Pursuing Sarah (Sarah Series Book 2)

by Julieann Dove

  “Oh, A. Who do I see walking into my restaurant?” he yelled. The gentleman receiving the change turned around.

  “I know, right?”

  “Get over here and give me a hug.” With a quick thrust of his abdomen to shove the drawer closed, he hooked his arm to make way for that embrace.

  I walked over where he pulled me close and hugged the life out of me. His shirt smelled like fresh cut onions and oil from the fryer. But below that was a dryer sheet somewhere.

  “Let me see you.” He held me out like meat he was inspecting for purchase. “Yep, you’ve gotten even prettier. Sandy!” he yelled out to his wife. “Sandy, come out here. Sarah’s back.”

  “Only for a few hours, I’m afraid.”

  His smile faded. “What? A few hours? It would take you that long to get through lunch and my three new pies.” He pulled on my shoulder and leaned close to my ear. “I’ve found a goldmine—a genuine pie baker. She’s amazing. You’ve got to try the coconut.” His head jerked back, along with the roll of his eyes. “Oh, A, your tongue’ll beat your brains out just eating it.”

  “Wow, sounds like a revolution. I might have to take you up on it.”

  Sandy came out from the back and pulled me in for a hug. Her black hair was streaked gray and it was pulled back in a bun. She held on to my arm for her own inspection. “You look like you eat nothing. Do you have good markets where you moved? I don’t think they have the vegetables you need. What kind do they sell? Are they green? Or are they that yellow, washed-out green? It’s important to get the ones with color, Sarah. That’s how you have good eye health. And kidneys…you need fruits for that.”

  I could swear there was a petri dish under my feet…some spotlights and a magnifier attached to the ceiling for this inspection. If I ever was lonely for a parental kick in the butt, Tony’s was the place to go. I wondered whether they could test the strength of my bones just looking at how erect I was standing.

  “The vegetables in Colorado are just fine. I’m fine, you two. Just fine.”

  “Why are you back for only two hours?” Tony spoke up.

  “I’m here for a birthday party. Then I’m going home.”

  Someone from the back called out and Sandy tapped my hand before going back. “Well, yell out before you leave. I’ll give you some pie to take back with you. Maybe a few eggplants and some tomatoes, too. It wouldn’t kill you to eat a few eggplants.”

  “You bet.”

  “Well, have a seat.” Tony pointed at the empty bar area near the cash register. “Tell me what you’ve been up to. We get your cards at Christmas, but we don’t know anything.”

  I sat down on the red swivel chair, resting my feet on the beaten footrest. “I’m a school counselor for our high school. I love it. And I have a lot of friends. I’m back home.”

  “At least that makes me feel better. I’m glad you didn’t move just anywhere. Family watching over you is good.”

  “Yeah, I have my Aunt Heidi and Uncle Pete. And of course my dear friends. We watch out for one another.”

  He leaned across the counter. “So any other news? Like maybe a guy? A very lucky guy. One who needs to be told how lucky, or Uncle Tony might have to make a visit. And I don’t fly, so he’d have to be in a real need of a warning.”

  I laughed. “You’re funny, Tony.”

  “They don’t come better than you, Sarah.”

  “Thanks, Tony. You remind me of my dad.”

  “I was sorry to hear of his passing, Sarah. I know how much you loved him.”

  “Well, it’s okay. It’s been a little while. Of course, it feels like it just happened. I still go to call him, and realize it’s not going to happen. But I’m getting through each day. One day at a time.”

  “Hey, your old flame comes in still.”

  “Sam? Sam comes in here?”

  “Yeah, is that all right?” The side of his mouth began to snarl. “Sarah, if I need to kick that guy out, just tell me. He’s as good as gone.”

  “No, no, he’s okay. I’m over that hurt. Everything happened for the best. I’m sure he’s happy with the mother of his child. I’m just glad Sophie has a family. That’s the most important thing.”

  Okay, so I wasn’t throwing a party in my brain about the whole family image. I was that woman once. The one holding suntan lotion and sand buckets for that little princess. Only to be replaced with French manicured slutty girl. But whatever. I’m truly over it. Peachy.

  “Family? I could be wrong, but when he comes on weeknights sometimes, with the little girl, there’s no woman with them.”

  “He comes with Sophie? Here?” I pressed the countertop with my finger.

  “Yes, here. They don’t come all the time, but I’d say twice a month. She’s a cute girl. Blonde hair, blue eyes. She always tells me I need to offer potato chips on my sandwiches.”

  I smiled. She loved potato chips. She even asked to eat them with pancakes for breakfast.

  “And you’re certain they don’t have Gennifer with them? And it’s Sam. You’re sure its Sam?”

  “Sarah.” He put his hand on his hip. “I know what the guy looks like. You brought him here a few times. We talked about me carrying a line of sauces. Which I still hold firm—it was a bad idea. The pie one was much better.”

  “He suggested pies?”

  “Well, yeah. He gave me the number to the woman I’ve got working for me. She’s the mother of one of his employees.”

  My mind raced. Where was Gennifer?

  Someone nudged me to get to the register, and the bell on the door continuously chimed. Jess, the short order cook, was shouting out “Order up,” and the busboy was excusing himself to Tony to restock the silverware cups underneath the counter. Tony grabbed the man’s check and began pounding on the register.

  “Tony, I’ve got to go. You’re getting really busy, but I’ll try to come back before I leave Charleston.”

  “You better.” He looked up while handing over a handful of change.

  I waved and wove through the crowd. Jess struck the bell for pick-up again as I opened the door to leave. Somehow I had an appetite, and it wasn’t for greasy fries and coconut pie. It looked more like Sam with a side of Sophie. I was going to go see them…I had to. Not conventionally, mind you. I needed to see them in a way they would have no clue I was seeing them. Sam wasn’t the type to have a social media account, and Sophie was too small, so there was only one way to do this. To his house I drove.

  The trees looked taller in the neighborhood. Maybe even a few extra had grown on the fence lines—crepe myrtles and some aspiring palm trees. The color was green and lush, and the air was saltier here by the waterfront. I found an empty place down the street to park. It had a good view of Sam’s house—well, the side of it anyway. It would be easy to catch a peek if he pulled and got out, and because I didn’t see his car parked in the drive as usual, I’d wait awhile to see just that happen. I looked at the clock radio in my rental. If he was a creature of habit, he’d be returning from the gym and store. He’d more than likely bought that night’s dinner, and it would take hours of procrastination for him to get started on it. He might even have picked up his dry cleaning. Give Rick a break from delivering it. My mind wandered to Sophie. Who watched her while he was gone? What did she look like now? Did her hair become thicker so hairbands wouldn’t so easily fall out of it? My stomach fluttered just being so close to the family I shared a life with light-years ago.

  I rolled down my window and turned off the car. I’d give it fifteen minutes to see whether anything happened. Robena’s party was at 3:30. It only took seven minutes to get there from here. I had plenty of time. And this was better than waiting in a hotel room. I imagined I was on a stakeout. I loved undercover cop shows. Thankfully I was in the know for staying pretty concealed. I took a deep breath and waited for the subject to enter said drive. If I was able, I’d capture it on my phone. That way, when I was home, I’d get to zoom in and study how he looked. Had his hair recede
d? Did he have a gut that said going to the gym was more for babe watching? Oh, and then there was the face. I’d try to see whether he was wrinkly from going to the beach without proper SPF. Yeah, I’d thank my lucky stars I dodged that bullet.

  I looked around. Nothing was moving. No one was cutting grass, or even walking dogs. It was eerily quiet, other than the birds. They were singing and the noise sounded like my backyard at home. I craned my neck to see whether I could see into Sam’s den window. The glare and distance made it quite impossible. Just as I went for the phone in my purse for pictures, I felt something touch my arm. When I looked up, I saw Sam.

  “Ahh….” I screamed.

  He grabbed his chest, backing up. “Sarah? Good grief. What are you doing? Why are you here? Parked outside my house?”

  I palmed my chest and tried to regulate my hyperventilation. “You scared me to death. I mean quite possibly did irreparable damage here, you know. I can’t feel my legs. Are my legs still there?” I looked down. My head spun, and my chest heaved. So this is what being caught feels like. Stupid cop shows—no one gets caught in those.

  “What in the world are you doing here?”

  I sucked in air. Time to think of something. Anything. “Um, I was…I was…well, what in the world are you doing sneaking up on me, anyway? Can’t a girl stalk in peace, for crying out loud? I mean, really.” When in doubt or caught red-handed, the truth with a lot of laughing always takes the boil to a simmer.

  He grinned. My anxious soul shifted to semi-easy. The tension in my fingers gripping the steering wheel relaxed. It was that confident smile of his, that comfortable feeling conveyed when he did it. I’d almost forgot what that smile looked like. What I felt when seeing it. Mush, pure mush.

  “Stalk? Are you stalking me?”

  I tilted my head to look up at him. The sun blinded me through the tree leaves, and I shielded my eyes. He had barely changed. Still death-defying good-looking. Nope, no gut, no receding—well maybe a little, but seriously, nothing was out of place. “Sort of. Maybe…no, not really.”

  He turned and yelled in the direction across the street. “It’s okay, Mr. Pfizer. It’s just Sarah. She seems to be stalking me. You can go back to whatever you were doing. I’ve got everything under control.”

  I shrunk down and peeked around Sam to see the back of Mr. Pfizer scurry in his house. Sam laughed.

  “You know, someone needs to do something about that man. How’s someone supposed to do anything unethical, unjust, and corrupt with him skulking around and calling everyone? Who needs Charleston Police when you’ve got Mr. Pfizer patrolling?”

  “Yeah. We brought up his overzealous neighborhood watching at last month’s meeting. We’re all thinking of getting him video surveillance equipment so he doesn’t feel he has to stand out on his porch all day and night. You know, make it easy on the guy?”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t think Barney Fife has anything over on him.”

  He laughed, crossed his arms, and rested his chin on his hand. “Oh my goodness. Sarah Keller, I can’t believe it’s really you. Here. Down from my house. Spying through your car window. This is incredible. Why are you really here?”

  “I flew in for a birthday party. It’s sort of a surprise one. For one of the ladies in my old knitting class. She turns eighty. It’s kind of a big deal. You know.” I swallowed, trying to seem very unaffected by Sam Turner having caught me and now talking to me outside his house. This wasn’t how I envisioned this moment at all. Not even remotely. The plan of getting caught had not been realized or practiced in any fashion.

  “Do you have a minute to come inside? I mean, it would throw off your whole stalker persona you’ve got going on. But I’d like it if you actually came inside.”

  “Come inside?” I stared toward the house. My toes began to tingle again.

  “Yeah. I’ve got something in the oven, that’s probably setting off the smoke alarms at this very minute. And I’d like to catch up. That is, if you have time. Or even want to.”

  My eyes darted. Did I want to come inside? No. Yes. Maybe. I didn’t know. “Okay. Is Sophie there?”

  “No, she’s away with a friend. They’re due back Tuesday. From some resort in Asheville. She was excited because they have horses to ride.”

  I frowned. “Oh.”

  “She would love to see you, though. If you’re staying that long.”

  “I’m not sure she’d even remember me. She was three, Sam.”

  “She was practically four, Sarah, and has a picture of you up in her room. She remembers you. Trust me.”

  I’m sure that must please Gennifer. That’s right. I wasn’t sure Gennifer wasn’t too far away, but why would Sam invite me inside if she were close? He knew the ramifications of that meeting. Tony might not have seen her because she’d rather choke up a turkey bone than to eat at a diner with a bell attached to the front door.

  “Is anyone home? Other than Sophie, who isn’t?”

  “No. Who would be home?”

  I shrugged.

  “Oh, you think she’s here.” He looked down at the street and kicked a rock. It pinged against the sidewalk. “No, she hasn’t been here for some time now.”

  “Oh.”

  “Well, come in. I’ve got to check on my lunch. It might be burning down the kitchen. Mr. Pfizer would have a fit if fire trucks came down the street without his fingers having dialed the number to call them.”

  I got out and shut the door gently, still unsure why I was going inside. This was meant to be a drive-by. Not a stop-by. I smoothed out my pants and followed him up to the house. He ushered me in first. I thought back to the first day I met him.

  “Oh no.” He rushed toward the kitchen.

  I followed, smelling burned plastic mixed in with gravy. Comfort food gone wrong—sadly wrong.

  “Well, never mind that. I wasn’t hungry for chicken à la king anyway.”

  He pulled out the black tray. Smoke billowed from it. I walked over and opened the trash for him to drop it inside. “I see you’re still trying your hand at channeling Gordon Ramsay.”

  “Yeah, and I’ve made great strides, huh?”

  “Go sit down.”

  “Huh?” He pulled off the oven mitt and threw it on the counter.

  “I’ll make you something. I just hope you have some decent groceries.” I pulled open the fridge and took out some eggs, cheese, and I spied a green pepper shoved to the side. Its stem was a bit soft, but it’d do.

  “Sarah, you don’t have to make me anything. I’ve got a Pop-Tart in the pantry. Sophie eats all the chocolate and leaves the blueberry ones.”

  “Yeah, and then you’d be starving in twenty minutes. That’s junk, Sam. You know better. And I hope you buy more than Pop-Tarts for that little girl’s breakfast. She needs oatmeal or a fiber cereal.”

  “And she’d probably throw it at you.”

  “Is she bad? Don’t tell me she’s got teenage brain already? She used to be so sweet.” I pulled out a skillet and cutting board. I nestled two eggs on the counter next to the butter so they wouldn’t roll off.

  “She is sweet—she really is. Had Bridgett and Tiffany stayed, she might not be, but she’s a good girl.”

  I bit my tongue. Had they stayed? So they didn’t? I wanted to know what happened, but I didn’t. I felt hurt Sam chose Gennifer over me. Okay! I know, I told him not to contact me, but really? Couldn’t he have anyway? I know! He did. Once. Or twice. I hung up, but still.

  “It wasn’t a good situation with them?”

  “To put it lightly.”

  “How long were they here?” Stop, Sarah. You don’t care. You can’t get involved. Fry an egg and leave.

  “About eight months.”

  “Oh.” I cracked the eggs and poured them into the hot skillet. I pulled out a spatula and grabbed a paper towel to wipe my hands.

  “It was a disaster.” He shook his head.

  I swirled the egg slowly, watching it form edges. My mind wandered to what I wa
s doing here. Back in Sam’s house. I never felt as though it was mine. Yes, I moved a few things around in the cabinets. Who puts glasses by the cereal cabinet? But I hadn’t shopped for rugs or changed out the kitchen towels from red to blue. It was on my list before….

  “So she ended it?” No, I couldn’t say her name out loud.

  “It was mutual. I couldn’t live with her ways. She was demanding; she wanted to have parties all the time, and she tried to interfere with my business. Let alone for the biggest reason it never worked. She never corrected her daughters, and she never seemed to want to include Sophie in anything, especially when they’d have a fit, saying she was too little to do whatever.”

  “What? She made Sophie feel left out? Her own flesh and blood?” My head lowered to better decipher what he was saying.

  He took a deep breath. “Yeah, but that’s over now. We’re in a good place once again. One-on-one. And Gennifer might call twice a year to check on her, if that.”

  “Twice a year? Are you serious? That’s her daughter. That’s crazy. And wrong on so many levels.”

  “Well, she’s got a new home and Bill is back to work. So it’s business as usual with her. She’s giving cocktail parties, running PTAs, and more importantly, none of his family know about Sophie. She said she didn’t want to tell her girls about Sophie’s identity until the time was right. Guess what? The time was never right.”

  I grabbed my mouth. “She seriously doesn’t claim that sweet baby girl as her own?”

  “It’s better this way. Sophie isn’t disappointed beyond repair, and I can raise her with the values and morals I think are important. Not the shallow ones Gennifer has.”

  I placed the cheese on top of the egg and peppers, waiting for it to soften before I flipped it over. “But Sophie knows Gennifer is her mom, right?”

  “She does now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I wasn’t about to lie to her. Lying is bad, Sarah. Lying is what lost me you.”

  I was flipping the omelet onto a plate when I heard him say it. I stopped moving for a second…stuck from what he said. He really thought I was something to lose?