Chapter Three

Drew’s cell phone chimed an indication he’d received a text message from Mom, the exact person he’d planned on calling today. He’d only been waiting for her to get home from work.

When will you be ready for visitors, the message read. Your dad and I are both around tonight.

One thing he could say about Mom, she never beat around the bush. She was always upfront no matter the subject matter.

I have something I need to do tonight. How about tomorrow afternoon?

Well, he didn’t need to do it tonight, but rather wanted to do it now because Kelsey was working. Since he knew she wouldn’t be with any of her friends, he hoped to have a little chat with Cat. Before he met with Kelsey on Sunday afternoon, he wanted to know what was really going on with her, because he knew she’d never share everything with him. Their conversation in the fall proved that. As her best friends, Cat and Ella were the two people most likely to know such information. Since Cat was married to Tony Bates, a guy he’d known well all through school, it made more sense to stop at their house and start his questioning. If Cat couldn’t or wouldn’t help, he’d talk to Ella.

A smiley face appeared on the screen first. We’ll be there. Joey will be with us. We’re watching him this weekend while Cody and Khloe are away.

He’d talked to Joey but hadn’t seen his nephew in over a month. Great. Come over whenever. Before Mom sent another message, he sent one more of his own. Do you know Tony’s address? He knew Tony lived in town, but he had no idea where.

Tony Bates?

What other Tony would he be asking about? Yep, I want to stop over.

He’s on Timber Lane in the blue house next to the Pratts.

Here was another perfect example of the benefits of living in a small town. Mom had the information he needed, and he knew the exact house she meant. Thanks. See you and Dad tomorrow.

Drew shoved the cell phone into his back pocket and grabbed a jacket. Although a few degrees warmer than yesterday, the temperature still hovered in the low teens.

Backing out of his driveway, he hoped Tony and Cat were home. He didn’t know their weekly routine, but it was a Friday night and they didn’t have any children. Most people he knew without kids spent their Friday nights out having fun. Of course he didn’t socialize with many married couples either. Maybe married couples spent more time at home relaxing. Either way, it’d make his life easier if they were home tonight.

He’d played Little League with Kenny Pratt and gone to more than one birthday party at his house, so he knew exactly which home on Timber Street belonged to his parents. Back then the house to the left belonged to a dentist who liked to hand out toothbrushes and floss instead of candy on Halloween. Drew had a feeling Tony would never do that to the neighborhood kids.

The light near the front door was already on when he pulled in next to a dark blue pickup truck, and he could see lights on inside the house. Someone was home.

Unlike at Kelsey’s house, Tony’s front walkway had been cleared so well Drew could see the concrete. And much like at Kelsey’s house, a Valentine’s Day-inspired wreath hung on the front door, a clear indication a bachelor did not live here.

Drew rang the bell and eyed the red, pink, and white decoration. Tony Bates married. He still found it hard to believe. Tony and his best friend Sean O’Brien had been a year ahead of him all through school. They’d all played on all the same sports teams and had shared a lot of the same friends. Tony had always been the last person he’d expected to get married. Now the dude had a floral wreath attached to his front door. Talk about things happening you never expected.

Tony opened the door a few seconds later, pulling Drew’s eyes away from the wreath. “Drew? When I heard the bell, I thought it was Sean or Mack.”

Although they’d been friends as kids, they hadn’t stayed in close contact after Drew left for college. Occasionally, they’d run into each other when Drew came home, but over the last several years, those visits had been few and far between. The last time they’d seen each other had been in the fall.

“Hey, Tony. Hope you don’t mind me stopping by.”

“Nah. Come on in. Striker and Ella are already here.”

He didn’t want to be a party crasher. “Are you sure? Sounds like you’re having a party. I can come by another night.”

Tony gestured for him to come inside. “Just our monthly poker game. We take turns hosting. Join us. Unless you’re afraid of losing, of course.”

Another invitation from Tony wasn’t needed. “In your dreams, Bates.” Drew walked inside, the smell of pizza immediately calling out to him.

Behind him Tony laughed as he closed the door. “Hey, Striker, we’ve got another sacrifice for tonight’s game.”

“New blood. Who is it? Did Dakota finally accept your invitation?” Striker, Tony’s brother-in-law, entered the room rubbing his hands together. When Striker saw Drew he stopped. “Drew? I heard you moved back. What are you doing here? Need to make those deep pockets of yours a little lighter?”

“Actually, I plan to fill them up tonight before I leave,” Drew answered. “I hope you paid all your bills already, Striker.” He didn’t know Striker as well as Tony, but he knew him well enough to give him a hard time.

“We’ll see about—” The ringing doorbell cut off the rest of Striker’s sentence.

“All the food is in kitchen. Cat just took the pizzas out of the oven. Go on in and help yourself,” Tony said as he walked toward the door.

Since he’d come to talk to Cat, Drew headed for the kitchen before Tony opened the door again.

Extra folding chairs had been placed around the table, and a deck of playing cards along with several stacks of poker chips were in the center of it. Four large pizzas sat cooling on the counter along with chips, a bowl of what looked like homemade salsa, and a plate of chicken wings. Near the stove, Ella and Cat stood speaking, their low voices making it impossible to hear what they were saying.

He assumed they’d heard Striker moments ago. He hadn’t exactly been quiet. “Hi Cat, Ella. Do you need any help in here?”

Their conversation immediately stopped, and they both looked his way. “Thanks, but I think we’ve got everything. But help yourself before my brother starts eating.” Cat handed him a plate. “Tony didn’t tell me he invited you tonight.”

While the pizzas looked and smelled amazing, he put the plate down. Food and his stomach could wait. He wanted to have this conversation before everyone else came into the kitchen. “He didn’t. I came over hoping to talk to you. If I’d known you all had a poker game tonight, I would’ve waited.”

Cat and Ella exchanged a look. A look he couldn’t label, and honestly he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

“You want to talk about Kelsey,” Cat said. Her words were a definite statement and not a question. She picked up a plate and added some chips and a scoop of salsa. Ella did the same, then they gave him their full attention.

From the other room he heard first Sean and then Mack speak as Tony filled them in on the new addition to the evening’s poker game. Two women’s voices soon followed. He guessed they belonged to Mia and Jessie.

Grilling her friends is wrong, a little voice reminded him. He ignored it. Sometimes in order to do the right thing, you had to do the wrong thing first. Keeping his promise to Ian and helping Kelsey in whatever way she needed was the right thing.

He nodded. “I know why Kelsey originally started teaching at the middle school. But why is she still there and working at Masterson’s? When I asked her, all I got was ‘For now I need a full-time job.’ I don’t buy it.”

“Well, most people do need to work, especially when they’re single,” Cat said.

Like he didn’t already know that. “True, but she can’t have a mortgage on the house. It’s been in her family a long time. She doesn’t have any kids, so I’d think the job at Masterson’s and the profits from the garage would be enough while she’s at Brandeis.”

Cat and Ella exchanged another look. Whatever message passed between them caused Ella to shrug before she spoke. “Kelsey has a lot on her plate right now.”

“Such as?” Getting answers from a newborn baby would be easier than getting anything useful from these two.

“It’s not our place to share her business.” Cat looked apologetic when she answered him. “You’ll have to ask her again, Drew. I’m sorry.”

Not as sorry as me.

Ella nodded in agreement. “But if she asks your opinion about selling Bancroft Automotive, tell her you think it’s a good idea. We both did.”

She was thinking about selling her father’s garage? What the hell was going on with her?

“Kelsey’s thinking about selling the garage?” Striker said as he entered the room. “You didn’t tell me that, Ella.”

Sean and his wife followed right behind Striker. Drew had seen Mia in numerous movies but only in person once before tonight, but she definitely looked pregnant. If she wasn’t expecting, then she’d put on weight since the wedding. Whatever the case, he wasn’t going to ask.

“Why would she sell? The place is always busy,” Sean said, adding a plate of cookies and a plastic container of brownies to the food already on the counter. “If I owned it, I wouldn’t sell.”

“She’s only considering it. Kelsey hasn’t made any decisions,” Cat said before grabbing a plate and filling it up. She handed it to Tony and then sat down. “Let’s get started.”

Drew got the hint. Cat and Ella were done discussing Kelsey and whatever was going on in her life. If he wanted any answers, he’d have to ask her. Although frustrated by their reluctance to give up information, he understood it. They didn’t want to betray their friend’s trust. He’d had the same type of relationship with Ian before he passed away. Unfortunately, getting anything but vague answers from Kelsey would be next to impossible.

Once everyone filled plates and sat down, Tony reached for the cards.

“Mia, are you in tonight or just watching?” Tony asked.

“Watching.”

“Jessie, what about you?” Tony shuffled the cards while he waited for her answer.

She reached for a celery stick. When she came in she’d added a platter overflowing with fresh vegetables to the counter, as well as a plate of scallops wrapped in bacon. Compared to the other foods, the veggies seemed like an odd addition. Now she was the only one with vegetables on her plate. Actually, the only things she’d selected were raw vegetables. With so many other tasty options out tonight, he found that odd.

“I’m going to pass tonight too, Tony.”

With a nod, Tony dealt the cards, and the poker game got underway. As they played, the conversations around the table moved from one topic to the other. About thirty minutes into the game, Jessie stood and refilled her plate with celery, carrot sticks, and raw sliced peppers. He’d grabbed a few of the peppers too, but only so he could dip them in the homemade guacamole Cat had taken out of the refrigerator.

“Still craving raw vegetables?” Mia asked. Unlike Jessie, Mia had filled her plate with carbs. She didn’t have a raw vegetable or piece of meat in sight.

Jessie swiped a carrot stick through the guacamole. “Yep. It is nuts. I expected to want ice cream or pizza all the time, but I even want veggies in the morning.”

“I wish I had the same problem,” Mia said, sounding annoyed. “I swear, since the moment the pregnancy test came back positive, all I want is carbs. Especially cookies and muffins. Maureen doesn’t help either. She brings both over every other day.” Mia referred to her mother-in-law.

Yup, Sean’s wife was pregnant. He sincerely hoped Sean and Mia were expecting a boy. He remembered how protective Sean had been of his younger sister, Charlie. He suspected the guy would be one hundred times worse with a daughter.

“Congratulations. Do you know what you’re having?” Drew asked.

“A little girl,” Sean answered. He sounded thrilled about the fact.

Good luck to her. “Nice, your mom will have a grandson and a granddaughter. She must be excited.” Drew’s mother was always asking when she might expect more grandchildren. Since his younger brother, John, was getting married this summer, he suspected she might get another soon.

“Jessie, when are you finding out if you’re having a girl or boy?” Cat asked.

Considering the conversation moments ago between Jessie and Mia, he’d already assumed Jessie and Mack were expecting too. Cat’s question confirmed it for him. Unlike Mia though, Jessie didn’t look any different from the last time he’d seen her at Sean’s wedding. Maybe that was because from the sound of it, she lived on raw vegetables these days.

“My appointment is on the twenty-eighth. Grace really wants a sister. Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Drew had met Grace, Mack’s daughter from his first marriage, at Sean and Mia’s wedding. Oddly, in many ways she’d reminded him of Kelsey and her friends when they’d been younger. Growing up, whenever he was over at Ian’s house and Kelsey invited her friends over too, they never stopped talking. Even later when they entered high school, they never stopped. He’d never understood how they could have so much to say to each other. Grace had been the same way when she rejoined the table at the reception. He had no sisters or female cousins though, so maybe all girls were like that.

Soon the topic of babies and food cravings changed. Instead Ella, Cat, and Jessie discussed their plans for the concert the following night. Drew tuned it out and focused on his cards. While not an expert poker player, he usually managed to hold his own. So far, he hadn’t won a single hand. Tony and Sean would never let him live it down if he lost all the money in his wallet tonight.

“Was Kelsey working tonight?” Jessie asked, her question again pulling his attention away from his cards and toward the women’s conversation. “I wanted to let her know what time I’ll pick her up tomorrow, but she didn’t answer.”

“Yeah, she’s closing. I keep expecting her to call and cancel on us so she can work instead,” Ella said.

“She won’t cancel. This will be the first weekend she’s had off since Christmas. She’s been talking about it for weeks,” Cat said. “She’s coming tomorrow.”

Cat’s comment settled a new load of guilt on his shoulders. He’d gotten the first dose when he’d found out Kelsey was working two jobs instead of finishing her doctorate. From the sound of it, so far he was doing a terrible of job of keeping his promise to Ian. Now that he was back in town, he’d fix all that.

“I left her a message,” Jessie said. “After I pick her up, I’ll come by your house, Ella.”

“Saving the best for last?” Cat said with a laugh.

“More like getting you last because you take the longest to get ready,” Ella said. “Am I right, Tony? Doesn’t she take forever to get ready?”

Tony looked up from his cards. “Do not drag me into this.” He looked toward Drew. “The bet is to you.”

Drew checked his cards again. Sunday afternoon, he’d focus on Kelsey. Tonight he had a card game to win.

***

Kelsey picked up her cheeseburger and retreated to the employee break room. She had a little over fifteen minutes before her shift started. More than enough time to enjoy her dinner before she started the second half of her day.

She’d come in early hoping to catch either Lou or Junior so they could discuss her reduced hours. Junior had already left for the day, but when she approached Lou, he’d invited her back to the office. He’d guessed what she wanted to discuss before she sat down. With their conversation behind her, she needed to decide her next move. While Lou had been apologetic and understanding, he hadn’t been able to tell her when her hours would go back to normal. Instead, he’d said that for the foreseeable future Penny would be on the schedule. In her mind, it sounded like Penny would be there for a long time. If that was the case, she needed to consider making some changes. There were other restaurants in North Salem, but she didn’t think any were hiring. Searching for a position outside of town would take time. She didn’t have much of a desire to drive back and forth to Danvers or Salem every day after teaching.

Maybe it is time to sell. Mom had always said things happened for a reason. Kelsey had always ignored her when she spouted the line. Maybe Mom had been right after all. Perhaps her cut in hours was fate’s way of telling her the time had come to sell at least Bancroft Automotive. She’d have to pay off the business loan Mom and Dad took out to expand the garage, but whatever money was leftover from the sale she could put toward the home equity loan. Depending on how much the business sold for, maybe she could take care of both loans. She’d still need a job, but if both loans where gone, she could work part-time here or maybe somewhere closer to Brandeis while she finished her doctorate.

Kelsey retrieved her cell phone from her locker. At home she had the name of two real estate agents. She should have time to call them tomorrow before Jessie picked her up. However, she’d like to speak with more than two before she made any final decisions. In order to do that, she needed to find a few more. Sitting back down, she took a bite of her cheeseburger while she waited for her cell phone’s search engine to open up. Once it did, she started to type in her request. She managed to get the first five letters typed in and then her hand froze.

“I’m only getting some phone numbers,” she said, glad there was no one else in the room to hear her talking to herself. She typed the rest of her search request. While she waited, she pulled out a pen and the business card Del had given her. She’d stuffed it into her apron last night and never got around to throwing it away. At least now it would serve a purpose. On the screen, several names popped up, each one with stars underneath indicting their customer ratings. Kelsey jotted the numbers for the two agents with the highest ratings down on the back of the business card. She’d call them soon as well.

Kelsey shoved everything back into her purse and was closing her locker when the door behind her opened. Del and Cora entered the room. Even though they wore the standard Masterson’s uniform, both looked gorgeous. She didn’t know how they managed it considering the uniform consisted of either a black or white polo shirt with the word Masterson’s embroidered on the pocket, paired with either black pants or black jeans.

“Kelsey, I figured you’d be here tonight too,” Del said, heading for her locker. “Did you ever talk to Junior about your hours?”

“I talked to Lou tonight.” Kelsey dipped a french fry in the puddle of mustard on the plate.

“And?”

Kelsey didn’t know why Del cared what Lou had said, since she was leaving soon. “At least for a little while my hours are going to be on the low side.”

Del tied her apron around her waist and checked her reflection in her locker mirror before closing the door. “Did you call my cousin?” She glanced at Cora and said, “I told Kelsey to come work with us at the Purple Cat. She’d make a lot more in tips there.”

“I agree with Del. You’re beautiful, Kelsey. Put on some makeup, the right outfit, and the guys will be coming to see you.”

“She doesn’t want to dance, but I told her Roxanne would hire her as a waitress.”

“Oh. Well still, the right outfit and some flirting and every guy will want you waiting on them.”

“I still have the business card, Del. It’s in my purse.” She never planned to call the number listed on the front, but Del didn’t need to know that. Kelsey tossed the rest of her fries in the trash. “Time to get to work. Talk to you both later.”

Before either woman could offer up more reasons for why she should follow them to the Purple Cat, she exited the room. Other women may be comfortable working at a gentleman’s club, but she wasn’t, regardless of the position. She’d sell both her family home and the business before she’d ever consider joining Del and Cora.