by Tim Myers
“Hey, I’m only kidding. You’re going to have to face her again sooner or later, you know that, don’t you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on, I’m not blind. I saw how she reacted to you. And remember, you already told me you were having trouble with your love life. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Eve was one of your girlfriends.” It felt odd calling my sixty-something employee a girl anything, but I was at a loss for what else to call her.
“That’s just it. Eve’s offended she wasn’t on the list at all. Now I’ve really gone and done it.”
I leaned against the brick of the building and said, “Let me get this straight. She’s mad because you weren’t two-timing her?”
“Three-timing, actually,” Pearly admitted reluctantly.
“So what’s the problem?”
Pearly said, “She asked me out two weeks ago, and I turned her down. I said I was too busy, and it was certainly the truth then. Harrison, let me ask you this? How in the world was I supposed to know she was in the same book club as the three women I was dating? Obviously if I’d had any idea they knew each other, I wouldn’t have been so social.”
I couldn’t help it. As much as I sympathized with Pearly for his dilemma, I had to laugh. What a meeting they must have had when they’d discovered their connection.
“Any idea what book they were reading?” I asked.
Pearly said glumly, “I’m not going to tell you.”
“Come on. I’m sorry I laughed. I know it’s not that funny.”
It took some prodding, but he finally said, “You won’t stop hounding me until I tell you, will you?”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll be forced to ask Eve,” I said.
“Good gracious, don’t do that. If you must know, they were reading Death of a Ladies’ Man!”
I was still laughing when he finally gave up on me and walked away in disgust.
Chapter 15
I was just starting to think about lunch when Millie came in.
I said, “George is going to get jealous if you keep popping up here like this,” I said.
“Oh posh, he’s too busy to notice. I hope you haven’t made any lunch plans.”
“Is that an invitation? Now I’m starting to get ideas.”
Millie blushed. “Can’t a person do something nice for another? Of course, you’re perfectly free to decline.”
“No, ma’am, that wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me, now would it? May I ask what the occasion is? It’s a good seven months till my birthday.”
“It’s my way of saying thank you for speaking with Heather. She told me you two had a long talk last night.”
I glanced at Eve, who was taking every word in. I said to her, “I’ll take the first lunch, if you don’t mind.”
“No bother,” she said.
I led Millie outside. “Now she’ll be on me the rest of the day.”
“I thought Eve liked Heather,” Millie said as we walked toward The Crocked Pot.
“Of course she does, but I can hear her now. ‘Harrison Black, it’s just not proper, having a young single woman in your apartment all hours of the night.’ Man, oh man.”
Millie started giggling. “I can hear her saying just that, though your delivery is a little off.”
“That’s the only thing that stood between me and a career in show business.”
“What’s that?” Millie asked.
“A severe lack of talent.”
“Oh, Harrison.”
Inside her cafe, one table by the window was roped off, and instead of the disposable plates and cups, this spot was set with fine bone china. I recognized the pattern. My grandmother had owned a complete set with the same baby roses.
“Wow, this is too much,” I said. “Is this for me?”
Millie nodded happily. “I found this set at a yard sale, if you can believe it. Lovely, isn’t it?”
“It’s great,” I said. “But there’s only one place setting. I figured you’d be joining me.”
“No time for that, I’m pretty busy.” She lowered her voice and admitted, “Besides, I have just the one setting. That’s why it was so cheap.”
I sat down and Millie went in back for a minute. Though my first customer of the day had left my shop a couple of hours before, she must have lingered around River’s Edge. She walked into The Crocked Pot, looked around and saw me sitting at the table, elegantly outfitted for a formal meal.
“Don’t tell me,” she said, “You do this every lunchtime.”
I smiled. “Just every fifth Friday.” It was the middle of the month, and decidedly not a Friday.
She shook her head and said, “I suppose you have to get here early to understand things. Kindergarten is probably a good time.”
“Don’t bet on it. I’ve lived around here all my life, and there are still some things I don’t understand. That’s what makes it so much fun.”
Millie came out from the back, set a stainless steel covered tray in front of me and turned to the woman. “May I help you?”
“I don’t have time for formal tea, or whatever is you’re doing. Can I grab a cup of coffee to go?”
Millie looked puzzled by the exchange. “Of course you can.” She wagged a finger at me. “Harrison, have you been telling stories again?”
“No, ma’am. But then how can you believe me? I might be lying right now,” I added with a grin.
She shook her head and fixed the woman a coffee. After she paid, I heard her mumbling as she walked out. I didn’t catch all of it, but it was something like, ‘they’re all mad as hatters’ as she left. I held it in till she was gone, then laughed aloud.
As Millie approached my table with a covered plate, she said, “I don’t even want to know.”
I grabbed the lid and said, “May I?”
“It won’t do you much good if you don’t,” she said.
I lifted the lid and found a slab of pot roast surrounded by golden braised carrots, red new potatoes, and silver onions. The smell alone was nearly enough to fill me up, it was so rich. “How did you know pot roast was my favorite?”
Millie smiled. “Believe it or not, your Great-Aunt told me.”
“Belle talked about me?” I asked, suddenly forgetting all about the food, as wonderful as it smelled. I’d been more off than on with my Great-Aunt in the years before she died, and I just assumed it had been “out of sight, out of mind” between us.
“Belle and I spoke of a great many things, Harrison. It’s only natural that her only kin would come up in the conversation now and then. She said you couldn’t get enough pot roast growing up, that you’d turn down cherry pie for an extra slab of beef.”
“What can I say, I know what I like.” I surveyed the plate again, then said, “Honestly, you didn’t have to do this.”
“That’s what made it so much fun. Now are you going to taste it or not?”
I took a forkful, watching as the meat fell apart at my touch. Adding a bite of carrot, a sliver of onion, and a chunk of potato, I had a full fork and a perfect bite.
“Well?” she asked.
“I can’t describe it, it’s so good,” I said.
Millie smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
As a man in a business suit came in, Millie said, “Enjoy.”
“May I help you?” she asked him.
“I was just coming in for a bagel, but I’ve changed my mind. I’ll have what he’s having. You can serve mine on a regular plate, I don’t need anything fancy.”
Millie smiled. “I’ll have it ready in a minute.”
The man loosened his tie, looked at me and said, “Is it as good as it smells?”
“Better,” I said, then took another bite. For a minute I was afraid he was going to try to steal a carrot off my plate, but Millie came back soon enough. “Would you like coffee with that?”
“You wouldn’t happen to have a tall glass of cold milk around, would you?”
“C
oming right up.”
He sat across the cafe, no doubt to enjoy his own memories. I watched him just long enough to see the expression on his face when he took the first bite, then returned my full attention to the meal before me.
Before I realized what I’d done, my plate was clean. “Seconds?” Millie asked.
“Not unless I take a nap for the rest of the day. I’m going to have a hard time staying awake as it is. Millie, that was wonderful.”
“I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I thank you for talking to Heather.”
“As I said, you’re welcome. I’d say you shouldn’t have, but I’d be lying. Now I’d better get back to work.”
As I left the cafe, my blue jeans felt snug on me. I was going to have to do a lot more walking if I was going to be able to wear them much longer.
I lingered outside the candleshop, not eager to go back in on such a beautiful autumn day. There was that crispness in the air filled with a longing to cut school and play hooky. In the other jobs I’d had in my life, one day off now and then never made that much difference, and I probably took more time off than I should have. But if I was being honest with myself, there was a part of me that longed for those days. It wasn’t that I didn’t love At Wick’s End, or River’s Edge, for that matter, but I’d been in school entirely too long without a day off.
That wasn’t going to happen, though.
I walked back in and found Eve watching me from the second I passed through our door.
I asked, “What is it? Did I get a stain on my shirt?”
She shook her head. “Not that I can see. Harrison, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
Uh oh. This couldn’t be good. “What’s on your mind?”
“Don’t you trust me?” she asked, a mixture of anger and hurt in her voice.
“What makes you ask me that? You know I do.”
“Then why don’t you ever take any time off? Believe it or not, the candleshop was running just fine before you came along. Belle used to take two afternoons off a week, and if the mood moved her, she would grab an entire day now and then, too. I’m perfectly capable of handling things around here.”
“You know what? When you’re right, you’re right.” I started for the door.
“Where are you going?”
I said, “I’m taking this afternoon off. After all, I trust you.”
“I didn’t mean right now” she said, surprised by the immediate success of her argument.
“There’s no time like the present” I said. “See you in the morning.”
“That will be fine,” she said, still unsure about what exactly had happened.
I’d been looking for an excuse to get away, and Eve had offered me a perfect one.
I thought about going up to my apartment and changing, but my jeans would be good enough for whatever I wanted to do, and I honestly needed to get away from River’s Edge.
There was gas in my truck, money in my wallet, and a smile on my face. I suddenly knew exactly what I wanted to do. I was less than an hour from the Blue Ridge Parkway, a place I truly loved. Who wouldn’t? It was a ribbon of road that ran through some of the prettiest country there was. Even the forty-five-mile-an-hour speed limit appealed to me. I wanted time to savor the colors of the trees, and since the road wound through a higher elevation, I should get a great show. I would have never tried it on the weekend because of the traffic, but I figured I’d be safe during the week.
Driving up into the mountains, I rolled my windows down despite the chilly air and turned my radio off completely. It was an afternoon worth bottling, if I could have figured out a way to do it.
It was nearly six by the time I got back to Micah’s Ridge. Beside me on the seat, I had a bag of apples, a jug of cider, and a half a case of pumpkin butter. I was hooked on the stuff, and loaded up whenever I visited the mountains. It amazed me that I’d been able to get a week’s worth of relaxation in one afternoon, and I promised myself to start taking advantage of having Eve there to run things at the candleshop. There was a world to see beyond the confines of At Wick’s End, and I was going to start taking advantage of it.
Eve looked surprised to see me as I walked into the store. “Harrison, I thought you were gone for the day.” She was totaling out the cash register and getting the deposit together.
“I know how much you hate going to the bank, so I thought I’d do it for you. Not that I don’t trust you,” I added with a smile.
I handed her a jar of pumpkin butter and said, “By the way, here’s a souvenir from my trip.”
I wasn’t sure how Eve would react, but she smiled as she took the jar. “I haven’t had this since I was a little girl.”
“Well, then I’d say it’s high time you had some now, wouldn’t you say?”
She allowed a slight smile to break through. “You’re certainly in a good mood, aren’t you?”
“I appreciate the break,” I said as she handed the deposit to me.
“Any time,” she said.
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“Goodness me, I’ve created a monster.”
I saluted her and said, “You can’t even imagine.”
I was feeling good about the world as I walked out of At Wick’s End.
Then I heard angry voices down the way.
It appeared the truce between Sanora and Heather was officially over.
“I don’t want you here,” I heard Heather nearly shout as I rushed toward them.
“Do you honestly think I care what you want?” Sanora was matching her, toe to toe. “You tried to come between my husband and me. It didn’t work, though, did it?”
Heather’s cheeks burned. “He was your ex-husband.”
“Ladies, what’s going on?” I asked forcefully.
“Butt out, Harrison,” Heather snapped.
“This doesn’t concern you,” Sanora added.
“So at least you two agree on something. This is all none of my business.”
Neither one of them cracked a smile. Hey, it was a tough crowd.
I continued unabashed. “Since we’ve agreed it’s a personal matter between the two of you, why don’t we go somewhere in private where you can discuss the situation like adults.”
“I’m not going anywhere with her,” Heather said.
“I’m willing to,” Sanora said, a little sweeter than needed.
Heather grunted at her, rolled her eyes at me, then stormed back into her shop.
I asked Sanora, “What brought that on?”
“I made the mistake of leaving my shop at the same time she left hers. Harrison, I’m not looking for trouble, but I won’t be a doormat either.”
“All I ask is that you two try to get along.”
“You’re talking to the wrong person then,” Sanora said. I
“Let me go talk to Heather. I’ll see what I can do.”
The wind chimes over Heather’s door danced as I opened it, and she turned rigidly to me as I walked in.
“Harrison, I’m not in the mood for any foolishness right now, so just turn around and walk right back out.”
Esmeralda lithely danced to me and leaped up into my arms. It looked like she’d forgiven me. “Sorry, I can’t. I seem to have an armful of cat at the moment.”
“How could you take her side like that?” Heather asked, the tears a heartbeat away.
“What are you talking about? I’m not taking anybody’s side.”
“Exactly.” Heather crowed. “And why is that, Harrison? I thought we were friends. Apparently I was wrong.”
I shook my head and scratched behind Esme’s ear. She was purring contently as I did so. “If you think I’m some kind of fair-weather friend, you’re sadly mistaken. But if you consider friendship me standing by while you muck things up. then you’re wrong there, too. I’m trying to help. Heather.”
“Then stay out of it,” she said.
I laughed. “Sorry, that’s not the kind of friend I am, either. I have a tendency
to meddle. Probably should have told you that before, shouldn’t I?”
She tried to look sternly at me, but my feigned sincerity won her over and her harsh countenance finally broke into a smile. “That’s not fair. I want to be angry.”
“By all means, don’t let me stop you,” I said.
“Why do you care, anyway?”
I said, “Well, you’re my friend, and I want to help you get over this animosity you have for Sanora. Besides, things are tense around River’s Edge, and it’s not good for anyone. Any chance of burying the hatchet and I don’t mean in someone’s back?”
“Oh, I won’t sneak around to do it. I’ll come at her from the front.”
“Now, now, no backsliding. And here we were making such good progress.”
She shook her head. “I admit it, I lost my temper. It won’t happen again.”
“So any chance we could offer her a cup of coffee and talk about it?”
Heather shook her head. “I’ve already talked too much as it is.”
“Good enough. I do appreciate you making the effort.”
I handed her Esme, who seemed reluctant to leave my grasp. “By the way, I believe this belongs to you.”
She took her cat from me and gave me a genuine laugh. “Haven’t you heard? Cats don’t belong to people, it’s the other way around.”
I bowed to them both, then left while Heather was still in a good mood. I’d taken a chance, confronting them like that, then following up with Heather in her own den, but it had been true. Since Sanora’s return, it felt as if all of River’s Edge had been tiptoeing around the two of them. Maybe now they’d released enough tension to at least ignore each other if they couldn’t manage civility.
I hoped so, at any rate.
The joy of my trip had been dampened but not entirely eliminated, so before anyone else had the opportunity to kill the rest of it, I decided to take the deposit to the bank.
Upstairs later, for dinner I had a few apples, sipped some cider, and had pumpkin butter on toast. That was one of the coolest things about being an adult, as far as I was concerned. Every now and then I could have dessert for dinner. Some people didn’t think it was all that great a perk, but it was one I reveled in.