"I watched him while I was there, Amanda, and I've been around bad guys enough to know one when I see them. That guy may have been in jail but if I had any worries about him being a danger to you or anyone in the Inn I would've booted him outta there without a second thought." There was a bit of silence as she listened to dead air on her phone. "I love you, lady, and I wouldn't let anything happen to you. Since his last name is different than yours, I didn't even think to look for any sort of relationship. Did your mother change her name?"
Amanda had cradled the phone against her ear and dug deeper into the thick quilt she'd pulled over her. The front parlor was a favorite place to read or talk on the phone, as long as no one else was nearby. "I guess she did. I'm not sure."
"And he just left?" James asked.
"Just now," Amanda affirmed, craning her head to look out the front window. He said he was going to look for a job."
"Where?"
The simple question grated on Amanda's already frayed nerves. "I have no idea. I have no idea what that guy wants of me, or why he came here, or where he's going. All he did was bring heartache and pain into my mother's life and make her miserable. You know how hard she had to work to raise me and pay for food and clothes?" She could feel the sting of tears starting at the edges of her eyes. "I can't help it, James. I blame him for what happened to her. She died early because she worked herself to death."
She could hear the sounds of the airport on James' end of the line, until he finally spoke.
"All right, let's see if we can figure some things out, okay? Whatever you want to do about this okay and I'm in your corner."
"Okay."
"So, do you want to never see him again, or are you wanting to not have a relationship?"
Oscar suddenly jumped into Amanda's lap and she cuddled him close to her. "I'm not sure yet."
"Fair enough. How do you feel about him just walking out?"
To tell the truth, she wasn't sure how she felt, but his questions were helping. "I don't want him homeless, but I don't really want to spend any time getting to know him, either. As long as he stays away from me, I'm okay with it."
"All right, that gives me something to go on. Can I have your permission to call George and let him know what's going on? I'm thinking he can find Wendell a place to stay for a few days, that's not at the Inn, and we can figure out things from there. Is that okay with you?"
Amanda took a deep breath and let it out slowly. None of this was okay with her. Not him showing up, not him being her father, not the possibility that he had walked out of the Inn with nowhere to go.
"Fine. Call George and see if he can find a place for him." She leaned her forehead into her, suddenly feeling a headache gathering behind her eyes.
"Okay. And if he steps a toe out of line I'll personally use these size elevens to boot his backside outta town," James promised, and Amanda laughed.
"Thank you, honey. Can't wait to see you in a few hours."
"Love you."
"Right back at you."
Chapter 18
Sometimes, the only thing that would calm the jumble of thoughts that rolled around in Amanda's trouble mind was a long walk on the beach.
Even thought she was still cautious about running after the doctor had explained why her sprained ankle needed time and rest to heal properly, she missed the freedom of jogging. The moment she walked out onto the smooth, dark sand, washed clean by the timeless rhythm of the sea, she felt like sprinting down the length of the cove, her ponytail flying behind her, spray and bits of kicked up sand in her wake.
She’d have to wait a few more weeks, but just being on the beach was enough. Her mind had been a tangle of memories and questions about what had happened in the last week.
She'd had some time to cool down, after her father had walked out the front door of the Inn. There were years and decades of hurt and pain that she still hadn't sorted through, but after she'd calmed herself a bit she realized that what she wanted wasn't to hurt him.
It was to not hurt.
For herself. For her future.
In the time she'd known James, there had been a handful of times where she'd prayed. It wasn't a natural thing to her yet, but she'd found a great deal of comfort and peace in the growing belief that there was Someone listening, who loved her.
Wind sweeping over her face, she found herself craving that peace, and closed her eyes against the cold.
She didn't even know what to say.
God, please help.
Help me.
Help me not hate.
She thought back to any prayers she might've heard and realized that even though she'd started going to church with James, the words she'd heard there didn't seem as deep as the ache of her heart.
Help me heal.
The thought came from the core of her, almost formless in its pleading.
The breeze pulled at her clothing as she listened to the relentless lapping of the cove's waves.
Help me.
Guide me.
Eyes still closed, she heard a familiar and joyful whoop behind her, and spun around. James was running toward her, a huge grin on his face, and within seconds she was entirely enveloped in his over-sized embrace.
“I missed you,” he declared, his breath warm against her ear, and she gave him a squeeze in response. “Why do you get in the thick of things when I'm out of town?" James grumped. "It's as if the moment I'm gone some guy dies or someone attacks you or something horrible happens in town. Isn't there just one time I get to rescue the damsel in distress?" He leaned forward, his face inches from hers. "Just one time that I get to be your knight in shining armor?"
Amanda smiled softly and stop on her toes to kiss him. She could hear the frustration in her husband's voice and knew it was genuine.
"I'm sorry, honey, really I am. I don't try to get involved in these things. They just seem to...happen."
“What are you doing out on the beach?”
“Thinking.” That wasn’t the whole truth. “Talking to God.”
“Really?” he looked surprised. “Okay. Anything I should know about?”
“Just about…my father.” She stepped back and put an arm around his waist as they walked back toward the call. “Let’s not talk about that. I know about Arlo, but what can you tell me about the rest of it? What happened?
“It turns out that Ruben Bishop is a piece of work, I tell ya. We found creditors of fraud victims of his from here to Washington State, and they all want a piece of him.”
Amanda sighed, feeling for Columbia. “So that means the tea shop’s history, then, isn’t it?” she asked, but James shook his head.
“Nope. Turns out he put it in Columbia’s name and she can prove all the cash that had been put into it came from her retirement account. She’s going to be staying.”
Amanda thought of Columbia’s unborn baby. No reason to bring that up now.
“So, what was Arlo’s deal? Why did he want Bishop dead?”
“He was one of the fraud victims. Bishop had bilked him for over $40,000. He told us if his wife found out he was worried it would be the end of his marriage because he’d borrowed it from their child’s trust. He was desperate. From what we can tell, Arlo was using birdwatching as an excuse to stay out of sight from Ruben. He didn’t want to be spotted before he made his move.”
“You mean the move where he broke into the back of the tea shop and doctored his epi-pen?”
James smiled. “That’s the one.”
Amanda pulled her eyebrows together in concentration. “So that’s why he stayed in town. He was hoping to get that money back somehow,” she said, and her husband nodded in agreement.
“It’s a good thing he was stopped when he was. I’m not sure if he’d tried to get the money out of Columbia or not, but it was a very real possibility.”
“How did he get the peanut..whatever..into Ruben?” she asked putting her hand on the car door’s handle. James unlocked the car and pulled the door op
en for her.
“He told us he’d put a little bit of peanut butter on his runner placard. It took a while for him to be warm enough that the oil touched his skin, or it could’ve been because he inhaled it, but either way, he planted it.” He leaned on the door as she slid into the passenger seat. “He said he wiped the fingerprints off the single-serving packet and dumped it in Wendell’s trashcan at the Inn, so if there was any suspicion it would be on him, not on Arlo.”
That explained it. They were mostly quiet on the way home, thinking through everything, until finally James cleared his throat.
“You remember you told me to talk to George about your father, right?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, we’ve got him settled in one of those little rental cottages down by the cannery. They’re nothing fancy but they’re warm and he’ll have a roof over his head. I’m going to go down later today and see how he’s doing.”
She took a deep breath. Her father would be in town, and there was a very real possibility she’d been seeing him from time to time.
Scary, but not…toxic.
“That sounds fine.”
Chapter 19
Amanda gave a sigh of contentment as she looked over the house's worksite. Everything was starting to come together.
Roy Greeley had been working his magic to be sure their new house came in on budget and on time, and his expertise as a contractor showed in every detail of the structure. Even with several weeks before they'd be able to move in, she and James could already start to see what all their planning and designing was going to make come true. When they'd first started talking about what type of house to build, they'd spent countless hours poring over magazines and architect websites, finally whittling down their favorites to a handful. James had been adamant about having a good soundproof media room, which he also planned to use for practicing his fiddle sometimes. Even though the Ravenwood Inn was just next door and had an enormous kitchen, Amanda had painstakingly figured out how much storage she needed and where the coffeemaker and stand mixer, as well as which type of farm sink she wanted. The walls were just going in and weren't textured or painted yet, but she could already imagine how it would feel to sit down at their own kitchen table and sip their morning coffee together.
A home. A real home.
Her life had been a string of apartments, first with her struggling mother, and then as she struggled on her own. The Ravenwood Inn, as big and grand as it was, was the first thing she'd truly owned all by herself, but this new house was the first thing she'd ever built together with anyone.
She looked over at James. Even though they'd been married for several months, she still was sometimes shocked to see him, as though she'd forgotten she was actually married. They'd been together long enough that the fun, polite veneer of dating had worn off a bit, but in its place was something infinitely deeper and more precious. He was talking to Roy about the cabinets that would be installed after the walls would be done, and Roy was explaining how they'd fit in the space by the fridge.
He looked up and caught his wife watching him. As Roy walked out, clipboard in hand, James walked over and slid his arms around his wife, smiling down at her.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" he asked, and Amanda couldn't help but tease a bit.
"I think the new cabinets are going to be awesome. Solid wood, with those great antique drawer pulls we picked out."
He grinned. "You know what I mean. This. All of this." He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss.
"You've changed my life in ways I never expected," he said. "Thank you."
The words were genuine, and Amanda reached up and kissed him again. "Even if you can't have a horse inside?"
Another grin. "Even if I can't have a horse inside."
She sighed and buried her head against his chest. "I'm glad you're happy. Everything has been such a whirlwind since I moved to town. There were times I didn't know what to do, and times I was so scared and worried. You and the Inn have been the things that have kept me sane. Grounded." She hugged him. "Now this house can be a haven for us both, where we can build our lives together."
"And a family."
At her words, he dropped a soft kiss on her forehead. Looking up, she caught the hint of a smile on his lips.
They held each other for a moment, until they heard the click of toenails coming toward them. James pulled back from Amanda and looked over, knowing who the culprit was.
"What's the matter, Benson? No doggie dish here, yet?"
The dog gave a loud yawn, then plopped on his haunches, his eyes never leaving James' face.
"Didn't feed him breakfast yet, I'm guessing?" Amanda commented, and James sighed.
"How did you guess?" He took her hand in his. "Guess I’d better walk him back to the Inn and get him something to eat. Did I tell you Roy and I planned out the path from our house to the Inn? I'll have a gate across it, so guests will know it's off limits, but the pavers will make it nice and clean when it rains. No mud."
"Perfect," she said, with a smile. She’d already been thinking about how often she'd be going back and forth between the buildings. She'd already decided that the master suite in the Inn would not be rented out but would be set aside in case she needed to sleep over at the inn or she had personal guests coming into town.
"How did it go with my Dad?" It still felt stiff and awkward to say that word, but she had to know.
James opened the front door and ushered her outside. "Well, he seemed to kind of like the little cottage. Crystal came by to say hello and meet him, and it looks like she'd put groceries in the fridge for him." His voice turned serious and he stopped by the driveway. "I'm not happy about this. You know that, don't you?" he asked, and Amanda took a deep breath.
"I know. I'm not thrilled about it either, but he's my father. What am I supposed to do? Just throw him out and have him be homeless?"
The expression on James' face was hard and cold. "He left you and your mother to fend for yourselves for years. It's not like he showed you any mercy or compassion."
"That's true."
"And now he's living here in town. What do you think he wants from you? Is he thinking you'll just forgive him immediately and welcome him with open arms now that he's wandered back into your life?"
"I have forgiven him."
James turned toward her, surprised. "You have?" he asked as Amanda leaned against his SUV.
"I didn't say I've forgotten everything he's done, but I can say that I've forgiven him." She looked down at her shoes. "I used to really hate him, abandoning us like that. What I've learned from being here in Ravenwood is that hating just hurts me, not them."
"I don't want him taking advantage of you." James pulled himself up to his full height. "I'm not going to let that happen."
"And I appreciate that. I do. I just want to be able to see that man on the street or in the market and be able to smile and mean it when I wish him a good morning." She gestured back at the house, where several workmen were tacking cedar shingles onto the exterior, the color of the fresh wood contrasting sharply with the bright, white trim. "I just want some peace."
James looped a protective arm around her shoulder. "I'm not sure having your father in town will do that, but if that's what you want, then I'm in."
He smiled. “I’m in for whatever the future brings our way.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Carolyn L. Dean
I've been writing and making stories in my head as early as I can remember. In third grade, I came home, set my lunchbox down, and told my mother I wanted to be a writer. Luckily, Mom was supportive.
I've been a published author for a few years now, under different names and genres, but the thought of writing about a small coastal town in Oregon, and about its loves and mysteries and holidays and people has been with me for years. To be honest, I am always a bit scared to dump those ideas onto the written page, but hope you'll enjoy getting to meet the people who inhabit my imagination.
In r
eal life, I'm married with kids, live on the West Coast of the US, and own a hobby farm just outside of my favorite small town. I’m a full-time author. I love to travel and can often be found strolling down a windy beach, holding onto the string of a high-sailing dragon kite.
Here are the books in the Ravenwood Cove series:
#1 – BED, BREAKFAST, and BONES
#2 – DUNE, DOCK, and a DEAD MAN
#3 – MISTLETOE, MOONLIGHT, and MURDER
#4 – SEA, SKY, and SKELETON
#5 – TIME, TIDE, and TROUBLE
#6 – SUN, SAND, and SECRETS
#7 – ROCKS, ROSES, and RIPTIDES
#8 – FRUIT, FLOWER, and FLAMES
…and here are the books in the Brightwater Bay series:
#1 – A LITTLE TASTE OF MURDER
Tea, Treats & Terror Page 8