Five

“I just don’t know who she thinks she is.” I stuffed a forkful of gravy and biscuits in my mouth. “Seriously, she thinks she can come here and act as if she was the best foster mother around?”

My phone chirped with a text from Abby Fawn.

“I though you just said she said she adopted you.” Trudy leaned her hips against the counter of the Normal Diner. Her hand dangled the coffee pot, with her elbow tucked into the waist of her lanky, five-foot-eight-inch frame. The long, dishwater blonde ponytail pulled around her shoulder and down the yellow button-up diner dress.

“I’ll never claim them. Never,” I protested and took another bite, swiveling my body in the stool butted up to the counter. I hit the message button on my phone and quickly read through Abby’s text. She’d gotten confirmation that Nadine would be at the library today at two p.m. to talk to The Laundry Club’s book club members about the book.

“Well, I think you look as pretty as a picture.” She dragged the white coffee mug that had a small chip on the rim across the counter and refilled my coffee. “Better than this awful yellow thing the Randals are making us wear.”

“Thank you. I guess I shouldn’t get all crazy over just a visit.” I gnawed on my lip. “She really can’t do anything to me. I’m an adult.”

“That’s right. Just like Preacher Lester says, it’s our attitude about things.” She patted my hand and took off down the counter, refilling all the empty mugs along the way.

Even though I knew Trudy was right, I still didn’t feel like listening to her. I wanted to be mad and feed my emotions with the awesome southern-style biscuits and gravy Ty Randal had made.

I quickly texted Abby back letting her know I’d be there. It’s not that I didn’t want to go, although I did have a lot of work to do on the Christmas Dinner at the Campground. It’s just that I wasn’t ready to be so easily available to Mary Elizabeth. I had to get a grip on still feeling towards her like I did when I was a teenager. But I wasn’t so sure what those feelings were. They were still just as confusing now as they were then. I’d been to several therapists the year I left Kentucky, but never truly felt like I’d gotten any sort of answers. I’d let the bitterness take hold of my heart and let it fester there for her.

The front door of the diner opened, sweeping in the frigid air and sending chills along my legs after the cold found my ankles.

“Aren’t we all fancy today.” Hank Sharp’s green eyes twinkled. His black hair was perfectly combed to the side.

My heart quickened. I gulped down the bite of gravy and biscuits I’d just stuffed into my mouth. He reached his hand over to my mouth, placing his thumb under my chin and using his forefinger to gently touch the corner of my lip.

“You had a little gravy.” He smiled seductively, or at least in my head it was, before he reached over my shoulder to grab a napkin from the steel napkin holder on the counter. His cologne carried past him and tickled my nose.

“I’ll grab us a table.” A woman tapped him on the shoulder.

“Is that…?” I pointed and reached for my purse that I’d put on the floor since I’d decided to sit at the stool. I pulled out Nadine White’s book from book club and flipped it to the back where there was her bio and a photo. “That’s Nadine White.”

“Yes. It is.” He nodded and reached around me, pinching off a piece of my biscuit.

“Stop that. I need some comfort food.” I smacked his hand away, teasing him.

We had been doing this little flirting dance with each other for a few months and had yet to take it to anything more than that. The closest thing to a date we have had was his popping by for a cup of coffee at my RV.

“What’s going on?” He asked as if he weren’t with Nadine.

“What’s going on with you and Nadine?” I asked, leaning back to get a look at her.

“She said something about social media getting out that she was here and how there was this one photographer person who stalks her. Apparently,” he let out a long sigh, “she’s decided to live in Normal for the majority of the winter months and sorta hide out. She wants some confidence in the sheriff’s department and forest rangers that her calls will be taken seriously if this guy does show up.”

“Hmmm,” I hummed, knowing it had to have been Abby’s hashtags that had gotten the word out. “So you brought her to breakfast?”

“I told her to meet me here. And she just told me that she’s staying at a campground called Happy Trails.” He smiled so big like he had a secret.

“What?” I asked. “You’re hiding something.”

“She also said that when she got there, the place looked like the north pole. She said she’s going to talk to the manager about taking some of the decorations down.”

“Have you read these books of hers?” I smacked him in the chest with it. “She loves Christmas in them. I just wanted her to feel welcome and at home.”

I was going to kill Abby Fawn when I saw her next.

“And they really aren’t that great.” I shrugged, feeling a little jealous that he was having breakfast with her when he’d never invited me to eat out. The fact she was pretty didn’t help matters either.

I mean. . . She had straight, shoulder length, brown hair with caramel highlights in the right places. She had a nice olive complexion with perfectly shaped lips. Her nose fit her face dead set in the middle while mine jutted slightly to the right at the tip. She also appeared to be stylish. with a black overcoat neatly buttoned then tied at the tapered waist.

“I’m sure you know that I prefer a good dead body mystery over any friendship mushy stuff.” I reminded him in a not so subtle way how I was the one who had helped him solve a few cases around here.

“Is she the reason that you’re all up in arms?” He asked.

It didn’t go unnoticed that he looked at her. Their eyes met and he gave her the one more second finger gesture. 

“No. Bobby Ray invited my foster mother. . .”

“Adopted mother,” Trudy corrected me. “Two coffees?” she interrupted, asking Hank.

“Yes. Thank you.” He nodded at her then looked back down at me. “Adopted?”

“Bobby Ray invited our foster mother to Christmas without telling me. She showed up last night.” I picked up the coffee cup and took a drink.

“You know, we’ve never talked much about your past.” His jaw tensed. He ran a hand through his black hair. “Maybe we can grab some supper or something. I’ve got a good ear.”

“Hank Sharp, are you asking me out on a real date?” I asked, trying to stop the huge grin I felt spreading across my face.

“I think I am, May-bell-ine West.” He drew out my real name in his long, slow, southern drawl, making it sound so much cuter than it truly was. “What if I pick you up around six tonight?”

“That is perfect. It gives me time to go to the library where your new citizen for the winter is going to give a small talk to our book club group. Abby Fawn is a huge fan of Nadine’s and giddy as a child on Christmas Eve.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up at six.” He started to walk away, but turned back around. “Mae, please don’t be the date that doesn’t eat.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not.” Now, a few years ago when I’d started to date my Paul West, my dead ex-husband, things were different. I was a flight attendant. I’d met him and became his private flight attendant, which quickly turned into a romantic relationship.

He swept me off my feet, lavishing me with gifts. Flying me all over the world, keeping me draped in the finer things in life. I loved the clothes, the handbags, and all the facials, not to mention the fine dining and trips. I’d realized I’d become exactly who Mary Elizabeth had dreamed I’d be, minus the college education.

Trust me, Mary Elizabeth never intended me to use a college education. She just expected me to find good breeding stock there. Life here in Normal seemed like the real me and maybe that’s why I held such a grudge against Mary Elizabeth.

I needed to explore and dig deep to find out what it was I didn’t like about her if I was ever going to get over it. It wasn’t bothering her any. It was funny how it was bothering me more and more and eating me alive inside.

Having Mary Elizabeth send me away to boarding school should have been enough, but the second year I was there, I’d put my foot down and started to defend myself and others against the rich girl bullies, making me the most popular kid there. Still, I hated it and I hated that my family had died, but like I always did when life served me lemons, I just kept going.

“Who is that?” Trudy lifted her chin towards Hank and Nadine.

“She’s some big author. We read her book for book club. Abby loves her. She’s staying at the campground for a couple of months. Apparently, she wanted to let the law know she’s in town in case those trashy magazines hear of it and invade our little town.”

“Really?” Trudy’s brows rose. “I might have to pick up a book and see exactly what she writes.”

“I’m sure you can come to the library today around two. She’s going to meet with our book club and answer questions I guess.” I picked up my coffee cup and brought it to my lips.

My eyes zeroed in on Nadine putting her hand on top of Hank’s, flipping her hair as a giggle escaped her lips. Our eyes met, hers narrowing and mine popping open when I recognized her look.

“Ah oh.” Trudy put the coffeepot on the counter and crossed her arms. “It appears she’s wanting some company while she’s visiting.”

“Yeah. Right. Over my dead body,” I groaned and looked away.

But not for long.

“What’s going on out there?” Trudy nodded towards the window.

I turned my head to look over my shoulder and when I did, I caught a glimpse of horror on Nadine’s face.

There were two women in the middle of the snowy median on Main Street. One of them had a camera strapped around her neck while the other one was pulling at it with her hands.

I felt a gust of wind along my back as Hank Sharp ran past me and out the front door of the diner. Like all good citizens who loved gossip and drama, the customers of the diner rushed out of the diner like stampeding cattle, all gawking and whispering about what on earth was going on.

Not me. I tapped my feet around on the base of the counter’s footrest and swirled the stool so that my knees were facing Nadine White. It was just me, Nadine, Trudy, and the kitchen staff left in the diner. I didn’t need to go see what was going on outside. It was cold and these heels weren’t going to let me do it gracefully. I would just get Hank to tell me when we had our date that night.

“Hi, Nadine.” I carefully stood up. Once I felt sure on my feet and looked a little less like a newborn giraffe, I picked up my coffee and headed her way. “May I?”

“I’m sorry. Do we know each other?” She asked.

“Actually, you’re staying at Happy Trails Campground and I’m the owner. I’m the one who put up the ridiculous Christmas decorations that you found a little tacky.” I sat down without her inviting me. “I have to apologize for that. Abby Fawn is the local librarian and my friend. You might recognize her name. She’s a huge fan of yours and picked your book for our book club.”

“Yes. I’m going to be visiting with you today.” She nodded, putting on a much different expression than she worn earlier.

“Well, she’s the one who has read all of your books. Probably five times over. But this Christmas book was the first book of yours I’ve read and apparently you write a lot about Christmas, making my friend Abby think you love and adore Christmas.” I could tell she knew where this was going. “I understand that you hate the decorations, and I’m more than happy to take them down. I don’t need you to be nice to me. I’m not in the market for a new friend while you’re in town, but I will tell you that I won’t have you being nasty to your number one fan while you’re here.”

I sucked in a deep breath when I noticed a young woman come through the diner doors. She glanced our way when she walked by, but her attention was focused on what was going on outside.

I heard her ask Trudy what was going on. Trudy leaned across the counter and whispered, causing the customer to look at me and Nadine.

“I’ll make this fast because I’ve got to go back to work.” I took a drink of my coffee. “Abby Fawn is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. She takes pride in her job and the fact that she thinks she knows you. All I’m asking is that you don’t burst her bubble by talking about the decorations. Trust me. I get it and I have thick skin, but Abby does not.” I stood up and Nadine’s eyes followed me. “If you can’t show a little kindness while you’re here, just stay in the camper. You’ll find that everything you need is in there. If not, look across the lake at the camper with all the gaudy twinkling Christmas lights and the poodle with unruly hair - that’s mine.”

“Duly noted, Mae.” Her face was stone-like.

The sound of customers filing back into the diner brought me out of the competitive staring contest Nadine and I seemed to be having, like we were at the grade school lunch table. At least, me and my friends used to see who could stare the longest without blinking. Make no bones about it, I was a champ every time, but today I decided it was best to go ahead and have peace instead of victory.

I took my seat back at the counter and let Trudy fill up my coffee cup one more time before I forced myself to go back to the campground. I’d been gone long enough to make it look like I’d been doing business like I said I had to do.

“What was that about?” I stopped Hank after he came back into the diner.

“Nadine was right. That was some sort of paparazzi and Nadine’s agent. According to her agent, Nadine is writing her next book while she’s vacationing here. It’s highly anticipated and there’s a big cash reward for anyone who can get a glimpse of what it’s about.”

“Romance, small town, friendships,” I muttered. “All her books have that.”

“Not this one. The agent told the photographer it isn’t like anything Nadine has ever written before.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I read Bait and Tackle.” He smiled. “And keep the peace.”

“Is that the photographer Nadine was worried about?” I asked, noticing over his shoulder that the agent and the photographer were still talking.

“Nope. Different one.” He put his hands in his pockets. “I gotta get back to her and let her know that we aren’t her security detail and how sorry I am that we can’t keep a guy on her at all times.”

“Yeah, sure.” I smiled back.

“I am looking forward to tonight.” He gave me a wink that sent my heart into palpitations.

“Did you say that’s a famous author?” The customer who’d come in when I was talking to Nadine had sat down on the stool next to mine.

“Yes. Nadine White,” I confirmed. I didn’t care if everyone knew she was here. “Do you read?”

“I do. I write too.” The young woman looked over her shoulder and watched as Hank and Nadine left.

“I don’t know much about her, but I’m more than happy to extend an invitation to the library gathering today at two o’clock. She’s going to speak to our book club and I’m sure one more won’t hurt.” I put some cash on the counter, but not before glancing back at Nadine White and my Hank Sharp.

Nadine had scribbled something on a piece of paper and folded it up. She smiled with a flirty look in her eye as she handed him the piece of paper. Their fingers met. My heart hurt.