Chapter Three

“Well, come on now, honey, open it up,” Wanda insisted. The older woman had come around the back of the counter now, setting her empty tray in the window. “Whatcha waiting for?”

Valerie really wasn’t sure why she was hesitating. It was probably nothing. The mysterious box that had somehow appeared under the counter was likely a joke or someone playing a trick on her. Nevertheless, Valerie was hopeful as she carefully slid the small, white envelope open, that something magical was about to happen.

The card was pink with a red heart on the front, not more than an inch or so square. She opened it to find a typed message pasted inside. At the top, it said “Dear Valerie,” followed by a little poem which read:

On this first day of Valentine’s,

Your Cupid gives to thee,

Something pink

To make you happy.

Wanda was reading over her shoulder, and while part of her wanted to jerk the card away from her view until after she’d read it herself, Valerie let her see. She glanced back at the envelope and studied the handwriting for a moment. She honestly didn’t recognize it at all, thought it did look more like something a male would write, rather than female.

“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to open it?”

Wanda was being a bit pushy, though Valerie supposed she couldn’t blame her. If the situation were reversed, Valerie would be excited if Wanda got a secret box, too, although the older waitress had been married for at least twenty years so anything like this aimed at her was out of the question. Still, Valerie hesitated to slip the ribbon off and see what was in the box. What if it was a gag gift, and the alleged Cupid was watching to see her get all excited just so he could laugh?

“Do you need some help?”

Valerie turned to look at Wanda this time, and without saying anything, she managed to make her co-worker take a step back. Clearly, her eyes said it all. With a deep breath, Valerie slipped the white ribbon off of the corner of the box, careful not to untie it. She opened the top to reveal a pink heart-shaped brooch, with silver edges. It was only about the size of a half-dollar, but shined in the light from the twinkling hearts overhead, and Valerie thought it was beautiful. She looked around the diner, trying to see if anyone’s expression shifted. She saw glasses that needed refilling, checks that needed delivering, and napkins that needed collecting, but no gushes of merriment at her smiling face. Whoever brought this gift was either quite the deadpan or had left before she opened it.

“Isn’t that just precious?” Wanda asked, studying the brooch from behind her shoulder. “I wonder who in the world managed to drop that off without either of us noticing.”

“I have no idea,” Valerie admitted, holding it in her hand. “But it sure is pretty.”

“Here, let me put it on you,” Wanda insisted, stepping around and taking it from Valerie. It only took her a second to fasten it to Valerie’s pink uniform, just above her name tag and beside her apron string. “There you go.”

“Thank you,” Valerie said, trying to hide back the emotion in her voice. While she was still certain this wasn’t a gift from a secret admirer, bur rather from a friend who was trying to lift her spirits, it was a touching gesture, and she couldn’t help but feel tears stinging the backs of her eyes as she gathered up the box, ribbon, envelope and card. “I’m just going to go put these in my handbag.”

“Take your time, hon. I’ll go check on your tables.”

Valerie mumbled a thank you, realizing that Mr. Nelson was her only patron right now, but not bothering to comment, as she was certain Wanda would figure that out soon enough. As she crossed into the kitchen, Frank called over his shoulder, “What you got there, girly?”

It took her a moment to realize he was speaking to her. “Oh, just… someone left a gift for me under the counter.”

“What did you get?” he asked, slightly turning to look at her now even though he was still concentrating on the grill.

“It’s a pin,” she replied holding her uniform out a bit so he could see.

“Nice,” he said, returning to the food. Either he was too busy to give it his full attention or didn’t seem to grasp the significance. Valerie continued on her way to the closet and placed the items that had accompanied the gift into her bag, thinking she might study them again later for some sort of clue. If the card was actually indicating there would be more than one day of Valentines, did that mean she should expect another gift the next day, or would another staff member at Bishop’s Diner get a turn?

“You sure you wanna be wearing that?” Frank asked as she came back out of the closet. “I mean, it is pink. And a heart. And everyone knows you’re not a fan of Valentine’s Day.”

Valerie shrugged. “I guess maybe it isn’t as bad as I thought,” she said, wondering if she really meant that or if it was just the kind act that was messing with her mind.

Sam was standing near the sink in the back of the room, and he hardly glanced at her at all as she walked by, which she thought was odd. He usually said something to her, but he was concentrating on the pan he was scrubbing as if there was nothing else going on in the world. Rather than break his concentration, Valerie passed him by, feeling rude but not really knowing what to say anyway. The pin had her mind in a whirlwind, and she knew it would be difficult to make it through the rest of her shift now that she was completely focused on trying to figure out who had delivered the gift. Would the rest of the month go this way as well?

***

Hours later, Valerie sat on her sofa, sipping a cup of tea, pondering where the Valentine gift had come from. Sophie was asleep, so she couldn’t mull it over with her roommate. She debated waking her up when she got home from her shift, but Sophie was a heavy sleeper, and it didn’t seem fair to wake her when Valerie knew she’d have to be at work before 9:00 the next morning. It was already well past midnight, and Valerie thought she should be getting to bed herself, but as she held the brooch in her hand, rubbing it gently with her thumb, she just couldn’t help but wonder where it had come from.

She took another sip of her tea and set it down on the coffee table next to the rest of the items that had come with the heart. There weren’t any other clues she’d missed. The handwriting on the envelope was the best one, but it didn’t really tell her anything other than whoever wrote it had taken his—or her—time. The letters were penned neatly and exactly. Whoever had given this gift to her didn’t seem to want to be found out. Valerie sighed. These were the times when she really wished her mom was still around. She would’ve had some great suggestion to help her discover who the mystical Cupid was, or at the very least, some words of comfort to help Valerie put her thoughts aside and get some rest.

Eventually, she decided to go to bed and hoped that the next morning she’d either have another clue or the Cupid would reveal their true identity. She put the pin back in the box, scooped up everything that came with it, and made her way to her bedroom, careful not to make too much noise as she passed Sophie’s room, though she was pretty sure she could’ve had a marching band accompany her, and Sophie still wouldn’t have stirred. She decided a nice hot shower and some reading would take her mind off of the brooch—at least she hoped so. Otherwise, it was going to be a long night.

***

The next day, Valerie hit snooze several times before she finally crawled out of bed around 10:30. Normally, she hopped out of bed with the first chirp, but she’d lain awake long into the wee hours of the morning pondering where the Valentine pin had come from. Now, with just over five hours before her shift started, she decided to go into town and talk to Delaney about the Valentine dance and run a few other errands before she came back to put on her uniform.

Most of the residents of Charles Town were so used to seeing her in her pink waitress uniform, they often didn’t recognize her in regular clothing, which always made her laugh. It was particularly difficult if her curly blonde hair wasn’t tied up the way she usually wore it at the restaurant. Today, she decided on a pair of jeans and a light red sweater. She wasn’t exactly sure what the weather had decided to do today, but thought she’d be safe in this outfit no matter whether it was spring or winter on this February second. She decided to leave her hair down for now, and as an after thought, she picked up the brooch and pinned it to her sweater, just in case her Cupid saw her. She wanted whomever the secret gift-giver was to know that she was appreciative.

She checked her makeup one last time in the mirror and decided she liked how the red in the sweater brought out a soft pink glow in her cheeks and made her blue eyes sparkle. Today might be a good day after all, even if it was the dreaded month of love.

It only took a few minutes for her to drive to Delaney’s Delights. The weather was nice, and she even rolled the window down a bit on her green vintage VW Bug as she motored along. A love song was playing on the radio, and she hummed along, realizing she’d never paid too much attention to the words before now, but that Adele sure could sing.

Delaney’s Delights was fairly crowded, even for a Friday, and it took her friend a few moments to acknowledge her waiting back by the door. Once Delaney saw her, she waved, brushing her long brown hair over her shoulder. “Hey, Val! How are you today?” she called from behind the counter as she served up one of her popular muffins to a patron seated on a barstool.

“I’m good,” Valerie said, once a few other customers cleared out of the way and she could approach the counter. “How are you? Seems busy.”

“Yeah, well, it always is these days,” Delaney replied, still smiling. “I’m great. It’s so nice to see you. Do you have today off?”

“No, I have the afternoon to close shift,” Valerie replied.

“Your favorite one.” Delaney had a way of remembering details about her friends most people wouldn’t. “Do you work tomorrow? Josh is coming into town, and we were thinking about stopping by.”

“I do,” Valerie replied. “I’d love to see him. How are things going?” Delaney had been seeing Josh for a couple of months now. He’d recently relocated from Washington, DC, to his parents’ Christmas tree farm in Shepherdstown. Though it wasn’t that far away, Delaney still didn’t get to see him as much as she wanted to, but Valerie knew they were working to figure out a way they could be together more often.

“It’s going great.” She was beaming, and Valerie had no doubt it was true. Her friend definitely looked like a woman in love. “He’s starting his own computer repair business and helping his dad out on the farm.”

“That’s wonderful.” Valerie was happy for her friend but couldn’t help but feel a small tinge of jealousy. Would she ever be the one beaming about her new love, or would she always be the friend congratulating everyone else?

“What can I get you?” Delaney asked. “Cocoa? Muffin? Both?”

Valerie giggled; her friend knew her too well. “Actually, I just came in to ask you a favor, although, since I’m here, and those muffins do look fresh, I’d love a chocolate-chocolate chip.”

“Sure thing,” Delaney said, grabbing a plate and popping a muffin on top of it. She turned to the hot cocoa machine, even though Valerie hadn’t asked for any, and filled a red mug full of her award winning beverage. Once she’d returned and set the mug down on the counter next to Valerie’s muffin, she asked, “What did you want to talk to me about?”

Valerie slid over to the last open barstool and sat down, tearing off a chunk of the muffin as she did so. It was warm and gooey, and she knew it would taste divine, but first she needed to broach her topic of inquiry. “Well, the Senior Citizen Center’s Valentine’s Day Dance is coming up in a little over a week, and Mrs. Gregory said she’s having a hard time getting people to volunteer to help. I was hoping, maybe, you’d consider donating some snacks. I don’t know how much you’d be able to do—and I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t be able to pay you—but if you could help out any at all, it would be greatly appreciated.”

Delaney was staring at her with a strange expression on her face, and Valerie popped the bite of muffin into her mouth before she could say more. After a moment, Delaney broke into a chuckle. “Wait—you are helping with a Valentine’s Day Dance? You, the official Grinch of the Valentine’s Day holiday? How is that possible?”

“I know, I know,” Valerie replied, once she’d swallowed. “It sounds crazy. But… yeah, when Mrs. Gregory said she needed help, I volunteered. I just felt very sorry for all of those elders who look forward to it every year. I’m sure they’d be very disappointed if they didn’t get to go.”

“Ahh, Val, that’s so sweet,” Delaney said as an older woman approached the counter. She held up a finger to signal she’d be right back, and Valerie turned her attention to the muffin in front of her while Delaney waited on her customer. A few minutes later, the muffin was nearly gone, and Delaney was back. “Okay, sure. I’d be happy to help.”

“You would?” Valerie asked, though she wasn’t too surprised. She’d had a feeling Delaney would be willing to help however she could.

“No problem, just as long as I don’t have to actually be there on Valentine’s Day. I mean, Josh and I sort of have plans.”

“Right,” Valerie said, hoping the nausea she suddenly felt in her stomach wasn’t evident in her voice. Of course, Delaney and her new boyfriend would have plans on Valentine’s Day, but for some reason, Valerie didn’t want to hear about it. “No, you shouldn’t have to be there. I mean, it’s a Wednesday night, so I’ll likely have that whole day off and can swing by and pick up whatever you’d like to donate.”

“Well, just let me know what you need, and I’ll be happy to make it for you. The bakery has done so well lately, I’ll be glad to do what I can to help the community. A lot of those senior citizens are my best customers.”

“I know. Mine, too,” Valerie agreed, her thoughts flickering to Mr. Nelson. There had to be a way to get him there….

“I love your brooch, by the way,” Delaney said, gesturing at the heart on Valerie’s sweater. “I’m so surprised to see you wearing something so festive.” She shrugged her shoulders and wrinkled up her nose as she said it, an act that made her even more adorable, and made Valerie’s stomach even more sour.

“Thanks,” Valerie replied, wondering if she should go into the whole secret Cupid thing right now. Probably not, not since she had no idea if this was an on-going event or just a one-time thing. “It was a gift.”

Delaney was busy again, so she didn’t have time to ask Valerie who the gift had come from. She pulled some cash out of her pocket—tip money—and waited for Delaney to come back so she could pay for her order.

“Oh, please,” her friend said, waving her away. “This one is on me.”

“Delaney,” Valerie said, tilting her head to the side, “if you don’t ever let your friends pay, you will go out of business.”

“You usually do pay,” Delaney reminded her. “But this is a celebration—Valerie’s no longer afraid of Valentine’s Day.”

Realizing she was going to get nowhere, Valerie dropped several bills into the tip jar, knowing Delaney wouldn’t argue with that. All of that money went to the other employees that worked there, most of which were either high school students or older women who would have otherwise been retired and likely baking at home. “I’m supposed to meet with Mrs. Gregory and Mrs. Carpenter soon, and I’ll let you know what we need.”

“Sounds perfect. Have a good day, Val,” Delaney called as she approached another patron waiting for service.

“You, too,” Valerie replied as she tucked the rest of her money into her pocket, made sure she had her phone and keys, and made her way out the door.

As she strolled out into the chilly air, hearing Delaney’s bell chime behind her, she looked up and down the thoroughfare, trying to decide which errand to run next. Across the street, she saw Alec walking between the hardware store and the florist. He had his hands in his jeans pockets and seemed to be in a hurry. For a moment, she thought about calling out to him. Maybe she should let him know Delaney had agreed to cater the dance. On the other hand, if he was trying to get somewhere quickly, he probably wouldn’t want to talk. And since he hadn’t said more than a half dozen words to her the last year, up until recently anyway, she thought maybe he’d just as soon be left alone. She stood and watched him for a few minutes, however, as he faded away down the street, wondering why his disposition was so different than his sister’s. Once he was out of sight, she turned to go, and nearly collided with someone, knocking a bag full of items onto the ground.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Valerie cried as she took a step backward, surveying the mayhem she’d caused.

“It’s okay,” he replied, stooping to pick up what appeared to be pet supplies. Valerie realized it was Joe, and instantly felt a lot better. At least it wasn’t an old woman or a child she’d accosted.

She stooped to help him pick up the various items, tossing them back into the plastic bag he held without looking too closely at any of them. “What are you doing downtown this time of day?” she asked, making conversation.

“We ran out of a few things,” Joe explained, peering up at her through his shaggy hair as Valerie tossed the last item into the bag and they both rose to their feet. “Shipment’s not due until tomorrow, so Dr. Hastings sent me to the pet store to pick ’em up.”

“I see,” Valerie said, smiling. “Well, I’m sorry I almost knocked you down.”

“No problem,” Joe said with a shrug. “Honestly, I probably would’ve walked right by you and not recognized you if you hadn’t. You look… different when you’re not in your uniform.”

Valerie wasn’t sure if different was good or bad, but she thought from the gleam in his eyes it couldn’t be too awful. “Yeah, well, I’ll be back in it soon enough. Are you feeling better?”

“I am,” he nodded. “Just needed some sleep.”

“Good.” She let out a nervous giggle and wondered why she was suddenly having trouble talking to Joe. She’d spoken to him almost every day for the last several months at the diner. Why was it different on the street? “It wasn’t the same without you last night.” She wasn’t even sure what that meant, but it sounded like the polite thing to say.

Joe opened his mouth to say something, and then, as if he just noticed her pin, he said, “What’s that? Are you wearing a Valentine’s Day pin? I thought you had sworn off Valentine’s Day forever.”

Valerie glanced down as if she’d forgotten she was even wearing it. “No, not entirely, I guess,” she stammered. “I mean… it was a gift. And… you know… it’s impolite not to wear a gift.”

Joe’s eyebrows raised over his coffee-colored eyes. “A gift from who?”

Swallowing hard, Valerie shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. But I hope to find out.”

“You don’t know?” Joe echoed, his eyebrows staying in their upright position. “Is it like a secret admirer?”

“Something like that, I guess,” Valerie admitted. “But I think it’s more of a friend than an admirer.”

Finally, Joe’s eyebrows relaxed. “I don’t know,” he said, a crooked grin on his face. “Maybe. Or maybe someone’s hoping to turn you into his Valentine.”

“Whatever,” Valerie said dismissively, crossing her arms, suddenly very uncomfortable. This didn’t seem like the sort of conversation she wanted to be having with Joe, particularly not in the middle of the street. “Well, you probably need to get back to the clinic, and I have some errands I have to run before my shift starts.”

“Right,” Joe nodded. “It was nice seeing you—outside of the diner.”

“You, too,” Valerie replied, offering a nervous grin. “I guess I’ll see you this evening.”

“See you then,” he affirmed, and Valerie took a careful step around him, hoping not to bump into him again. She had a few more things she needed to do, but for some reason the conversation with Joe had question marks going up in her head, and before she went on about her business, she decided she would go and sit in her car for a few minutes and get control of her mind. Why was talking to Joe suddenly so difficult?

***

Alec double-checked he had everything his father had sent him after before heading back to his Subaru, which he’d left parked down the block a little way. One of the things he enjoyed about working for his father’s company was that he had the freedom to come and go as he pleased most of the time, and even though his dad had insisted he pick up a few things while he was out, it also allowed him to pick and choose his hours. This afternoon, he’d gotten a call from a friend who worked in the record store downtown that they’d gotten a particularly interesting collection in, so Alec was able to close his accounting software for a bit and go check it out. Even though his dad, Bruce, insisted he also stop by the hardware store, Alec got several items checked off of his list all at once and decided to go back into the office and finish up a few things before he caught up with Erin for dinner.

Some people remarked that he seemed unusually close to his little sister, but those people weren’t aware that Erin had been his voice for so many years when he was younger. They hadn’t moved to Charles Town until he was seven, so no one here knew he had been nonverbal until he was in kindergarten. Whether it was some sort of selective mutism, or something else, his parents never knew for sure, but with extensive speech therapy, socialization skills, and occupational therapy, Alec had eventually caught up to his classmates. In the years leading up to that, however, it was his friendly, outgoing, remarkable little sister who always made sure her brother was treated fairly and got whatever he needed. Nothing could ever break the bond he and Erin had formed, so if people thought it was odd that he still ate dinner with his little sister and his folks every night, even though he was twenty-six years old, that was for them to worry about, not him.

As he made his way back toward his SUV, he noticed Valerie standing on the other side of the street talking to that guy from the vet clinic. A moment’s thought jarred his name to mind—Joe something-or-other. She was laughing, but something about her body language made him stop and watch. Alec had known Valerie in high school and had always thought she was beautiful, but he’d never had the courage to say anything to her, and then he’d gone away to college and dated a few other girls. When he returned, she was in a relationship. While he was fairly certain she was absolutely not interested in him at all, it always bothered him that she was never appreciated. It seemed like every time he was in the diner lately, she was talking about how everyone else had found Mr. Right, and she was still casting her line into the ocean trying to catch the right fish. Valerie deserved more.

But he didn’t think Joe was the right guy for her, and he was relieved when they parted ways, Valerie seeming to cut a wide path around the vet tech. Alec did notice that Joe stopped and stared after her, and while he wanted to be upset at the guy for ogling her, he realized he was doing a little bit of that himself. Once he was sure Valerie wasn’t in an uncomfortable situation, he went on to his Subaru and climbed inside. Through his rearview mirror, he could see her sitting in her car, staring at the side of the building in front of her, and he thought maybe he should go ask her if she was all right. But then—that might seem creepy. Even if they were going to be working together on the Senior Citizens Valentine’s Day Dance, she hardly knew him at this point, though she had been his main reason for volunteering to help. He sat in his car and debated what to do, nervously drumming his thumb against the steering wheel.

Just when he thought he should go tap on her window and see if she was okay, her car door opened, and she popped out, headed in the opposite direction as Joe. She looked fine, as if whatever was bothering her had passed, so he decided to go ahead and head back to work, anxious to get some more numbers crunched before the hour grew too late. After dinner, he wanted to check out the records he’d purchased. Several of them seemed like they might work well for the dance.

O’Connell Construction was located on the outskirts of town, but it only took a few minutes to drive there since Charles Town was so small. Alec owned a bungalow he was fixing up which was a few blocks away. In nice weather, he usually walked to work, but today he had a feeling he’d be running an errand or two so he’d opted to drive. His father had been working to restore their Colonial for years, and it seemed like every time he finished one project, he started another. It was back on the other side of town, which was less than five miles away. Even in the worst of Charles Town traffic jams, his dad’s commute was never more than ten minutes. Erin had moved back in a few months ago when she’d decided to get her master’s degree and quit her social work job. He thought it was a great idea considering social workers are both underpaid and overworked, and he knew his little sister would make a great counselor.

As he pulled into his usual parking space, he grabbed the items his father had requested out of the seat and made his way inside. The office was attached to the warehouse where his dad insisted on keeping a stock of their most critical supplies, and Alec waved hello to some of the construction workers as he headed toward the door. Inside, he nodded to the receptionist, Lavern, who was like a grandmother to him, but happened to be on the phone right now. His dad’s office was just around the corner, and he sat staring at blueprints, his graying head of hair in his hand.

Knocking on the open door, Alec waited for him to look up. “Here you go, Dad,” he said, plunking the bags from the hardware down on the table. “I got samples of all the different handles they had available, but they didn’t have much of a selection.”

“Great,” Bruce O’Connell said, glancing from his son’s face to the paper in front of him. “Hopefully, they have something that will work for the Masters’ place until that shipment gets in. I don’t understand how something can be delayed for two weeks.”

“Holiday rush?” Alec surmised. “Perhaps they never got caught up after Christmas.”

Letting out a sigh, Bruce said, “I don’t know. Maybe. Thanks for picking those up, Alec.”

“No problem.” He pulled the receipt out of the bag, thinking he may as well take it with him since it would end up on his desk eventually anyway.

“Mom called earlier and said her last client had canceled, so she’s heading home earlier, and she’ll start dinner.”

Alec smiled. He knew his father loved it when his mother, who was a pediatrician in the neighboring town of Berryville, made it home in time to cook dinner, a rarity. Most nights, he and Erin swung by the diner and plated their food when they got back as if it was home cooked. Frank’s fare was fairly close. “I bet you’re excited about that,” Alec replied, though he was honestly a little disappointed he wouldn’t be going to the diner for some reason he was unwilling to admit.

“I am. I’m hoping she makes her pork chops and gravy.” Bruce rubbed his stomach, and Alec couldn’t help but chuckle at his father, still as lean and fit now as the day he’d married his high school sweetheart, Caroline, nearly thirty years ago.

“Well, I have a little bit more work to do before I head out,” Alec said, stepping back toward the doorway behind him.

“You are coming for dinner though, right?”

His father asked the question as if his son hadn’t shown up nearly every night for dinner since he’d returned from college over four years ago. “Yes, Dad. I know it’s Friday, but no DJ gigs tonight.”

“Good,” Bruce chimed in, and Alec tried not to be offended. “See you later, Son.”

“See ya,” Alec replied, waiting until he was out of his father’s view before he allowed himself to shake his head. It wasn’t that his father disapproved of his side hustle, he just didn’t see the point. He didn’t understand that music was one way Alec was able to communicate even back when he couldn’t find the words. Even though he’d never been talented enough to play an instrument and couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, being a DJ allowed him to express himself through music.

While he wasn’t able to book anything for that particular night, the next night he was doing a sweet sixteen party in Shepherdstown, and the next weekend, his Saturday was also busy. Though he had tentatively told a friend in Winchester he was available for Valentine’s Day, he’d called him the night before and told him something had come up. It wasn’t like Alec to volunteer to serve on committees, but he felt he could really help the senior citizens out, and when he’d heard Valerie offer to help, he couldn’t help but say he would as well. He knew nothing would ever happen between the two of them; years of admiring her from afar throughout high school had taught him that. But he liked being around her. She was so energetic and really knew how to lift people’s spirits. As he took a seat behind his computer and opened up the programs he needed in order to finish what he was working on earlier, he knew she was the reason he was disappointed not to be dropping by the diner that night, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Even seeing her for a few minutes each evening somehow made him feel lighter and more capable of handling whatever the world tossed in his direction.

Visions of Valerie talking to Joe filled his head, however, no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on his work. There was just something about that guy Alec didn’t trust. He had no idea what it was, but he realized he needed to find out. Even if Alec would never be the kind of guy Valerie would go out with, she still deserved someone who would love her completely and unconditionally, and for some reason, Alec didn’t think Joe was that guy.