by Dylann Crush
“I’m not sure yet.”
“What ideas do you have? Think about it for a minute. I’ve gotta get Frank a refill of coffee over at table four before he has a coronary.” She swept up the coffee pot and stepped out from behind the counter.
I heard the chitchat going on behind me but didn’t pay any attention. Thoughts and dreams from my past flooded my head. The Lovebird Café had been a cornerstone of the downtown area ever since anyone could remember. When Cassie came back to town and re-opened it a few years ago, she’d single-handedly breathed new life into the now trendy downtown area. I’d always dreamed of doing the same with the soda fountain that had closed up shop even before the Lovebird Café shut down.
The building had never been repurposed, so the empty shell of Sal’s Soda Shop still stood halfway down the block. I’d always dreamed of opening an ice cream shop where the treats were made from scratch, including the ice cream and all of the toppings. But that particular dream had always seemed a little too lofty, a little too beyond my means. Maybe Cassie could help. If she really meant it, I might be able to bring my childhood dream to fruition.
Cassie set the carafe back on the machine and began to brew another pot. When she’d finished, she returned to the spot across from me.
“So, have you given it any thought?” she asked.
“Honestly?”
Her nod encouraged me to finally put a voice to my idea.
“I’d love to re-open the soda fountain down the street. Sell homemade ice cream with hot fudge and maybe a caramel sauce, too. Not like the trendy flavors that are full of artificial crap. But real, made from scratch ice cream using local ingredients. Does that sound ridiculous?”
Cassie’s eyes widened. “Not ridiculous at all. You should do it. Seriously, downtown Swallow Springs could use a place like that.”
“You don’t think it would compete with you?” That was one of my biggest fears. She’d done such amazing work with the Lovebird, I didn’t want her to feel threatened or think I was trying to move in on her turf.
“Of course not. We don’t even serve ice cream here, except for a single scoop sundae and chocolate shakes. And if you let me buy this incredible yummy goodness from you, I can start serving it on our sundaes and create some excitement for you before you even open.”
“That would be amazing. I just don’t even know where to get started. It seems like there would be so much to do. I don’t know anything about commercial rent or outfitting a kitchen, or—”
“Lucky for you, I do.” She put her hand on mine and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sure Harmony would be happy to help, too. Both of us would be thrilled to have another female entrepreneur join us in revamping the downtown.”
My heart warmed. I’d planned on chatting with my almost sister-in-law, Harmony, if I planned to move forward. She’d opened up a spa and massage therapy studio across the street last year and was doing incredibly well. I might not have connections to the upper echelon of Swallow Springs like April and her posse, but I had connections where it counted.
“Thank you so much.” The thought that I might actually be able to make something out of myself, build something from scratch, made me want to cry.
“Of course. Now tell me all about the buff bat guy. I’ve been waiting all weekend to get the details.”
Theo. What to tell. Cassie wouldn’t spill any secrets, she’d proven I could trust her multiple times in the past. “I don’t know what to say. He was gracious enough to go to my reunion with me, at least long enough to put in an appearance.”
Cassie’s brows rose. “Word on the street is he made quite the impression on the local ladies.”
“Where did you hear that?”
She cocked a hip and her mouth quirked up in a lopsided grin. “Sunday breakfast time is when I get all of the best gossip. April, Judd, and the boys were in yesterday. She wouldn’t shut up about how you’d shown up with this mystery man. She even mentioned she thought you’d made him up until he showed at the football game.”
I laughed, a nervous, awkward twitter. Cassie would never know how close to the truth she was. I hadn’t made him up, but I’d definitely made up the particulars surrounding our relationship.
“So? Is he coming back?” She fluttered her lashes. “Did you enchant the handsome out-of-towner?”
Thinking of Theo brought on a dreamy smile. The way he’d cradled my head when we kissed, the way he’d covered every inch of my skin with his tongue. My cheeks heated.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Cassie whirled around and grabbed the freshly brewed pot of coffee. “I’ve got to make the rounds to top off some coffee mugs. Shoot me a text later with some times you’re available. I’ll see when Harmony can meet up, and we’ll come up with a rough plan for you. Maybe Robbie and Dustin should come too. They might have some good ideas.”
“That sounds great.” I slid a couple of bucks onto the counter to cover the coffee.
“I can’t take your cash—”
“I can’t take your free coffee anymore.” I held my ground.
“Fine.” Cassie tucked the cash into her apron. “See you later.”
With a final nod her way, I slid my sunglasses onto my face and turned toward the door. If I wanted to see about making my dream a reality, I needed to get my ass into gear. Funny, the one person I wanted to talk to was Theo. He was the whole reason I’d even considered my dream from years ago.
I pulled out my phone to send a text and bumped into a solid mass of something on the sidewalk. My phone went flying, landing with a crack on the sidewalk. “Oh no.” I bent down to retrieve it and peered up at the man standing in front of me.
Judd reached out and wrapped his huge hand around my wrist, helping me to my feet. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
I jerked my hand away. “Yeah, I’m fine. Except for my phone screen.” I held it out. Spidery cracks split the screen into hundreds of pieces.
“I’ll replace the phone. But right now, we need to talk.”
25
Theo
I closed out the window on my computer screen. I’d spent the past hour on a video call with my dad and brother, who were still in Switzerland. My dad’s reaction to the potential discovery of a new hibernating colony of Indiana bats had been everything I’d hoped for. He was impressed. For the first time in my life I felt validated, respected, and part of the exclusive group of colleagues who sunbathed in his orbit.
Leaning back in my squeaky office chair, I thought about the events of the weekend. Wicked hot sex with an amazing woman. Discovering a rare colony of bats. How did one man deserve such goodness in his life? I didn’t know the answer to that, but maybe someone somewhere had decided I’d paid enough dues, and it was finally my time to shine.
Lewis popped his head over my cubicle. “Did I hear you talking about a new colony of bats in some small town in Missouri?”
“Yeah. Want to see some pictures?”
“Hell, yeah.” He rounded the half wall and peered over my shoulder as I pulled images of the weekend up on my phone.
“Who’s the hot chick?” he asked.
My finger stopped scrolling through the pictures on the screen. Scarlett smiled directly into the camera lens. I’d snapped that shot during the brief time we’d been at the reunion. I’d been away from her for less than twenty-four hours, and I already wished I had an excuse to head back before Friday night.
“Well?” Lewis pressed.
“She showed me where the caves were out on the edge of her family’s land.” And healed my heart. And gave incredible head. And had the most amazing sense of humor.
“You going to see her again?”
“Maybe, why?”
“Just curious. I’ve known you, what, a couple of years now?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“So I don’t think I’ve ever heard you mention a chick in all that time. I wasn’t sure you were interested.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” It wasn�
��t that I wasn’t interested in women, it was just that I hadn’t developed a significant attraction to any specific woman. Seemed like all of that had changed.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s nice to see you interested in someone.”
“Well, I don’t know what the future holds for me, much less me and Scarlett. But, yeah, I did have a good time talking with her.”
“And she’s okay with us coming in and closing down the cave?” Lewis stepped back to lean against the cube wall.
“We actually didn’t talk about that yet. I figure we’ll want to go in and make sure it’s necessary before we start making decisions about limiting landowners’ access to their own property.” I’d never had a problem with it before. Scarlett would understand the reasoning behind our need to protect the bats. Besides, she’d admitted she didn’t like kids going down in the caves. Her own experience with her son was proof of that. “I don’t anticipate a problem.”
“Good. Hey, you want to grab a sandwich down at the deli today?”
“I can’t. I’ve got to head out to make the rounds of the western Kentucky schools. But I’m heading back to Swallow Springs on Friday. Dad’s going to join me there and check out the cave.”
“Cool. It’s got to feel good to finally have a real score of your own.” Lewis chucked me on the upper arm.
I winced as I stood, my ankle still not at one-hundred-percent, especially not after crawling through the caves last weekend.
“Sorry about that. How’s the ankle?”
“Still healing up. I’ll be good as new in no time.”
“All right then. I’ll probably see you this weekend at the cave. Where are you staying? I ought to book some rooms for the group.”
Hell, the room. I needed to call Mrs. Cahill and make sure I got my room reserved again. Eager to get that taken care of before I headed out, I grabbed my phone. “There’s not really a hotel in town. I’ll ask Scarlett if she can recommend somewhere close by.”
“Okay, thanks. We’ll probably need quite a few rooms. You know your dad has certain requirements about where he’ll stay.”
That’s right. My dad, who used to be just fine spending weeks at a time exploring the depths of the earth, now had a list of criteria he’d distributed to his team members so they could book his travel for him. “I’m on it.”
Lewis gave me some kind of salute as I pushed my chair in at my desk and walked toward the door. As I pushed through the doorway, I retrieved Mrs. Cahill’s number.
“Hello?” she answered. Hearing her voice immediately took me back to sitting across from her at her farmhouse style kitchen table.
“Mrs. Cahill, it’s Theo Wilder.”
“Theo, how nice to hear from you. I just finished remaking the bed with clean sheets. How was your drive home?”
“Great. Listen, I was wondering if I could go ahead and reserve your room again?”
“Of course. You’re a model guest. What dates do you need?”
“This Friday through Sunday, please. And then I’ll probably be back the following week as well.” I’d marked off my calendar to be in Swallow Springs over the weekend while my dad was there. He’d be in and out after he confirmed the existence of the bats, but someone would have to come back to coordinate with the state. May as well be me. It had nothing to do with being part of my regular job description and everything to do with a certain blonde-haired, green-eyed woman who I couldn’t seem to get out my mind.
Mrs. Cahill clucked her tongue. “I’m so sorry. My sister, Dorothy’s coming to visit so it’s not available during that time. Oh, you’ll just love Dorothy. She’s the one who designed my garden. She’s always had such a green thumb.”
“Great,” I said. “Would you happen to know of any other place in town where a group of us might be able to stay?”
“Hmm. Well, there’s a motel out on the west side of town. But last I heard they had an issue with bed bugs.”
Bed bugs. That was a deal breaker. Pretty sure that was on Dad’s list: a place with no bed bugs.
“Thanks, Dottie. I’ll see if I can’t find something else.”
“Oh, I do hope you’ll stop by and say hello to Dorothy when you’re in town.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Great. I’ll plan on dinner Saturday night. I’ve got a new recipe for chicken fried chicken I want to try out. It’s all in the batter, you know?”
My stomach grumbled as I thought of another home cooked meal. I’d been spoiled during my short stay in Swallow Springs. Between the Lovebird Café, Mrs. Cahill’s breakfasts, and the roast Scarlett made for dinner last night, my taste buds had experienced a kind of nirvana they’d never known.
“Saturday night sounds good. I’ll see if Scarlett can make it.”
“I sure hope you and Scarlett work out. She’s such a nice girl and she deserves to find happiness with a man like you.”
The compliment surprised me. Dottie barely knew me. A bit taken aback, I cleared my throat. “Um, thanks.”
“I know you young folk think there’s not much to learn from someone like me. But I have a talent for seeing the truth between courting folks. You and Scarlett, you’d make a good pairing.”
Now it was getting weird. “So, I’ll see you next weekend.”
“Yes, next weekend. Take care now, Theo.”
“You too, Dottie. Bye.” I disconnected, a part of me yearning for the place I’d just left. I’d never been one to get attached. Dad had us moving a lot when we were kids. Mom even home-schooled us for long periods of time when he was just starting out. He had to be flexible enough to go where the bats were, which meant we lived out of a motor home for months at a time as we trekked across the US in search of rare species of bats. It wasn’t until the Alliance got going and we settled in Illinois that I got my own bedroom, got to go to school, and, for the first time, was able to make friends.
But still, I’d never lived anywhere that felt like home. For some reason, Swallow Springs seemed like it could be that place for me. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but I was already enthralled with the people I’d met, the spirit of community, and the way they looked out for each other.
Although, I still hadn’t quite figured out what the beef was between Scarlett and April. It had to be more than a leftover pre-teen argument. At the moment, it didn’t matter much. With any luck I’d be back in Swallow Springs on Friday and would have Scarlett back in my arms.
If I found a place to stay.
With the intention of getting right on that, I pulled up her number. Asking for a recommendation on housing seemed like a good enough excuse to give her a call. She told me the salon was closed on Mondays so I knew she wouldn’t be at work. I pushed the button to connect the call and held my phone up to my ear.
26
Scarlett
“What do you want, Judd?” I wrenched my arm out of his grasp. The man hadn’t said more than a handful of words to me since…since the night I’d blocked him from my memory. The night we spent in the depths of that same cave I’d found Rodney in the other night.
His brow furrowed. “I just want a few minutes of your time. Can we talk about Rodney?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “What about him?”
“He’s got talent. The kind of talent that could provide him with a way out, a life beyond Swallow Springs. I want to work with him on an individual basis. I think with the proper guidance he could end up with a scholarship to a division one team, maybe even go all the way to the pros. All I need is for you to—”
“No.”
He glanced down at me. “I don’t think you understand, Scarlett.”
I didn’t like the way my name sounded on his lips. Didn’t like it one bit. Tempted to clamp my hands over my ears and run away, I forced myself to stay calm. This was my decision, my son, my call. “I don’t think you understand, Judd.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” His hands went to his waist. He’d always been a good-looking
guy. That’s what had attracted me to him in the first place. All those years ago he’d been the epitome of a high school crush. Captain of the football team, great sense of humor, looks that drove even some of the younger female teachers wild. He was it for me—the man of my short-sighted dreams, right there in front of me. Trouble was, he barely knew I existed.
“It means you lost the chance to make any recommendations or decisions about Rodney a long time ago.”
“This goes beyond that. He’s got talent. He’s so much like—”
“Don’t you dare say it.” I held up a finger in front of his face. “Stop right there.”
“How long are you going to try to deny it?”
“I’m not denying anything. You’re the one who made the rules. You’re the one who didn’t want to have anything to do with me when I came to you and told you I was pregnant.” I tried to tamp down the rage boiling up inside me. “In fact, weren’t you the one who offered to pay for my abortion?”
He put his hand to his temple and shifted his gaze to the ground. “I was young. I’m sorry. All I could think about was what that would mean for me. I could have lost my scholarship. I could have lost everything.”
Was he really going to go there? “What about me? Did you ever for one minute stop to think about how my life changed? I gave up everything. I gave up my scholarship. I gave up my pride. I gave up the chance to build a life for myself.”
An ugly mask of bitterness transformed his features. “Well aren’t you the martyr? What do you want me to do? I can’t go back and change things now. I made a mistake. I’m trying to fix it.”
“And what if Rodney hadn’t turned out to be the football prodigy he is? Huh? Would you still be so set on being a part of his life?” I stared at him, willing him to admit the truth that the only reason he had any interest in my son was because of his recently discovered ability on the field.