Flirt (Chasing Hope Book 1)

by Lavinia Leigh

  “Can I put your shoes on, Dorothy?” Emmeline offered. “I wouldn’t want you to fall.”

  “I have my shoes on, dear. I would never leave the house without my shoes. That would be foolish,” Dorothy answered.

  “Don’t worry about it. The last thing I want to do is make her angry. It’ll make things worse. Just stay on her other side so she doesn’t fall. Roller skates,” he muttered under his breath.

  They helped Dorothy up and wheeled her outside to the car, but as soon as she saw it, she flat out refused to get in. She started screaming.

  “How far away do you guys live?” Millie asked, watching the situation intently.

  “Only about a twenty-minute walk.”

  “Mom, why don’t we just walk her home? That’s what she wants.” Emmeline guessed that Millie didn’t like seeing her grandmother so upset.

  Emmeline wasn’t sure, uneasy with having to spend more time with the woman who had tried to steal her baby from her. Still, it seemed like the right thing to do.

  “Sure, why not? Erik, drive your car home, and Millie and I will walk Dorothy.” She could see the relief on Millie’s face, and she felt good about it.

  “Yeah, Uncle Erik, we’ll be fine with Grandma.”

  The word sounded weird coming from Millie’s mouth. Up until today, Emmeline was sure Millie was only vaguely aware she even had a grandmother, and now here she was, about to walk the addled woman home because she was too confused to even get in a car.

  “Thanks, Millie. I really appreciate it.” Erik’s cheeks flushed at hearing Millie calling him Uncle. Maybe this was the beginning of a special friendship for those two. Emmeline remembered how much he had idolized his brother. How could he not? Nicholas was handsome, he was smart. He was older and more sophisticated. Nicholas’s death had certainly marked a defining moment in Erik’s life. His mother never truly recovered, although the disease had already started to make its mark.

  Emmeline and Millie looped their arms through Dorothy’s and began to walk, pulling the woman along the road and up the steep hill that marked downtown Port Hope.

  “Wheeee,” Dorothy said, clearly enjoying the ride and happy with the company.

  “Grandma, I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

  “It’s nights like this that make the soul glad to be alive,” she said with sudden clarity.

  “I think I’m with you, Grandma. It really is beautiful.”

  “What is beautiful?”

  “Downtown.”

  “Downtown, downtown, downtown…” she said.

  “Mom, what happened? You’re not telling me the whole story, are you?”

  “Not, really.” She didn’t like to purposefully keep things from Millie. But this was something that could hurt her, hurt her chances of eventually having a relationship with Nicholas’s family, with her family. How could she tell Millie that the woman they were helping blamed her mother a hundred percent for the death of her father? Maybe she had been right; Nicholas had been working so hard at the time. He seemed to know what to do, while Emmeline had been so lost those first few months. But she had grown; after his death, she never let a situation get the better of her. She dug her heels in and found the strength to continue.

  “Let’s take her home first, and then I’ll tell you.”

  “Okay, but you have to promise.”

  “I will.”

  They walked the rest of the way to the house. The moon was round and bright in the sky, and the air was moist and cool.

  Millie’s eyes almost bugged out of her head when she saw the house. It was huge, looming. The sight brought back memories for Emmeline of all the time she spent there before she got pregnant, and the disaster that followed. She swallowed them down and straightened her back.

  Erik met them at the bottom of the driveway.

  “Millie,” he said, “I really appreciate it. It means a lot to me, and well, she doesn’t know it but it means a lot to her too. She loves you very much.”

  “I’m sure she does,” said Millie gracefully.

  “I think we should head back; it’s been a long day. Her first day at a new school.”

  “If you give me a few minutes, I could drive you back.”

  “Nah,” said Emmeline. “It’s a beautiful night. We can walk back, enjoy the air.”

  They said their goodbyes and then left. As they turned onto the street, Millie said, “So are you going to tell me?”

  “Okay, Angel Face, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  She recounted the story, trying to keep to the basic facts. When she finished, she held her breath, not knowing how her daughter would react.

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Emmeline gave Millie the PG version of events. She didn’t need to know about her mom being attacked at her father’s funeral, only that Dorothy had been very upset. Millie listened intently and Emmeline could feel the anger rise in her little girl. She still felt angry herself, but knowing that these were the actions of a sick woman—clinically, not just in perception—made a huge difference.

  “Millie, I know this is a lot to take in,” Emmeline continued, “but I don’t want you to be too upset with your grandmother. She was grieving and you see how sick she is. I had to work through my disappointment of the situation a long time ago, I don’t want you to take that on.”

  Millie was quiet, and then she just seemed to accept what she had been told. That kid was funny; sometimes she could handle anything, other times she was a mess. Maybe it was the age. Whatever it was, Millie had matured so much in the past few days, and it seemed like she was really coming to terms with everything, which was a complete relief.

  Millie went back to school on Monday and Emmeline continued to work on the renovations, which had moved along much faster than she had imagined thanks to her dad and his friends and Callum’s help. It was really starting to look like a place of business. The kitchen was mostly done. She was waiting for the inspector to come and tell her that it was up to spec. The original floors had been refinished, the display case was in its place, the cash register was working. Emmeline had completed the menus long before she even moved back to Port Hope.

  It was the fun time this week. As soon as Millie was off to school, Emmeline drove into the city to an industrial kitchen supply store and bought new pots and pans, and a huge mixer for making her bread. On Tuesday, the massive freezer was delivered, and by Wednesday she had the okay from the inspector. She was good to go. She set the opening date for the following week. That way she could spend some time marketing her business, one thing that she had totally forgotten to do. She hired a local firm to make some advertisements and put an ‘OPENING MONDAY’ sign in the window.

  She just hoped that her bakery would be a success, that people would actually come. That this wouldn’t be a giant failure. She had so much to lose. She felt like she was on a tightrope walking across a canyon, so close to falling, so close to making it across, not knowing which it would be.

  When Ginny had been told the official opening date, she had put everyone on full alert, and even had the local radio station do their broadcast from there. That girl was a wonder. Ads were put in the paper, and an ‘OPENING MONDAY’ sign went up in the window. Emmeline was so nervous the night before, she could hardly sleep, which wasn’t good because she had a really early morning planned. She wanted everything to be fresh and displayed perfectly for when she opened up at eight a.m.

  She gave up trying to sleep around two and went downstairs to start on the bread. By seven thirty she was drinking her second pot of coffee and tapping her fingers nervously on a table by the front window. Everything was done. The food was ready; the tables were set. The glass display case was filled with goodies that were a feast for the eyes, and she had a shiny new sign outside with the name of her business, Sugar Lust.

  She got Millie up for school, keeping the door to the stairs open so she could hear the bell if anyone came in. Millie dressed and came downstairs for breakfast. She had
her pick of anything she wanted.

  “I think I can handle this, Mom,” Millie said, loading cookies into her backpack after her breakfast.

  “You better go, you’ll be late.” Emmeline removed a few of the cookies before kissing her and sending her out the door.

  Thirty minutes later, at nine a.m. on the dot, the door opened and fifteen people walked in. Emmeline’s heart stopped. She was really open; it was really happening and people were here.

  “Hey you!” said Ginny, coming in for a hug.

  “You’re here!” Emmeline said.

  “Of course! Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “Thank you! And you brought friends!”

  “I’ve been rounding them up over the past few months since I’ve moved back,” she said. “I’d like to introduce you to the rest of my crew.”

  “What has she got you doing?” Emmeline asked, looking at the group of women, all taking off their coats and reading over the menu. She could tell they were up to something.

  “You should hear the ideas this woman has. She’s turning the whole town upside down,” said the woman standing next to Ginny. Ginny playfully elbowed her in the arm.

  “It’s a good thing. This town has been the same for ages. Time for a little fresh blood,” said another woman who Emmeline didn’t recognize.

  It took a few minutes to press everyone’s order through the cash register. The ding it made sent chills of excitement down her spine. She quickly got their orders together and delivered them to the tables.

  Callum walked in a few minutes later, his denim shirt half undone to reveal a stained undershirt and smelling of paint fumes.

  “Oh, goodness,” Emmeline exclaimed, covering her nose. “What have you been up to?”

  “An Eastlake dresser. I found it at auction the other day, but it had been painted over. I thought it would be an easy job to restore, but there must be ten layers of paint on it. I think it might be half the size when I’m finished.”

  Emmeline chuckled. She could tell he was in his glory.

  “Looks like things are going well here.” He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Emmeline snuggled in closely.

  “So far,” she said, a satisfied grin crossing her face.

  “I’ll have tea, milk, two sugars.”

  “This is a coffee shop,” Ginny said.

  “I don’t like coffee.”

  “What do you mean, you don’t like coffee?”

  “That’s what I said, I don’t like coffee.”

  “Pansy.”

  “Here’s your tea,” Emmeline said, stepping in between them.

  “How much?”

  “Nothing!”

  “Don’t be so foolish. This is a store, and you’ll never make any money if you don’t charge people.”

  “I won’t take your money.”

  “Fine. I’ll have to find another way to pay you back.” He winked, looking pleased with himself.

  “That’s something I can live with!”

  “What are they doing?” Callum pointed to Ginny, who was now with her friends, buzzing with energy at the tables.

  “I think I heard them talking about doing a snow festival this winter and using the hill downtown for toboggan races.”

  They heard Ginny laugh out loud amongst the group. They were plotting, and seemed deliciously dangerous as they did.

  “Callum,” Ginny called over. “Do you think…?”

  “Whatever it is, ladies, my answer is yes.”

  Emmeline looked at him and furrowed her brows, questioning his quick agreement.

  “I learned long ago that you never say no to Ginny. Best just say yes and go along with it.” He grinned.

  “No one says no to Ginny,” a woman said. She wore a dark blue scarf around her neck and a nameplate that showed that she was the bank manager.

  “I wouldn’t dare,” Callum said.

  “Smart man,” Ginny said, and she got up and put her arm around him. He moved away slightly. “Aw, get back here.”

  “Ladies, you’re too much for me.” Callum gulped down the rest of his tea and kissed Emmeline goodbye, promising that he would be back later in the day.

  He waved goodbye to Ginny and her friends, then placed a five-dollar bill down on the counter and walked away. Emmeline grimaced. She would have to somehow put a stop to him paying like that.

  There were more people as the day went on. Some were curious about the new place, others were curious to see Emmeline now that she was back. All in all it was a pretty successful morning. Satisfied, Emmeline sighed. She looked around at her bakery, the people at the tables, the chairs, the sign on the window, her new home.

  It was her dream, and it was real, and it was going to work.

  The End

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  Acknowledgments

  There are so many people that I would like to thank for supporting me through the journey that this book has taken me on. Firstly, my husband Dave, who has endured countless hours listening to me talk about these characters as if they are real people. To my children, McKenna and Morgan, who have been incredibly encouraging every day as I follow my dreams. To my mother and my father, who are always there, always telling me to follow my passion and that they are proud of me. A girl couldn’t ask for more loving parents. Thank you to Russell, Graham, Linda, Lois, and Phil for always being there and pushing me on. You guys are my family and my world.

  I’d be nowhere on the journey without my Wattchicks, Gaby, Kristin, Tammy, Debbie, Darly and Leigh. You guys are my daily source of inspiration. Love you girls!

  Thank you so much to Limitless Publishing for taking a chance on this book, especially to Lori and Therese, who answered endless questions and spent hours walking me through the process of what it takes to become a writer. You will be forever in my heart.

  I’d also like to thank all of my Wattpad readers. I never would have finished this without the encouragement that you guys give me on a daily basis.

  About the Author

  Lavinia Leigh has been in love with stories her whole life. As a child, she used to read well past her bedtime with her foot on the light switch, primed to turn it off quickly at the slightest hint of being caught. As an adult, she has carried that love of stories with her until the day she started to write herself.

  Outside of writing, she is a serial volunteer, and loves being involved in her community, from helping to build a giant waterslide down the middle of her town’s main street, to running a day camp, and working on a committee that honors volunteerism. She has also won a cooking show on Food Network.

  Lavinia Leigh has a super supportive family who lets her go ahead with whatever hair-brained idea she comes up with and helps her along the way.

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