“He’d be relieved that she opened a difficult subject, and he’ll handle it okay. But I’ll talk with him about it anyway.”
Ann nodded, accepting Gabriel’s reassurances.
“Paul’s staying in town for the day?” Gabriel asked as they turned into Carin.
“Yes. We’ll fly back tonight late, return this weekend with Rachel-at least that’s the current plan.”
“Come to dinner tonight at my parents’ place. It’d be nice to have everyone there.”
“I’ll ask him,” Ann said. “You’re doing okay with Evie?”
He was surprised by her question. “Sure. The doctor thing at lunch today, we wouldn’t have that if she weren’t so curious about matters and dug it out. I’d given up on the Florist case having an answer, but maybe Evie is right. The person who did it can still be found. She’s got me hoping again we can catch a break in the case.”
Ann smiled at his answer. “Not exactly what I was after, but it’ll do for now.” He pulled up to the building where they were working. Ann stepped out and then leaned back into the vehicle. “Let’s assemble here after dinner with your family, talk the case through with Paul before we leave,” she said. “You, me, Evie, your dad. We’ll have whatever your lunch appointment turns up, and maybe Paul will have something from their finances.”
Gabriel agreed. “I’ll have most of the interviews done by end of the day too. We’ll do that, Ann. Thanks for your help with Will. The conversation went better than I hoped.”
Ann smiled. “He’s going to be fine-he’s a Thane. See you later, Gabe.”
Karen Joy Lewis
The familiar sounds of the restaurant were soothing to Karen-the clatter of dishes and pans, the called-out order tickets, the two others working with her prepping soups for the lunch menu and watching over the fryers as fresh donuts were turned. She worked in the rhythm of it, not having to think about specifics, simply cook and pull together great-looking plates of food. It was her domain, if only for this shift. It felt like home.
“There’s a gentleman at the counter who would like to say hi when you have a moment.”
Karen nodded her acknowledgment and flipped a perfectly cooked second crepe onto a plate. It was out to the customer just seconds later, filled with strawberries and topped with freshly whipped cream. Nothing from a spray can in this restaurant, she thought, satisfied. She peered into the dining area and saw Will Thane sitting at the end of the counter, opening a packet of sugar to go in his coffee, scanning the menu.
She felt herself stiffen a bit-not because she wasn’t glad to see him, but because she couldn’t tell if he’d had a conversation with Gabriel and Ann yet. When she’d agreed to let them speak with him about why she was in Carin, she’d taken a very big risk. Will was going to have something to say about why, for over a year, she hadn’t told him herself. She didn’t want to lose him right now… or ever.
She felt her hands turning sweaty and slippery on the skillet handle, forced her attention back to the next order. She filled orders for another twenty minutes before handing off the kitchen to Jimmy while she took her break. She washed her hands, hung up her apron, took a quick glance in the restroom mirror, tucked a strand of hair under her cap, and forced herself to walk out into the dining area. She greeted several regular customers at nearby tables, then took a seat on the stool next to Will.
He was working his way through an omelet. “There’s a good cook working here,” he said around a bite, the familiar grin helping her insides to relax a bit.
She smiled back at his teasing comment. He liked her cooking, and she appreciated the compliment. That was how he’d first introduced himself, offering a sincere compliment for a good meal. The café was not the big-city Italian restaurant where she’d been able to showcase her skills, but in its own way it was a comfortable setting and nice change of pace.
Will held out another fork and slid the plate toward her. “Eat some of this omelet. You don’t get to sit and enjoy your own cooking that often.”
She’d been too nervous to eat breakfast that morning, worrying about this first encounter with Will after he learned the truth. She ate a few bites, braced for his voice to drop, to tell her quietly that they had to talk.
But Will was signaling the server, ordering a cup of tea, doctoring it the way she preferred, placing it in front of her. “Want to go fishing with me this afternoon? I can pick you up after you get off work. Josh says the bass are fattening up for winter and snapping at anything that moves on the surface.”
He doesn’t know yet. No way he’d sit here this casually if he knew. She struggled to keep her voice even. “I could do that.”
“Good.” He leaned over and lightly kissed her. “Pick you up at three at your place, unless you call to say you’re somewhere else.”
“You’re in a good mood today,” she commented, forcing herself to keep the tone light as she turned to face him.
He smiled that slow smile of his. “It’s been a nice day-actually, a very nice day-and it’s just getting started. Gabriel and Ann gave me some news. About time you let me in on those secrets of yours, Karen. Here I was wasting worries that you had a former boyfriend someplace you preferred over me. You’re cooking any fish we catch after I clean them, but a bakery stop I can handle. You want me to pick up apple pie or cherry?”
She blinked, tried to think, went with the last item because that was the only one she could remember. “Cherry.”
He leaned over to say next to her ear, “Don’t worry so much. I think you’re by far the most interesting catch in all of Carin County-maybe throw in Chicago too.” He kissed her again, slid off the stool, and dropped a twenty on the counter. “Back at three.”
Eyes damp with tears, she nodded, watched the blurred figure walk to the door, wave goodbye. No shadows with this man. It hadn’t changed what he thought about her. She felt a quiver inside and fought back the tears that threatened to overflow.
She was sure they would talk more while they fished, though not much, knowing Will, she concluded with a little smile. Ann wouldn’t have sugarcoated matters. Gabriel certainly would have understood all the implications, been blunt about what it meant for her… for him. But Will had heard the news, come to find her, mostly to tease a smile out of her. He was confident in who he was and what he could do. Where she saw life-threatening danger, he saw an obstacle that could be overcome. She felt her heart quiver again. She was a lucky woman.
She surreptitiously wiped her eyes, slid off the stool, and took her tea with her, feeling nearly dizzy with relief. She’d been braced for a breakup, for Will to pull back and say they had to talk, that this news changed things for them. But he hadn’t drawn back, not even a little. That is so like the Will I’ve come to know… and love.
She could have offered to meet him at the lake, but he’d explained early on that when it was a date, he’d come to get her. He would always take her home, walk her to the door. He didn’t want her thinking she wasn’t worth the effort. He’d arrive with flowers too, sometimes picked from his own property. But mostly he overpaid at the florist to get them presented properly. She let him do it because it said something between them that might not yet be ready for words. He was telling her she was important, and when she accepted the bouquet, she acknowledged that his interest was welcome. A nice courtship in small gestures, she exulted as she tied her apron and turned back to the kitchen. She had gotten so very lucky-some would say blessed-when Will Thane walked into the Fast Café looking for a meal and spotted her.