The goodbye cafe, p.30
The Goodbye Café, page 30
Allie tapped her foot in agitation, trying to get her thoughts together before she called Clint. He needed to keep a closer eye on what was going on. Okay, that might be tough, since his interactions with Courtney were limited, given the fact she didn’t live with him. But he needed to have a serious talk with Marlo. Again.
One thing Clint was going to have to understand: There would be hell to pay if their daughter walked into a viper’s pit when she returned to California.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The following afternoon, Allie heard the doorbell ring, then seconds later, there was pounding on the front door. From the top of the stairwell, she saw Barney open the door. Peering over the upstairs newel post, Allie saw Justine Kennedy rush into the hallway.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Justine yelled. “You stay away from my girl! I don’t want anything to do with you and I don’t want them to have anything to do with you or anyone in your family. Hear me? You. Stay. Away. And you tell that girl to stay away from Wendy.”
“Perhaps you should let Tess make that decision.”
The vitriol Justine spewed had riveted Allie to the floor. The woman had blown in like a cold November wind and created as much energy. But to Allie’s ear, Barney sounded almost unreasonably calm, as if she’d been expecting the tirade and had prepared for it.
“No. It’s not her decision. It’s mine. Stay out of our lives, Barney.”
“Or what, Justine?”
“Or . . .” Justine huffed for a moment. “You don’t know. You just don’t know.”
“Actually, I believe I do.” Barney’s calm was a stark contrast to Justine’s ire.
Allie came down several steps, close enough to see Justine blink.
“You couldn’t possibly.” Justine stepped up into Barney’s face again.
“Trust me, Justine. I do know.” Barney never hesitated, nor did she back up. “I found the letters between you and Fritz.”
Justine struggled unsuccessfully for words, then burst into tears.
“Why didn’t you come to us? Why didn’t you tell us?” Barney’s voice was all kindness, while Justine looked deflated, much like a sail deserted by the wind. “Come in. Please. Let me make you a cup of tea, and we’ll talk.” Barney took Justine by the elbow and led the sobbing woman into the kitchen.
Barney saw Allie coming slowly down the steps. “Have a good day at the café, dear. I’m here if you need me.”
A wide-eyed Allie nodded and watched the two women move down the hall. Barney was saying something softly to Justine, but Allie couldn’t make out the words.
Wow. Justine must still be angry over having been dumped by Fritz back in the day. Way to hold a grudge.
Allie wasn’t sure where Cara and Des were, but as she walked to the Goodbye, she sent them both a text:
Justine just set off fireworks at the house, Barney defusing. Come to Goodbye ASAP!
ASAP turned out to be almost an hour later, but Des and Cara came into the café together.
“What’s going on?” Des went straight to the desk, where Allie was answering the house phone.
When she finished the call, Allie said, “I don’t know what’s going on. I was getting ready to go downstairs to leave for work when the doorbell rang and there was this manic pounding on the door. Barney answered, and Justine came flying in, yelling about how Barney needed to stay away from Tess, and how Nikki had to stay away from Wendy. It was rough. I was afraid for Barney for a minute.”
“What did Barney say?” Des asked.
“She calmly told Justine to come into the kitchen and she’d make her a cup of tea.”
“What? No.” Cara laughed.
“I’m not kidding. That’s exactly what happened,” Allie said.
“They didn’t say anything else?” Des asked.
“The only other thing was Justine said something like, Barney didn’t know, and Barney said she did. And no, I have no idea what any of that meant. It was really strange, guys. And Justine was crying. Like, buckets.”
“Crying over Fritz? Why?” Cara pulled a chair from a nearby table closer to the desk and sat.
“After all this time, why would she still be crying over Dad?” Des wondered. “That thing between them had to have been, what, over forty years ago? Man, that is a long time to carry a torch.”
“I was dumped by my husband and I stopped crying months ago,” Cara said. “That must have been some affair. Dad must have been hot stuff.”
Allie and Des both turned to look at Cara. There was silence for a long moment.
“Cara, when I think about Dad, the words ‘hot stuff’ don’t normally come to mind.” Allie made a face.
“Yeah, it’s kind of creepy, actually,” Des added.
“I’m just thinking about how Justine might have looked at him. Not how I saw him. What’s creepy about that?” Cara looked from one to the other. “Besides, can you think of another reason why she’d still be crying over him?”
“No,” they both replied.
“Unless it’s not Dad she’s crying over. It could be something else,” Allie said.
“Like what else?” Des asked.
“I don’t know.” Allie shrugged. “But I bet Barney does. I think we need to have this conversation with her when I get home.”
But hours later when Allie returned home, Nikki was watching TV in the sitting room with Barney. She jumped up when she saw her mother, her eyes sparkling.
“Aunt Barney said I could have my party here and I can invite anyone I want. We’re going to string up colored lights all around the backyard so we can be out there. And she’s going to ask Chef George to make food for us and we’re going to set up tables outside.”
“Breathe,” Allie told her.
Nikki laughed. “You always say that.”
“I’m always afraid you’re going to turn blue and pass out from lack of oxygen.” Allie dropped her bag onto the floor and sank into the nearest chair.
“Busy night, dear?” Barney looked up from the notepad in her hands.
Allie nodded. “It’s always busy. Were you aware when you bought it how busy a place it is?”
“Of course.” Barney smiled. “Did you remember to bring home tonight’s receipts?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Allie opened her bag and handed Barney a fat white padded envelope.
“Thank you.” Barney rose and left the room, the envelope in her hand. “Be back in a minute. Just want to tuck this away in the safe until the morning.”
“So who are you planning on inviting?” Allie asked.
“All of you guys, and my friends. And Mr. Brookes. And Chief Haldeman and Seth and Joe. That’s all.” She made a sad face. “I don’t think Wendy will be able to come, though. She said her mom wanted to leave on Wednesday after dinner. It’s her mom’s last day teaching here. I really wanted her to be there.”
“Well, maybe we should have the party on Tuesday night,” Allie suggested. “Your flight on Thursday is very early in the morning. Maybe we should spend Wednesday packing and—”
“And maybe go out to the farm to say goodbye to the puppies. I’ll bet by the time I come back, all the puppies will have been adopted. I won’t even get to be there when they leave for their new homes and I’ll never see them again.”
“I’m sure Aunt Des will know exactly where each of the dogs go to live, and you could probably go visit them when you come back.”
“Yeah, she’d know for sure. She’d never give a dog to someone without knowing where they live. Did you know she even goes to the people’s houses and makes sure there’s enough room for the dog and there’s a fenced yard? That makes me feel a little better.”
“Good. Now maybe we should make an invitation and email them out tonight, since it’s already the weekend.”
“Right. I’ll run up and get your iPad.” Nikki flew out of the room and barely avoided running into Barney.
“Where’s the fire?” Barney laughed.
“I need to run up to get Mom’s iPad.” Nikki’s voice trailed up the steps.
“What’s she up to?” Barney came in and sat on the love seat.
“She’s going to send out online invitations for her birthday party. She’s decided to have it on Tuesday night,” Allie told her.
“What shall we give her for presents?” Barney asked.
“Maybe some little thing. I know she’s become quite the reader this summer. Maybe a book. Or maybe send something to her in L.A. for her to open on her birthday,” Allie suggested.
“I’ll have to think about it.” Barney picked up the remote control. “I think I’ll watch the news. I have no idea what went on in the world today.”
“You’re probably better off.”
Barney switched channels until she found her favorite evening news program. “Oh good. The weekend weather.”
“Barney, what’s going on?” Allie leaned forward to ask.
“The weather, dear.”
“You know that’s not what I mean.” When Barney didn’t respond, Allie said, “I’m talking about Justine.”
“Hush. I want to know if it’s going to rain next week. Nikki wants her party outside.”
Allie grabbed the remote and turned off the television. “What is going on with Justine? Why was she so upset?”
“I’m not ready to talk about it yet.” Barney snatched the remote out of Allie’s hand and turned the TV back on.
“Why not?”
“Here you go, Mom.” Nikki came into the room and handed Allie her iPad.
“That’s why,” Barney told Allie, her eyes on Nikki.
Allie frowned. What could Nikki possibly have to do with Justine being upset?
“Nikki,” Barney was saying, “the weather forecast says we’ll have perfect weather for your party. Now, show me what you’re sending out to your friends. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an online invitation.”
• • •
Barney had conveniently used Nikki’s presence to keep mum on Justine, and feigning exhaustion, had taken herself upstairs to bed while Nikki was still working through her invitations on Allie’s tablet.
Leave it to Barney to slip away when she doesn’t want to discuss something. Allie watched her aunt kiss Nikki good night and head off upstairs.
“So, Nik, do you want me to give you my present while you’re here, or would you rather have me send it to you at your dad’s to arrive on your birthday?”
“I’d rather get it on my birthday, please. You always give me my present on my birthday.”
Allie made a mental note to order Nikki’s iPad tonight and have it sent to Clint’s house.
Before Allie turned in, Nikki had invited all her guests, made a list of food she’d like to have and decorations she’d like—balloons and fairy lights (“Nothing crazy, Mom. No funny hats or those things you blow into that make a stupid noise. I’m not a five-year-old”), and a handy list of things she’d like. “Mostly books, if anyone asks.”
When Allie went upstairs, she tapped lightly on Barney’s door, but though she thought she’d seen a sliver of light under the door as she walked down the hall, Barney didn’t answer, and when Allie peeked in, she appeared to be sound asleep under her covers.
• • •
“You know Barney,” Des said after Allie told her in the morning about Barney’s elusiveness. “All in her own time. If she doesn’t think it’s any of your business, the time is—”
“Yeah, never. I know.” Allie picked up her bag of paints and left for the theater. She had one last element to paint, and the ceiling would be finished.
She took her time, trying to make that last design as perfect as she possibly could. When she finished painting, she took a break and rested until the paint dried so she could add the last touch, the gold outline. She photographed her work, then gathered her things and went down to the next level, where she stopped and took another photo looking up. At each level, she took another photo, so that by the time she reached the bottom, she had the entire ceiling in the shot. She stood and stared upward, amazed at what she’d accomplished, so pleased that she’d put her idea out there and the others had accepted it. So proud she’d been able to deliver exactly what she’d promised.
She sat on the bottom plank and sent a text to Joe.
Tell the roofers they can come get their scaffold.
Her phone rang minutes later.
“Hey, congratulations! We knew you could do it,” Joe said.
“Thanks. I think I surprised myself,” she replied.
“You didn’t surprise your sisters,” he told her. “Cara and Des said all along you’d do a bang-up job. And you have.”
“Thank you for telling me that.” Allie bit her bottom lip, touched by the knowledge of their faith in her.
“I was going to text you later. I just got word from the painters they can’t start until Wednesday.”
“That’s soon enough.” Allie mentally crossed off another item from her list.
“Can you take a little more?”
“Always. There’s no such thing as too much good news,” she said.
“Seth is, as we speak, picking up the floor sander. Then he, Ben, and I are going to start working on the stage and the backstage area this afternoon.”
“OMG, as Nik would say! That’s fabulous!”
“We’ll still have to put a finish on it, but we’ll get that done before the painters come in.”
“Thank you, Joe. I don’t know where we’d be if not for you. Best decision we made was to hire you as our general contractor.”
“Just doin’ my job, ma’am.” He paused. “But thanks. It’s been my pleasure since day one. I’m proud to have been involved with the theater. It’s a landmark in town, part of our heritage, and it’s been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on something this important.”
“Before I forget, did you get Nikki’s invitation for her birthday party?”
“I did, and I already responded as a yes. I wouldn’t miss it,” he said.
“She’ll be happy to have you there. So I guess I’ll see you then.”
“You will.”
Allie ended the call and tossed the phone into her bag. She couldn’t wait to get back to the house and tell the others she’d finished the ceiling. That weight lifted from her shoulders made her want to dance.
Nikki would, she thought as she left the theater and locked the door behind her. Then again, Nikki was fourteen and had yet to shed all her inhibitions.
Almost fifteen, she reminded herself. Thinking about the reasons Nikki’d rejected a party in California took some of the shine off Allie’s mood. It infuriated her to know that one girl could turn all of Nikki’s friends against her. Courtney clearly had a problem. Of course, Allie had to admit, she was acting much as Allie herself had, once upon a time. It was only recently that she’d not only acknowledged her behavior as bullying but admitted the reason for it: She was jealous of her sister’s success as an actress, jealous of the fact that Des had her own TV show.
What was Courtney’s excuse? That was something Marlo would have to deal with.
She’d crossed Main Street and was nearing the house when a police cruiser pulled up to the curb.
Ben rolled down the window and leaned across the front seat. “Hey, mom of an almost fifteen-year-old.”
“Oh God, that makes me sound so old.” Allie stepped to the curb and knelt next to the passenger door. “So I’m guessing you got Nikki’s invitation.”
“I did, and I sent in my RSVP.”
“Yea or nay?”
“I sent back a maybe. I usually put myself on night duty, so my officers can spend the time with their families. But I’m going to see if someone will switch with me for Tuesday night. I’d like to be there for her.” He paused. “And I’d like to be there for you. I know she’s leaving soon and it’s hard on you. So you’ll have a great party for her, and she’ll know how much she’s loved here.”
“She knows,” Allie said. “So why are you working? Joe said you’re supposed to be helping sand the stage floor today.”
“My shift ends at three, and I’ll be down there doing my part. We’ll get ’er done, don’t you worry.”
“Thank you. We all appreciate it. I appreciate it.”
He gave her one of those half smiles that turned her insides to mush and appeared about to say something when his phone beeped.
Ben looked at the screen. “Gotta go. See you at the party.”
Allie nodded and stood, watched the cruiser disappear around the corner, then sighed. How could this have happened, she asked herself as she walked up to the house? How could it be that the first man she wanted since her divorce had to be the one man who’d driven her crazy since she set foot in Hidden Falls?
“The universe doesn’t owe you an explanation for everything,” as Mandy, Allie’s across-the-street neighbor back in L.A., used to say. Then again, she reminded herself, Mandy set traps for unicorns in the hills behind her house and sprinkled visitors with glitter before they walked through her front door. Only two of the many reasons Allie never expended much energy cultivating a friendship with her.
Buttons barked when she came into the house, but she dropped her fierce guard dog stance when she realized it was Allie.
“You should look embarrassed,” Allie told the dog, whose tail wagged slowly, apologetically. “Oh, come here and let me rub that tummy.” She leaned over and gave the dog a few minutes of her attention, then stood. “That’s it for today. Gotta run. Things to do. Places to go.”
“Wait, are you talking to the dog?” Des grinned broadly as she came downstairs. “You, who used to mock me for talking to Buttons?”
“Guilty. I never thought I’d see the day, but here we are. Is Cara around?” Allie left her bag of paints and brushes near the bottom step. “She said she’d drive me to check out a tile store on the highway.”
“She mentioned she had an errand, but she’d be back by noon. Aren’t you working at the Goodbye?”
Allie shook her head. “I arranged with Ginger to work today, and earlier I sent her a text and asked if she’d work again tomorrow. Yay me! I have an entire two days off in a row.”
