Secret Hunger (The Harper Sisters)

by Satin Russell

“Okay. So, Thanksgiving at your place, then. As long as you don’t think it’s going to be too much,” Jackie said, with a smile. “I guess we’ll all plan on seeing you in a couple of days.”

  Mason watched as Olivia shivered again from the cold. “Sounds good. We’ll see you on Thursday.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Robert knew he was taking a huge risk by being there, but he hadn’t been able to resist seeing the results of his handiwork one last time before heading out of town. He surreptitiously glanced around the coffee shop to make sure nothing was amiss.

  Nobody was paying attention to him.

  With relief, he swiveled on his stool and focused his attention on the scene across the street. Olivia, her sister, and another couple were standing there talking in front of the police tape.

  He’d seen how she had walked up and hugged them both. The problem, he realized, was she was in her comfort zone and surrounded by her friends in this small town.

  He’d messed up. It would be even harder to isolate her now. Everybody would be on their guard looking out for her, especially the cop.

  He watched as Mason walked up to the small group and put his arm around her. His face tightened in anger as he saw the way she leaned into him. Robert could imagine how her curves would feel pressed against him. A spear of jealousy shot through him thinking about it happening to another man.

  “Hello there. Would you like a free sample?”

  His attention was diverted by the young woman’s inquiry. He gave her a glare and curtly shook his head, turning back to the show before him. With a huff, she walked away.

  What he needed was a way to separate Olivia from everybody else. Something that she wouldn’t be able to resist. Something that she’d have to respond to.

  He thought about it for a moment as he turned to scan the café, think, think, think…

  His attention was caught by a young family as they all sat around the table, enjoying their beverages, the little boy and girl gripping their apple juice boxes.

  Suddenly, the little girl started to cry because she couldn’t get her straw into the box. Before the parents could respond, the older brother reached over and helped her fix her drink, then bent down and placed a kiss on her cheek.

  Aww, look how precious the stupid brats are.

  It reminded him of Olivia and her family. The key was going to be to get her separated from their protective comfort.

  On the other hand, even though her family was her strength, he may be able to exploit that and have it become her weak spot. Then it hit him. Of course. The sisters! He’d already seen how close they were. No way would she be able to resist if she thought one of her sisters was in trouble.

  The seed of an idea began to germinate in Robert’s mind. Maybe he could make that work. The question was how to implement it.

  He’d stayed long enough. There would be plenty of time to iron out the details once he got up to the cabin. With that thought in mind, Robert got up and exited the café. Let her have her holiday. The few days it would take for him to come up with a solid plan would serve to help her relax into complacency. The thought made him smile.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  “Happy Thanksgiving!” Melody chimed as her brother opened the door.

  “Hey, sis. Glad you could make it,” Mason gave his sister a warm hug and stepped back to let her in. “Here, let me get that for you,” he added, as he took the casserole dish from her hands. “You can hang your coat up on one of these hooks, assuming you can find one.”

  She did as he suggested, then took a moment to really look at her brother. “Haven’t seen you very much this week. How are you holding up?”

  He paused for a moment to think about his answer. “Given the circumstances, I’m doing okay. I keep thinking I must have somehow led him to her…”

  “There’s no way you could know that,” she interjected.

  “No, I know you’re right, but still. What if he followed me here and has been watching me this whole time. Would he have latched onto her if I hadn’t started seeing her? What if it had been you, Mel?”

  “What if she didn’t have you here to watch over her? Have you thought about it like that?”

  “She might not have needed watching if I hadn’t been here.”

  “Then, Mason, some other woman would be in his sights. Look, I get that you care about her, but you can’t be playing this ‘what if’ game with yourself. The situation is what it is. All you can do is help her deal with it.”

  An outburst of laughter erupted from the kitchen and had her turning towards the sound. “Sounds like she’s dealing with it pretty well. I should go in and say hi.”

  Mason handed her casserole dish back. “Why don’t you take this in with you? I’m going to check on the fire in the living room.”

  “You mean check the score on the game?”

  He gave her a cocky grin. “That too.”

  Laughing, she made her way to the kitchen, surprised to find so many people. A slim, athletic brunette with an edgy pixie cut was just stuffing a piece of bruschetta in her mouth, while a younger woman had her head buried in the refrigerator and was digging around in the veggie drawer. A dark haired man bouncing a young girl on his knee was sitting at the dining room table across from a petite blonde woman.

  Olivia glanced up and spotted her. “Hi, Melody. Welcome.”

  “Hi, I hope you don’t mind I brought a dish with me.”

  “Not at all. What’d you bring?”

  Melody shrugged. “Just some Brussel sprouts. I found a good recipe a few years back and they seem to go over pretty well.”

  “I’m sure they’re delicious. There’s probably some space in the fridge, but you may have to rearrange a few things. Hey, Fiona? Can you help her find a spot in there?”

  The younger woman stood up and turned to greet her. “Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Olivia’s sister, Fiona. Why don’t you hand that to me?”

  Melody was struck by how beautiful all three sisters were as she handed her the casserole dish. “Thanks. You’re the sister going to Bowdoin College, right?”

  “Yup, that’s me,” she gave her an impish smile. “And you’re Mason’s sister that owns the bed and breakfast I’ve been dying to go see.”

  Melody laughed. “Stop by anytime. I’d be happy to show you around.”

  During the exchange, Liz had a chance to swallow her bite. “Melody, did you want some wine?”

  “If you don’t mind. Wow, this platter of bruschetta looks great.”

  “Thanks. Help yourself.” Olivia laughed, “I figured we could always use a little food before the food.” She checked the timer on the stove. “The turkey will be done in about an hour; I decided to go traditional this year. In the meantime I put together this and a platter of antipasto to tide us over.”

  Melody thanked Liz as she was handed a glass of wine, then turned back to Olivia, “What do you mean ‘traditional’?”

  “Oh,” Fiona answered, “Olivia likes to experiment with the concept of the Thanksgiving meal.”

  “Well, I think that’s the best thing about this holiday.”

  “What’s that?” Melody asked, confused.

  “Here we go…” Liz said, with an indulgent smile.

  Melody cast a bemused smile at her before turning her attention back to her older sister.

  “Okay,” Olivia said, putting her hands on her hips, “this holiday is all about giving thanks, right?”

  “And honoring that first dinner between the pilgrims and the Native Americans,” Fiona interjected.

  “Well, that, too,” she allowed. “But, this country is made up of people from all over the world, from all types of different cultures… and the best part is that everybody is welcome to join in and celebrate it. It doesn’t matter what religion you practice, if you’re a new American, or one that’s been around for generations. We’re all invited to stop and give thanks for what we have.”

  Melody thought about it and nodded. �
��Uh huh, okay, I get that.” She took a sip from her wine. “So, basically, by alternating the different types of cuisine, you’re celebrating the diversity of America?”

  “Exactly!” Olivia said, beaming at her.

  “Remember that year we had Indian food?” Jackie said from her spot at the table.

  “Naan and curry for Thanksgiving…” Tom said with disappointment.

  “Not your favorite?” Melody asked him.

  “Oh, I like Indian food fine enough, but I guess I’m just a traditionalist at heart. Give me the classics: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cranberries any day.”

  “You have to admit, my Peking duck turned out pretty damn good that one year, though,” Olivia protested.

  He nodded. “Okay, Peking duck can get added to the list.”

  “It’s a pretty cool idea, I’ll give you that.” Melody said, impressed. She hopped up on the stool and helped herself to a piece of bruschetta.

  “By the way, have you met Liz and Tom?” Olivia asked. Everybody smiled and made a round of introductions.

  “Paul is in the living room with Mason. I’m guessing they’re both watching the game.”

  “Yeah, Mason’s idea of a traditional Thanksgiving is drinking beer and watching the football game,” Melody said, wryly.

  Olivia laughed. “Spoken like a true sister. Well, he’s in good company with Paul and Liz, then.”

  Liz grabbed a handful of beers from the fridge. “Speaking of which, I’m going to head back in.”

  “Did you need help with anything?” Melody asked.

  Olivia wiped her hands on her apron and glanced around the kitchen. “I think we’re pretty much covered for the moment. You’ll have to let me know when to put your dish in the oven to heat it up.”

  The doorbell rang. “Olivia?” Mason called from the other room. “Are we expecting anybody else?”

  “I invited Brad over.” She turned to Melody. “His parents just moved down to Florida this past year, so he doesn’t have any family in the area. I figured he’s been helping us out so much lately, he might like to come here for the holiday.”

  Melody felt her pulse jump a little at the mention of the officer. He’d stopped by on a couple of nights to check in on her while Mason had been staying at Olivia’s. His kind eyes and deep voice had made him an object of her dreams on more than a few occasions since then. It hadn’t hurt her fantasies that she’d found him incredibly attractive in his uniform, either.

  “You remember Brad, right?” Olivia asked her, as she noticed the funny look on her face. “I thought Mason mentioned he’d asked him to patrol by your place, with everything that’s been going on.”

  “Oh, well…”

  “I certainly hope she remembers me,” Brad’s deep voice said from behind her. “Because, guaranteed, I remember her.”

  Melody blushed as she turned on her stool and let her eyes travel up the long, lean frame of the man who had just walked in. Her mouth turned dry as she realized he looked just as good in jeans and a sweater. “Hello, Brad. Nice to see you again. Happy Thanksgiving.”

  “You, too.” Brad’s gaze lingered on her face for a few moments. “Looks like we get to be the new kids on the block together at this grand Thanksgiving event Olivia likes to put on. I’ve heard it gets pretty epic.”

  He came around the island and gave Olivia hug. “Thanks for the invite.” He looked down at her face and gently thumbed her cheek. “Looks like the bruising is getting a little better. You won’t even be able to see it in a few more days.”

  She gave him a squeeze. “Oh, trust me. It still looks pretty bad. What you’re seeing is the very careful and judicious use of makeup.”

  He lightly chucked her under the chin. “Well, hopefully it will be the last time you ever have to worry about something like this.”

  “Count on it.” Mason said from the doorway. Brad let her go and turned to the fridge. “Mind if I grab a beer?”

  “Not at all. Help yourself. Dinner should be ready in about an hour or so.”

  “I’m hungry!” Abby piped up from Tom’s lap.

  Jackie got up and started making a small plate of snacks for the little girl as everybody laughed. “Or less…” Olivia said.

  For the first few hours, everybody managed to set aside the events of the past few days and just enjoy the holiday and each other’s company. However, as they all sat back, satisfied after the amazing meal, conversation gravitated towards the one topic they’d all been thinking about.

  “So, I haven’t had a chance to ask you how your meeting with the insurance agent went the other day, Olivia,” Jackie said, broaching the subject.

  Olivia sighed. “Well, the insurance policy covers fire protection, but he mentioned they’ll have to do a cursory investigation of whether or not it was arson. I guess a lot of fires are set for insurance fraud…”

  “But, that’s ridiculous.” Fiona exclaimed. “You didn’t set the fire.”

  She shrugged. “He led me to believe it was standard protocol for most fire incidents. They’ll get the report from the fire department about the cause of the fire.”

  Brad leaned forward. “Tell him to come and talk to me if he has any questions about the fire and I’ll try to help where I can. Of course, the stalker situation is an open case, so I won’t be able to do much from that angle. But I should be able to talk about the fire as a separate incident.”

  She gave him a look of relief. “Thanks. Actually, I already mentioned your name to him. You’ll probably be getting a call from him sometime in the next few days. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Okay, so assuming they find that this wasn’t some attempt at insurance fraud, what happens next?” Paul asked.

  Mason watched as the emotions played across her face and reached over to hold her hand. “Assuming everything goes okay, I’ll probably be given a decent chunk of money to get back on my feet.” Olivia opened her mouth, and then shut it again.

  Sensing her hesitation, Tom looked at her. “But…?”

  “Well, I’m kind of at a loss about what I should do with it,” she glanced guiltily at Abby, happily coloring at the kitchen island behind them, and then at Jackie. “I mean, one of the worst things about everything that has happened is how it’s affected you and Abby.

  “You know I was already thinking about taking the café in a new direction. I’m not sure if I want to use this money to remake what I lost or to potentially apply it towards something new.”

  A flash of disappointment crossed Jackie’s face before she quickly concealed it behind a too-bright smile. “I know you talked about wanting to open the place up for dinner.” She shrugged as her eyes began to well. “But I loved that little café. We — all three of us — put our blood, sweat, and tears into that place. I’d hate to see it left broken down like it is right now.”

  Having been quiet up until that point, Tom laid a hand over Jackie’s. “Well, maybe we could find a happy arrangement for all of us.”

  “Oh?” Olivia said, confused.

  “I never told you this, but I was thinking about trying to buy you out if you ended up opening another restaurant.”

  “You were?!” both women exclaimed, turning to him.

  Slightly uncomfortable with everybody looking at him, he rubbed the back of his neck and explained. “I’ve been saving money for a long time.” He glanced at Jackie. “You have to remember that up until recently, I’ve been a workaholic bachelor without a lot of people to spend my money on, and very few living expenses.”

  Olivia saw a look of hope light her friend’s face. “So, you’d want to reopen the café?”

  “It could work…” Liz said, joining the conversation.

  “But what about all of the damage?” Paul said.

  “Well, I was thinking about that. Olivia isn’t responsible for the majority of the repairs to that space. The building’s landlord is. Once he gets the place back to neutral, he’ll be looking to lease the place, anyway. I
can just take over and make it back into a café.

  Olivia thought about it. “Really, Tom? You’d be okay with that?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” Tom turned to Jackie. “That is, if you’re okay with helping me run the place?”

  She beamed at him and flung her arms around his shoulders, smacking him on the lips. “Absolutely.”

  “Mommy! What’s happening?” Abby hopped off the stool and ran over to the couple.

  Jackie pulled her daughter up on her lap and squeezed her. “Tom just made me very happy.”

  Abby clapped her hands and bounced up and down. “Yay, Tom!”

  “Yay, Tom!” He blushed as everybody around the table mirrored her actions and started laughing.

  After a few excited moments, everybody settled down again. “Wow, Tom,” Olivia said. “You just took a huge weight off my shoulders. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “I guess now the question is – what’s the next step to opening your new restaurant, Livvy?” Liz asked.

  “Gosh, I don’t know. I’ll have to figure out how much money I’ll have left from the insurance and then, I guess I’ll start looking for a decent space to rent…”

  “Well, actually…” Melody began, “I might have an idea about that, as well.”

  Everybody turned towards her, “You remember the conversation we had about putting a restaurant in that old barn on my property?”

  Instantly, Olivia’s heart leapt. “Oh my gosh. How could have I forgotten? There’s so much potential for that space.”

  Melody beamed. “I’ve always thought so. What if we did something with all that potential and actually made it happen? I have more than enough money left in the trust fund to cover the costs. That is, if you don’t mind being business partners with me. As it is, that part of my property isn’t generating any revenue right now.

  “Plus, maybe we could create a deal where my guests staying at the bed and breakfast get a discount or a dinner coupon. I could see that helping both of us out.”

  “That could really work.” Fiona said.

  The whole time Melody had been proposing the idea, Brad had been watching her intently. As she finished, he leaned over and said, “I think it’s a brilliant idea.” Olivia was surprised to see her new friend blush under his praise and watched as she took a sip of wine to help hide her pleasure at his words.