скачать книгу бесплатно
“I needed to talk to someone with more wisdom than I have.”
“Angela?”
He nodded.
“C’mon in. I have a fresh pot of coffee to go with the acorn bread I made this morning.”
Caleb’s mouth was already watering as he followed her inside. “Any of that rhubarb ginger jam left?”
“Of course. You know I always make enough to last until the next rhubarb crop comes in.”
The acorn bread must have come out of the oven a short while ago, because the wonderful smell still filled the air. The kitchen was old-fashioned, a combination of wooden cabinets and shelves with speckled laminate countertops and ancient white appliances. Caleb loved Mom’s kitchen, because it felt like home. She’d said it felt like home, too, when he’d offered to buy her a new stainless steel stove and refrigerator, saying that would be a waste while the old ones still worked. While his mother sliced the bread, Caleb poured them mugs of coffee and fetched half-and-half, butter and the jam from the fridge. When everything was on the table, they sat opposite each other in comfortable silence for several minutes until they’d spread thick slices of bread with butter and jam, and Caleb had taken a big bite.
“Delicious,” he murmured as he chewed. “Your cooking always makes me feel better.”
“What did Angela do this time?”
Caleb took another bite and washed it down with coffee before answering. “You know I grounded her, which by that I meant study. Instead, she went outside and built a sweat lodge that looks like it would fall over if someone bumped into it.”
“Well, I would say that’s educational.”
“She wasn’t supposed to leave the house.”
“Perhaps she thought ‘house’ included the property, too.”
“Mo-o-om.”
“She’s so much like you were before you became a father.” His mother grinned at him. “It’s kind of just retribution.”
Caleb scowled. “That isn’t helpful.”
“But just a little satisfying to me, honey.”
Finishing the slice of acorn bread, Caleb muttered, “What am I going to do with her? She keeps defying me and getting into trouble. I’m afraid that if I can’t find a way to reason with her, she’s going to go too far.” He sighed. “What is it with teenagers?” Including his younger self. “Why do they all seem to go crazy?”
Maddie laughed. “It’s called hormones. A body that’s mostly adult combined with a mind that’s mostly child.” She added, “Maybe you’re taking the wrong approach.” Her smile faded into a more serious expression.
“Wrong approach?” Was she going to place the blame in his corner? He couldn’t help feeling defensive. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re so demanding with Angela that it surely backfires on you. You need to listen to your daughter, to understand what it is she wants. What is important to her.”
“You mean this new kick about her becoming an artist?”
“It’s not new, Caleb. She started drawing the moment she could use a crayon. You’ve been displaying her artwork for years.”
“That’s what you do when your kid creates something for you.”
“Even if you don’t like it?”
“I never said that. I love it. She has incredible potential. But thinking you can make a living as an artist isn’t practical.”
“So you dash her dreams.”
“What should I do? Encourage her to live in poverty? Being an artist doesn’t bring in a regular income. I keep trying to tell her she needs to have a real job and that she can do her art on the side.”
“Which makes her dream sound unimportant. An afterthought.”
“If I could make it work for her, I would.”
“Then try to help her find a way. There are jobs with regular incomes for trained artists. Help her see that she can channel her creativity to something that will support her like graphic arts—or teaching art—while she creates a portfolio that she can take to art shows or galleries. When you tell her to do art on the side, it sounds...dismissive. Be positive and supportive instead of demanding she do things your way all the time.”
Mom had a point. He could be gruff, he supposed. “All right. I’ll think about how I can do that.”
“Good.” Mom held out a plate to him. “More bread?”
“Did you think I might say no?” He took another piece.
As he spread the butter and jam, he realized his mother was staring at him intently. “Something on your mind, Mom?”
“So what’s going on with you lately? Terese Kistler said she saw you with the Huber woman walking through Green Meadows yesterday. Were you making peace over Angela?”
The reminder of their private walk through the development warmed Caleb inside. “As a matter of fact, Grace offered to give me a tour of Green Meadows, so I could see how it’s progressing. I was very impressed.”
“With the development or with Grace?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Both, actually.” Though he’d already realized his attraction to the woman was hopeless until he straightened things out with his daughter.
“Oh, I see.”
“No, you don’t.” He quickly tried to backtrack before his mother made a big deal of it. “We simply have a lot in common. Environment-wise, that is.”
She raised her eyebrows and gave him a challenging expression. “So you don’t actually like Grace? As a woman, I mean.”
“Yes, I like her.”
“Then you’ll ask her out.”
He shook his head. “The timing is all wrong.”
“Because she’s seeing someone else?”
“No. Well, maybe. I don’t know. I didn’t ask. It’s not her, it’s me.” He sighed and set his acorn bread back on the plate. “Rather, it’s Angela.”
“So Angela doesn’t like her.”
“Angela doesn’t really know her.” But that didn’t prevent Caleb from assuming the worst. He couldn’t count on anything when it came to his daughter these days.
“Then what’s the problem?” his mother asked.
“Lily is the problem. I told you about the mural. When I tried to talk to Angela about defacing private property, it turned into something else. She admitted she thought I took her mother from her. I explained what happened, but at the moment she’s obsessed with feeling abandoned. I have no idea where this is coming from. Teenage imagination, I guess. I just don’t see how I can bring another woman into the mix right now.”
“Angela might not like it at first, but she’ll come around. She has before. You dated several women while you were in school.”
“None were serious.”
“So this Grace Huber...” His mother cleared her throat. “You could be serious about her?”
Caleb started. Not a question he’d asked himself. Not one he wanted to explore too deeply right now. “Mom, you’re jumping the gun. I like her, but I haven’t even asked her out on a date.”
“Then maybe it’s time you did something about that.”
CHAPTER FIVE (#ulink_c1e3ec91-2470-54c3-82e4-20c2420effd4)
“I WANT A big stack of pancakes with lots of whipped cream,” Taylor announced as they left Heather’s van parked just down the street from the co-op. “With cherries on top.”
“I’m not sure they have whipped cream, sweetie, and I know they won’t have cherries,” Heather told the child. Then she explained to Grace. “Cherries on top are her new thing. Rick bought a big jar of maraschino cherries to put on everything...mashed potatoes, broccoli, cottage cheese.” She grinned, probably thinking of her hunky new husband. “He’s spoiling both twins.”
“We’re not spoiled.” Addison slipped her hand into Grace’s and smiled up at her like a little angel. The eight-year-old looked incredibly cute with a missing tooth. Grace smiled back and squeezed. “I just want mine completely plain,” the girl said. “Not even syrup.”
Taylor made a face. “Yuck.”
“Come on,” chided Heather. “People have different tastes. Just because you like whipped cream doesn’t mean Addison has to like it.”
“O-o-okay.” Taylor flounced along, then tossed her head. “But pancakes are better with whipped cream.”
“No, they’re not,” singsonged Addison.
Heather frowned. “Shh!”
They stepped up on the sidewalk and walked toward the co-op about a block away. There were so many cars parked in downtown Sparrow Lake that they’d had to hunt for a space, because of the festival. Heather spoke to several people they met on the way, introducing Grace, who appreciated the friendly gesture. Not that she would be able to remember all the new names.
A whizzing sound made all of them glance behind them. A boy on a skateboard approached swiftly, drawn by a very large, spotted Great Dane on a leash. As the dog and skateboard whizzed past in a flurry of huge paws and wheels, Heather drew Taylor closer, keeping her out of the way.
The little girl stared openmouthed. “Wow!”
“We could do that with Kirby!” cried Addison.
“No, we’re not getting a skateboard so you can hitch it to the dog,” Heather told them firmly. “It’s too dangerous.” She turned to Grace. “And that kid is a danger, too. He could have knocked us off the sidewalk!”
Grace merely nodded, smiling, but the twins continued to jabber about the big dog until they reached the co-op building, an old storefront with an entrance refinished with brick. A line of people stood outside, waiting to go in.
“Wow, Pancake Day must be popular,” murmured Grace. She’d dressed down for the occasion, as Heather had suggested, forgoing her usual business attire for loose black trousers, a short-sleeved blue cashmere sweater and a leather moto jacket.
Heather nodded. “Free food. Don’t worry, the line will move fast. There are at least two pancake stations set up.”
“Ooh,” said Addison. “I smell sausage.”
“And bacon,” added Taylor.
“Yes,” agreed Heather. “You can have both if you want. Consider this ‘dunch’ or ‘linner,’ okay? We won’t need anything else but a small snack before you go to bed tonight.”
The line did move quickly and they were soon inside, heading down a hallway toward the main room. There, long tables had been set up for people to sit and eat, and other tables formed a barrier near the walls where grills were being manned to cook mounds of pancakes and breakfast meats. As they approached the nearest pancake station, Grace glanced back at the townspeople already eating, laughing and chatting. All the cooks were men, people she’d seen around town and who Heather had said were employed by the co-op or the creamery. Two tables were set up with butter and cream...but no whipped cream. Taylor stood on her tiptoes and looked around. Addison laughed and did a little whirl.
Grace grinned. “They sure have a lot of energy.”
“You’d think some of it would wear off as they get older, but the girls just seem to find more,” Heather said with a laugh.
“There’s ice cream over there,” Taylor told her mother. “Vanilla soft-serve.”
“Well, maybe we can get you some of that,” said Heather.
The twins stopped talking as they both got plates of pancakes. Addison ordered a stack of two but Taylor wanted three.
“Honey, I think two will be enough for you. Those pancakes are pretty big.”
“I want three!”
“You’d better eat them.” Heather lowered her voice in an aside to Grace. “Or not. I don’t want her to get sick.”
Grace just laughed and ordered a stack of three for herself. She also got three strips of bacon and three sausage links.
Then they turned toward the tables in the center of the room, most of them already full. Apparently the whole town turned out for Pancake Day, so Grace looked for the one face she would be happiest to see.
Disappointed.
Apparently the whole town had turned out except for Caleb Blackthorne.
As they sat down, Heather began introducing her to the people around them, and if they owned or operated a business, she included that information, as well. Grace tried to mentally keep track of everything Heather told her, but she feared she’d already forgotten half of what she’d been told. Then Heather realized they’d forgotten drinks and got up to fetch glasses of milk for the girls and two cups of coffee for themselves.
Taylor dug into her food hungrily. She’d gotten a cup of soft-serve ice cream, which she dumped on top of her pancakes. Addison cut her plain pancakes into dainty pieces and chewed equally daintily. Grace wondered how two sisters born at the same time could be so different.
“Slow down,” Heather told Taylor, “or you might end up with a tummy ache.”
Grace spread fresh creamery butter on her pancakes and laced them with syrup. “Yum. I can see why so many people turn out for Pancake Day.”
Heather bit into a piece of crisp bacon. “It’s not just the food, it’s the sense of community, of everyone taking a short break from work to celebrate spring with friends and family and catch up with people they don’t often get to talk to.”
Looking around, Grace saw so many smiles, heard so much laughter, that she couldn’t help but grin. Never having experienced anything like this in Milwaukee, where neighbors didn’t necessarily even know each other—Grace was acquainted with only one other woman in her condo building—she responded to the positive energy in the room. There were a lot of things she liked about Sparrow Lake, and the feeling of community just went to the top of her list. She imagined that even if you lived alone, you would never have to be lonely in a friendly town like this.
Heather had been right about her coming to the event. Several people wanted to know how the green community was faring, and others asked what her plans for the future might be. Lots of interested questions from potential residents or simply people who might help spread the word to friends in nearby towns. People came and went, but the twins went back for second helpings, so, content to stay awhile longer, Grace fetched another cup of coffee.
Just as she brought it back to the table, she looked up to see a familiar face. Three familiar faces, in fact. Caleb had arrived with Angela and Kiki. They had just filled their plates with food and were looking around for a place to sit. As if he knew she was staring at him, Caleb turned in her direction. Their gazes met and her stomach did a little flip when his lips turned up in a big smile aimed her way. She waved. Then Angela saw her, and the girl’s lips tightened.
“C’mon,” Grace heard Caleb say to his daughter and her friend. “There’s room over there.”
Over there was across from her and Heather and the twins. Grace sent him a welcoming smile. “Hi, Caleb.”
“Grace, Heather...good to see you, both,” he said as he set down his food.
