Making It Right

by Kathy Altman

  Eugenia bit her lower lip as she glanced around the diner, then down at Kerry’s table, bare of all but condiments and a coffee cup. “Are you waiting for an order?” When Kerry shook her head, Eugenia motioned toward the door. “Then why don’t you come back with me to my shop?” She gave the bag a gentle shake. “I just happen to have two of Cal’s famous cinnamon rolls in here. I had every intention of eating them both, so please say you’ll come save me from myself. Besides, you need more than coffee for breakfast.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  WONDERING WHAT EXACTLY she was letting herself in for, Kerry followed Eugenia out of the diner and down State Street. Flowering cherry trees shaded the sidewalks and shed pale pink petals that clung like glitter to wrought iron benches, lampposts, trash cans. Old-fashioned storefronts competed for attention with boldly painted doors, brightly striped awnings and outdoor lights hung in half moons.

  “I can see why my father likes it here.” Kerry scooted out of the way of a man setting up a sidewalk sign advertising tiger butter fudge.

  “‘Dark chocolate, white chocolate, peanuts and peanut butter,’” Eugenia read. She smacked her lips and tugged Kerry away from the sign. “Sounds amazing but trust me, after eating one of Cal’s cinnamon rolls, you won’t have room for even a whiff of fudge.”

  Fifteen minutes later, they sat on either side of a café table in the back room of Eugenia’s chic but playful dress shop, walled in by unpacked boxes and racks of clothes. Eugenia had given Kerry a whirlwind tour—conservative silk blouses paired with bright sequined scarves, and a crocheted sheath dress on a model wearing purple high-tops. That had been an instant mood lifter, and Eugenia seemed gratified when Kerry said so. Between them rested a freshly brewed pot of Constant Comment and a china plate that seemed far too fragile for the pair of dinosaur-egg-sized cinnamon rolls Eugenia had lovingly arranged on it.

  “How long have you been in town?” Eugenia forked a roll like it was a porterhouse steak, plopped it onto another plate and handed it to Kerry.

  Kerry watched Eugenia do the same with the second roll and felt her eyes stretch wide. No way her slim-hipped hostess could polish off one of these things, let alone two.

  “Kerry?”

  “Oh. Yes. Sorry.” She accepted a fork and a linen napkin, which she smoothed over the knees of her gray pants. “I’ve been here a couple of days now.”

  “So you have seen your father.”

  “Briefly.” Kerry took her time with the cup and saucer Eugenia handed her next. “He...wasn’t feeling it. Not that I can blame him.” China trembled against china. She tipped forward and set her tea on the table before looking up. “But this is about you. I don’t even know how to apologize for what I’ve done, let alone make it right.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Eugenia began.

  “Of course it is. Please don’t be any kinder than you already have been. I don’t deserve it. I borrowed money from you, a stranger, knowing full well I couldn’t pay it back. In fact, we both know borrow isn’t the right word.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her sweater. “Besides. I’m the reason you and my father broke up.”

  Eugenia bristled. “He told you that?”

  “I took advantage of you, and that must have humiliated him. He has a lot of pride.” Unlike his daughter.

  Eugenia made a sound of half frustration, half affection. “Too much pride. He’s also a stubborn ass.”

  Kerry surprised them both with a smile. “Do you still love him?”

  Eugenia snatched up her plate, forked up a generous bite of pastry and took her time chewing. Finally she pointed the fork at Kerry. “You know what? You’re right. You do owe me. But the debt is between you and me. Please don’t entertain any misguided notion about getting Harris and me back together. That won’t square us.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good. So. When you said Harris wasn’t ‘feeling’ your reunion...”

  “He’s not ready to talk yet.”

  “Yet?” Eugenia set down her fork. “Does that mean you’re going to stick around until he does? I admire your determination, but that could take a while. If you do manage to find a job, the cost of a motel room will gobble up your paycheck.”

  “I’d hoped to stay with Dad.” The word already felt too intimate to use. “But that request was a bit premature. Anyway, my plan is to get a job and start paying down my debts. You and Dad are the top two people on my list.”

  It all came down to money, didn’t it? Her abuse of it had landed her in this situation. Her lack of it meant she wouldn’t be getting out of said situation anytime soon.

  She needed a job.

  Eugenia seemed to read her mind. “What kind of work are you looking for?”

  “Anything, really.” Kerry had enjoyed her position as a database administrator for a government contractor, but the felony conviction had meant the loss of her security clearance. Her probation officer had found her a data entry position at a telemarketing firm. She’d almost rather wait tables. Not that she could afford to be selective. “I haven’t had any luck yet, but there are several places I haven’t checked.”

  Eugenia hesitated.

  Despite the tea warming her cup, Kerry’s fingers felt stiff with cold. “Did you bring me here to tell me I should just head back to North Carolina?”

  “Goodness, no.” The pitch of Eugenia’s voice made it clear her surprise was unfeigned. “I think it’s brave of you to be here, and the right thing to do. Your father will come around.”

  “I don’t know if he will. I don’t know if he should. But I have to try.” Eugenia crossed and uncrossed her legs for the second time. Dread kicked up the chaos again in Kerry’s belly and she pushed away her untouched roll. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

  Eugenia opened her mouth, closed it, jerked forward. Tea sloshed over the rim of her cup onto her saucer. “There’s an apartment upstairs,” she blurted. “It’s been sitting vacant since I bought a house a few months ago. It’s yours if you want it. You can work for me, here at the shop.” She motioned with her chin at the cartons stacked to her right. “I have twenty boxes of summer inventory waiting to be unpacked, with more on the way.”

  Slowly Kerry collapsed against the back of her chair. “That’s incredibly kind of you. Especially considering what I put you through. But Eugenia, if I do either of those things, my father will never speak to me again.”

  “It’s not his business. This is between you and me.”

  “He won’t see it that way.”

  “At least think about it. The sooner you get settled, the sooner you can start paying him back. And you’d be doing me a favor, keeping an eye on the place. Plus, you’ll be saving me the trouble of looking for an employee.”

  “Do you really need help?” In all the time they’d been sitting there, not once had the bell over the door announced a customer.

  “Not full-time, no, but having you here would free me up to take care of things at my new house. Like cleaning. Unpacking. Figuring out a way to disinvite the raccoons living over my garage.”

  A lightness expanded behind Kerry’s breastbone. A job and a place to stay, just like that. Seemed she’d gotten her first break since that peremptory knock on her front door, almost a year ago now.

  The offer was as tempting as that second cinnamon roll seemed to be to Eugenia—lust gleamed in the dress shop owner’s eyes as she considered Kerry’s plate. And yet...

  With shaking fingers, Kerry folded and refolded the napkin on her knee. She’d opted for the easy route far too many times. That kind of cowardice had earned her a divorce, a handful of victims she’d never be able to make things right with, six months of house arrest and a lifetime supply of shame and regret.

  Besides, it had been obvious from the moment she’d approached Kerry at the diner tha
t Eugenia had struggled with whether or not to extend this offer.

  An offer that could so easily put Eugenia right back into victim mode.

  If Kerry’s father found out, it would damage whatever chance he and Eugenia had of reconciling. And if Kerry stayed in Castle Creek and didn’t find a job, Eugenia would repeat the offer. Harris would find out one way or another. If Kerry landed another job, eventually the news about her conviction would spread, and her father would be humiliated all over again.

  She placed her napkin on the table and straightened her shoulders. “Thank you, Eugenia. You don’t know how much your generosity means to me. But I can’t take advantage of you again. That’s why I’m here, to stop the cycle.” She slapped her thighs. “I’ll try to talk to my father one more time. Then I’m going home.”

  “You can’t quit now.”

  “I’ll be in touch. I promise. As soon as I find a job, I’ll start making payments.” Maybe the telemarketing firm would take her back.

  “Kerry. There’s something you should know.” Eugenia reached out, adjusted the teapot and flashed a trembling smile. “Your father has a heart condition. And it’s starting to get the better of him.”

  * * *

  THIRTY MINUTES LATER, Kerry pulled in a breath and followed Eugenia into Snoozy’s Bar and Grill, the local hotspot, according to Eugenia. She must have meant it literally, because someone had set the thermostat to stifling. Kerry shrugged off her sweater and gazed longingly toward a tidy but well-used wooden bar.

  Tossing one back wouldn’t make the best impression. And one drink wouldn’t be anywhere near enough to help her forget that two years earlier, her father had been diagnosed with something called viral cardiomyopathy and hadn’t cared enough to let her know.

  Eugenia tugged her deeper into the bar. No surprise the place was deserted—according to the sign on the door, it didn’t open until eleven.

  It wasn’t as dimly lit as she’d expected. Sunshine streamed through a wide front window bracketed by dusty brown shutters, revealing what looked like a fancy hutch beneath, chest high, made of wood and acrylic. Strategically placed rocks and leaf-heavy branches decorated the emerald-colored outdoor carpet that lined the bottom of the pen.

  Like a terrarium.

  For reptiles.

  Big ones.

  Kerry stumbled back a step, wondering if she was staring at the reason the owner hadn’t managed to find a fill-in bartender. What the hell was in there?

  “There he is,” chirped Eugenia.

  Kerry jumped, and craned her neck. “Where?”

  “Here.” Eugenia clutched her elbow and swung her around. “Kerry, meet Snoozy. Snoozy, this is my friend Kerry.”

  Kerry felt a squeeze in her chest. Eugenia had used the word friend so very casually.

  “Nice to meet you, Kerry.” A lanky, mournful-looking man with a handlebar moustache and shadows under his eyes dried his palms on a towel and slung it over his shoulder. He thrust out a hand. “Didn’t catch your last name.”

  She stuffed her left hand in the back pocket of her jeans to hide the tremble. Would he recognize the name?

  Here we go.

  But before she could say anything, Snoozy dropped her hand and yanked the towel from his shoulder. He bent toward the glass.

  “Smudges,” he muttered, and made a few swipes with the towel. “I hate smudges.”

  She released a shaky breath. How about ex-cons? Do you hate those, too?

  Eugenia made an ahem noise.

  Snoozy straightened. “You ladies hungry? I just put together a big pot of chili you’re welcome to try. New recipe,” he said, and winked.

  That’s what she’d been smelling. Oregano and cumin. Her stomach rumbled.

  Eugenia reached out and grabbed a handful of Kerry’s long-sleeved top, as if in warning. Surely she couldn’t mean...

  Kerry shuddered and gestured awkwardly at the pen. “Please tell me you didn’t cook anything that lived in there.”

  Snoozy’s mouth dropped open and he staggered back a step. “Mitzi? I’d never think of—” His eyes narrowed. “You been talking to Audrey?”

  “His bride-to-be,” Eugenia explained to Kerry, and gave her arm a let-me-handle-this pat. To Snoozy, she said, “I understand you’re still looking for someone to fill in while you’re on your honeymoon. Kerry here is interested in the job.”

  His face cleared. He stroked his moustache and regarded Kerry with fresh interest. “Got any experience?”

  “I tended bar in college. It was a long time ago, but I still make a mean margarita.” Maybe he’d ask her to demonstrate. A jigger of tequila would come in handy right about now.

  “I’d need you to do more than tend bar. I have a server for lunch and dinner. While she runs the front, I run the grill in the back.”

  Oh. Damn. Disappointment tugged at Kerry’s shoulders. She was a capable cook, but not much more than that. She glanced away from the encouragement in Eugenia’s eyes. “I can mix drinks under pressure. Cooking, not so much.”

  “We could probably talk Ruthie into trading places when necessary.” He didn’t give her a chance to gush her thanks. “Got any questions for me?”

  She burst out with “Who’s Mitzi?” What’s Mitzi?

  Eugenia hid a smile behind her hand.

  “You didn’t see my sign out front?” Snoozy scratched his chin with long, thin fingers. “Maybe I should get a bigger one.”

  She’d seen the sign. Python Petting Zoo. “I thought that was some kind of dirty joke.”

  “Mitzi is no joke,” Snoozy huffed. “I’d be pleased to introduce you.”

  Kerry glanced uneasily at Eugenia. The other woman lifted an eyebrow and Kerry got the message, loud and clear. How badly do you want this job?

  She tipped up her chin and sidled over to join Snoozy beside the pen. He scanned the interior, then pointed to the far left corner. Kerry followed his finger, and froze.

  Something slithered.

  Something big.

  “Beautiful, isn’t she?” Snoozy spoke in hushed tones.

  Teeth digging into her lower lip, Kerry watched as a thick, round body, brown with gold markings, coiled around a horizontal tree trunk. The sinister motion seemed endless, and Kerry didn’t know whether to be impressed or terrified that there was no sign of the snake’s head. She looked around for Eugenia. Her “friend” was standing on the other side of the bar, pretending to have a fervent interest in a grouping of neon signs announcing You’ve Been Drafted, Beer Yourself and Someone Get the Lites.

  Kerry swung back around and willed her gaze to return to the snake. There was some comfort, anyway, in knowing where the thing was. “How big is she?”

  “Ten feet. She weighs sixty, maybe seventy pounds.”

  “Um...would that be part of the job? Taking care of...Mitzi?”

  Snoozy sagged. Even his moustache seemed to wilt. “This is why I’m not crazy about going away. No one appreciates Mitzi like I do. But Audrey has her heart set on a honeymoon.”

  Eugenia crossed the room again, giving Mitzi a wide berth. “The good news is, you won’t come home and find out she’s been barbecued, since the person who suggested eating her is the same person sharing your honeymoon.”

  Snoozy brightened. Kerry hugged her sweater closer, no longer enjoying the smell of that chili.

  Eugenia clapped her hands. “Let’s get this show on the road. I need to get back to my shop.”

  The door swung open, letting in the sounds of traffic. A heavyset man with a bushy gray beard stood blinking at them.

  Snoozy waved him away. “Not open yet.”

  “C’mon, Snooze, I’m hungry.”

  “And it’ll be my pleasure to feed you, Dale. At eleven-oh-one.”

  The man stomped back outsi
de.

  Kerry aimed a tentative smile at Snoozy. “So. Not being a big fan of snakes is strike one against hiring me.”

  He shook out the towel and folded it in half. “There a strike two?”

  She nodded. “Harris Briggs is my father.”

  Snoozy went still, and scrunched his forehead. “That means...”

  “Yes. I was convicted of a felony and spent six months under house arrest.”

  He cast a furtive glance at Eugenia. “Had something to do with money, I heard.”

  Kerry managed a nod. “Receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit fraud.”

  Eugenia opened her mouth, then closed it. A familiar flush of shame heated Kerry’s cheeks. There were no extenuating circumstances. No defense for what she’d done.

  “When do you leave on your honeymoon?” she asked the bar owner quietly.

  “Ten days.” There was no mistaking his reluctance, and Kerry’s heart sank. “We’ll be out of the area for three weeks,” he continued.

  “What if I work the first week for meals only?” When the sides of his mouth curved downward, she pushed her shoulders back. “I’m desperate for this job. I hurt a lot of people, financially and emotionally. I have amends to make, and I intend to make them. But I can’t do it without a job.”

  “A lot of folks would say you should have thought of that before spending money you didn’t have.”

  “A lot of folks would be right. There’s nothing about this situation that doesn’t shame me, except for my resolve to fix it.”

  “This place is all I have,” he said gruffly.

  “I understand.” Kerry forced a smile. “Thank you for even considering it.”

  “Well.” Eugenia sighed the word as she adjusted the buckle on her purse. “At least Harris will be relieved.”

  Snoozy’s gaze sharpened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “The man is being his usual pigheaded self. Not only did he dismiss Kerry’s plan to pay back her debts, he refused to let her stay with him. He sent her to Joe’s instead. She’s been there since Monday.”