A Second Helping

  “Are you mute?”

  He blinked.

  She asked him again, this time with a bit more bite, “Are you mute?”

  He shook his head quickly.

  “Again. Are you mute?”

  “No.”

  “Good. Glad to hear it. In polite society, when you are introduced to someone, you respond with Pleased to meet you. It’s what separates the civilized from the riffraff, so let’s start this over.”

  Eli jumped, eyes widening slightly.

  Bernadine shared a silent look with Jack.

  Tamar slowly descended the steps, robes flowing. “I’m Tamar July. And you are?” As she closed the distance between them, Bernadine swore Eli looked like a rabbit about to take flight.

  “Eli James,” he replied, seemingly unable to look away from the tall, Seminole matriarch’s powerful presence.

  “Pleased to meet, you, Eli James.”

  He swallowed visibly. “Same here.”

  The wintry smile she gave him made Bernadine shiver, and she wasn’t even the one in trouble.

  “Welcome to Henry Adams, Eli.”

  “Thank you.”

  That done, Tamar turned to Bernadine. “So, what brings you out here?”

  Bernadine heard Jack chuckle softly in response to his son being dressed down, and she smiled as well. To their right, Eli was viewing Tamar with a mixture of caution and apprehension. There was some fear in there too. “I’m here to get them settled into one of the trailers.”

  “Then have at it. If you all need anything, let me know. Nice meeting you, gentlemen.”

  “Same here,” Jack responded.

  She turned to Eli, who replied hastily, “Thank you, Tamar.”

  “You’re welcome, Eli.”

  Walking back over to the porch, she climbed the steps and reentered the house.

  Jack whispered lowly, “Wow.”

  Eli stared at the door.

  Bernadine nodded. “She is something. Come on. The trailer’s around back.”

  As they followed her, Jack noted that for once, Eli had nothing to say, and he decided that if Tamar was indicative of how life worked in Henry Adams, he was going to enjoy living there very much.

  But Eli’s silence didn’t last long. Once Bernadine showed them inside and departed with a smile and a promise to check on them later, he said in a cocky voice, “I thought the Pilgrims burned all the witches.”

  “Guess they missed one,” Tamar cracked.

  Both males jumped, Eli the highest. She was standing in the doorway of the trailer but they’d heard nothing to indicate her approach or presence. Jack honestly believed she’d materialized out of thin air. He took a look at Eli’s horror-filled eyes and chuckled inwardly, Oh yeah. I’m going to love this place.

  After letting Eli get a good long look at her, she smoothly turned her attention to Jack. “Bernadine forgot to tell you about the town meeting this evening. We’re going to be naming the school, and you’re both invited.”

  “I’d like that. Give us a chance to meet people. What time?”

  “Seven at the Dog and Cow.”

  “We’ll be there, won’t we, Eli?”

  He was still wide-eyed. “Uh, uh, yeah. Thank you, Tamar.”

  “You’re welcome.” Her dark eyes assessed him for another long moment. “What year are you in in school?”

  “Junior this year.”

  “Good student?”

  He glanced over at his father. “I used to be.”

  “Planning on college?”

  “Yeah. Hope so.”

  “Good to know.”

  For Jack it was as if the whole world was holding its breath in anticipation of what might come next.

  Eli was as stiff as the proverbial board.

  When she resumed speaking, her tone held a smooth, easy pace but her smile was predatory. “We’re real big on schooling here, Eli. We push our children to do their best, and when they express an interest in something, we adults try and help them out. You mentioned something earlier about witches. What was the question again?”

  His eyes popped in reaction, and his thin, sixteen-year-old body began to quiver.

  “I remember now. You said you thought the Pilgrims had burned all the witches. Interesting topic for a report, I think. How about you, Mr. James?”

  Jack wouldn’t have disagreed if he’d been offered a position at Harvard. “I think you’re right.”

  “Dad!” Eli cried.

  “You did express an interest. No getting around that.”

  Eli’s jaw tightened.

  “So,” Tamar continued, “because you’re new to town and just moving in, I’ll give you two weeks after school starts to finish it and hand it in. I’m sure your principal, Ms. Marie, will want your eight-page report to count as half this semester’s American history grade.”

  “Eight pages!”

  “Can’t wait to read it.”

  She turned away and focused on Jack. “If you want to follow me over to the diner for the meeting, I’m leaving here at six-thirty.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. You two get some rest, now, and I’ll see you later. Good-bye, Eli.”

  “Good-bye, Tamar,” he replied, sounding miserable.

  She smiled and departed.

  This time, Eli had nothing to say at all. He instead claimed one of the bedrooms, closed the door, and when Jack looked in on him fifteen minutes later, he was asleep. Jack watched for a few minutes, listened to the soft snores, and reclosed the door. He was pleased.

  The rest of Bernadine’s morning was spent at the Power Plant and was fairly routine. She told Lily about the newcomers, and how Eli had been put in his place by Tamar, then asked her to check with the construction crews about how soon the Jameses would be able to move into the house being built for them.

  Lily walked into Bernadine’s office twenty minutes later with the update. “There’s still some electrical and plumbing to take care of, and the interior finishes need to be completed. So another week to ten days.”

  The house would be the newest addition to their small subdivision and was going up next door to the home shared by Lily and Devon.

  “Okay, good. So did Rocky call you about the food she wants to send back to the grocery suppliers?”

  “Not yet. I’m going to have lunch there this afternoon with Trent. I’ll ask her about it, if I get a chance.”

  “Were you friends with her in high school?”

  “No, didn’t know her that well. She was a couple years behind us if I remember right. I do know she was Old Man Dancer’s daughter, though. He owned the garage where Trent and his buds used to hang and fix their cars.”

  “Okay. Get with her when you can.”

  “Will do.”

  After Lily’s departure, Bernadine sat back and wondered if maybe she’d misread Rocky yesterday. She could’ve sworn the woman was holding some type of grudge, but Lily didn’t seem to know much about her, other than her parentage. Interesting, she thought.

  Also interesting was the talk she’d had earlier with Trent about yesterday’s video clip featuring Cletus’s wedding. According to Trent, Sheriff Dalton had the matter well in hand. He’d made contact with the Texas authorities, and hoped to have the two fugitives extradited back to Kansas as soon as they were picked up. It pleased Bernadine to learn that Genevieve had been the one to drop the dime on Riley. With any luck, it would be the first of many daggers Genevieve would get to use to puncture Riley’s no-good hide before the sheriff threw him in the pokey, and a pork manufacturer turned Cletus into hot links.

  Going back to her laptop, she checked out tonight’s town meeting agenda. She wanted to see if Lily or Trent had added anything new. It didn’t appear so, which meant that naming the school continued to be the most important item. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was scheduled for Saturday morning and everyone was hoping they’d have something to call the place by the time this evening’s meeting ended. When she first cam
e to live in Henry Adams it took her a while to stop shaking her head each time she saw the words Dog and Cow on the faded, listing sign above the diner’s door. She couldn’t believe someone would actually name an establishment that, but after getting to know the owner, she understood. Malachi’s explanation of how the name came to be was tied to his having been a county veterinarian, with dogs and cows making up the bulk of his animal clientele. Add to that the fact that he’d been very heavy into alcohol back then, and you had everything you needed to know. Over time, Bernadine had come to enjoy the frivolity in the name, and in the man, but she had no intentions of letting Malachi July anywhere near the school-naming process.

  She turned her attention back to the screen on her laptop. A few minutes later a soft knock on her opened door made her turn to see Sheila Payne standing there.

  “Morning, Sheila. Come on in. You want coffee?”

  “No thank you,” she said, entering fully. “Mind if I talk to you for a few minutes?”

  “No. What about?”

  She took a seat. “I need to go away for a little while and sort some things out.”

  Bernadine viewed her silently before asking, “Are you and the colonel having problems?”

  “In a way, but it isn’t anything that can’t be fixed.”

  “It isn’t Preston, is it?”

  “No. Definitely not. He’s one of the reasons I need to do this so that I can be the best mother to him that I can be.”

  “Then as his advocate, you need to tell me what’s going on.”

  So Sheila told her everything, from the affair to her melancholy to the conclusions she’d drawn last night while lying in bed. “I just want to take some time off to think.”

  “How long?”

  “A month. Six weeks. No more.”

  “As a foster parent, that’s a good chunk of time, Sheila.”

  “I know, so my question is, will Preston have to be placed elsewhere if I do go? I think of him as my son now, Bernadine. I don’t want to lose him.”

  “Have you talked to your husband?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about Preston’s status first.”

  “And you don’t want a divorce.”

  “I don’t. I just want some time with me. That’s all.”

  Bernadine didn’t think it an unreasonable request and was pleased that Sheila’s first concern was the effect on Preston. Bernadine’s biggest concern lay with how the colonel and the Brain would do without Sheila there as the buffer. “Do you think they’ll be okay without you around to referee?” The two males seemed to tolerate each other, but there’d been very little real bonding that she could see.

  “They’re getting along better, I suppose, but if we’re planning on being a family, the father and son need to be on the same page. My leaving may help facilitate that. Barrett’s faults aside, he is a fine molder of young men.”

  Bernadine considered that. She worried about Preston though. All the town’s foster children had issues of one sort or another but Preston had opened himself up the least. She was aware that much of it had to with the fear of being disappointed. Kids like him kept their hearts closed because they were weary of all the broken promises. “Do you know where you want to go?”

  “A nuns’ house outside of Chicago.”

  That surprised her. She thought maybe a friend’s house, an old girlfriend’s, but a nunnery?

  “Visitors are allowed to retreat there and I think it will be perfect for what I need to do.”

  “Okay. Discuss it with your husband and make sure you reassure Preston. I’ll talk with them both as well.”

  Sheila nodded. “Thanks, Bernadine.”

  “You’re welcome. Let me know if and when you plan on leaving.”

  “Okay.”

  Sheila departed and Bernadine was left to ponder their conversation. The colonel’s adultery wasn’t that shocking, but she was surprised by Sheila’s plan of action because Sheila had never shown much spunk. Henry Adams had more than its share of strong women, and if you didn’t speak up you could get blown over by all the sound and fury. Sheila was nice and dependable, even cracked a joke every now and again, but she rarely spoke up. Bernadine supposed that came from having grown up in a military family, where according to Sheila one was seen and not heard. Bernadine wasn’t sure if a trip to a nunnery would help any of that, but she’d give Sheila her full support.

  CHAPTER 9

  Over at the Dog, Rocky and her staff had just caught their breath from the morning’s mad rush and were now making preparations for the lunch crowd. The new Dog and Cow was a hundred times busier than the old place and the need for someone to help her with the cooking was a given. One of the students on the waitstaff had volunteered to pitch in with breakfast, and proceeded to wow Rocky with his skillet skills and efficient handling of the orders. She was so impressed she planned to hire him but wanted Mal to meet him first. He was one of Florene’s classmates. His name was Matt Burke.

  “I’m eighteen, the youngest of three,” he explained as they all sat in Mal’s office. “Been working at my parents’ restaurant up in Decatur County all my life, and I love to cook.”

  He went on to tell them of his goal to own his own five-star restaurant one day. “We don’t have anything that’s even two-star around here. That Italian place over in Franklin was the closest to a nice place to eat, but they closed right after Christmas.”

  Rocky’s initial impression was that she liked him. She could hear the passion in his voice when he spoke about owning his own restaurant, and she liked his smile even though it was easy to see he was nervous as hell. She gave Malachi an approving nod before asking the young man, “Do you prefer Mathew or Matt?”

  “I prefer Siz. It’s short for Sizzle.”

  She and Mal stared.

  “It’s what my family’s always called me. My mom says when I was real little she’d have me in the kitchen in a high chair when she fired up the grills and skillets in the morning. Soon as they got hot enough and started to sizzle, I’d clap my hands and imitate the sound.” He gave them an example and they all grinned.

  “How old were you?” Mal asked laughing.

  “According to her, about a year. Been Sizzle ever since.”

  “Great name for a cook,” Rocky told him.

  “Gonna be an even greater name for a chef,” he boasted self-confidently.

  Mal grinned. “I like your style, Chef Siz. Would you like to be Rocky’s right-hand man? Job is yours if you want it.”

  “Yeah! Thank you! Would you mind if I took a couple Saturday evenings off a month?”

  “To do what?” Rocky asked curiously.

  “I manage a band.”

  “A band?” Mal asked dubiously. “What kind of band?”

  “Jazz and blues mostly.”

  Mal lit up with delight. “You’re lying.”

  He grinned. “No sir. It’s called Kansas Bloody Kansas.”

  “Kansas Bloody Kansas?” Rocky echoed, skepticism written all over her face.

  “Yes, ma’am. Has to do with Kansas and the fight for slavery back in the day. We thought it’d be a cool name.”

  She and Mal shared a look. Lord.

  They spent the next few minutes talking salary and other employment items like hours, holiday pay, and such, and when they were done, Siz shook their hands and hurried back to the kitchen.

  “Nice young man,” Mal said once they were alone.

  “I like him.”

  “So, how’s it feel to be back?”

  “I hit the floor running, so haven’t had time to think about it. Love the new place, like I said before. Real busy this morning.”

  “Yeah. Lots more folks around to feed these days. No complaints from the populace about the service or the food this morning though, far as I know. Folks complained long and hard the week Florene was here.”

  “I had a few people stop and thank me for coming back. It felt good.”

  “Well, add my name to the list. Couldn
’t be happier having you here.”

  “Thanks. I need to get to the kitchen. Lunch calls.”

  “Let me know if you need more help. Got a stack of résumés from the culinary school you can go through.”

  “Good to know.” She gave him a smile and left him alone.

  Lily walked into the D&C for lunch and looked around the crowded, noise-filled diner for Trent’s face. The jukebox was rocking “Flashlight” by George Clinton and his mother ship maniacs, and she unconsciously moved to the rhythm of the familiar tune as her eyes continued the search. She spotted him waving at her from a spot in the back. She gave him a nod, then threaded her way past crowded booths, tables, and wait people carrying trays loaded down with plates of food.

  “Hey you.”

  She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Hey back. How’d the morning go?”

  “No problems, so let’s not jinx me by talking work. Look at all these people.”

  “I know. The D&C is back.”

  “I even saw some people from Franklin in here earlier. Word must have gotten around that Rocky’s back.”

  “Bernadine wanted me to talk to her about sending back some food. Not sure I remember what Rocky looks like, so if you see her would you point her out?”

  He studied her for a moment.

  “What?”

  “You don’t remember her?”

  “Nope. She was, what, a sophomore our senior year? Senior girls don’t pay attention to sophomores unless they’re hitting on their boyfriend, and I didn’t come to Henry Adams until high school, so I didn’t go way back with her like maybe you did.” She immediately turned her attention to the menu printed out on yellow paper. “What am I going to have?”

  He thought about that. He supposed she was right and turned his attention to the menu as well.

  Waitress Kelly took their orders, and after her departure, he and Lily sat back and enjoyed the hustle and bustle and each other’s company.

  Trent was surprised to see Rocky coming their way bearing a loaded-down tray. Although he and Rocky had ended their intimate relationship, he was still a bit apprehensive that her meeting Lily might go sideways.