

  Lily laughed. “He looked just as surprised as you do.”

  “But…” Tanya, the youngest—a high school student—gave her a confused look.

  “I’ve had a crush on him since forever.” Lily felt herself blush at the spoken truth.

  “And he said yes? Just like that?”

  “Once he got over being stunned, yeah. Kinda.” She peeked up at them shyly.

  “I guess he figured nobody else would take him,” Tanya said to Sasha, just loud enough for Lily to hear.

  “He’s a keeper!” she exclaimed, jumping to his defense.

  “Dani didn’t think so.”

  “Dani’s loss is my gain.” The table of four was waving at her and she stood up, glad for the interruption.

  “I heard she’s coming to town next week.”

  Lily didn’t dare react to the news as she walked over to the waiting customers. Dani was gorgeous and Lily didn’t think Ethan had ever truly gotten over her. Just like her brother hadn’t quite gotten over the woman he’d dumped in his twenties, and as a result had a silly marriage pledge with his friend Amy. Most men seemed to have a woman like that in their past. And as Ethan’s wife, Lily didn’t ever want to face her or feel the full effect of her lingering power.

  “Hi, how’s your meal?” she asked as she approached the table. She remembered to smile, not reveal the fact that she felt like she was facing a firing squad, with four sets of eyes aimed at her judgmentally. “Everything okay?”

  “The lasagna tastes different,” the man said.

  “Today’s special is supposed to be roast beef,” another one said.

  Their wives nodded.

  “Yes, the special today is Benny’s traditional lasagna—just made with fresh oregano and a bit more rosemary to give it a richer flavor.”

  “It’s nice,” one of the women said. “But are we supposed to eat this?” She pointed to the sprig of parsley.

  “No, it’s garnish.”

  “Garnish? It looks like parsley.”

  “It is.”

  “I wanted roast beef. I come in for the roast beef.”

  “I’m sorry, sir.” The roast beef once-a-week special barely broke even, so Lily had tried offering the lasagna as a special instead. It seemed Blueberry Springs wasn’t ready for that.

  “If there’s no roast beef, then don’t expect me to come back.”

  Lily resisted the urge to beg, to backtrack. “Then we’ll miss having you, especially if we make roast beef.”

  “Will you?” he asked, his bushy gray eyebrows raised.

  “You’ll have to come by and see,” she said with a teasing smile, turning on her heel and instinctively knowing she hadn’t handled that as well as she could have.

  Gloria was chuckling when Lily returned to her paperwork. “You’re changing too much too fast.”

  “All I did was take roast beef off the specials for today.”

  “Too much, too fast. He comes into town for that roast beef every week and has been for five years.”

  “Well, unless he starts paying more for it, it’s not coming back.”

  Gloria’s eyebrows shot up.

  “That special barely pays for itself,” Lily grumbled, taking her seat in front of the printed spreadsheets again.

  The waitresses avoided making eye contact with her.

  She was blowing it with them. She could feel it.

  “Have you been a chef for long?” Sasha asked, and Lily threw her a grateful look.

  “A few years. I’ve always wanted my own kitchen.”

  “Everyone says you married Ethan for this place because you couldn’t afford to buy it,” Gloria said, a sly glint in her eyes.

  “Oh! I—” Lily decided to keep her mouth shut.

  “Liz said she saw you two kissing out at the Blackberry River trailhead and you were all over each other,” Tanya said, leaning forward.

  Lily felt her face heat with embarrassment.

  “I heard he can’t…you know…” she prompted, her eyes shining with curiosity.

  “Tanya!” Gloria snapped, slamming a full sugar shaker on the table.

  Lily laughed at her reaction. “What can’t he do?”

  The women all resumed working, their cheeks red.

&nb
sp; “What?” Lily asked, a feeling of dread seeping in. “Tell me.”

  She was close to discovering what was wrong with Ethan and her whole body felt clammy.

  Tanya looked at the other women, who were suddenly frozen in place.

  “After his accident—being paralyzed for a while. You know…? Everyone’s saying he can’t…with a woman. And that’s why we never see you kissing much.”

  Lily gasped, dread and humiliation burning through her as she picked up the gist of Tanya’s accusation.

  “It’s okay. I had a boyfriend who was horrible in bed,” Sasha said, giving Lily a sympathetic glance.

  “No…it’s…we…” Lily scrambled to sweep up her papers so she could flee to the privacy of her office before she humiliated herself by blurting out something she’d regret. She caught herself. Running off to hide would be the worst way to react. She calmed herself and said politely, “It’s nothing like that.”

  But what if it was? What if Ethan couldn’t perform in the bedroom and that was why he kept pulling back whenever she got close?

  No, that didn’t make sense. He also avoided lifting and moving heavy things. And anyway, she’d felt evidence of his virility pressed against her when they’d kissed.

  However, it was part of the overall puzzle. One she planned on piecing together sooner rather than later.

  Ethan couldn’t concentrate. He stared at his monitor and the computer cursor blinking endlessly, his mind as blank as the page of code he was supposed to be writing.

  No, not quite blank. His mind was stuck on the woman he’d married almost two weeks ago. What was he going to do? What if his arthritis or whatever it was flared up to the point where she thought she needed to stay and care for him instead of spreading her wings like they’d planned? She already had her father leaning on her. She didn’t need another burden.

  “I hear you’re unable to keep your wife happy in bed. Need any tips?”

  Ethan looked up from his screen, blinking like the cursor, and trying to figure out what his grinning brother was saying. He’d expected it to be Lily when he’d heard the front door open. She was usually home by seven and it was already eight-thirty. He’d come to look forward to sharing a quiet supper with her. It was a nice way to cap off a long, lonely day in front of his computer.