Cafenova

by S. Jane Scheyder

  “Do what?”

  “Deal with Phil.”

  John stood up and looked at his boys, who were happily distracted in the fort.

  “You said this was moving too fast, and I think you’re probably right. You need time to work through your thing with Phil, and I think it would be best if we just… if we just played it cool for a while.”

  Maddy’s heart broke and her mind reeled. She could almost feel the walls reassembling around her heart. “Meaning?”

  “I’m going to concentrate on fixing your house, and I think that’s the relationship we should focus on right now.”

  Maddy put her hands on the table. “If that’s what you want.”

  Pain filled John’s eyes, but Maddy had turned to watch the boys as he said, “It’s probably the best thing right now.”

  Maddy forced a smile and a wave in response to Blake, who’d caught her eye. “Please tell the boys I said good-bye,” she replied. She stood and walked off the deck. Circling the house, she got into her car and pulled out of the drive. For once, no tears came to her eyes. She just felt numb. She didn’t remember driving home.

  

  Becky met her in the drive when Maddy pulled in. “Are you okay?” she asked anxiously. Maddy didn’t look so good.

  “Not particularly. How about you?” Maddy noticed that Becky didn’t look so good, either.

  Becky was tired of sharing bad news. “Mom called.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  Becky hesitated. “Dad had a fall.” She put her hand on Maddy’s arm. “He’s okay. It happened this morning, and they’re already home from the hospital.”

  “The hospital?” Maddy leaned against the car. “What happened? How badly is he hurt?”

  “Apparently, he fell in the barn and broke his ankle. Luckily, Mom was going out to call him for lunch, so she found him soon after it happened.”

  “Is he in a lot of pain? How did Mom sound? Is she okay?”

  “Yeah. She was pretty shaken up, but mostly relieved, I think. Dad’s okay. He’s just mad that he can’t get around for the rest of the summer.”

  Maddy processed this, catching her breath. “So, she’s not coming tomorrow?” There really wasn’t a question.

  “No, she’s going to stay with Dad and make sure he’s okay. She said she might be able to come later in the summer, but she’d have to see.”

  “Of course.”

  “They’re going to be okay, Maddy, and I’ll help you get your house ready. I can stay for at least a week before I have to leave.” Becky put her arm around Maddy a little awkwardly, new to the role of looking out for someone else.

  Maddy leaned her head on Becky’s shoulder. “Thanks, Beck. I think I’m going to need you.”

  “It didn’t go well at John’s, huh?”

  “No.”

  “I’m so sorry, Maddy. What did he say?”

  “He basically said that we’re back to being contractor/home-owner.” Maddy’s voice was hollow.

  “You’re kidding!” Becky held Maddy’s hand with both of hers.

  “No. Apparently he’s giving me what he thinks I want, which is the space to deal with Phil on my own.”

  It sounded reasonable to Becky, but she was still angry at John for making Maddy sad.

  “Well, we’ll make him regret that,” she replied with determination, already speculating about the possibilities.

  “I’m not going to play games,” Maddy sighed.

  “You just leave it to me,” Becky said consolingly.

  Maddy looked at her warily.

  “No games,” Becky promised, thinking, planning. “But there will be interesting beachwear.”

  “Becky,” Maddy protested. “I’m not going there.”

  “We’ll see,” Becky answered with a smile. Perhaps this week would be a little fun after all.

  twenty-one

  Maddy figured that she’d be nervous about seeing John on Monday morning, but she awoke feeling empty and incapable of emotion. Rather than watching the sunrise, she turned over and burrowed her head under her pillow.

  Sleep escaped her, however, so she finally got up to make the coffee. Her mind passed over the events of the last day and a half, and she simply didn’t have the capacity to deal with them. Filled with her highest and lowest moments with John, the news of her father’s injury and her mother’s change of plans, and the supremely unwelcome news of Phil’s visit, she was drained of the energy to feel anything.

  Burt let her know that the men were arriving, and all she could muster was sadness. She let him out, and followed with her coffee and her pad. Looking at her list without seeing it, she listened as the crew made its way into the kitchen.

  “Help yourselves to coffee!” she called out, and was met with a chorus of thanks.

  “Maddy makes the best coffee,” she heard Travis say, and she smiled a little. She looked over at Burt, who was whining and frantic to get inside to say his hellos, especially to John. Apparently her dog didn’t understand that things had changed. She looked back at her list, waiting for her first post-dating interaction with her contractor.

  The door banged gently and she looked up, staying surprisingly cool at the sight of John in his faded jeans and tool belt. She swallowed and nodded at him, “Morning.”

  “Good morning, Maddy.” A momentary warmth gave way to a vague professional nod.

  Maddy went back to her list. There was really no need to alphabetize her groceries, but it kept her focused on her paper. The other men joined them on the porch, bemoaning the start of another work week with relatively good humor. The conversation then centered on John and his vacation, and Maddy excused herself to work in her office.

  “So, you know about the roof, Maddy?” Frank asked as she opened the door.

  “What about the roof?”

  “The weather is supposed to be dry all week,” John said. “So we’re going to start on that project.”

  Frank looked at John, who stood at the railing with his coffee. John turned his attention to Burt who had been waiting patiently for some sort of greeting. Frank looked back at Maddy, and she looked down at her list.

  Squash should not have come before spaghetti.

  “So, is that okay with you?” Frank, puzzled, tried to interject some warmth into the conversation.

  “Of course. Do what you need to do,” Maddy replied quietly.

  “We’ll be removing the old shingles all day tomorrow, and probably into Wednesday,” he further explained, looking again at John and wondering why he was suddenly the spokesman for the crew. Frank shook his head and looked back at Maddy. “Anyway, they’re delivering the dumpster first thing in the morning. It’s pretty big; you’ve probably seen them. It’ll go right up next to the house. You’ll need to park your cars by the shed for a few days.”

  “That won’t be a problem.”

  “The shingles will be delivered Wednesday,” John added.

  Maddy didn’t look up. She fit the word “shingles” between salsa and spaghetti. “We’ll try to stay out of your way.”

  Frank, increasingly troubled, looked again at Maddy and then at John. Neither returned his glance.

  “I’ll let you guys catch up,” Maddy said, walking into the kitchen and holding the door so that it wouldn’t slam shut.

  John cleared his throat and said, “We’ll start stripping at the top and dump it tomorrow.” The groans were less cheerful with Maddy out of earshot, and coffee cups were drained as the chairs scraped across the porch.

  

  Becky was sure that the outlet mall would provide a safe haven from falling shingle debris, and especially from the men “stripping on the roof,” a concept that Maddy did not find nearly as amusing as she did. Before they started their shopping, Becky insisted that they stop at a nearby coffee shop. Maddy’s spirits started to lift as they went through her lists one more time over large cups of vanilla iced coffee.

  Thus prepared, they began the significant proj
ect of buying accessories for the bedrooms. Maddy got lost in the challenge of outfitting the rooms, zeroing in on themes and searching doggedly until they bought almost everything they needed for every bedroom but the master. There seemed to be an endless supply of bedding, lamps, window dressings and miscellaneous decor to fit the various themes they’d selected. The fact that they hit a number of sales made the day’s accomplishments even more satisfying.

  After mastering the puzzle of fitting everything into the car, Maddy and Becky stopped for a quick bite on the way home. They arrived back at the house well after the men had left for the day, and unloaded their treasures before stopping to put their feet up. Burt was thrilled to have them home and circled them repeatedly until he eventually relaxed and lay down between them.

  “We accomplished a lot today,” Maddy observed, sitting back in her chair with her eyes closed. “Thanks for all of your help.”

  Becky waved her off. “I told you we’d get it done,” she said with a tired grin. “I think our last stop was the most productive.”

  Maddy smiled. “Yeah, I really needed a new swimsuit.”

  Becky nodded. “Yes, you did, and so did I.”

  They sat for a few minutes. “Thanks for staying, Beck,” Maddy said quietly.

  “You’re welcome.” Becky paused. “I’ll just hang out until you get your life back together.”

  Maddy smiled sadly. “That may take a while.”

  “Not with that new suit.”

  

  Tuesday’s weather was sunny and steamy; a perfect day for the beach, as far as Becky was concerned. She forced herself out of bed early, determined to have her say regarding the day’s plans. Maddy had made some ominous references to appliance shopping and Becky was not about to waste her time on that detail. Her expertise could be better applied to making sure that John kept Maddy firmly in the middle of his radar. Yesterday’s purchase and strategic sunbathing would do the trick.

  “What do you mean we can’t sit on the beach?” she demanded of her uptight older sister, who was already steeped in her work.

  “Becky, we’re not going to sit in the sun while John’s crew is working on the roof. With that swimsuit you bought, it would be dangerous.” Maddy continued typing.

  Becky looked down and grinned, despite her thwarted plans. “We wouldn’t be too close to the house,” she offered.

  Pulling some papers together on her desk, Maddy shook her head. “Your beach chair would probably be facing the house.”

  Becky shrugged. She’d much rather see Travis and the others working on the roof in all their glory than stare at the water any day. “We could go down to the public beach,” she persisted.

  Maddy considered this. She was already hot and sticky, and the day had only begun. Cooling off in the water actually sounded pretty good, as long as they were well away from the house. She didn’t want to make the list of women who gratuitously sunbathed in front of John’s crew.

  Becky took advantage of the pause and pressed on. “Come on, Maddy, your new suit is gorgeous! Don’t you want to try it out?”

  “Okay, fine,” she answered. “Let’s see if we can get out of here without drawing attention to ourselves.”

  Becky rolled her eyes. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

  Maddy watched her sister leave and smiled a little. Why not have some fun? She went to her dresser and pulled out her new suit. The bright orange and yellow print normally wouldn’t have appealed to her, but Becky insisted that it was just right for Maddy’s coloring. She looked at the two-piece with matching sheer cover-up, sighed, and started to change.

  Meanwhile, Becky was engaging in a bit of a skirmish with John in the kitchen.

  “You can’t be anywhere near the house,” he warned her.

  Becky smiled coquettishly and pulled two water bottles out of the refrigerator. “Really, John, the beach is quite large. Besides,” she added, “The tide is out!”

  John withheld comment as the sound of the rest of the crew making their way through the house interrupted their conversation. The men poured into the kitchen for a water break, and not one of them had a shirt on. Becky’s eyes lit up and she pulled out one of the stools at the counter.

  “Come on, you guys,” John growled. “Get your shirts on.”

  “Don’t worry about me!” Becky smiled.

  Travis grinned and pulled his shirt from wherever it had been tucked behind him. He took his time pulling it over his head, flexing and posing as he did so. The others found their shirts and followed him out to the porch and the cooler. Becky tagged along, determined to enjoy the favorable men-to-woman ratio.

  “So, guys, we’re going to hang out at the beach today. If you need a break,” she began shamelessly.

  This invitation was met with a fair amount of enthusiasm, and John scowled, Maddy-like, at his men.

  “There won’t be any significant break-time today.”

  “Whatever. I just thought I’d offer.”

  “It would be best if you didn’t stay close to the house,” John reminded her, really disliking the idea of his guys being sidetracked while they stripped shingles. He definitely didn’t want any of them gawking at Maddy in a bathing suit.

  “Fine, we’ll go to the public beach,” Becky said. “Maddy and I both have fabulous new swimsuits; we can show them off there.” She made a point to look wickedly at John, who almost scowled back. “Where is she?” Becky asked, determined to keep torturing him. “Wait until you see her; she looks adorable,” she said to the rest of the group.

  No one made eye contact with John as they shifted in their seats and focused on their water bottles.

  “Well, you guys are boring,” Becky decided. “Oh,” she added with delight, “here she is!”

  Maddy backed through the door, focused on punching a number into her cellphone. She put the phone to her ear and turned, surprised to find that the quiet porch was full of people. A predictable blush covered her face, and she glared at her sister, closing the phone before the call went through. All eyes were on her after Becky’s introduction; they could hardly help it.

  “Where is your cover-up?” Becky asked, disappointed. “That’s the best part of the suit!”

  “It didn’t cover anything,” Maddy muttered, supremely relieved that she hadn’t been reckless enough to wear the pointless piece of clothing. She looked briefly at the men and nodded. “Hi guys. How’s your work going on the roof?”

  It was the first time John had talked to her all morning, and he was both relieved and a little disappointed to see her in swim shorts and a T-shirt.

  “We’ve got half of the roof stripped,” he answered. “We’re going to eat an early lunch and then get back at it. They’re delivering the shingles tomorrow afternoon.”

  “How will you get them on the roof?”

  John’s eyes softened a little at the concern on her face. “They have a crane that lifts them up there.”

  Maddy nodded, relieved, and turned to the others. “Well, we’re heading down to the beach. Sorry to leave you with all the work,” she added, smiling sheepishly.

  Frank was glad to see her smile at all. Her grin had been noticeably absent; a fact that had him really baffled.

  

  A day at the beach turned out to be a good diversion for Maddy. It wasn’t so bad to get a little attention from some college boys playing volleyball and harassing nearby sunbathers. The girls talked and laughed and soaked up the sun and even ventured into the waves a few times. Maddy felt like she was back in high school, carefree and indulgent, and the weight of the week’s problems seemed to lift for a few welcome hours.

  They finally packed up their beach gear and headed home in the middle of the afternoon. Maddy stopped several houses short of her own to pull her T-shirt on over her suit.

  “Really, Maddy. Would it be so bad for John to see some skin?” Becky tossed her head and kept walking, determined to let at least Travis catch a glimpse of her own new suit withou
t its cover as they approached the house.

  Maddy didn’t answer, her eyes drawn to the roof as they got closer. There was no sign of work being done. Maybe they’re inside? The girls climbed the steps to the porch and heard nothing from indoors. Curious, they dropped their things in the kitchen and greeted the dog.

  Even Becky started to feel a little silly, wearing only her skimpy bikini in the kitchen. “Is it okay if I go shower?” she asked, looking out the windows one last time.

  “Go ahead. I’ll clean up when you’re done.”

  Becky disappeared up the steps and Maddy stepped into her room, anxious to get out of her sandy beachwear. She made a mental note to talk to John, or somebody, about the fact that only one hot shower or bath could be taken at a time. Willy had hoped to resolve that problem, but Becky’s visit proved that it was still an issue.

  Maddy took off her T-shirt and shorts, and tried on the filmy little beach dress that went with the suit. She looked at herself in the mirror. It was worse than no cover-up at all. At least without one, people expected to see a swimming suit. With the cover-up on, she felt like she was in a see-through dress and the world could see her underwear. She didn’t know why she let Becky talk her into buying it. It wasn’t her style at all.

  She tempted fate by walking out into the kitchen and refilling her drink.

  “Hello, Miss Maddy!”

  Maddy spun around to see Otis standing at her kitchen door. “Otis, come in!” she answered, relieved and a little embarrassed. She stood behind the counter as he walked into the room.

  “Those boys gone for the day?”

  “I’m pretty sure,” Maddy said. “We haven’t seen or heard anything since we got back about twenty minutes ago.”

  “They’re working hard on that roof,” Otis observed. “They probably wrapped it up early.”

  “Probably so,” Maddy agreed. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Oh, I’m alright,” Otis answered. “I’ve been drinking lots of water all day. I just wanted to get this to you.” He dropped a piece of mail on the counter. “It got delivered to my house by mistake.”