“Okay. We could take a walk outside, clear the head. It’s cold, but not too bad with a jacket.”
The fresh air would be a welcome reprieve. Nothing anchored her soul like the sound of the waves gently lapping the shore, or the reed grasses, whispering against her soul as they swayed and brushed blade against blade, a ballet choreographed perfectly by wind and sea.
They walked in quiet for the most part. Charlie kept her thoughts to herself, as she knew he did. There was so much to think about, so much to process. The things she thought, felt, came of their own volition, showing up with no warning, catching her off guard as if she’d been walking with her head down and smacked right into a cement wall.
Their little romance, as he insisted on calling it, had morphed into something more serious. She hadn’t been looking for love, wasn’t sure she was ready for it, but none of that mattered. Her heart told her she was already in it.
She glanced over at Cooper, walking beside her along the shoreline. He was looking out over the marshes. Lord but he was beautiful. Physically, of a certainty, no denying that, and the sexual pull, the attraction between them that had sparked at their first meeting was intense. But his beauty went deeper. Cooper Barone was a good man. She had discovered just how good, just how dependable and likable he really was over the last few months.
He must have sensed her studying him and swiveled his head to look at her. The breeze teased the black silk of his hair, lifting it lightly and then letting it drop again. She loved the way his bangs insisted on falling over his forehead, giving him a roguish look she found very appealing, even though she knew it frustrated him.
He smiled and took her hand. Despite the coolness of the air, it was warm, and she threaded her fingers through his, enjoying the contact, savoring the connection.
For too long she’d shut out the voice of her heart when it tried to tell her how wrong Phillip was for her. Maybe she should listen to what it told her this time. Maybe all she’d ever needed to do was trust the voice in her heart.
Lifting up on her toes, she wrapped her arms around Cooper’s neck and kissed him. He took hold of her shoulders and kissed her back, deepening it into something that felt like more than a mere attraction, more than a mutual agreement, more than a little romance. It felt like a promise.
When they returned to the cottage a short while later, Charlie locked the doors, turned off the lights, and led him into the bedroom—and then she made love to him. Yes, she loved Cooper Barone.
I’ve got to get back to the shop. I’ve got a woman who answered my help wanted ad coming in this afternoon for an interview.”
Charlie dug into her purse for her wallet. “And you can both stop looking at me like I might shatter into a million little shards that you’re going to have to figure out how to put back together. I’m not glass. I’m not going to break.”
She put a ten dollar bill on the table on top of her check. It would cover the cost of her lunch plus a nice tip for Molly. “And I’ll tell you the same thing I told Cooper last night. I don’t want anyone’s sympathy or pity. That’s not why I told you and it’s not what I need from you.”
“What do you need, Charlie?” Blake leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table as he regarded her. “Just tell us what it is and you’ve got it, sugar.”
Charlie shifted her gaze between her two cousins. “I need you to believe in me. I need you to trust that when I say I’m fine, I am. I don’t know if Phillip will make another appearance, or what he might try if he does, but he has zero power over me now. He thinks I’m the same woman I was when I left him, but she doesn’t exist anymore. That gives me an advantage. He doesn’t know the real me, or how strong I am, but I know exactly who and what he is.”
“But what if he threatens you, physically?” Justin asked.
“I don’t think he will. He’s a bully, but he never tried to physically hurt me. He prefers more subtle forms of control.” She scooted toward the end of the booth seat. “Besides, he probably wouldn’t want to risk me scratching his arrogant face if he tried. He’s very conceited about his looks.”
“Charlie, I’m serious. He came looking for you; that’s reason enough to be concerned. You don’t know what he might do if his usual methods don’t work. He might change tactics.”
She stood up with a sigh. “You’re right, but I’m not stupid. I think I’ll be able to handle him if he comes into the store again, but if I have the slightest sense he’s not going to leave when I tell him to, or that the situation could turn dangerous, I won’t hesitate to call for backup. You and Cooper are both close enough either of you could get to the store within minutes.”
She glanced at Blake. “I’m sure you’re planning on driving through town between every job to check up on me too, so I think I’m good in the dispatch and rescue department.”
“I’m going to call the alarm company to come put in a panic button as soon as possible,” Justin said. “We should have had them install one when they alarmed the building.”
“No one’s ever needed anything like that around here,” she said, “but it’s probably a good idea, considering.” Charlie picked her cell phone up from the table and slipped it into her pocket. “So are we good?”
Blake and Justin both nodded. They watched her walk out of Mosey’s and waited until the door closed behind her before looking at each other again.
“We need to put a plan in place,” Blake said. He picked up his fork and stabbed a French fry. “I trust her. I do, and she seems more and more like the old Charlie to me every day, not like when she first came back. But we don’t know what this bastard might do.”
“I agree.” Justin sat back in the booth and rubbed his chin. “And since she told Cooper about the guy, we should bring him in on it. With him being right next door he can keep a closer eye on what’s happening than we can and let us know if he sees any strange men hanging around or watching the store.”
“Oh, so you’re ready to forgive Coop for falling in love with our little cousin now, are you?”
Justin angled his head toward his brother. “You think he’s in love with her?”
“Really, Justin? Have you seen the way he looks at her?” Blake shook his head. “Poor guy wears it the same way you did when you got run over by Gabriella. He’s probably just as stupid as you were then, too. I’ll bet he doesn’t have a clue.”
Justin snorted. “This coming from the guy who almost let the love of his life walk out of it forever because he was too damn blind to recognize what he had and too stubborn to do anything about it when he did?”
Blake grinned. “Yeah. Lucky for both of us our wives are both wise and forgiving women.”
“Got that.” Justin picked up his coffee and downed the remains. “Okay, so look, I’ll give Cooper a call this afternoon, see if he can meet up with us later today. If Charlie sees one of us going into his office, she might get suspicious. I’d rather not get her riled up if she suspects we’re setting up lookouts.”
“Sounds good.” Blake glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to run. I told the Folleys I’d stop by their place around one thirty to take a look at their kitchen and get some measurements. I don’t have anything pressing after that, though, so I could probably meet you and Coop anytime after three if you want to set it up.”
They paid the checks and walked out together. After they’d gone, an attractive brunette who had been passing through Glebe Point and stopped at Mosey’s for a quick lunch on her way to a neighboring town, stopped Molly as the waitress walked by her table.
“Excuse me. I hope this doesn’t sound too forward, but do you by chance know the two men who just left?”
Molly glanced toward the door but they’d already gone. She put a hand on her cocked hip and regarded the other woman. “What did they look like?”
The brunette smiled. “Tall, extremely handsome. I’m sure they were twins; they looked identical. I was just wondering if they lived nearby.”
Molly chuckled. �
��Can’t fault you for wondering, but you can forget either one of them, hon. Those two boys are as married as married gets.”
The woman sighed. “It should be illegal for men like that to roam freely.”
“You’re not the first one I’ve heard say those exact words, and I doubt you’ll be the last.” Molly picked up the woman’s empty plate. “Can I get you anything else before I bring your check?”
“No, thank you. What I was hoping for doesn’t seem to be on the menu.”
“THE BABY shower was a wonderful success! And everyone raved about the cupcakes.”
“Thanks so much, Mrs. Lindley. And thank you for recommending me to your friends. I’ve already had two of them come in to place orders for upcoming events.”
Charlie arranged six cupcakes in one of Finger Cakes’ pretty pastel-pink take away boxes and set it on the counter.
“I’m happy to do it, and I guarantee you once their guests taste them you’ll be getting even more orders.” Mrs. Lindley paid for her purchase. “You seem to be off to a great start, Charlie. I don’t know how you do it all on your own, though.”
Charlie smiled. “Actually, I have a woman coming in for an interview in about twenty minutes. Darla Murphy, do you know her?”
“Oh yes! She moved to Glebe Point about two years ago with her teenage son. Her mother lives with her, too. Darla’s a lovely woman. She lost her husband about six years ago. He was in the military, died in action.” She waved a hand in the air. “But I shouldn’t be telling her story, that’s for her to do. I will say, though, that I think she’d be very reliable and she’s got a sweet disposition. I think she’d get along well with your customers.”
“I appreciate the recommendation. I was wondering why I didn’t know her since I’ve lived here most of my life and know everyone in these parts, but if she just moved here a couple of years ago, that explains it.”
“Well, good luck, dear, and tell Darla I said hello.”
After Mrs. Lindley left, Charlie wiped down the café tables and straightened up the coffee station. As she turned to go into the back room for her inventory sheets, the front door opened and an elderly woman walked in.
At first, Charlie thought it must be her applicant, but she’d gotten the impression Darla would be middle-aged, closer to forty. This woman looked to be in her seventies. She wasn’t anyone Charlie had ever seen before, but if this was Darla Murphy, Charlie was Miss Piggy.
“Good afternoon,” she said. “It’s another breezy one out there today.”
“It is,” the woman agreed pleasantly, and approached the counter. Despite walking with a cane, which Charlie hadn’t noticed when she first came in, she moved gracefully, as if she might have been a dancer at some point.
Charlie gave her a warm smile when she reached the counter. “How can I help you?”
“You’re Charlene. I recognize you from your pictures.” She cocked her head and looked into Charlie’s eyes. “My name’s Deirdre. Deirdre Jansen.”
The name struck a familiar chord. Charlie knew she’d heard it before but couldn’t remember where, and she knew she’d never met this person. She was good with faces, and despite her age, this woman’s was lovely. She wouldn’t have forgotten it.
“I’m…I’m sorry. Have we met?”
Deirdre shook her head. “No, but I know all about you. I was Joseph’s assistant for fifteen years before he retired.”
The missing link fell into place and Charlie’s mouth opened, forming a perfect O.
“Joseph’s Deirdre,” she said on a whisper. She stared at the woman a moment too long before realizing she was staring.
Joseph Connelly was Phillip’s uncle. He had started and built one of the most successful small luxury hotel chains in the industry, and they had made him a millionaire many, many times over.
He maintained control of them until he had a stroke in his late sixties. His doctors had advised him at that point that he could retire and enjoy some of the spoils of his hard work, or keep up the frenetic pace and probably end up in an early grave. Joseph had chosen wisely, and the last time Charlie saw him he was celebrating his eighty-first birthday. That had been over eight months ago.
She met him the summer after she graduated from college. She’d been working as a waitress and doing volunteer work at an animal shelter in her free time.
Joseph had come to the shelter in the hope of finding someone he could hire to look after his beloved golden retriever, Whitney, when he was away.
They’d struck up a conversation and hit it off instantly. Long story short, he asked if she’d have any interest in the job and offered to pay her a salary that had been ridiculously generous to babysit and walk a dog. She would make more than double what she could bring home waiting tables.
That had been the beginning of their friendship. Her occasional job as dog sitter turned into a full-time position managing his household. He had a staff of people, from maids, to personal chef, to gardeners, none of whom needed supervision by her, but he insisted he needed someone in the job who could keep him up-to-date on everything that went on.
She met with him each morning when he was in residence to go over his schedule, ran errands for him, acted as a messenger between him and the rest of the staff, and looked for ways to brighten his day where she could. She’d been working in that capacity for just over a year when she met Phillip.
“Yes, Joseph’s Deirdre,” the kind-eyed woman confirmed.
Charlie snapped her mouth shut and reached out to take her hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. But…?” She shook her head, confusion fogging her brain. “What are you doing here? How did you…?”
She gripped the fingers she was holding and searched the woman’s eyes. “Is…is everything all right? Has something happened to Joseph?”
The sorrow that filled Deirdre’s eyes spoke more clearly than any words she could have said, but she looked down and they spilled out anyway. “He passed away a little over a month ago. He thought he just had the flu, but it developed into pneumonia. By the time he went to the hospital he was so weak he could barely stand on his own. He might have made it through, with the medications, but his heart was weak and—”
Charlie came to the other side of the counter and put her arms around the woman, fighting back her own tears over the loss of a very special man. “I’m so sorry. I know the two of you…I know he cared deeply for you. He talked about you often.”
“Yes, we loved each other very much. And he loved you, too, Charlie. I don’t know if he ever told you just how much, but he told me. He believed some divine power sent you to him, that you were supposed to come into his life, to teach him how to enjoy it and see it through fresh eyes.”
“I loved him, too. I wish…I wish I’d known he was…I would have come to see him. Once I got back to Glebe Point I should have—”
“You didn’t know, so you couldn’t have done anything. He knew you cared about him, and what’s more important, you brought more joy to his life than he’d known in years.”
Deirdre sucked in a breath. “Which is why he asked me to come to him when he was dying, and why I’ve came here to find you.”
Charlie stepped back and looked at her quizzically. “I don’t understand.”
“Joseph was worried about you, about Phillip. He was his nephew, and his legal heir, but he thought Phillip was intentionally keeping you from visiting with him and it concerned him gravely. He asked Phillip on several occasions to bring you for a visit, but he always made excuses.”
“I didn’t know…Phillip never told me, but I think you’re right about him trying to keep us apart. I asked if we could go see Joseph numerous times. Phillip would tell me he made arrangements, but then he’d always give some reason at the last minute why we couldn’t go: Joseph had to go out of town for a few weeks; something came up with a case at work. A couple of times I suggested that if he was too busy, I could go on my own. But somehow he turned it around that I was being selfish, and he got s
o angry at what he called my desertion that I backed down.”
Charlie sighed. “I wish I would have insisted more, but he was…I, I guess I was just afraid of pushing him too hard.”
They both turned when the front door opened and a middle-aged woman came into the shop. She gave them a bright smile and then sat down at one of the café tables.
“Are you Darla, by chance?” Charlie asked, positive she had it right this time.
“Yes, but I don’t want to interrupt. I can just wait here until you’re through.”
Charlie caught the corner of her lip between her teeth and looked at Deirdre. “She’s here for an interview. I think I need to hear what else you have to tell me, but I don’t want to keep her waiting. Would it be possible for us to get together later this afternoon?”
They agreed to meet at Mosey’s around three thirty, after Finger Cakes closed.
Charlie walked Deirdre to the door, then turned and pasted on a smile for her applicant’s sake. She tried to appear upbeat, to mask the maelstrom of emotions and confusion swirling through her brain.
“Thank you for coming in, Darla. It’s nice to meet you.” She walked over to the table, shook the woman’s hand, and then sat down. “Why don’t we start off by me telling you a little bit about the job and what I’m looking for? Then you can tell me a little bit about yourself and what you’re looking for.”
Cooper watched Charlie pace in front of him, occasionally going to look out the cottage window to see if her cousin had arrived yet. Her anger was palpable, and so was her pain. She hadn’t told him about Joseph Connelly until this evening, what he’d done for her or how she’d felt about him. Loss…it hurt. He understood about loss. Even when those who were gone had felt like a burden you’d never be able to shake off, loss hurt.
Maybe if she could mourn her friend’s passing as part of life’s cycle, it wouldn’t be as bad, but her old boyfriend’s apparent stunts had stolen from her the ability to do that. And not just stunts. If this woman, Deirdre, was telling the truth, what he’d done was in total disregard of his uncle’s wishes—and illegal. Thankfully, Justin should be able to give her good guidance on what she should and shouldn’t do.
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