Sweet Promises

by Nicole Ellis

  “Where’s Elvin?” Maggie said, referring to the assistant manager.

  “He had to go to a doctor’s appointment.”

  “Oh, right.” She’d completely forgotten she’d approved him leaving his shift for a few hours. “Who are they complaining about?”

  “Velma.”

  She groaned. Of course it was Velma. She needed to get to the café and sort out this mess, but what about Alex? She could leave him with Jake, but they’d only met an hour ago. Was that fair to Jake? He was Alex’s uncle though, and he had come to visit him. It was worth asking. She popped back into the room.

  “Jake?”

  He looked up from the project he was working on with her son. “What’s up?”

  “I know it’s a big imposition, but something came up at work that I really need to take care of. Would you mind staying here with Alex? I should only be gone less than an hour.”

  “Sure, no problem. Alex and I are getting along fine, right, Alex?”

  Her son nodded. “Yeah, Mom, this is so cool.”

  One problem after another hit her at the café. She talked to the couple angered by Velma’s lack of service and comped their meal. Then there was a mix-up with the dinner menu. By the time she’d put out all the fires, it was two hours later. She quickly texted Jake to let him know she was on her way home and jumped in the car.

  When she got home, Jake and Alex were engaged in a driving video game, Alex giggling as he swerved around the track. “I’m going to beat you this time, Uncle Jake.”

  “Not unless I let you.” Jake made an exaggerated turning movement and uttered a loud car noise, causing Alex to giggle some more.

  Maggie hung back in the entry. With the volume up, they hadn’t noticed her come in. She hadn’t seen her son this happy in a long time. He spent time with his grandfathers, but other than that, there weren’t many male role models in his life. Should she have put herself out there in the dating world earlier? She wasn’t sure she was ready for that, but maybe she needed to start thinking of Alex’s needs too. Then again, the idea of introducing him to someone who might not stick around didn’t seem great either.

  “Ahem.” She cleared her throat. Jake turned around, but Alex kept playing.

  “Hey, I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “I know. You guys were too into being speedsters.” She laughed. “Sorry it took me so long at work. I really appreciate you staying with Alex. I’m going to make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Do you want to stay for dinner, or do you have other plans?”

  He grinned. “Nope, no other plans. I’d love to stay. Beats grabbing a sub sandwich from the gas station.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Yuck. Next time you think of doing that, stop in at the Bluebonnet Café instead. I may be biased, but our food is pretty darn good.”

  “Actually, I plan to eat dinner there tomorrow. The owner of the B&B I’m staying at raved about the Thursday meatloaf meal. Perhaps you and Alex would like to join me?”

  She mentally checked her work schedule. “That could work. I’m off at six tomorrow. I could have my mom drop Alex off at the café then.” She hesitated. “How long are you planning on staying in town? I thought you were starting a new job soon? That’s what your mom said.”

  “I had a positive second interview, but they haven’t called back yet. They said it would be another week or two. I’ll probably stay in Candle Beach until they do.” He smiled easily at her. “Is that okay with you?”

  Her stomach lurched as though she’d driven too fast over a hill. Did she want him to stay in town longer? When she thought he was only in town for a day or two, she’d been happy to let him spend time with Alex. Now that he was going to be around for a couple of weeks, Alex would get used to being around Jake and then he’d suddenly be out of his life like he’d been since Brian died. And what about the way she felt around Jake? She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with those feelings.

  “Mom? Is Uncle Jake going to come visit again?” Alex peered at her hopefully.

  She couldn’t take away time with his uncle for fear of what Jake leaving would do to him. She met Jake’s gaze and forced a smile. “Yep, he’s going to be around for a couple of weeks. Isn’t that great?”

  6

  Friday rolled around and Jake was still in town. Alex had seen him every day since Tuesday and the two of them had become fast friends. When Maggie left for work, they were busy building a giant city out of Legos.

  Work was exhausting and she’d scheduled a cake-tasting appointment at the café with Dahlia right after she finished her shift. She’d offered to make Dahlia and Garrett’s wedding cake as a gift, but now she wondered if that had been such a good idea.

  “Which do you like better, the carrot cake, chocolate fudge, or vanilla bean cake?” Maggie eyed her friends and held her pen over her notepad. The engaged couple had been deliberating over their choice of cakes for an hour already.

  “Chocolate,” Dahlia said, at the same time as Garrett said, “Vanilla.”

  They laughed in unison and Maggie shook her head. She smiled at them. “Opposites attract, huh?”

  Dahlia laughed again and hugged his arm. “Can we intersperse layers of chocolate and vanilla? Maybe with raspberry in between?”

  He nodded in agreement and they peered at Maggie hopefully.

  She calculated how long it would take her to make the more complicated cake. It would easily double the time she’d allotted to it and she’d planned to make a practice cake first. It had been a while since she used fondant, and if her skills with petit fours were any indication, she’d need all the time she could get to make the wedding cake. Her friends gazed at her expectantly. She couldn’t let them down.

  She forced a smile on her face. “Sure, I can do that. No problem.”

  Dahlia beamed and got up to hug her. “Thanks, Maggie. Now, how should we decorate it?”

  Maggie sighed inwardly. With Dahlia and Garrett being so different, who knew how long this could take? She looked at her watch. She was supposed to pick up Alex at her parent’s house in thirty minutes.

  Jake had dropped him off with them in the afternoon because he had an appointment of some sort. He hadn’t been specific about it. In fact, he’d been rather secretive. Not that it was any of her business. He probably had a hot date or something. A rush of jealousy came over her and she slammed her pen down on the table in front of her.

  Dahlia raised an eyebrow and Maggie smiled weakly. “Sorry, I just realized I forgot one of my decorating books at home.”

  “I’m sure you’re full of great ideas,” Garrett said pleasantly.

  She relaxed. This was supposed to be a fun project and a wedding gift for one of her best friends. “You know, I was thinking about purple flowers on the top of the white fondant and then a simple beading along the edges.” She flipped the cake look book open to show them the style she recommended.

  “I love it,” Dahlia squealed.

  “Me too.” Garrett put his arm around his bride-to-be and kissed her squarely on the mouth. “Our wedding will be perfect, with the most beautiful bride ever.”

  Maggie’s stomach twisted. They were so lucky to have found each other. When they’d first met, they hadn’t thought so, but after a few months, they’d realized their differences were what made them perfect for each other.

  Brian had been a lot like Maggie—a Type A personality, driven to succeed. While his brother Jake had taken a more circuitous journey through the military ranks, Brian had completed ROTC in college and been commissioned as Second Lieutenant immediately following graduation. He’d intended to stay in the military and retire as a General.

  A tear slipped from Maggie’s eye. She’d been thinking about Brian a lot lately and she blamed Jake for that. Before he showed up in Candle Beach, she’d done her best to put any thoughts of her deceased husband out of her mind. Seeing Jake every day had brought back so many memories.

  “Maggie?” Dahlia asked.

  She’d been
staring into space for who knew how long. Her friends both had their eyes on her.

  “Sorry guys, I was imagining how the cake would look,” she lied.

  “Are you sure this won’t be too much for you?” Dahlia asked. “You know I’d love for you to make the cake, but if it’s too much with the catering and all, I can have someone in Haven Shores make it.”

  Maggie waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it. I want to make your cake. I have staff at the restaurant to help with the catering.” That was partially true, but her staff was reduced for the winter and with the holiday tourists, the café would be near full capacity. Now, with Bernadette leaving in a week, things would be even shorter staffed in the kitchen. The entire café staff would be stretched thin. She wrote down Dahlia and Garrett’s decoration and cake layer choices in her notebook.

  “Okay, we’re done with the cake choices. Can you get me your final count for the dinner reception by next Wednesday?”

  “Definitely.” Garrett stood and shook her hand.

  “Thanks, Maggie. I’m so glad I have you to help with this. We’d probably be having hot dogs on the beach if it weren’t for you.” Dahlia wrapped her arm around Maggie’s shoulder.

  Garrett made a face at his fiancée. “Yes, thank goodness for Maggie. I hate hot dogs.” Dahlia swatted him and he grabbed her hand to pull her close, kissing her again.

  “Dinner?” he asked. Dahlia nodded and waved goodbye to Maggie.

  Maggie waved back and watched her friends as they exited her office hand in hand. Maybe someday, when Alex was older, she’d find the same happiness that they shared.

  “Mom, can we invite Uncle Jake over for family movie night?” Alex asked as he ran out to the car. The sky was getting dark earlier as the days grew closer to the winter solstice. Maggie stared out at the shadowy night. It was only December and she’d already had enough of winter. The summer sunshine couldn’t come fast enough to suit her.

  She weighed her options, jangling her car keys. They’d seen Jake every day since he’d arrived. She had to admit, he’d turned out to be a better uncle than she’d have guessed. He seemed attentive to Alex and interested in what he had to say. And it was actually kind of nice to have another adult around at home. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was for adult companionship. Her best friends were involved with their significant others and didn’t have as much time for her as they used to.

  “Sure, honey, we can invite him. But he had something going on today, so I don’t know if he’ll be able to make it.” Jake’s secretive afternoon appointment niggled at her. Why wouldn’t he tell her where he was going?

  She texted him and asked him to come over for dinner and a movie. It was almost like she was asking him for a date. If you considered having a six-year-old sitting in between you during the movie as a date. She laughed at the thought. Of course it wasn’t a date. That was silly.

  Alex gave her a funny look. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing.” She smiled reassuringly at him. “I was thinking about the movie we rented.” Her phone beeped to alert her to an incoming text message.

  Sounds good. Almost done here, see you in thirty minutes.

  Her heart raced and she wasn’t sure why. Probably just the prospect of having another adult around on a Friday night, something she hadn’t experienced in a while. The sense of anticipation persisted until Jake arrived thirty minutes later.

  After the pizza delivery driver arrived with their pepperoni pizza, they sat down to watch a Pixar movie she’d rented from the grocery store. Many of the jokes and innuendos embedded in the movie were over Alex’s head, but she and Jake caught them and exchanged amused glances. He’d stopped at the grocery store for a bottle of wine and salad mix, so while her son drank his root beer, they enjoyed glasses of red wine. She rested her head against the back of the couch, enjoying the flavor of the wine and relaxing. This was nice. She and Brian used to do at-home movie dates when he’d been a broke Second Lieutenant, and it remained as one of her fondest memories of their relationship.

  The credits rolled and Alex jumped up from the couch.

  “Can we play a game? Please, Mom, please?”

  She looked at the clock. It was only a little past seven on a Friday night. “Sure, we can play a quick game, but bedtime at eight, okay?” She turned to Jake. “Do you want to stay for a board game? Alex is a big fan of Trouble.”

  “I’m a Trouble master. Are you sure you want to take me on?” Jake asked his nephew. He wiggled his eyebrows and Alex giggled.

  “Yeah, I’m going to win.” Alex beamed and ran over to the closet where they kept the games. He stood on his tiptoes, trying in vain to get to the board game.

  “Let me help you with that.” Jake reached over him and pulled the game down, handing it to him. He turned and ruffled Alex’s hair as her son scooted past him. His gaze was thoughtful and he regarded Alex with more tenderness than she’d expect. Was this really the same guy who Brian had sworn would never settle down? Maybe her mother-in-law would get grandkids from Jake after all. He’d make a good father and it would be nice for Alex to have some cousins.

  They settled down on the floor around the coffee table. True to his word, Jake was excellent at Trouble. When he trounced them, she expected Alex to throw a tantrum. He wasn’t known as a happy loser.

  Instead, he asked, “Can we do this again tomorrow?”

  Jake looked at her with raised eyebrows and said, “That’s up to your mom.”

  “Sorry, honey, you’re staying with Grandma and Grandpa tomorrow night. I’ve got to work late.” She placed the game board into the box. Jake put the cover on it and returned it to the game closet.

  “Oh.” Alex was visibly disappointed. “But I want to see Uncle Jake.”

  “I think he’ll be here for a few more days, right, Jake?” He nodded. She clapped her hands. “Now, time for bed for little boys.”

  Alex scampered off down the hallway then called from the bathroom, “Can Uncle Jake tuck me in and read me a bedtime story?”

  The pizza churned in her stomach. She always read him a story as part of their nightly ritual. She looked at Jake, who shrugged. “Yes, get your teeth brushed and he’ll be there in a minute.” Her words felt hollow. It was weird to have someone else in her house sharing the bedtime duties.

  Jake read to Alex from the chapter book that he and Maggie read from every night. She stood in the hallway where they couldn’t see her and peeked into his room. Alex listened raptly and when they were done, Jake kissed him on the cheek. A huge smile spread across her son’s face. She backed away before either of them caught her spying and busied herself tidying up in the kitchen.

  “I didn’t mean to step on your nightly routine,” Jake said in his deep voice as he came up behind her.

  She glanced at him before placing a cup in the dishwasher. “It’s fine. I’m glad for him to have more family around and I know you won’t be able to stay in town much longer, so it’s good for him to spend time with you while he can.”

  It did worry her that Alex seemed to be growing more and more attached to his uncle. It would kill him when Jake had to leave Candle Beach.

  “Do you plan to come back to visit?” she asked in what she hoped was a light tone. “Alex would love to see you.”

  “And you? Would you like me to come back?”

  She felt him watching her. “Of course. It’s been nice spending time with some of Brian’s family. Your parents aren’t able to come visit very often and Alex sees my family all the time.”

  “Well, I hope to spend a lot more time in Candle Beach, so I’m glad to hear that.”

  “You should come back in summer. It’s beautiful here then and not so gray.”

  “I’ll take that into consideration.” He smiled at her. “Well, it’s getting late, I should be going.” He paused, as if waiting for her to object.

  She wanted to ask him to stay, if only for a little longer, but she couldn’t make the words come out of her mouth. He
put his jacket on and left. Her stomach twisted as she watched his car disappear around a corner. Spending time with Jake had been nice, but for her sake and Alex’s, she couldn’t let him get too close.

  7

  “So you were Military Police with the Army for the last twenty years?” Candle Beach’s Police Chief Aaron Lee ran his finger over Jake’s resume, then leaned back in his chair and peered into Jake’s eyes. Above his head, framed degrees and commendations hung on the wall. File cabinets lined the other sides of the room. Every available space was covered with paper, but Jake suspected Chief Lee knew the exact location of every document he needed.

  “Yes, sir. I retired as a Major. I was an enlisted soldier and then after a few years, commissioned into the Army through their Green to Gold program.” Jake put his arms on the desk and pointed at the education section of his resume. “I attained my degree in Criminal Justice while in the service.”

  “Well, this opening is for an entry-level role. Is that something you’re interested in?”

  “Yes. I know my prior experience and education would make me a good fit for the position. I realize I’m a little older than your typical applicant, but I think I’m probably a little wiser as well.”

  Chief Lee chuckled and shook his head. “You should see some of the kids I get in here applying for a job with the Candle Beach police force. They think they know everything.”

  “I know the type—I used to be one of them back in the day.” Jake grinned. “But in all seriousness, I want to stay in Candle Beach.”

  “Right.” Jake could feel Chief Lee’s eyes on him. “You’re from the city. Why would you want to work for a police force in the middle of nowhere? I mean, we love our small town and everything, but it isn’t for everyone.”

  “I understand your concern. But I have family here, and after spending half of my life devoted to the Army, I want to settle down and spend time with them. This town is great. I’ve met so many new people in the small amount of time I’ve been here, and everyone is so friendly.” With a start, he realized how much he wanted to stay in town. He’d gone back down to Portland for his Border Patrol interview the Tuesday after he first arrived in Candle Beach and then turned right back around the next day for his second interview with the Candle Beach Police Department. Driving down Main Street that morning had been like coming home.