by Judi Lynn
Miriam turned to Adele. “Have you had any pets? You liked my cats, too.”
Adele shook her head and glanced at Joel. “Grandma and Grandpa have a dog, Farley, but I only get to visit him. Mom didn’t like animals, said they were too much work. And when we moved away from her, Dad said he was too busy to take care of pets.”
Miriam sent him a sympathetic look. “Your dad’s right. Pets are a lot of work, but if you ever want to visit Tommy and Tuppence, they’d love to see you.”
“Really?” Adele sounded excited.
“Once school’s out at the end of the month, you’ll have to come spend a day with me. Your dad can work and we can hang out together, but I have too much going on right now.”
Adele nodded. “Dad says we’re going to be here a long time. We won’t move before school’s out.”
Her answer surprised Miriam, Joel could tell. “Good! That way you and I have a date.”
They all helped with cleanup after dessert, and then Joel and Adele took their leave. “Thanks for a great supper. This is your night off, though, so we’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of it.”
Miriam left, too, carrying a hefty supply of scalloped potatoes with her. Before she climbed in her old Mercedes, she turned to Joel. “If I were a nice person, I’d offer to share this with you, but it’s not gonna happen.”
“We have plenty of groceries at home,” he assured her. “No worries.”
They drove off in opposite directions and Joel sighed.
Adele stared at him. “Did you want some of the potatoes?”
“No, hon. I’m just happy we had such a nice night.” He always enjoyed himself when he was around Miriam.
Adele smiled. “Me too. I like it here.”
So did he. Mill Pond had lots more potential than he’d ever dreamed of.
Chapter 10
Joel asked Adele one last time, “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”
Plopped on the couch in front of the TV, she shook her head, ignoring him. She could be stubborn when she wanted to be. She’d had more people time than usual, and now she wanted to retreat into her own private world.
She’d better enjoy it while she could. Once they got drywall up in the brewery, he was going to make her a little space of her own in his office with a cozy chair and a TV. That way, she could go with him at work. He could keep an eye on her.
He motioned toward an insulated lunch box on the coffee table. “I packed you a sandwich and snacks. Remember to eat something.”
She didn’t hear him. She was already lost in TV land. He went to stand in front of her to block the screen. He pointed to the lunch box in front of her. “Eat this when your cell phone alarm goes off or I’m not letting you stay home the next time I go to work.”
That got her attention. “Promise,” she told him. She wouldn’t remember on her own, but she would when the alarm went off.
He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and headed out the door. Daphne had said she’d check on her a few times during the day. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he glanced in her shop. Lots of customers. Business in Mill Pond was picking up the warmer the days got. He wanted to open the brewery in July, if everything went well. Tourists would clog the town by then.
When Joel reached the dairy, Nick Hillegard’s silver pickup was already parked near the back door. Nick lived in Mill Pond and had plenty of building experience. He’d worked with his dad since he could hold a wrench. He was a contractor and a plumber and flipped houses on the side. His older brother, Brian, was an electrician, and Joel had hired him, too, to help convert the place into a microbrewery and hot dog joint.
Nick followed Joel inside and whistled when he studied the large space. “You’re going to work with us, right? Because this is a big project.”
Joel nodded. “I used to buy strip malls and fix them up. I’m handy enough with a hammer and drywall.”
“I’ve heard that before.” Nick glanced at the blueprints Joel cradled under one arm. “What have you got in mind?”
Joel spread them out on a card table he’d brought earlier. He’d already given Nick a rough idea of the building’s measurements and his plans. “I want a family room at the back of the building, and I’ll separate it from the bar with the brewery and bottling room, then a small office over here and the kitchen opposite them. I’m going to pour a cement patio by the side door.” He pointed as he spoke. “I’d like the brewery to have two huge inside windows so people can see the process.”
Nick nodded. “I like it. Easy enough to do. What are you going to do about the ceiling?”
Beams spanned the space high above their heads.
“I want to leave them open, give the place an industrial feel. We might have to insulate the roof and walls, though, and install massive ceiling fans.” Joel pointed to where the brewery room would be. “We’ll need lots of pipes and plumbing.” He planned on using steam heat to brew the beer.
Nick studied the sturdy structure for more details. “There are already plenty of pipes in here. We should be able to come up with something.”
That’s what Joel had thought, too.
“What are you going to serve to drink in the family room?” Nick studied the blueprint. Joel’s office would hide the brewery from sight, so that kids couldn’t see the beer.
“Root beer, sodas, the usual. I want to make my own root beer.” There was a door to the brewery so that waitresses could easily access the room.
“And what do you need in the kitchen? Special equipment?”
Joel handed him a layout of the future kitchen. “I have everything ordered. They can deliver whenever we’re ready.”
Nick gave another whistle. “I think you’re right. We can start work today, and if nothing unexpected happens, this is a pretty straightforward job.”
“What about building supplies?”
Nick looked at his watch. “I ordered enough framing and drywall to get started and my crew will be here in ten minutes.”
Even better than Joel had expected. “I love working with good people.”
“And we love working for people who pay cash. That’s the one thing about taking on small jobs. You can end up chasing the money.”
Joel knew about that from his days of renting out small business spaces, but Nick looked too young to have that kind of experience. “How old are you?” he asked.
Nick grinned. “Older than I look. I’m twenty-eight, but my boyish charm makes everyone guess younger.”
“Is that what it is?” The kid was attractive enough, with brown, wavy hair, dark eyes, and deep dimples. His nose was crooked, and Joel guessed he’d broken it. “You flip houses around here, right?”
“Nope, I mostly buy and sell in Indy. A great place to meet women.”
That caught Joel by surprise. “Is that why you work there?”
“Not really, it’s a bigger market, easier to move houses, but hot girls are an added benefit.”
“Because it’s a bigger market?” Joel teased.
“Lots more bars, more nightlife.”
Nick didn’t strike Joel as a partier. He seemed like a hometown boy, the type who’d put down roots and stay in Mill Pond. “You didn’t find a girl you liked here?”
Nick’s gaze slid away from his. “One, but she’s not interested, so I spread my net wider. I met Roxy at a concert four months ago.”
“She must have struck a chord.”
“She’s a city girl, all in to going out and having fun. She’s on the expensive side, but she’s always a good time.”
Joel frowned. “A party girl?”
“I guess you could call her that.”
Joel had a bad feeling. He’d met girls like that after he’d divorced April. Met them, period. Once he mentioned he had a daughter, they disappeared. Miles had blown through a few of them, though. The girls had stuck around until his money ran out, then they were history. “Do you two have anything in common?”
Nick shrugged. “We
both like to drink and have fun.”
It was none of his business, he knew, but he still asked, “And that’s enough for you for now?”
Nick raised a dark eyebrow. “You’re divorced, right?”
Joel liked Nick more already. The guy didn’t pull his punches. “Yeah, and you learn from your mistakes. Mine: Don’t try to rescue a woman in distress.”
“Jodie’s not like that.”
“No, she’s the let’s-enjoy-the-moment type. And when you get stale, she’ll move on.”
“And you know that because . . .”
“My brother fell for her type.”
Nick stopped to study him. “So what do you recommend, now that you’re older and wiser?”
“Damned if I know. I only know what doesn’t work. This time, though, I’m looking for a woman who doesn’t need me, who can cope without a man. Then, if she chooses me, it’s because I’ll add something to her life and she wants me around.”
Nick was silent a moment. “You’ve had some tough times, haven’t you?”
“You don’t want to know. But you live and you learn. Either that or you repeat your mistakes. That, I don’t want to do.”
Nick was about to say more when the sound of a big truck pulling close to the building cut him off. “Our supplies are here. Our crew will be close behind.”
Thank heavens! Joel had surprised himself by turning into a love guru, dispensing unwanted advice to his poor contractor. Where the hell had that come from? He usually tried his best to stay out of other peoples’ business. Maybe Mill Pond, and the way everyone knew everyone else, was having a strange effect on him. He took a deep breath and walked out to meet the suppliers.
Nick’s three-man crew came five minutes later, and Joel took one look at them and ordered pizzas to be delivered for lunch at noon. These men looked serious. They were ready to dig in and get things done. If he fed them, they’d get a lot done today.
They started with framing out rooms. The sound of nail guns and heavy equipment echoed off the cement block walls and cement floors. Those cement walls got a moisture barrier installed over them before insulation. The floors would be sealed and painted.
When Joel left the building at five that night, he was sweaty and filthy. He, Nick, and the three men had stopped for a quick lunch, then worked the rest of the day. Joel couldn’t wait to get home and take a shower.
Daphne’s yellow SUV was already gone when he parked behind the stained-glass shop. He let himself in with his key and climbed the back stairs to his apartment. The aroma of burned beef hit him the minute he opened the door. Adele was fixated on a Disney movie and didn’t look up when he hurried to the kitchen and turned off the slow cooker. He wrinkled his nose when he lifted the lid. She’d put in a beef roast, nothing more. No broth. No water.
He took a deep breath to try to collect himself. This wouldn’t have started a fire. The worst that could have happened was that he’d have to throw away the slow cooker and the meat. Adele would be safe.
He unplugged the cord and went to sit beside his daughter. “The beef’s dead. It looks like a hockey puck.”
She turned to him, surprised. “What?”
“It looks like you tried to make a roast. You didn’t add any liquid. It’s dead.”
Her face crumpled.
“No big deal. I’m going to toss the whole thing out.” Then she wouldn’t be tempted to use the slow cooker again. “What would you like for supper?”
Her eyes lit up. She was so easily distracted. “Can we get burgers?”
“I’ve heard that Ralph’s Diner makes burgers to die for. Want to go there tonight?”
“We’re going out again?”
“Why not? This is a fresh start. We’ll meet more people.”
Adele glanced at her TV, torn.
“You finish your show and I’ll take a shower. How’s that? No hurry. And then we’ll go to Ralph’s.”
She nodded, happy again. She turned and pushed Play on the TV. Once the show started, she was lost to him.
Chapter 11
Over the next two weeks Joel settled into a routine. He bought a recliner and had it delivered to the brewery so he could take Adele with him to work every morning. Each day he packed her laptop, along with DVDs of her favorite movies, and she watched them while he and the crew worked. They moved her from spot to spot to avoid sawdust. As long as she had her shows to watch, she didn’t mind.
At lunch time they all drove to Ralph’s Diner and he picked up the tab. It was an added expense, but Nick introduced them to everyone in the restaurant and Adele felt like she was a part of things. They broke their routine on Wednesdays, when they went to Chase’s bar for BBQ and ate outside on the patio because Adele wasn’t twenty-one. After lunch Joel drove her back to their apartment before returning to work. By then, she was ready to cocoon.
One day, Grams and Miguel came to sit at their table and chat. Both of them were serious about gardening. Miguel gave Joel lots of advice about how to landscape the brewery: which plants were no fuss and which were high maintenance. Grams hit up Adele about setting tables to get ready for church suppers, which thrilled his daughter. She loved feeling needed.
Another day, Nick introduced them to David and Darinda Danza.
“We make great chicken sausages,” David told him, “if you want something on your menu to appeal to the health-conscious crowd.”
“How many kinds of sausages do you make?”
David shook his head. “Friend, if you want a specialty sausage, I can make it for you. We Italians can add garlic, fennel, whatever seasonings you want. Carl Gruber, who raises grass-fed cows, and Cutter Rethlake, who owns a hog farm way out on County Road, and I work together to come up with different blends. Art stocks three of them at his grocery, but we can make a unique one for you.”
“I’m in,” Joel said. “I need something that will go great with ales, mustard, and sauerkraut.”
Not only did they strike a deal but Joel made two new friends.
Ralph and his wife, Jules, who still waitressed at the diner after marrying him, stopped to chat whenever they could. All in all, Joel and Adele were beginning to feel at home here.
Joel made a point of being home at six every night to eat supper with his daughter. He usually made something fast and simple—cheese toasties, pork chops, tacos—but every Tuesday they went to Mill Pond’s pizza parlor and met more new people. Garth Roarke, who ran the garage at the edge of town, ate there each Tuesday with his wife, Leona.
Tonight, when Joel and Adele walked in to eat, Leona looked up and waved them to their table. A hairdresser, she looked at Adele’s thick, wavy blond hair and shook her head. “You just washed it, didn’t you? Bet you don’t have to do anything special to make it look pretty. Look at your waves.”
Adele turned a bright shade of pink. Compliments were few and far between, and she repeated them over and over again, something to cherish. Joel turned to listen to Adele’s answer as the door opened and Miriam stepped in. Then his focus shifted. She looked tired. Her dark curls drooped as low as her shoulders. She saw him and came to say hello.
Joel glanced at the clock. Six thirty, and Miriam was dressed in khaki pants and a button-down shirt. “Did you just come from school?”
Leona tsk-tsked. “Girl, your hair looks like an overgrown poodle’s. It needs a good cut.”
“I know, I know. It’s the end of the year. Hell month. I stayed late to grade tests so I didn’t have to haul them home. My stack’s already tall enough.” She motioned toward the counter. “I stopped to pick up supper.”
She looked like she could crawl in bed and sleep for a month. If this was a teacher’s life, Joel would change jobs. “How much longer before you’re done?”
“Two weeks, but seniors finish next Friday and my load will get lighter. Memorial Day makes a four-day week after that. Then I’m done.”
It was a good thing. It looked like it would take the entire summer for her to recuperate. “You ear
n your keep, that’s for sure.”
She laughed. “Glad you noticed. Teachers get no glory.” Her pizza came out of the oven and she went to pay for it. “See you when things settle down.”
They watched out the window as she drove away. Once she was out of sight, Leona huffed a sigh. “That woman never puts herself first. She could use a spa day—hair, manicure, and facial. She’s a mess.”
Garth shrugged. “She’s never worried about her looks. I think she’s owned that blouse since she graduated from college.”
Leona gasped. “But she makes good money.”
“It’s just not something she cares about.” Garth looked at his wife’s tight yellow pants and high heels. “She’s not stylish, like you.”
“I think she looks great.” Joel hadn’t meant to say the words, but they slipped out.
Leona’s red lips curled in a smile. “Do you have a thing for E.T.?”
Tyne’s nickname for Miriam had obviously spread. “You have to admire her, don’t you? She always pushes for the best.”
“Not when it comes to fashion.” But Leona looked pleased with herself. That was when Joel remembered that someone had told him Leona spread gossip through Mill Pond faster than a brushfire. Oh, well, he did think Miriam looked great. So what?
Adele finished her pizza and Garth and Leona stood to leave.
Garth held out a hand to Joel. “Hope you come to one of Grams’s church socials sometime. Tessa always brings mighty fine pies.”
“Sounds like enough temptation to me.” Joel smiled at Adele. “She loves desserts.”
On the short drive home Joel thought about the brewery again. In two weeks it would be glassed in and the brew tanks installed. He’d already ordered enough supplies to start his first batch. He intended to produce up to 310 gallons at a time. His brands took three weeks to process. It would take longer than that to finish the building, but if worse came to worse, he could sell beer before he opened the restaurant.