“Why don’t you go back out there and sit down while you have your water,” Chrissie suggested.
“I want to get the menu worked out for tomorrow and make sure we have all the ingredients on hand.”
Chrissie went out into the dining room and returned with a chair.
“Sit, please. You look like you’re about to fall over.” Chrissie pointed to Sophie, who sighed. Then sat. Then smiled.
“Thank you. My thighs ache.” She rubbed them with both hands. “You’d think I’d be used to all the standing and walking. All of a sudden, it’s as if my legs forgot I’ve been doing this every day for two years.” She paused. “Except for Sundays and Mondays.”
“You close two days every week?” Chrissie leaned on the counter.
“If I didn’t, I’d never see my husband, even though his business is right next door. I decided after six months of working every day that enough was enough. I wanted my business to be a success, but it had to be on my terms. I wanted to have a life. I wanted time with Jason before we started a family. And now I’m so glad I took that time for just us. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long time before it’s just the two of us again.”
Dana poked her head into the kitchen.
“Margarite left at three, and I’ve finished cleaning up,” she told Sophie. “We need new flowers for the tables, though. The old ones are pretty beat. Want me to stop in at Petals and Posies and see what they have this week?”
“That would be great, thanks, Dana.” Sophie rested her head back and closed her eyes. “Remind them they give us a nice discount in case whoever’s working the counter forgets again.”
Joan set a glass of ice water in front of Sophie and handed a mug of coffee to Chrissie.
“Okay, so for tomorrow . . .” Her eyes still closed, Sophie rattled off the next day’s menu. “Check the fridge and just make sure we have enough greens for salad.”
Joan opened the cooler door and brought out the large bin of greens. “Getting low, Sophie.” She held it up so Sophie could see.
Sophie took her phone from her pocket, punched in a number, and while it rang, took several sips of ice water.
“Clay, it’s Sophie. How’re you fixed for greens this week? And is there enough asparagus for me? It’s on tomorrow’s menu . . .”
She finished working out the details of her purchase, then disconnected the call. One by one, she went over the list for the next day, and they checked the ingredients.
When they’d finally finished, Sophie said, “Chrissie, could you stay for just another few minutes?”
“Sure.” Chrissie took her time removing her apron, which was in need of a wash after she’d spilled a little carrot soup.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Sophie.” With a glance and a quick wave toward Chrissie, Joan left.
Chrissie heard the front door open, then close, and the restaurant fell silent for a few minutes. Sophie sat with her eyes closed again, her dark hair falling out of the neat bun she’d had when she’d arrived that morning. Finally, she opened her eyes and said, “Want to do it all again tomorrow?”
“I’d love to,” Chrissie told her.
“I’d like to try you out for two weeks. I’ll pay you by the hour. I don’t mind saying I’m impressed with what you did here today. In a strange kitchen, working with recipes that you hadn’t tried before, not knowing where anything was—you held your own. I just don’t want to make a decision based on one day, if that’s all right with you.”
“It’s fine with me. I enjoyed it. It felt good to be back in a working kitchen again. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”
“Even without being familiar with the way I do things?”
Chrissie shrugged. “Not so different from the way I cook, actually. In the last place I worked, I had shelves arranged in pretty much the same manner as you have here. I used the same spices. The recipes are different, but not so much so that I stumbled. A few things I do differently, yes, but you’re the boss.”
Sophie smiled weakly. “A tired boss.”
“How far along are you, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Almost five months. We hadn’t wanted to spread the word too soon because we lost our first one in the third month.” An unmistakable sadness crossed Sophie’s face like a shadow. “Jason thinks I pushed myself too hard last time, and maybe I did. This time, I’d planned on working my regular schedule through the end of my sixth month, then I thought I’d taper off a bit, let Joan take over a lot here in the kitchen.” Sophie smiled. “Joan had other plans. So—”
“So you need a plan B. I’d like to apply for that spot. I’m good at what I do, I’m organized, I can think on my feet, I—”
Sophie held up a hand to stop the flow of words. “I think you’re probably all those things. I’ll check your references, and if they turn out the way I’m sure they will, and you do well over the two weeks, we’ll talk about a more permanent position. Are you all right with that?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Did you bring your résumé with you?”
“I did.” Chrissie opened her bag and removed the envelope she’d prepared the night before. She hesitated for a moment before handing it over. She knew she’d have a lot of explaining to do.
“Is there a problem?” Sophie asked.
Chrissie bit her bottom lip. If she’d listed all her previous employers and Doug contacted one of them, even at this late date, there was the possibility he could discover where she’d gone. There was always the chance someone clueless about her situation would answer the call, and he’d learn that a restaurant in St. Dennis, Maryland, had called for a reference.
So she’d written down the information for La Luna only along with the cell number of Rob’s partner, Jim.
She handed the envelope to Sophie, who took out the single sheet of paper, looked it over, then eyed it suspiciously. “I thought you said you’d worked in several places.”
“I did. But I only trust this one.” Chrissie sighed, and said simply, “Bad ex-boyfriend. Rob—he owns La Luna—is the only person who knows where I am. The other places—I don’t trust them to not tell my ex whatever he wants to know.”
“You think he’s still looking for you?”
“I don’t know if he’ll stop until he finds me. Not that he loves me,” she hastened to add, “but I think he sees me leaving as some sort of challenge. He might want to ‘win’ by finding me. Just to prove he can.”
“Rob can corroborate your story?”
Chrissie nodded. “You can call him right now while I’m sitting here. But you have to call his partner, and he’ll call Rob, and Rob will call you back.”
“Seems a little convoluted for a simple phone call.”
“Not if someone overhears the conversation and passes on whatever they might hear. I don’t want Doug to ever find out that Rob knows where I am.”
“This man is dangerous?”
Chrissie sighed, and told Sophie the entire story.
“So yes, he could be dangerous, but only to me.” Chrissie watched Sophie’s expression change, and knew immediately what she was thinking. “He’s only interested in finding me, Sophie, and since only Rob knows where I am, that’s not going to happen. He’d hurt me, yes, but he’s not interested in hurting anyone else. Rob, maybe, for covering for me and giving me the means to leave.” Without going into too much explanation, she added, “A little financial boost.”
“He can’t trace your phone?”
“Tossed into a trash can at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike.” Chrissie smiled. It had felt so good, so liberating, to have dumped that phone. She wondered how many times it had rung since then, and if anyone had picked it out of the trash to answer it.
“You could understand why I might be concerned about someone coming into my restaurant—which is also my home—looking to do harm.”
“I do. Of course I do. But I don’t know how he’d find me. I covered my trail, and he has no reason
to look for me here. But I can see you’re distressed, and with the baby coming . . .” Chrissie sighed. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.”
Sophie nodded slowly, apparently as conflicted as Chrissie. “I don’t think I can hire you under the circumstances. I don’t think I’d feel comfortable. I’m so sorry.”
“It shouldn’t take you long to find someone permanent. If today was any indication, this would be a great place to work.”
“Today was actually pretty slow.”
“Well, good luck. And thanks.”
“Did you really just thank me after I said I wouldn’t hire you?” Sophie pushed herself out of the chair.
Chrissie could have told her how much it had meant to her to be amid the hustle and noise of a working kitchen again, to be with people who enjoyed cooking and were good at it. She’d felt alive in a way she hadn’t felt since she’d left La Luna. But she couldn’t get the words to come.
“Yes,” she replied. “Thank you.”
She picked up her bag and was at the door, her hand on the knob and just about to unlock it to leave, when she heard the kitchen door open with its soft squeak.
“Chrissie, I’m sorry. I really like you and I like the way you work. I wanted this to happen, for both our sakes. I’m so torn over this. You probably know I’m a former lawyer. I was a prosecutor when I first got out of law school. I’ve seen things . . . cases where an ex has used unbelievable means to find someone. I took cases like yours to trial, I put guys like him in prison, and I—”
“You don’t have to explain. It’s all right. I understand. I do.” Chrissie forced a smile for Sophie’s benefit. “I guess I’ll see you around St. Dennis.”
She could tell Sophie wasn’t happy about having to let her go. But she had her family and her customers to think of. Even though Chrissie believed it could never happen, there was no way Doug could ever find her here, she could understand Sophie being uneasy.
She drove back to the island, comforting herself with the knowledge that she had the store and its early morning crowd of watermen to take care of. She knew that Emily Hart, one of the old women on the island, ran a sort of under-the-radar restaurant. Maybe she could use some help.
Tom’s truck was in front of the porch when Chrissie pulled into the driveway. She drove around it and parked behind the store and went in through the back door.
“Tom, did you find the stack of boxes I left near the cooler?” She dropped her bag onto the counter next to the cash register.
“I did. All loaded up. I got your invoice for today right here.” He held up the clipboard.
“Show me what we’ve got here.” Chrissie noticed Ruby at her table reading the newspaper as if she’d known her great-granddaughter would be there to deal with the delivery. She’d barely raised her eyes from the page she was reading.
Chrissie got Tom squared away, then grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and walked over to the table.
“Busy here today?” she asked as she sat next to Ruby.
“Pretty much. Same as always early, quieted down till about eleven, then picked up some. Busy for a time this afternoon, now be the lull.” Ruby folded the newspaper. “How be you, Chrissie?”
She wanted to say that she was fine, but she wasn’t fine, so she said nothing. Her hands were folded in her lap, and she stared at them. Before Chrissie could tell Ruby about Sophie letting her go, she reached out to pat Chrissie’s hand and said, “She be coming around, no need to fret, girl.”
“What do you mean?”
“You go on upstairs now, take a good long shower, rest just a bit,” Ruby said, ignoring Chrissie’s question. “Then come back down here and cook up that piece of rockfish Alec dropped off. Go on with you now.”
A hot shower had been just what Chrissie needed, Ruby had been right about that, and a quick nap had been restorative, but she woke feeling just as down as she’d been when she left Blossoms. She’d really liked the restaurant—liked the pace, liked the food, liked the ambience of the place. Still disappointed, she made her way downstairs to start dinner.
By six thirty, they’d finished eating. Throughout the meal, Chrissie’d tried to be upbeat, but her heart wasn’t in it, and she knew Ruby saw through her. She finally broke down and told Ruby everything.
“Should I have not told Sophie about Doug, Gigi?” Chrissie asked.
“That be your truth, Christiana, and that’s what you need be telling. Can’t change what be.”
“I know, but maybe a little less of my truth will land me a job. Then again, with Sophie being pregnant, and her having prosecuted guys like Doug for doing just what he did to me, I guess I can’t blame her for being afraid to have me around.” She got up and began to clear the table. “Maybe I should go to Grace and tell her everything and see if she thinks it would be problem at the inn. Not my first choice, but beggars can’t be choosers.”
“No need to beg, girl. Things be righting themselves.”
Chrissie finished clearing the table without further comment. She’d just started to load the dishwasher when she heard the bell in the store buzz.
Ruby had always locked up the store at seven, but she’d had a loud doorbell installed in case one of the islanders really needed something.
“I have it,” Ruby called to her.
Chrissie could hear Ruby’s sneakers shuffling across the floor, then the opening of the front door. It was still early enough that it wasn’t unusual for one of the locals to stop by. She heard voices—Ruby’s and several others—so after she turned on the dishwasher, she went into the store to see what all the chatter was about.
Ruby sat in her chair at the table, and Sophie sat across from her. There were two men with their backs to Chrissie. Besides Owen, she recognized Gabriel Beck, St. Dennis’s chief of police.
“What’s going on?” she asked as she approached the group. She walked up behind Owen and placed her hand on his back.
“When were you going to tell me about this crazy man who might be coming after you?” Owen turned to face her. “You think you could have mentioned it?”
“It’s not a problem, Owen. No one’s going to come after me. He can’t find me.”
“Sophie’s not so sure.” He nodded in Sophie’s direction.
“Really, this wasn’t necessary, Sophie. I told you I’m okay with your decision—”
“But I wasn’t okay with it. It bothered me on so many levels. It bothered me that you’d been treated like that, and it bothered me that I hesitated to hire you because of him. I discussed it with Jason and he agreed it isn’t fair. Not fair that this guy got away with his abuse of you, and not fair that you’re being punished because of his actions. So we talked to Beck, and he had some thoughts on the subject.”
The chief of police nodded. “I need to know about any potential threats to anyone living in my town.”
“Beck, I don’t think there’s a threat.” Chrissie outlined the steps she’d taken to hide her whereabouts.
“Good for you,” Beck said. “You did a great job of covering your tracks. But the fact that you took such pains tells me you’re not one hundred percent certain he won’t keep looking.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Can you tell me honestly that you think he’s forgotten? ’Cause my experience with this type of personality tells me he hasn’t.”
“No, he hasn’t forgotten, but like you said, I covered my tracks. He isn’t going to find me.”
“What I want you to do is give me his name, a physical description—a photo would be better—what kind of car he drives, license plate number. I’d like to have it on record. If he’s still looking for you, and if he should somehow stumble onto the Cannonball Island connection, I want to have a file on him.” He smiled reassuringly at Chrissie. “And I never forget a face.”
“I thought about a protection-from-abuse order,” Sophie said, “but then he’d know where you are, so that’s obviously out of the question.”
“Look, I appreciate the
concern, I really do. I still don’t expect this to be a problem, but I’ll give you any information that you need, Beck. You’re right. Better to be safe than sorry.” She turned to Sophie. “I’m embarrassed that you were the one who thought to bring it to Beck’s attention. I guess I should probably have told him.”
“Or me. You should have told me.” Owen poked her in the side.
“Can you understand why I didn’t want everyone knowing what an idiot I was? That I was so weak it took me years to stand up for myself?” She willed the tears not to spill down her cheeks.
“You’re not weak, Chrissie. As a matter of fact, I have a whole new respect for you, that you were able to walk away as cleverly as you did. That took strength and smarts.” Owen put his arm around her and hugged her. “We just want to make sure that if this guy ever figures things out, we are ready for him.” He tilted her face to his and stared into her eyes with steely resolve. “We’ll take him down, Chris.”
“Thanks,” she whispered, a lump forming in her throat. “And thank you, Sophie.”
“You can thank me in the morning by making some of these for my customers.” Sophie held up one of the apple crumb muffins Chrissie’d made that morning. “They’re delicious.”
“Wait, you want me to come in tomorrow to work?” Chrissie wasn’t sure if Sophie was asking for her to work, or merely to bake.
“Tomorrow, and for the next two weeks as the rest of your trial period, then after Joan leaves, if all goes well, and I’m sure it will, you’ll be hired full time. ” Sophie stood. “I’m sorry I didn’t think this through as thoroughly earlier today. I was just sort of blindsided. I had no idea . . . anyway, I want you to work with me.”
“I’ll be there. Thanks for giving me a chance to prove myself.” Chrissie could have hugged her.
“Don’t forget the muffins.” Sophie walked around the table to give Ruby a hug. “Thanks for the snack.”
Ruby smiled and patted Sophie on the arm. “You come back and see me in the spring. We be planting lots of herbs for your kitchen and flowers for your tables.”
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