“That’s a good boy, eat your food, good boy, good boy,” Katie said to her to English Bulldog, Hermit, who was greedily devouring his food as if this was going to be the last time he ate.
Hermit finished eating and looked up at her, a layer of loose wrinkled skin folded over his eyes. He wagged his short tail and slobbery licked Katie on her calf and ankle.
Bending down, she scratched him behind the ears, which made him lick her even more enthusiastically. “You can lick me all you want but you’re still not getting any more food.” She gave him a kiss on the head. “If you’re good and don’t destroy anything while I’m gone, I’ll give you a hardboiled egg with your dinner and maybe even a little yogurt.”
Hermit barked one time, laid down and turned on his side, signs that meant he would do his best to keep from chewing the couch cushions, Katie’s shoes and anything else that looked particularly worthy of a good chewing session.
Katie opened the kitchen door, which led to the small fenced backyard. “Out you go. Go potty and come right back, I don’t want to be late for work.”
Hermit slowly raised himself from the floor and toddled outside.
Katie left the door slightly open. “Good boy, go potty!”
Today was Hermit’s one-year birthday and Katie had big plans for him. After work, she was going to go to the pet store and buy him a doggie cupcake or cookie or maybe even one of each. And after he had his birthday treats, she was going to take him to the dog park.
Hermit was her best friend. She rescued him from the local shelter when he was only three months old. He and his brothers and sisters were found on a farm after their owners sold the farm at auction and left them to fend for themselves.
Hermit was the runt of the litter and he wasn’t expected to survive. When Katie adopted him, he was severely underweight.
Katie brought him home, put him in her bed, snuggling close to him and said, “Good boy, you’re going to be all right, I’m going to take really good care of you. This is your home. You’re safe with me. I love you already.”
Hermit had wagged his tail and licked her face, letting her know that the feeling was mutual.
***
Katie poured herself a cup of coffee and opened the refrigerator door. She didn’t have time to make herself a proper breakfast so she grabbed a couple of cheese sticks and a container of raspberries.
Hermit still hadn’t returned from the backyard. Katie ate the cheese sticks and raspberries and finished off her coffee.
She glanced at the clock on the stove. She only had fifteen minutes to get to work. Her shift started at noon. And even though it was only a short walk from her house, she was cutting it close.
“Come on boy, no time to sunbathe, I need to go,” Katie said from the door threshold.
One of Hermit’s favorite pastimes, besides chewing things he wasn’t supposed to chew, was sunbathing. If it were up to him, he’d spend all day lying on the grass, soaking up the sun.
Katie had to be careful not to let him spend too much time outside so he wouldn’t get overheated.
It was July in the small coastal town of Solomons Island, Maryland, and the sun was shining bright, not a single cloud in the sky, despite the weather forecast calling for a one hundred percent chance of rain.
Hermit yawned and stretched, lazily forcing himself off the ground.
“I know you want to stay out longer, birthday boy, and I wish I could stay home with you all day but I can’t. Come inside, please.”
Hermit yawned again and meandered to her, taking his time and even stopping and sitting once before he finally made it inside.
Katie gently patted him on the head. “Such a good dog. Okay, well, I’m leaving now, be good and don’t tear up the house.”
Hermit wasn’t the only one who was celebrating a birthday. Katie was turning nineteen years old today. But unlike Hermit, no one was buying her a birthday cake. No one even knew it was her birthday, not even Hermit and he was her very best friend.
He knew other things about her. Like how she didn’t have any human friends or family, none that he had seen anyway. He also knew that she often cried right before she fell asleep and that sometimes she stayed up all night watching old movies and TV shows and that most days, she didn’t bother to cook, simply ate a bowl of cereal or a bagel for dinner.
Hermit also knew one other thing about Katie. He knew she had a secret, an awful secret.
He knew Katie had killed someone.
***
Katie shut her townhouse door, lifted her face to the sun and whispered, “Happy Birthday to me. Happy, happy lonely birthday.”
“It’s your birthday? Well, happy birthday to you, little lady.”
It was her next-door neighbor, Mr. Santiago. He was standing on his stoop tugging at his white beard, and smiling at her like he expected her to invite him to her birthday party, which of course was ridiculous since she wasn’t having one.
“How old are you turning?” he asked.
“It’s not really my birthday. I was just singing a line from a song,” Katie lied.
Mr. Santiago wrinkled his tanned brow. “Oh? What’s the name of the song?”
Katie shuffled her feet, hoping the ground would open and swallow her. “I don’t remember the name. It’s an old song.”
Mr. Santiago crossed his arms. “As old as me or older?”
Katie cleared her throat several times. “I don’t know how old you are so I can’t say.”
He laughed heartily as if Katie had just said the world’s funniest joke. “I’m ancient. I should be in a museum.”
“You don’t look that old.”
“Would you believe me if I told you I am eighty-nine years old?”
“No.”
When Katie first met him a day or two after she moved in, he had been washing his car in the townhouse complex parking lot.
He was full of energy and struck up a conversation with Katie, wanting to know everything about her from her name to where she was from to where she worked to why she had moved to Solomons.
She had ignored most of his questions. She told him her name and lied about where she was from, said she was from Savannah, Georgia. She had always wanted to visit there after seeing the movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
When he had asked her why she didn’t have an accent, she said she was born in New York and her parents moved to Savannah when she was ten years old and she never picked up the accent. And when he asked her why she didn’t have a New York accent, she told him she was from upstate New York where they didn’t have accents, not that Katie knew whether that was true, but he seemed satisfied with that.
“I’ll be ninety in September.”
“Congratulations.”
He clapped. “Ha! I didn’t win a prize or win the lottery. I’m just having another birthday.”
“Sorry, I don’t know why I said that.”
“So, what are you doing for your birthday today?”
“It’s not my birthday. It was just a--”
“Oh, that’s right, it was a song you were singing,” he interrupted.
Hermit barked from inside the house.
Katie turned to look at the door. “I better go before he gets anxious and starts barking loudly.”
“I can take him for a walk later if you want.”
“Thank you but he’s fine. I’m taking him to the dog park when I get home.”
He cracked his knuckles. “It’s no trouble. I have nothing else to do.”
Katie proceeded to crack her knuckles as well. “He’s not very good with strangers.” The truth was Hermit was quite possibly the world’s sweetest and most loveable dog.
If Katie let Mr. Santiago take Hermit for a walk that would mean letting him into her life, something Katie was not going to let happen. And not because she thought Mr. Santiago was a bad man but because Katie was never, ever going to let anyone into her life again.
She didn’t need friends or family or friendly neighbors. She was doing fine on her own.
At nineteen, she had already been through more than most people would ever go through in their entire lives.
All she wanted was a fresh new start in a tiny Southern Maryland town that was virtually unknown, a hidden gem as the locals called it.
Solomons was a secret haven. It was hard to believe it was only an hour and a half drive south from Washington DC. Only an hour and a half south from the place she had ran from, the place where she had killed someone.
She would have preferred somewhere farther away, maybe even a different country (England or Canada or maybe a Caribbean Island) but she was young and broke. And she didn’t have a passport. Katie had never been out of the country.
The few pitiful savings she had managed to save over the years she had spent on a bus ticket and rent deposit for the tiny, rundown townhouse in which she was now living.
“Okay, well, if you ever need me to walk him or check in on him while you are away, let me know. I’m happy to help. It’s no bother at all. Truth is I’m always looking for something to do. I can’t just sit in my crusty armchair watching TV all day. If someone would hire me, I’d go back to work. Imagine that, me going back to work at ninety. Wouldn’t that be something? When I was young I couldn’t wait to retire and now…” he sighed, “Oh, listen to me going on and on about my boring life. Today is your birthday. We should celebrate. You shouldn’t be lonely on your birthday.”
Katie shook her head in defeat. Mr. Santiago was not buying her lie and she was done trying to convince him it was not her birthday. “When it’s your birthday, I’ll buy you a cake, okay?”
“I like chocolate cake. My wife, Sabrina, hated chocolate cake. She hated chocolate. Can you believe that? How is it possible to hate chocolate? I almost didn’t marry her because of that. Truly, I almost didn’t marry her over her not liking chocolate.”
Katie giggled at the thought of someone not marrying someone because he or she didn’t like chocolate. “You married her anyway.”
He breathed in deeply and looked at the clear blue sky.
“Mr. Santiago?”
He returned his stare to Katie. “Yes, I married her anyway.”
Katie felt sorry for him. “You miss her?”
“Every single day. She may not have liked chocolate but she was otherwise perfect. Funny, kind and beautiful. Perfect, except for the chocolate thing which, in time, I forgave.”
Katie swallowed and sighed. “It’s Hermit’s birthday today.”
Hermit barked at hearing his name.
“Wonderful!” Mr. Santiago said.
“I’m bringing home a dog cookie or maybe a cupcake.”
“That’s great! I’m sure he’s going to love whatever you bring him.”
“Okay, well, have a good day, Mr. Santiago.”
“You too.”
“Thanks.” Katie stepped off her stoop and started walking toward the sidewalk. She stopped and turned around to face Mr. Santiago. “There is a key under the doormat. You can walk him if you want but please don’t give him anything to eat. He’s greedy and already a bit chubby.”
Mr. Santiago grinned. “I’ll take really good care of him. And I promise not to give him a bite of any food. I won’t even let him drink water.”
Katie laughed. “He can have water.”
“Okay, water and nothing else, got it, understood.”
“Bye,” Katie said.
“Bye, Katie.”
She resumed walking, the sun shining on her smiling face.
“Happy Birthday, Katie!” Mr. Santiago shouted.
Katie ignored him and kept strolling along on her way to her job for which she was late.
Today, she didn’t care if she was late. For the first time since arriving in Solomons months earlier, Katie felt a hint of joy.
“Happy Birthday to me. Happy, happy birthday to me,” she whispered as she crossed the street.
***
“Glad you could make it in,” Gwen said to Katie from behind the bar where she was drying glasses with a dishtowel.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I got to talking to my neighbor who I think just wanted a little company.”
Gwen put a beer mug on the bar and came around to join Katie who was wrapping an apron around her waist. “We’re going to be very busy today. People are coming in from out of town for tomorrow night’s Fourth of July fireworks and sailboat lights show. Can you do a double shift today? Carson called out sick.”
Katie slipped her hands into her apron’s pockets. “He’s sick again? Wasn’t he sick last week?”
Gwen placed her hand on Katie’s shoulder. “He’s ill, Katie. He’s very ill and soon he won’t be able to work at all.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“I can’t say. He doesn’t want anyone to know. But I can tell you that I don’t think he will be with us for much longer. His replacement starts tomorrow and I need you to show him how we do things around here, okay?”
Katie exhaled a long sigh. “Okay.”
“Thank you. He’s a nice guy from what I can tell. His name is Ben. He’ll only be with us for the rest of the summer and then he’s going back to college.”
“Where’s college?”
“UNC, I think.”
“UNC?”
“University of North Carolina.”
Katie didn’t have the grades or the money to go to college. When she was sixteen before the day she wished, she could forget happened, she had applied for financial aid so she could attend a small community college in Montgomery County, Maryland, once she graduated from high school.
She got approved and was going to take a few classes, mainly in Art History even though her mom had told her she was better off not going to college if all she was going to do was waste her time and money on what she considered useless classes which would do nothing for her but burden her with debt for the rest of her life.
Katie didn’t care what her mom thought. Not that it mattered anyway since Katie ended up not going to college.
“He’s young, like you, so I think you’ll get along just fine,” Gwen said.
Gwen was in her fifties but looked forty. Her skin was perfectly smooth, not a wrinkle in sight. Gwen attributed her youthful look to ambition. She said that when a person stopped trying, that’s when they started getting old.
She was the owner of Secret Isla, the restaurant at which Katie waited tables six days a week. She had bought it from a retired military man who got tired of running the place and decided to move to Grand Cayman Island or maybe it was Jamaica or the Bahamas. Gwen could never remember where he had moved to but she was sure it was somewhere in the Caribbean.
Two days after she bought the place she changed the name from Hideaway to Secret Isla and changed up the menu.
Gwen didn’t think people wanted another restaurant that served crab cakes, steak and cheeseburgers. She thought the people of Solomons wanted something a little different so she tapped into her Spanish roots (her mom was from Spain and had taught Gwen how to cook Spanish food) and started serving traditionally Spanish entrees and of course tapas, which was Spanish for appetizers.
She gambled and won. Secret Isla was a hit and soon became a local favorite.
Katie would forever be grateful to Gwen for giving her a job. When Katie arrived in Solomons, she saw a help wanted sign on the window as she was walking by on her way to get a haircut at the only salon in town.
Gwen had looked her up and down and hired her on the spot but not before telling her that she would expect her to work hard, take very little time off, always be polite and never ever come to work wearing booty shorts or halter tops.
Gwen’s rules suited Katie just fine. Katie didn’t own any halter tops or booty shorts, anyway.
“It’s my dog’s birthday today,” Katie said.
“What?”
“Hermit turns one today. I was planning on taking him to the dog park and getting him a birthday treat.”
Gwen scratched her forehead. “You get double pay on top of the tips you will be making. I need you. We’re going to be slammed tonight. Celebrate Hermit’s birthday tomorrow.”
“I’m working tomorrow. It’s the Fourth of July, remember?”
Gwen licked her lips. “Lord, Katie, please, I need you. I know you love Hermit. He’s a great dog.”
“You’ve never met him.”
“I know but I’m sure he’s great.”
Hermit was all Katie had and she was all he had. It was she and Hermit against the world. How could she abandon him on his birthday?
But Katie needed the money; she was barely able to keep up with her monthly rent. She had considered renting a room in someone else’s house but she would have had to get rid of Hermit and interact with her roommates. Just thinking about it gave Katie anxiety.
Hermit would forgive her and besides it’s not like he even knew it was his birthday. She thought Hermit was a pretty smart dog but not that smart.
In that moment, she was grateful to Mr. Santiago for spending some time with Hermit. She’d have to remember to get Mr. Santiago a chocolate cake for his birthday. It was the least she could do.
“Well? Can you do a double shift or not?” Gwen asked, her voice starting to sound panicky.
Katie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Okay.”
Gwen practically leaped in the air with joy. “You are the absolute best! Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. I’ll need to find a way to make it up to Hermit.”
“He’ll forgive you. He’s a good dog.”
“You haven’t met him,” Katie reminded her again.
“Yeah, I know, but I’m sure he’s a good dog. Now, let’s get to work. We open at one for lunch and we’re not closing until midnight tonight. Let’s go, go, go, time to work.”
Katie nodded. “As you wish.”
***
It was seven thirty and Katie didn’t think she had stopped moving all day. She was exhausted and she still had a few more hours to go before she could take off her apron and go home.
Mr. Santiago had stopped by a few minutes earlier to let her know Hermit was fine and that he had bought him a dog cookie and that Hermit had basically swallowed it whole.
Katie had profusely thanked Mr. Santiago and asked him if he wouldn’t mind taking Hermit for another walk since she wouldn’t be getting home until after midnight and she didn’t want Hermit to have a potty accident.
Mr. Santiago responded by telling her that he had already planned on it and for her not to worry about Hermit because he was going to take good care of him.
Katie accepted the fact that Mr. Santiago was probably going to be a part of her life now, something which, strangely enough, she was okay with. He was old and kept to himself, for the most part, and he also reminded her a little of herself. He was lonely just like her and there was sadness to him.
Katie knew all about sadness. But tonight, wasn’t the night to dwell on her past.
***
There wasn’t an empty table in Secret Isla and the wait for one was longer than an hour. It was the busiest they had ever been and Katie was starting to think she wasn’t going to survive the night. Her feet were begging for a break and threatening to strike if she didn’t give them one.
Gwen was running around the place, barking orders and telling her employees to move faster, cook faster, pour the drinks faster and oh, don’t forget to smile because if she caught anyone with a frown she would send them home and that would be it, no more working at Secret Isla.
Since Gwen paid well, extremely well, and offered health benefits, no one with half a brain would dare frown and risk losing their job.
So, they all carried on working their butts off, making double pay and good tips and hoping the clock would hurry up and strike midnight so they could all turn back into pumpkins and mice and collapse on their beds.
“Someone just ordered everything on the menu,” Katie said to Gwen.
“Everything?”
“Everything.”
“Who did? Point them out.”
Katie discreetly pointed to a thin man in his thirties or early forties sitting alone at a table near the window.
“Oh my Lord, do you know who that is?” Gwen asked.
“No, who is it?”
Gwen pulled Katie behind the bar. “Lord, I may faint.”
“Calm down.”
“I can’t calm down. Oh, my goodness gracious almighty, I may need to be hospitalized because I’m getting ready to have a heart attack.”
“Am I going to have to smack you?” Katie asked.
“Maybe.”
“If you don’t tell me who he is, I’m going to go ask him.”
“You will do no such thing. Dios mio, what are you trying to do? Make him mad and then have him take it out on his review?”
“His review?”
Gwen breathed in and out rapidly. “That’s Sir Dave, the famous food critic of the mid-Atlantic.”
Katie had never heard of him but then Katie wasn’t up to speed on famous food critics of the mid-Atlantic or anywhere else for that matter. Katie’s palette was rather simple. She didn’t like spicy or exotic foods and could live the rest of her life eating cereal, bagels and grilled cheese sandwiches without feeling she was missing out, or at least that’s how she felt at the young age of nineteen.
Whether her palette would become more sophisticated as she grew older, she didn’t know. Katie didn’t think about her future much. There were days when she believed she wouldn’t live past twenty not because she was planning on hurting herself but because people like her, people who had been through hell and back and who had also done what she had done, rarely lived to a ripe old age.
Her past would always haunt and circle her every step until one day, she’d look in the mirror and looking back at her would be the face of a person who just couldn’t take another day, a single minute, not even a second more of sadness and guilt.
Again, Katie would never hurt herself but she did acknowledge that one day, not so long from now, she’d end up an empty shell hiding in her house, afraid to face the world with only her dog by her side.
At nineteen, Katie understood she was not meant to have what so many people had: love, happiness, security and peace. Those things were out of reach for her. She conceded that perhaps they had never been within her reach at all and that when she was born fate stepped in and marked her unworthy of love and happiness.
Still, Katie would carry on for as long as she could, battle her past, crying at night and pretending she wasn’t utterly afraid and lonely.
Hermit needed her and she wasn’t going to let him down, at least not without a fight.
***
“He ordered everything on the menu so let’s give it to him,” Katie said to Gwen who had turned whiter than a brand-new golf ball.
“I don’t think I can be here when he starts tasting everything. What if he hates it all and spits it all out and tells the other customers how much he hated my food and then everyone leaves and this night turns into the worst night of my life?”
“Or how about this? What if he loves all your food and gives you a fantastic review and Secret Isla becomes the number one restaurant in all of Maryland, maybe in the entire world?”
Gwen laughed. “In the entire world? That would be something, wouldn’t it? A food rags-to-riches fairytale.”
“It could happen.”
“Not really, but I love your support and encouragement.”
Katie inhaled a deep breath. “Are you going to leave or run away and hide from what could be the biggest night of your life?”
Gwen gave Katie a kiss on the cheek. “I’m staying. Let’s roll.”
Katie couldn’t help thinking of the movie, Last Holiday, where terminally ill Queen Latifah’s character jetted off to Europe and ordered everything on the menu at a fancy restaurant.
Katie hoped Sir Dave wasn’t terminally ill and that’s why he was ordering everything on the menu tonight. It turned out Queen Latifah’s character wasn’t terminally ill after all so with that thought in her mind, Katie smiled and went about serving drinks, wiping down tables and grinning at customers while she waited for the cooks to prepare entrees and tapas for Sir Dave.
When each meal was ready, Katie served it to Sir Dave who had already told her he didn’t like chit-chat and preferred not to be bothered after he was served because he needed to concentrate and write down notes about each meal seconds after he tasted them.
Katie understood not wanting to be bothered so she respected his wishes.
Gwen stood behind the bar watching and badgering Katie with question after question. What did he say? Do you think he liked the Paella? Oh, Lord, he hated it, didn’t he?
This went on for two hours, Gwen asking questions and nearly hyperventilating and Sir Dave carefully chewing each morsel of food as if it was going to be the last thing he was ever going to eat. Of course, he didn’t finish the entrees or tapas. He would eat one bite and then push the plate away from him, write down some notes in his spiral notebook and then he would take a sip or two of water and the ritual started all over again.
None of the other customers knew what was happening. They went on laughing and chatting with their friends or family, sipping wine and beer and having a lovely time.
Yes, the night was moving along perfectly even though Katie was more than ready to go home and fall on her pillow and sleep for days.
She wondered how Hermit was doing and whether he missed her. She’d have to make it up to him. On her next day off, she would take him for a walk on the Riverwalk and if she got an ice cream cone from Cone Island, the little ice cream stand on the boardwalk right in front of the tiny playground, she’d let him have a lick or two or maybe even three.
That sounded like a good plan to Katie.
***
Katie served Sir Dave one last meal. It was Gwen’s signature dish: Two fried pork chops on a bed of Spanish rice and beans topped with a single plump crab cake with a cilantro, lemon juice, butter and garlic sauce on the side. This was the dish that drew in all the locals every single night. This was the dish that had essentially made Secret Isla a hit on the island.
Sir Dave slowly and deliberately lifted his fork to his mouth but before taking a bite, he set the fork down, removed his napkin from his collar and placed it on the table. Then he sipped some water, yawned and stood.
“Is something wrong?” Katie asked.
Sir Dave massaged his throat and switched his stare to Gwen who was sitting on a bar stool, one hand on her stomach and the other on her forehead, an expression of anguish on her face. “I’m full.”
Katie put her hand on her hip. “Oh, but you should eat one more bite, just one. Please sit back down and take just one little bite, please.”
“No, I really can’t, I’m sorry. I may return another night.”
“Sir, please,” Katie begged.
“It’s okay, Katie,” Gwen said from the bar, “show Sir Dave out.”
Katie lowered her head. “This way, Sir Dave.”
As Sir Dave followed Katie through the restaurant, Katie noticed that none of the other diners paid Sir Dave any special attention. They went on enjoying their evenings, stuffing themselves with Gwen’s signature dish and thinking about what they were going to have for dessert.
Meanwhile, Katie’s stomach turned and twisted as she and Sir Dave made their way to the door.
“Good night. It’s too bad you got full. You are missing out on one of the best meals you will ever have in your life,” Katie said to Sir Dave.
Katie had only eaten Gwen’s special dish once or twice but not because she hadn’t liked it but because Katie needed things in her life to be simpler.
She was perfectly happy sticking to her plain diet, watching the same old shows and movies on TV, cuddling with Hermit and working hard at the Secret Isla so she could afford to pay her rent and not end up homeless.
Sir Dave whispered in Katie’s ear and then headed into the parking lot to get in his fancy car and drive back to his expensive house in the city and write his review of the Secret Isla.
Katie sucked in a profound breath, lifted her head, and practically danced all the way to the bar where Gwen was standing, shoulders slumped, sweat forming on her temples.
“We tried our best. That’s all we could do,” Gwen said to Katie.
Katie tugged her earlobe. “We did great.”
Gwen snatched a napkin from the bar counter and wiped her face. “Too bad it wasn’t enough.”
“It’s not just Hermit’s birthday today,” Katie said to Gwen.
“Please tell me it’s not your birthday,” Gwen said, stuffing the napkin in her pocket.
Katie smiled and nodded.
“Lord, I’m so sorry, Katie, I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me? I would have asked the cooks to make you anything you wanted, anything at all.”
“It’s okay. I’m happy.”
Gwen gawked at her. “I’m glad one of us is. So, look, why don’t you go on home? It’s late and I feel terrible about ruining your birthday. I’ll close up.”
“I’ll stay to help you.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, but I want you to stay home tomorrow. Take the day off and spend it with Hermit. I’ll have someone bring you lunch and maybe later if you want, I can stop by with cake.”
“Tomorrow is the Fourth of the July and the new guy is starting and Carson won’t be in and you need me and I need to be here, okay?”
Gwen embraced Katie. “You’re a good person.”
“So are you,” Katie said.
“Yeah, well, after Sir Dave writes his review, I may be closing this place up. You may not have a job. Maybe I can open a small coffee shop and brew Spanish coffee,” she groaned, “or I can just retire and move south.”
“That’s not going to happen. Even if he wrote the most awful, evilest review in the whole wide world, the locals love you and your food and they would keep on coming no matter what Sir Dave wrote.”
Gwen surveyed the restaurant. “People are easily influenced by negative reviews.”
“And greatly influenced by positive reviews,” Katie said.
“Yeah, well, it was nice to dream,” Gwen dusted off her hands, “let’s get back to work. No sense in worrying about something I have no control over.”
Katie grinned. “I have something to tell you.”
Gwen frowned and sniffled. “I saw Sir Dave whisper in your ear. I was going to ask you what he said but I figured he told you how awful my food was and you were sparing me further humiliation.”
Katie beamed. “He said the opposite about your food. He’s been here before and”
“What? What do you mean he’s been here before,” Gwen interrupted.
“He said he came one night when you weren’t here.”
“You’re lying.”
“Of course I’m not lying. He said he heard about your signature dish and wanted to try it so he drove down here and ordered it and ate every last bite and made a note to come back and taste everything else on the menu.”
Gwen bit her nails and heavily breathed in and out. “When did he come? I’m always here. Oh my God. Are you telling me the truth?”
Katie crossed her heart. “The absolute truth.”
“Let me think. When was I not here? Oh, it must have been when I went to see Carson and bring him some food. His wife asked me to check on him because she was going to be working a double shift at the hospital and didn’t want him to be alone. He’s not well, you know. Stubborn old man refuses to take his medicine and go to his treatments.”
“That must have been when Sir Dave came.”
“So he didn’t tell you he hated my food, right?”
“Nope. He didn’t say he liked it either. But something tells me the review you are dreading is going to be a good one, a really, really, good one.”
Gwen jumped in the air like a little girl who had just been told a clown was coming to her birthday party. “Maybe tonight is not such a bad night after all. We need to celebrate. It’s your birthday and Hermit’s birthday and maybe, just maybe, my restaurant is not ruined.”
“I’m happy for you but I think I’m too tired to celebrate. How about I help you close up and we celebrate another time?”
Gwen gave Katie a kiss on the forehead. “Go home. That’s an order.”
Katie’s feet practically demanded that she listen to Gwen and go home. “Okay, but I’ll be here early tomorrow.”
“We don’t open until eleven.”
“When is the new guy coming in?”
“I told him to be here at ten.”
“I’ll be here at nine thirty.”
“I don’t deserve you,” Gwen said.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Katie said.
Katie paced toward the door. The place was still buzzing with people and Katie had a feeling Gwen was going to keep Secret Isla open until two in the morning. Gwen was a workhorse.
And since she was now basking in the news that Sir Dave maybe didn’t hate her food, well, that only helped to fuel her even more.
***
It was midnight when Katie left Secret Isla. If she would have still been living in the city, there was no way in all of hell she would have ventured out all by herself at this time of night.
But in Solomons, things were different.
The people were nicer; life moved at an unhurried pace (except for Gwen who was born ready to race anyone and everything) and there was a sense of community, of looking out for one another.
Katie wasn’t naïve. She knew bad things could happen anywhere, even in tiny little quaint riverside towns, but somehow in Solomons she didn’t feel afraid. Her past still scared her, threatened to break her at times, but her past had nothing to do with Solomons.
Solomons was her present and maybe her future.
She gazed at the stars and smiled. Maybe things were going to be okay for her. Maybe she could forget what happened and she could move on with her life and be happy.
Katie walked home thinking that turning nineteen was a big deal. Her mother had often told her that she would probably end up a teenage mom like she had and that she would never amount to anything because she came from her and she was worthless, always had been, at least that’s what her parents had told her, and so she was telling Katie the same thing.
It never occurred to Katie’s mom that she didn’t have to be like her parents, that she could be different and raise Katie differently.
Katie didn’t know who her father was and whenever she had asked her mom about him, she’d get a slap in the face with a side of, “girl, that’s none of your business!”
“It’s just you and me. The world has nothing to offer us so you better get that through your little round head,” Katie’s mom would tell her every night right before putting her to bed.
They rented a room in an old house in DC where people came and went at all hours of the night. When Katie was young she had no idea why people would come and go all the time but as she got older she began to understand that the house in which she lived with her mom was also a place where people came to do things of which Katie never ever wanted to be a part.
Katie’s mom would leave her in their room and sometimes disappear for half the night. Katie didn’t want to know where her mom went or what she did but when her mom returned, she always had a bit of extra money and Katie knew it wasn’t because she had been out working as a waitress somewhere, it was because she had offered herself to one or two or three of the house’s visitors that night.
Katie was never going to be like her mom. Katie was going to be anything she wanted to be. She was going to be a respectable member of society and she was going to be educated, a college graduate, maybe even become a professor someday.
Yes, Katie had big plans for her life.
But life was not ready to offer Katie all the good things she wanted. No, life had a much different path for Katie.
When Katie came home from school one day, she found her mom asleep on their bed. Katie tried to wake her mom, shook her, yelled at her and even slapped her but her mom never woke up again and Katie became an orphan at the age of sixteen.
A drug overdose was what killed her mom but Katie knew the truth. Katie knew that her mom never did drugs. Katie knew that her mom had grown tired of life and when she kissed Katie that morning and told her she loved her and to please forgive her, Katie knew that was going to be the last time she was going to see her mom.
She was alone now. Sixteen years old. No family. No friends. No Father. Absolutely alone.
The lady of the house asked Katie that same night if she had someplace to go. It was either call a friend or family member or she would have no choice but to call Child Social Services.
There was no way Katie was going to end up a warden of the city, getting tossed from foster home to foster home.
So when a man, about twenty years older than Katie, stepped up and told Katie he could take care of her and she would never have to worry about anything for the rest of her life, she smiled and agreed to go with him.
And that’s when Katie’s life started on the path to the day she wished she could forget.
***
Katie opened the door to her townhouse and was immediately greeted with licks and happy barks.
“Aww, I missed you, too,” Katie said to Hermit who was doing circles around her as if she had been gone for a week.
He barked one more time to let her know that she must never leave him alone for so long again.
“Settle down, boy, I’m here now,” Katie said, petting Hermit who gave her a big lick on the face before taking off to the kitchen at full speed.
Katie followed him. “You want a snack, don’t you?”
Hermit jumped at her and wagged his tail and ran around the living room and then back to the kitchen.
“All right, I’ll give you a snack. You deserve more than just a snack, though, my sweet birthday boy.” Katie opened a plastic jar and took out a handful of bite- sized bone-shaped treats.
Hermit barked and took off again for the living room and returned a split second later holding a chew toy in his mouth.
“You’re such a silly dog.”
Hermit’s little antics always made Katie laugh and warmed her heart and it was because of him that she had been able to find some sort of peace in her life, even though it never lasted for very long.
“Put the toy down if you want your treat.”
He rarely listened to her and for the most part, she forgave his stubbornness since he was a bulldog, after all, and bulldogs were known for their stubborn behavior.
But there were times when his stubbornness drove Katie crazy, like when on walks he would suddenly decide he was done walking and he’d yawn and lay down wherever he was and no matter what she did, he would refuse to get up so she’d be forced to carry all thirty five pounds of him home.
She was lucky he didn’t weigh more. He was small for his breed, something that broke Katie’s heart because she knew he had not received enough or any nutrition during the first few months of his life and that, she was convinced, had permanently stunted his growth.
Nevertheless, Katie was careful not to give him too many treats or too much food. She wanted him to be healthy and always be with her and that meant Hermit was going to eat the best food she could afford (even if it meant less money for her own food) and get the correct portions of food and treats per day.
Hermit still had the toy in his mouth.
“Leave it!” Katie commanded.
Hermit cocked his head and dropped the toy.
“Good boy, good boy,” Katie said, giving him the treats which he devoured in less than a second.
“Okay, Hermit, time for bed.”
Hermit barked and barked and barked.
“Oh no, you’re not going to convince me to take you for a walk. No way, little sir, I’m too tired.” She proceeded to walk down the hall toward her bedroom, Hermit right behind her.
Minutes later, Katie had brushed her teeth and changed into a t-shirt and cotton shorts and slipped under the covers and a second later she was fast asleep with Hermit snoring right beside her.
***
In the morning, Katie went about her usual routine: fed Hermit, let him outside, then drank her coffee and searched her refrigerator for a quick breakfast, cheese sticks and fruit again.
She was about to let Hermit back in when someone knocked on her door.
It was Mr. Santiago who had come to check on her and make sure she got home okay last night and that Hermit was also okay.
“Thank you for taking care of Hermit,” Katie said.
Mr. Santiago stood at the threshold, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. “These are for you. I was going to leave them on your coffee table or kitchen counter but I was afraid Hermit might get into them and make himself sick and with you not being home, well, I thought it best not to risk it.”
Katie smiled. “He does seem to get into everything. He once ate some potting soil and that made him sick for a week.”
Katie had stayed home with Hermit all week when he got sick, slowly nursing him back to health, making sure he was drinking water and feeding him handfuls of boiled rice and chicken. Because she lost a week’s worth of tips that week, Katie’s diet consisted of the same food she was feeding Hermit.
That same week, Katie got rid of all of her potted plants.
“So I was right not to leave them,” Mr. Santiago said.
Katie nodded. “They are beautiful.”
“They are for your birthday.”
Katie knew she was being rude not inviting Mr. Santiago in for a cup of coffee or glass of juice or something. She wanted to invite him in but the part of her that was still resisting letting people into her life, prevented her from doing so.
“Thank you,” Katie said, taking the vase from him.
“I didn’t know if you had a favorite flower so I got you a mix of roses and hydrangeas and carnations.”
Katie was sure her heart was going to grow three sizes. “I love them.”
“Do you need help with Hermit today?”
Katie was going to be working another double shift and to refuse Mr. Santiago’s help wouldn’t be fair to Hermit. “If you don’t mind?”
Mr. Santiago stroked his chin. “I don’t mind at all. Hermit and I are best pals now.”
Katie giggled. “I won’t be home until past midnight, depending on when Gwen decides to close and today is the Fourth of July so she probably won’t close until she runs out of food and even then, she’ll stay open and serve drinks and pretzels.”
“She’s a hard worker,” Mr. Santiago said.
“More than a hard worker.”
“It’s good to work hard. That’s how you get ahead.”
If Mr. Santiago knew about her past, he’d be ashamed of her. If he knew what she had done or almost did, just thinking about it made Katie want to crawl under the dirt and never come out again.
She was so ashamed of her past. But the past was the past and today was the Fourth of July and she had responsibilities. She had to train Ben, the new guy, and help Gwen keep the place running smoothly all day and keep her customers happy and smile and not complain or whine and be a go getter and do everything she had to do to keep herself distracted and moving forward.
“I’m leaving in a few minutes. I’ll leave the key under the mat for you,” Katie said.
Mr. Santiago took a sip of his coffee. “I’ll check on him in an hour or two.”
“Whenever you can is fine, no rush. He’s used to being left alone.”
“But why be alone when you can have some company? Anyway, like I said, it’s no bother at all. He’s a good dog, albeit a bit stubborn but I think that’s because he’s an English Bulldog. My brother had one and there wasn’t a more stubborn dog in the entire world than my brother’s, Joe that was his name, the dog’s not my brother’s name. My brother was named George but we called him Georgie because he was the youngest of five of us, all boys. I’m the last one alive.” He wiped his eyes. “I miss my brothers. Not as much as I miss my wife but there are days when I swear I can hear them laughing and singing. They loved to sing. Not me. I could never sing like them, wasn’t blessed with a beautiful voice. I sound like an old, dying frog when I sing.”
Katie laughed. “I don’t think I have ever heard an old dying frog sing before.”
“Neither have I but I bet I sound like one just the same.”
“Are you from here?”
“Born and raised. My father was two years old when he came to this country from Spain. Came through Ellis Island in 1895 with his father and mother,” he sighed a heavy sigh, “my grandmother was sent back after failing the health inspection. She was pregnant with my father’s sister and had traveled all the way from Spain only to then be sent back without even stepping off Ellis Island. My grandfather said she cried when she saw the Statue of Liberty. They both cried.”
“What was wrong with her? Why didn’t she pass the health examination?”
“She was pregnant and the journey had weakened her and made her sick. She was labeled unable to work and therefore, not a good candidate for entry into the country.”
“Your grandfather didn’t go back with her?”
Mr. Santiago swallowed. “They had traveled too far for all of them to end up back where they started from. My grandmother insisted he stay with my father and so he did. Many families were separated, not just my grandparents. My grandfather once told me that Ellis Island would someday drown under the weight of all the tears that were shed on its grounds.”
The hairs on Katie’s arms froze. “What happened to your grandmother and the baby?”
Katie was hoping for a happy ending. Right at that moment, she needed to hear that Mr. Santiago’s grandfather and father were reunited with his grandmother.
Mr. Santiago cracked his knuckles, a habit Katie was beginning to pick up from him. “My grandfather worked every minute of the day, taking on any job he could, no matter how demeaning…worked in a butcher shop cleaning up blood and entrails…swept floors in factories, and cleaned up horse excrement from the streets so he could save money for my grandmother’s second crossing. My grandmother had the baby and a few months later, she traveled the sea again and this time she wasn’t sent back.”
Katie exhaled a long sigh. “So they were reunited?”
“They were never apart again.”
“And the baby?”
“The baby grew up to be a kind, strong and beautiful woman, inside and out. My aunt was a wonderful woman,” he glanced at the clouds, “May she rest in peace.”
“How did your family end up here, in Solomons?”
“My grandfather met a man who owned a small boating company and was moving his company out of New York to a tiny town called Solomons Island so he could start a fishing charter business. He offered my father a job cleaning boats. And that’s how The Santiagos moved from the huge island of Manhattan to the tiny island of Solomons.”
“Amazing.”
“Not really,” Mr. Santiago said. “My grandfather was just doing what he needed to do to take care of his family. He was doing what he needed to do to survive, nothing more, nothing less.”
Katie pondered what Mr. Santiago had said. Could the same be applied to what she had done? Had she just been doing what she needed to do to survive? No, her situation was different. She was not like Mr. Santiago’s grandfather who sought out an honest way to make a living and who crossed the ocean in order to give his family a better chance at life.
She knew what she was doing was wrong yet she agreed to go through with it, all because she let the man who had promised to take care of her for the rest of her life convince her that the only way they could get ahead was to commit a crime.
Katie allowed someone to darken her conscious and go against what her heart told her was wrong. She opted for the easy way out, for the path of least resistance, the golden path; her ticket out of her horrible existence.
He told her they would spend the rest of their lives sitting on a beach, eating seafood and swimming in clear blue waters. He told her she was beautiful and deserved to live like a queen and that her mother was a no-good, weakling who never gave a damn about her and that he would make sure no one ever harmed her again.
And Katie, who was so very young and desperately seeking love and a better life, believed every single word. She believed his words so much that she forgot she was an individual, someone with views and thoughts and ambition. She forgot how to make her own decisions and instead let him take her steps for her.
When Katie cried, which was often, she tried to imagine she was walking on clouds by her mother’s side and they were happy and laughing and holding hands. She tried to imagine she was the daughter of a mother who had protected her and loved her and taught her things.
And now with Mr. Santiago standing in front of her, she tried to think of her mother as brave and as courageous as Mr. Santiago’s grandmother who had crossed the ocean twice, once while pregnant and once with an infant who she didn’t abandon.
But her mother was not brave. Her mother was a lost, damaged soul who wounds were so deep, she chose to leave the light and cross over to darkness.
“I think your entire family was very brave,” Katie said to Mr. Santiago.
Mr. Santiago exhaled. “Yes, perhaps they were, perhaps, they were.”
“Well, I need to get to work. Today is a big day and Gwen needs me.”
“Okay, Miss Katie, I won’t keep you. You go on to work and I’ll take care of Hermit. Don’t you worry about him, okay?”
“Thank you. Oh, when did you say it was your birthday? I want to make sure I don’t forget about your chocolate cake.”
“Ah yes, you did say you would get me one. It’s in September.”
“What date?”
Mr. Santiago cleared his throat. “I think it’s the sixth or the seventh or it could be the ninth, I can never remember.”
Katie sucked in her lower lip. “Hmm, do you like one date better than the other?”
Mr. Santiago cleared his throat again. “The seventh sounds the most right.”
“Then we’ll go with the seventh, okay?”
“Okay.”
And with that settled, Katie went back in her house, set the flower vase on the kitchen counter out of Hermit’s reach, let him back inside and off she went to start her day at the Secret Isla.
***
When Katie arrived at the Secret Isla, the door was locked and the lights were still off, which meant Gwen hadn’t arrived yet. Katie looked at the time on her phone. It was nine thirty.
That Gwen wasn’t there was odd and Katie immediately started to worry.
None of the other employees had arrived either and Katie began to think that maybe Gwen had decided not to open today, after all.
She would have either texted or called Katie to let her know. Katie hadn’t received a text or a call.
Katie glanced across the street at the Riverwalk. The Gazebo was decorated in red, white and blue flair and ribbons had been placed all along the boardwalk’s guard rails.
The river was hosting an army of decked-out sailboats and vendors were setting up tables on the boardwalk to get ready for the afternoon crowds. One day could make or break the next two weeks.
A line was already forming in front of the ice cream stand and seagulls were circling, hoping to scavenge a fallen shard of cone.
It was the Fourth of July in Solomons Island and the entire town was awake and buzzing in anticipation of the festivities which included a parade, a sailboat lights show, a chili-eating contest, a hot-dog eating contest, a cupcake-eating contest and various activities for the children like face painting, wall climbing and tractor trailer rides.
The only place that wasn’t buzzing was Secret Isla.
Katie started to text Gwen.
“Surprise!” Gwen yelled from behind Katie.
Katie was so startled she almost jumped two feet in the air.
There stood Gwen and the other employees and someone she didn’t know who she figured was Ben, the new guy.
“Jesus, Gwen, you scared me half to death.”
“Sorry kid. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, you did. What is going on?”
“I’m glad you asked,” Gwen said.
“It’s a special day today,” Carson said.
Katie was happy to see Carson was feeling better, although he really didn’t look better. His dark face was sunken and his lips were chapped and he just looked awful.
“Where were you all?” Katie asked.
“We were hiding behind our cars waiting for you to get here,” Gwen said.
“You were hiding behind cars? Why on earth were you doing that?” Katie asked.
“Cause it’s a special day, like Carson said. It’s the most special day ever. This day couldn’t get more special,” Gwen said.
“All right, tell me what’s going on,” Katie said to Gwen who was beaming and glowing and smiling all the way to Kansas.
“A few things. First, we’re throwing you a belated birthday party. Two, well, it’s the dang Fourth of July and three, oh, I can’t wait to tell you…”
“So tell me already,” Katie said, holding her breath.
Gwen snapped her fingers and smiled even wider. “Sir Dave posted his review online last night.”
Katie’s heart skipped a beat with excitement. “And?”
Gwen smacked her hands together. “And he raved about my food. He didn’t say one bad thing. Well, okay, he said a couple of tiny bad things but that was more about the atmosphere than the food. He thinks the place is too small and there aren’t enough tables and the lighting is bad. But he loved the food. He actually wrote that people should stop what they are doing and drive down here and order my signature dish and then order everything else on the menu. Can you believe that? I almost died this morning when I read it. I think I did die, maybe for a few seconds, and then I forced myself back to life.”
Katie threw her arms around Gwen. “Amazing! I’m so happy for you.”
“Happy for us, you mean,” Gwen said. “Happy for all of us. We all made this happen.”
Everyone came in for a group hug, except for Ben who was watching and most likely thinking that they were all pretty wacky individuals.
“All right, inside, everyone,” Gwen said, breaking the group embrace. “We need to sing Katie happy birthday, cut the cake, eat the cake and then get ready to open. Oh, and Katie, this is Ben. Ben this is Katie, do what she tells you to do and no one will get hurt.” She clapped her hands once. “Chop, chop everyone.”
Everyone followed their fearless leader, Gwen, inside.
“How long have you been working here?” Ben asked as they walked.
“A few months.”
Katie thought Ben was cute with his perfectly cut hair, collared short-sleeve navy shirt and khaki Bermuda shorts. He gave off a, “I’m a nice guy with manners,” vibe and Katie wasn’t used to that kind of vibe in guys.
He didn’t look like any of the guys her mom had dated, or rather been with, because dating someone required nice dinners in real restaurants, a movie, maybe dancing or a picnic and definitely not random calls in the middle of the night which led to her mom dragging herself out of bed to go meet someone, somewhere for a couple of hours.
“Are you in school?” Ben asked.
“Not right now. I’m taking a break,” Katie lied.
They reached the door to the restaurant and Gwen stepped to the side and let Carson open it. Katie didn’t get why Gwen hadn’t opened the door herself.
Carson held the door open for Katie and Ben and the rest of the six employees.
He then closed it and stayed outside with Gwen.
Gwen gave him a hug and wiped away a tear and then she came inside and watched Carson stagger to his wife who was leaning against a truck.
Carson got in the passenger’s seat and his wife got in the driver’s seat and they drove off.
“Today was his last day. He doesn’t have the strength to stay but he wanted to open the door to the place at which he worked for the last ten years, the place he loved, the place that loved him back,” Gwen said.
“Is he going to be okay?” Katie asked.
“They are moving to South Carolina where his wife has family. She can’t take care of him by herself anymore. I think sheer will is what gave him the strength to be with us today, if even for only a few minutes.”
“I’m sorry, Gwen,” Katie said.
“Don’t be. He’s strong and death isn’t taking his old wrinkly behind yet. He may still rally and when he does, we will all be waiting for him,” Gwen looked at Ben, “so don’t you go getting too comfortable here, okay?”
Ben nodded. “No ma’am.”
“All right then, let’s sing happy birthday to Katie,” Gwen said.
Jack, the bartender, went back to the kitchen and came out with a huge, four-layer chocolate cake.
Katie thought of Mr. Santiago and made a mental note to save him a piece.
There were no candles on the cake, for which Katie was glad, because she was already embarrassed by all the attention.
“We didn’t get you candles, hope that’s okay,” Gwen said.
“The cake looks wonderful,” Katie said.
Jack, a burly man in his fifties, cut the cake and served everyone a piece and when Ben said no thank you, he wasn’t hungry, Jack gave him one look and Ben quickly changed his mind which made Katie giggle.
Jack was an imposing figure and no one messed with Jack.
If anyone got too rowdy after more than a few drinks, Jack showed them the door and if they didn’t have anyone to drive them home or walk them home, Jack called a cab and made sure the intoxicated person was buckled and then he personally paid for the fare.
Jack was imposing but he was a kind individual who once told Katie that the world was falling apart because not enough people looked out for one another.
“Oh shoot, we forgot to sing happy birthday,” Gwen said, lifting a fork to her mouth.
“That’s okay. We need to hurry up and get this place ready anyway,” Katie said.
They finished the cake and cleaned up the crumbs from the bar and put the dirty dishes and silverware in the dishwasher and got to work on getting Secret Isla in tip-top shape for the day.
She wasn’t able to save a piece for Mr. Santiago; the employees of Secret Isla devoured every last morsel.
Katie had a feeling that today was going to be an exceptionally manic and busy day and not just because it was the Fourth of the July but because Sir Dave had given Gwen a glowing review and that meant more people were probably going to be heading down to Solomons to try Gwen’s food.
Katie was glad Mr. Santiago was taking care of Hermit because she didn’t think she’d be getting home until the crack of dawn.
“Ben, we need to make sure all of the tables are spotless, not a smudge or crusty old piece of food and you need to look under the tables and remove any chewing gum. Also, check under the seats. It’s the worst part of the job but Gwen insists we do this every day. Once the tables are as clean as they are going to get, we check one more time and then we drape them with the tablecloths. Make sure the tablecloths are free from any stains. If there is even a hint of a stain, it goes back in the bin. I’ll show you where the bin is later. Gwen doesn’t like there to be anything on the tables. No candles, vases, quirky decorations, nothing. She likes things clean and simple.” Katie paused to breathe. “Today, you won’t be serving anyone, you’ll just be helping me, okay?”
“Understood. I’m yours for the night,” Ben said with a smile that made Katie blush.
She straightened her back, trying not to slouch. Ben was tall. A good six feet, two inches, Katie guessed. Katie was only five feet seven inches and she looked like one of Snow White’s dwarfs standing next to Ben.
Katie pulled out a ponytail holder from her pocket and whipped her long dark hair into a tight ponytail.
Ben and Katie got to work doing everything Katie had told Ben needed to be done.
Katie was moving about like a possessed machine. She didn’t want to let Gwen down. Gwen had trusted her to train Ben and if he ended up not working out, she would feel like she had failed at her job.
So she barked at Ben when she found a piece of gum stuck under a table he had supposedly already checked. And also when he missed a stain on a tablecloth and draped it over their corner table by the window overlooking the inlet, the table at which every couple wanted to sit because it was the most romantic spot in the restaurant.
Ben hadn’t gotten mad at her once and when she had barked at him yet again he replied, I’m sorry, your eyes must be better than mine.
Katie was more than frustrated with him and his lack of attention to detail but Ben apologized every single time she pointed out a mistake and did so with a smile and a yes, ma’am.
He had told her he was nineteen years old which made them the same age so she didn’t understand why he kept calling her ma’am. Katie figured maybe it was a Southern thing. Nevertheless, she didn’t care for it and wanted him to stop but she kept quiet about it because now wasn’t the time, especially when Katie’s feeling about the day being an unusually hectic day, was getting stronger by the minute.
Two hours later, they were finally ready to open for business. The lunch crowd was already hovering at the door and Katie noticed a caravan of cars pulling into the parking lot.
Gwen darted toward the front of the restaurant. “Okay, guys, this is our moment to shine. Are we ready?”
Katie glanced at Ben who was rubbing his eyes. He nodded in her direction.
“Let’s roll!” Jack yelled from the back of the restaurant, his arms crossed.
***
People swarmed into the restaurant and Missy, the hostess, welcomed everyone with a smile and a “hello, happy Fourth of July, please wait to be seated.”
Secret Isla didn’t take reservations.
Petite and slim, Missy, kept her composure despite the frustration that was already starting to build in the tiny waiting area. People outside were standing or sitting on benches and some had even decided to sit on the grassy open area on the side of the restaurant.
“We’re going to need to help Missy,” Katie said to Ben.
“Tell me what to do,” he replied.
“She can’t take names down and also sit people so you and I are going to help sit people and then you’re going to help me take their orders.”
“I thought you said I wasn’t going to serve.”
“That was before a circus of people rolled in. Are you up for this? Tell me if you are not because if you’re not, you should probably go ahead and leave right now.”
“I told you I was yours. I’m not leaving.”
“Good.”
Ben was glued to Katie for the next few hours. He followed her every step and did everything she asked him to do and not once did he spill a drink or drop a tray or sit people at the wrong table.
Katie was pleased both with him and herself.
The sun set and Katie was desperate for a break. Her feet were throbbing and she hadn’t had a chance to eat lunch. Ben also hadn’t had a break and he wasn’t complaining so she wasn’t about to either.
Gwen was moving like a hurricane, helping to sit people, serve food and drinks, bus tables and do anything and everything to make sure nothing was missed and the diners were happy.
At one point Missy got lightheaded and Gwen sent her to her office to lie down. Katie thought that perhaps Missy was pregnant and hadn’t told anyone yet. Over the last few weeks, Katie had noticed that Missy’s stomach seemed to have popped out a little.
Missy wasn’t married nor had a boyfriend but Missy was known to party a lot, often hanging out at bars late into the night. Whatever Missy did when she wasn’t working was none of Gwen’s business, and so Gwen never said anything to Missy when she heard of the rumors that Missy had been seen leaving bars with strange men more than once or twice. The way Gwen saw it was quite simple. Missy was a grown woman in her thirties who was more than capable of making her own decisions.
The way Katie saw it right at that moment was also rather simple. With Missy out, they now had no one to greet diners and take their names and as the evening progressed more and more people started showing up and Katie was sure the night was going to end in disaster.
The two other waitresses, Melissa and Juanita, were flying from table to table and could not spare a second to help greet diners so Ben volunteered.
Gwen thanked him and told him to make sure he smiled and didn’t complain or slouch or do anything at all that could be perceived as rude behavior by the customers.
Katie watched Ben greet people and she thought he was the most polite guy she had ever known. He stood up straight and spoke with a quiet and calm voice and even made a few mild, very appropriate jokes which went over really well with the impatient and hungry customers.
The clocked ticked its way to nine and Katie was relieved they had made it that far without any serious mishaps. Sure, two or three orders came out a little overcooked, and she did spill a couple of drinks, although thankfully not on the customers, and the wrong food was served to a couple of tables, but all in all, the night was moving along just fine.
Katie still hadn’t eaten and neither had Ben. Missy was sent home and Melissa, who had back problems, was also sent home.
Thankfully, the fireworks were starting at nine thirty and most people would be off enjoying the explosion of colors in the sky, giving the employees of Secret Isla a much needed reprieve.
By nine fifteen, only two tables still had guests who needed attention and when Katie gazed at the waiting area there was only one couple waiting to be seated.
Katie thought she would grab some nuts from the bar and maybe a few pretzels and go back to Gwen’s office and rest her feet for a while until the next flurry of people came in.
“All right, you two, time for the both of you to get out of here and get some air,” Gwen said, holding a plastic bag. “I packed up some food, a couple of bottles of water, napkins and forks and two pieces of cheesecake.”
“Thank you,” Ben said.
Katie’s back stiffened and she suddenly felt sick. Gwen was obviously trying to get them together and Katie was not going to let that happen.
“It’s all right. I’ll just eat some nuts,” Katie said.
“That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard,” Gwen said.
“I don’t need much,” Katie said.
“Stop being dumb. You need more than nuts. Goodness, Katie, you need proper nutrition. Now, out you go and you’re taking Ben with you. He needs to know what he did right and what he did wrong tonight so he can be better prepared for the second half of the night.”
Ben took the bag from Gwen and looked at Katie. “Will you join me? I promise not to murder you or anything.”
Katie forced a grin. “Okay, but only for a few minutes. The fireworks will be over fast and Gwen will need us here for the next shift.”
“I love you, girl, I really do, but you’ve been on your feet all day. Take all the time you need, and don’t come back for at least thirty minutes and that’s an order,” Gwen said.
***
“Where do you want to go?” Ben asked Katie, once they were outside.
“We can just eat here on a bench,” Katie said.
“Oh, okay, that’s fine if that’s what you want,” Ben said.
“We don’t have a lot of time so we shouldn’t go far,” Katie said.
“Yeah, no, I understand. I thought maybe we could over to the Riverwalk and eat there.”
“Too many people,” Katie said.
Ben scratched his cheek. “Yeah, it does look crowded. I have an idea. We could go to the gardens. They’re not too far. We can walk there and be back before the thirty minutes are up.”
Katie considered Ben’s suggestion and as much as she wanted to stay exactly where she was, she agreed to go to the gardens only because whenever she got really sad she would go to the gardens and sit on a bench and think that she couldn’t be sad, not when so much beauty was surrounding her.
On the way to the gardens, Ben told her he was an English major at UNC and that this was his first time in Solomons and that he came with a friend who was from Solomons and convinced him to come spend the summer with him. He also told her that his friend then decided to spend the summer with his girlfriend in Maine and Ben almost went back home but he liked the feel of the town and since his friend was letting him stay in his parents’ (who were in England for the summer) house rent-free, he decided to stay.
Katie listened to Ben talk but didn’t offer much about her own life. And when he followed up on her earlier comment about her taking a break from school, she told him she had attended community college for a semester but she didn’t think school was for her so she dropped out to work.
Ben told her that at their age they had a lot of time and if she decided to go back to school, UNC was great and he could show her around if she ever found herself in North Carolina.
Katie replied that she didn’t have the grades to get into a real school and that she was fine working.
Ben dropped the school subject and instead commented on the warm weather and the sailboats on the water.
A dozen or more sailboats decorated the river with bright red, white and blue lights and Katie thought that the whole town looked like it had been plucked out of a movie scene.
They reached the gardens and walked on the path toward a white bench near the rose garden.
It was Katie’s favorite spot but she didn’t tell Ben that.
Once they were seated, Ben carefully took everything out of the bag and offered Katie one of the containers.
“This really is a nice town,” Ben said, placing one of the bottles of water next to him and handing Katie the other one.
“I like it,” Katie said, opening the container of food.
“Are you from here?” he asked.
Katie got tense. She didn’t like people asking her about her life. She kept everyone at arm’s length, even Gwen who she adored. Mr. Santiago was the closest anyone had gotten to her since she had arrived in Solomons.
Katie decided that if Ben asked too many questions, she was going to stand and dart right back to Secret Isla. Her life was her life and it was no one’s business where she was from or where she went to school or why she had dropped out or anything else. She didn’t owe anyone any answers about anything.
Her mom had never given her answers about who her dad was or if she had grandparents or cousins or aunts; she always told Katie her life was her life and it wasn’t any of Katie’s business to know anything about her other than that she had carried her in her womb for nine months and that she was doing her best to take care of her.
When Katie didn’t answer Ben, he moved on to another subject. “I lost my glasses earlier today. That’s why I kept messing up and not spotting things. I should have told you.”
“Yes, you should have said something. I was concerned that you were lazy or just didn’t care enough about the job to pay attention to the details.”
“I care. Even more now than a few hours ago.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I met you. You seem really nice and cool and I don’t know anyone here.”
“We’re not going to be friends.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re just not, okay?”
“Okay, but I have a feeling we are.”
They ate their food and sat quietly under the stars and then got up and walked back to the restaurant without saying a word to each other and Katie felt peaceful and happy and she thought that maybe meeting Ben was not so bad and that maybe he could be a friend to her, after all.
The night sailed on and reached the midnight hour and Gwen announced that it was time to close up since most of Solomons was shutting down for the night. Families with children had long since gone home and the Riverwalk vendors had packed up their things and left hours ago and the few remaining people still wandering streets were either intoxicated or young people who wouldn’t be coming for a bite at Secret Isla anyway.
Ben thanked Katie for showing him the ropes and Katie told him he had done a good job.
When all the customers had left, Gwen raised a shot glass in the air and said, “Let’s do it all over again tomorrow! But for now, go home!”
“I can walk you home, if you want,” Ben said to Katie.
Katie had been walking home by herself just fine before meeting Ben but tonight was different. Katie decided that letting Ben walk her home was okay. It didn’t mean she was letting him into her life, though, it just meant that Katie didn’t want to be alone.
She had been alone since she was born and tonight, she wanted to feel like someone genuinely wanted to be with her.
“Okay, thank you,” Katie said.
As they strolled to her house, Ben said, “You don’t need to tell me anything about your life, you know. Not if you don’t want to.”
“Okay,” Katie said.
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know about mine.”
“Why?”
“Because I like you.”
“You don’t know me,” Katie said.
“I know you’re pretty damn kick ass.”
Katie smiled. “What?”
“Yeah, Gwen is lucky as hell to have you. You’re fierce and I don’t think I saw you break a sweat all night.”
“I enjoy my job.”
“And you’re good at it. You should run a restaurant someday.”
“That’s laughable,” Katie said.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know how to cook.”
“So what?”
“Well, you kind of need to know how to cook to run a restaurant.”
“Gwen can teach you.”
Katie had never thought about asking Gwen to teach her how to cook but she admitted that she liked the idea and thought that perhaps she would ask Gwen to teach her.
When they got to her townhouse, Katie said, “I’m glad you were there tonight because there was a moment when I thought we were going to crash right into mayhem.”
“When Missy was sent home?” Ben asked.
“Yeah and then when Melissa left.”
“I’m glad I was there, too. It was a fun night.”
“I don’t know about it being fun,” Katie said.
“I had fun,” Ben said.
“Okay, well, my dog is waiting for me.”
“What’s his name?”
“Hermit.”
“Why Hermit?” Ben asked.
“Because when I was a kid I begged my mom for a pet but she wouldn’t let me have one. Well, I was relentless and begged and begged and one day, she came home with a hermit crab. It was the happiest day of my life. I was seven years old and that day was the happiest day of my life.”
“That’s a sweet story.”
“I named him Hermit and two weeks later he died. That day was the saddest day of my life.”
Ben didn’t say anything.
Katie was stunned at herself. She had told Ben something very personal about her life and it had come out so easily.
“Good night, Ben.”
“Good night, Katie.”
***
It was September seventh and today was Mr. Santiago’s birthday and Katie was in the kitchen baking him a chocolate cake, the same chocolate cake Gwen served at the Secret Isla.
For the last two months, Gwen had been teaching Katie how to cook. Gwen had said she was a natural and should have been cooking all her life.
Gwen also told her that in a few years she was going to retire and leave the Secret Isla to Katie. Katie didn’t believe her. Why would Gwen want to leave her very successful restaurant to her? Whenever Gwen told her that, Katie simply smiled and said she would be honored.
“How’s it coming?” Ben asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.
Hermit was sitting on the floor next to Katie hoping some mix would fall at his feet.
Katie had already told Hermit several times that chocolate wasn’t good for dogs and that if he stopped begging she would give him a treat later and maybe even plain yogurt which she reminded him was good for him and would help him digest his food better.
Someone at the pet store had told her that and Katie took it as gospel and so every day, Katie would give Hermit a tablespoon of yogurt with his breakfast and dinner and sometimes as a snack.
“It’s coming,” Katie said, kissing Ben on the nose.
“I’m so proud of you,” Ben said.
“For what? It’s just a chocolate cake.”
“I’m proud of who you are. You’re kick ass like Wonder Woman.”
Katie laughed. “Yeah, exactly like Wonder Woman.”
Ben had not returned to UNC. He had told Katie that he loved her three weeks after they met and Katie had not responded and he then told her that he knew she loved him, too, but he also knew she would need more time to feel comfortable with him and he was willing to wait for as long as she needed.
They had been dating for a couple of months and Katie still hadn’t told Ben she loved him. She did love him but she just couldn’t say the words out loud because that would mean that she had now completely and utterly let him inside her life and there would be no going back.
“Well, you are my wonder woman.”
“Here have a lick,” Katie said, putting the wooden spoon with chocolate cake mix on it, on his lips.
He licked the spoon dry and then glanced down at Hermit whose tongue was hanging out with jealousy. “I’m sorry, boy.”
“He’ll be fine. He’s getting a treat later.”
“You here that boy? You’re going to get a treat.”
Hermit wagged his tail and took off for the living room, doing several laps around the kitchen before falling on the floor and closing his eyes.
“Why does he do that?” Ben asked.
“Cause it is fun for him,” Katie said.
Ben gave her a kiss on the neck. “And this is fun for me.”
“That’s enough, lover boy, I need to finish the cake and bring it over to Mr. Santiago’s house. I haven’t heard from him all day. I should go over there and make sure he hasn’t forgotten about his own birthday celebration.”
“Do you want me to go check on him?” Ben asked.
“Would you?”
“On it,” Ben said.
After Ben left, Katie put the cake in the oven and gave Hermit his treats. Then she started a fresh pot of coffee and went to take a quick shower.
As the water came down on Katie, she thought about her past and what she had done and how Ben could never know. Not Ever. If he ever found out, he would stop loving Katie and leave her and she’d be alone again.
She pressed her hands on her stomach and inhaled deeply. She loved Ben with all her heart and if she lost him…no, she wasn’t going to lose him because he was never going to discover the secret she was keeping from him.
How would he find out? She wasn’t going to tell him. Maybe on her death bed when she was one hundred years old and even then, probably not.
The man from her past who had promised her everything was dead. And he was the only one who knew what she had done.
His car had sunk in a river and his body was never found. He was dead. And she had been responsible for his death.
He couldn’t hurt her anymore. Unlike the movies, the dead never reanimated.
Yet, he still haunted her, whispering in her ear that she was a no-good weakling like her mother had been and that when she least expected it her life would come crashing down and she would be abandoned once again.
Katie pushed the dark thoughts to the back of her mind and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed a towel from the towel bar and dried herself off.
Then she brushed her hair and slipped into a flowery cotton dress.
When she opened the door to the bathroom, Hermit was in the hallway waiting for her.
“Come on boy, let’s go see Mr. Santiago.”
Ben was standing in the living room, his face was pale and there were tears in his eyes. “Katie, I’m so sorry.”
Katie closed her eyes and hoped that when she opened them, Ben would have a smile on his face, letting her know that all was well with Mr. Santiago and that he couldn’t wait for them to come over and celebrate his birthday with him.
“Katie,” Ben said.
She opened her eyes. “No, don’t say it. The cake is almost done. We need to leave soon. Mr. Santiago is waiting for us.”
“He’s gone,” Ben said.
“No, he’s not.”
Ben tried to hug Katie but she pushed him away. “It’s his birthday. He’s turning ninety today, well, we think it’s today, he can never remember when he was born.”
“I called an ambulance. They are on their way.”
“I want to see him,” Katie said.
“I don’t think you should.”
“I have to see him. He can’t be alone. He didn’t like being alone. His whole family is gone and he was the only one alive. He didn’t have kids. He never told me why but I know he didn’t have any. He only had me and Hermit.”
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
Katie rushed out of the house, Ben behind her.
“Katie, wait, don’t go in there.”
“Where is he? Which room?” Katie asked, standing in Mr. Santiago’s foyer.
“His bedroom,” Ben said.
Katie flew up the stairs and kicked opened the bedroom door.
Mr. Santiago was lying on his back on his bed, his eyes closed. He looked like he was sleeping.
Katie quietly sat on the bed next to him. “I made you a chocolate cake.” She wiped away tears. “I think you would have loved it. You were my friend, Mr. Santiago.”
Ben stood at the door and respected Katie’s time with Mr. Santiago.
Katie picked up a picture frame from the bedside table. “Was this your wife? She was beautiful. I’m going to miss you so much. Hermit is going to miss you, too. I will never forget you, Mr. Santiago.” She kissed his hand and stood.
Ben placed his hand in hers and together they walked out the room, closing the door behind them.
“I love you,” Katie said.
“I love you, too,” Ben said.
***
Mr. Santiago was buried in the cemetery of the only Catholic Church in Solomons. He was Catholic like his parents and their parents and their parents had been.
The months passed and Missy had her baby, a girl who weighed ten pounds. And Carson passed away.
Katie and Ben continued working at the Secret Isla and the days turned into years and Katie and Ben were married at the same church where Mr. Santiago was buried and when Katie said, I do, Ben looked at her and asked her if she remembered when they had fallen in love and Katie responded, in the gardens on the first day we met.