Cape Light Page 9

  The young woman nodded and took out her pad and pencil. Emily ordered a cup of chowder and a sandwich. “And some coffee,” she added, hoping it would wake her up.

  “No problem. I’ll be right back.” Sara looked up from the order pad and stared at her.

  Emily smiled again and handed her the menu. “Is this your first day working here?” she asked.

  “Uh . . . yes. Yes, it is.” The waitress looked down at the menu, then back at Emily. “You’re the mayor, right?”

  For some reason the question made Emily laugh. Or maybe it was just the way the young woman had asked it. “That’s me. But everybody calls me Emily. What’s your name?”

  “Sara. Sara Franklin.” The young woman stared at her again. Her eyes looked full of emotion, as if she had many more questions or something important she wanted to say.

  “Where are you from, Sara?” Emily asked after a moment.

  “Maryland. A small town called Winston. It’s a lot like this one, actually.”

  Emily felt the girl watching her, as if studying her reaction. But that was silly. The girl is just shy with strangers, Emily told herself. Though, in fact, the mention of Maryland did elicit a strong, instantaneous reaction in her. One she struggled to repress.

  “Maryland is beautiful,” Emily said, keeping her voice steady. “I don’t know Winston. But I lived down there once, on the Chesapeake Bay.”

  “Did you really?”

  Emily nodded, not sure of how much she wanted to add. She’d never forget that one magical year after high school when she ran away to Maryland to marry Tim Sutton . . . the joy when she became pregnant. And she’d never forget the excruciating way it had all ended.

  “A long time ago . . .” she finally said. “I’m sure the area has changed a lot since then.”

  “Ever go back to visit?” Sara asked.

  “No . . . only once. But not for a vacation or anything like that.” Emily met Sara’s curious gaze and looked away. “I had to take care of some business. I didn’t really see very much.”

  “I’ll get your coffee now, okay?” Sara asked suddenly. “It will just be a minute. I think I ought to make a fresh pot.”

  Emily looked up at the waitress and smiled again. “You don’t have to go to any trouble.”

  “It’s no trouble,” Sara insisted. She seemed embarrassed as she took the menu and hurried away.

  Pushing her papers aside, Emily stared out the window. Talking about Maryland had made her remember. Again. The memories were still sharp and jagged, even after all this time, tearing at her. Tim’s death in the car accident . . . having to give up her baby. She struggled to push them aside. She didn’t want to go back there now, though not a day passed that she didn’t think of her daughter and wonder where she was and how she had turned out.

  She glanced over at Sara. Her daughter would be about the same age as this girl, Emily thought. She might even look like her, with her richly colored brown hair and blue eyes. If she’d taken after me instead of Tim, Emily thought.

  Emily felt a sharp ache and glanced out the window. She didn’t even know what her daughter looked like. She didn’t know the first thing about her. Had she had a happy life? Were her adoptive parents good to her?

  No, it was too hard. . . .

  She couldn’t think about it. Not here. She felt a sudden pressure in her head and rubbed her brow with her fingertips, trying to compose herself.

  You can’t sit here crying in full view of Main Street, she told herself. That won’t do.

  She reached for her water glass and took a sip. Her hand trembled a bit, she noticed, as if she were looking at someone else’s. She stretched out her fingers and looked down at them, still bare and ring-less after all this time.

  She had resumed her life in Cape Light as if that year with Tim had never happened. Or had happened to someone else. But under the surface, that brief chapter was still taking its toll. She sometimes felt as if a part of her had remained stuck and frozen in that place, that time in her life, twenty years ago.

  Emily closed her eyes a moment and took a deep breath to clear her head. She couldn’t think about this anymore. She’d never be able to go back to work tonight.

  When she looked out at Main Street, she saw Jessica passing the diner. She quickly tapped on the window, and her sister looked up and smiled. Emily waved, inviting her in.

  The two sisters hugged in greeting, and Jessica sat down.

  “I’m just having a quick bite before the town council meeting. Want some dinner?” Emily asked.

  “No, thanks. I’ve got to get home,” Jessica replied. The waitress appeared with Emily’s coffee and a menu, but Jessica waved it away.

  “This is my sister. She just dropped by to say hello,” Emily explained to Sara. She noticed Sara’s blue eyes grow wide as she stared at Jessica. Did the girl find it odd that she had a sister?

  “Can I bring you something to drink?” Sara asked nervously.

  “Okay . . . I guess I’ll have an iced tea,” Jessica said, sitting back her seat. Once Sara left, she turned back to Emily. “Is she new here?”

  “Yes, very new.” Emily took a sip of her coffee. “But she makes good coffee. And she seems very sweet,” she added. She looked up at her sister. They hardly ever met like this, for no reason at all. She wished Jessica would stay and visit with her awhile, but she didn’t want to press it.

  “How did it go with Mother on Sunday? I called her this afternoon, but Rachel Anderson was there. They were in the middle of Mother’s physical therapy.”

  “Well, I got her to church and back in one piece, so that was a success,” Jessica reported. “And Dr. Elliot came for lunch. So all I had to do was feed and water them. Molly Willoughby is a great cook, by the way. Mother, of course, thinks she uses too much seasoning.”

  “Any seasoning is too much for Mom,” Emily said, shaking her head. “Did they gossip about everyone in town?”

  “Everyone but you. But maybe they covered that topic while I left the room, I can’t be sure.”

  “Probably,” Emily said. “Thanks for taking over.”

  “No problem. That’s what I’m here for.” Jessica shrugged. “I meant to call you this morning, but I got too busy.”

  “That’s okay.” Emily glanced at Jessica, then away again. “I just wondered, that’s all.”

  Maybe it was their nine-year age difference. At times Jessica felt Emily didn’t realize she was an adult now, too. Especially in regard to taking care of their mother.

  Sara brought Emily’s dinner and served Jessica’s iced tea.

  “Are you sure you won’t have dinner with me? I have plenty of time,” Emily said again.

  Jessica seemed tempted, then shook her head. “No, thanks. I have a busy day tomorrow. I have a lot to do at home.”

  Jessica considered telling her sister about Paul. Then decided not to. She’d never really talked to Emily about dating. She wasn’t sure her sister would understand. Emily didn’t seem interested in men or romance. She had never had a relationship—not that Jessica knew of, anyway.

  They didn’t have the kind of close relationship some sisters shared. Jessica wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t as if they argued. They rarely disagreed. But they’d never had those heartfelt talks or cried in each other’s arms, the way Jessica thought sisters should. Moving back to Cape Light hadn’t helped. For Jessica, it had only made her more aware of the gap between them.

  “So how’s the job going?” Emily asked while Jessica sipped her iced tea.

  “Good. They gave me a window,” Jessica added with a laugh.

  Emily arched one eyebrow in interest, and Jessica filled her in. “Sam Morgan put it in,” she finished, curious to see what her sister’s reaction would be.

  “Mmm . . . Sam does excellent work,” Emily said. She took another bite of her sandwich. “I need some bookcases in the living room. But he’s always so busy.”

  “Yes, he seems to be,” Jessica agreed. She considered asking Em
ily what she thought of Sam. Then gave herself a mental shake. That would be silly. No point to it.

  “So, what’s on tonight’s agenda at the meeting?” she asked Emily, quickly changing the subject. “Anything interesting?”

  “Mostly routine matters. But I am expecting an all-night argument over parking meters. Care to speak in my defense?”

  “I think you’ll do just fine without backup,” Jessica assured her with a smile.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Emily grinned. She left money for the check and the two got up to go. Sara was standing behind the counter and looked up as they passed.

  “Thanks for the coffee, Sara,” Emily said. “A fresh cup of coffee was just what I needed.”

  “You’re welcome. . . . Good night.” Sara met Emily’s gaze and smiled, then quickly looked away.

  As Emily and Jessica left, Lucy came over to the counter and stood next to Sara. She took a stack of menus and started sponging them off one by one.

  “There they go, the Warwick girls. Say what you want about that family, but they have class, right down to their fingertips. You could put those two on a desert island. The class would still show.”

  Sara gave a nervous laugh. “Do you really think that’s true?”

  “Absolutely. You’re either born with it or you’re not.”

  Lucy wiped down the last menu, then straightened out the stack. She seemed very lively and upbeat tonight, Sara noticed. She wondered if Lucy’s mood had anything to do with the fact that Charlie wasn’t in the diner this evening.

  “Hey, I want to show you something. You’re going to die laughing,” Lucy promised.

  She leaned down under the counter and came up again holding a brown cardboard box. “Charlie was just throwing a fit about the Beanery opening up down the street. Now he wants to do everything around here like they do. He even had these silly T-shirts made up. You know, because the Beans have T-shirts. So look at this. . . .” Lucy opened the box and pulled out a blue T-shirt.

  “The Clam Box” was printed across the front in bold white letters, with a small illustration of the diner and a list of specialties. The back had a cartoon of a smiling clam with a cartoon bubble. “Try our famous clam roll. Mmmm, good!” it read.

  “Now, is that the silliest thing you’ve ever seen? Charlie says the drawing was his idea. He never asked me about it, I’ll tell you that much,” Lucy added, gazing down at the talking clam. “He made them up for the help to wear and thinks he’s going to sell them, too. First of all, I’m not wearing a shirt with a silly cartoon clam on it every day, thank you very much. And why would a clam even say that? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It is sort of . . . odd looking,” Sara admitted. “Maybe he’ll have it changed.”

  Lucy’s warm laughter burst out. “Sure, he’ll change it. After we use up the four dozen shirts that are coming tomorrow. Then there’s the flavored coffees. Did you see Tucker taste that hazelnut today? He spit it right back into the cup.” She folded the T-shirt and put it back in the box. “Let’s just hope Charlie gets over this Bean problem quickly.”

  Lucy sighed and shook her head. She glanced over at Sara. “How do you like it so far? I mean, besides the new T-shirts.”

  “It’s fine.” Sara smiled and shrugged. “I know I messed up a few orders this morning, during the rush. But I’ll get better once I know where everything is.”

  “Of course you will,” Lucy assured her. “I think you’re doing great. Don’t pay too much attention to Charlie. Even if he yells, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s mad at you.” Lucy paused. “Listen, I wanted to ask you something. I was wondering if you could give me some advice.”

  “Advice? About what?” Sara couldn’t imagine what kind of advice she could give the older woman. Though she already felt comfortable with Lucy, as if they could be good friends.

  “Well, you went to college and I was wondering if you could take at look at these with me. . . .”

  Lucy leaned down again and pulled out something else from another shelf under the counter. Whatever it was, it was buried back there, Sara noticed, and it took Lucy a few moments to wrestle it out. Finally, a bit flushed, Lucy emerged with several college catalogs, which she dropped on the counter in front of Sara.

  “Listen, this is just between us, okay? I haven’t told Charlie yet, but I’ve been thinking about going back to school. I had a year or so of college before Charlie and I got married, and I always hoped I’d finish. But you know how it is.” Lucy shook her head. “Once the kids come, that’s it. Then Charlie took over this place when his father died, and if I have a spare minute to breathe, I’m in here, working.”

  Sara couldn’t imagine Lucy’s life, so busy with so many people to take care of. She only had herself to think about, and sometimes even that seemed too much to handle.

  “I think that’s great,” Sara told her. “What do you want to study? Anything in particular?”

  Lucy looked almost embarrassed, but finally she said, “Well, I know it’s a long haul, but I’d like to be a nurse.”

  Sara smiled. “I think you’d be a really good one,” she said sincerely.

  “Oh, thanks, honey. You’re sweet. But I’m not sure I can do it. So much studying and memorizing . . . But I really want to try, you know what I mean? Then I can say, well, at least I tried. Right?”

  “Sure, I understand.” Sara felt a sudden kinship with Lucy. She wanted her to go for it. It went without saying that it wasn’t going to be easy.

  “Want me to look through the catalogs with you?” Sara offered.

  “Would you? That would be terrific.”

  “The thing is, I don’t really know much about the colleges around here.” Sara paused and leafed through the book on top. “Maybe the Beans could give you some advice,” she suggested. “Weren’t they college professors? I’m sure they know a lot about which schools are stronger in arts or sciences. That sort of thing.”

  “The Beans?” Lucy looked shocked. As if Sara had suggested she call the White House. “Oh, I couldn’t do that.”

  “Why not? They might even know some teachers at the schools who could help you get in when you’re ready to apply.”

  “I guess that’s true.” Lucy bit her lip. “They probably could help me a lot . . . if I asked, I mean. And they wanted to.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Charlie sent me over there on Tuesday. He wanted me to sort of spy around for him,” she added, glancing at Sara. “But I couldn’t really do it. I told them who I was, and I more or less apologized for Charlie and the way he’s going on about their store. They were awfully nice. They even gave me a cappuccino and this little toasted sandwich with goat cheese and tomato. It was scrumptious.”

  “Maybe you ought to go see them again,” Sara urged her with a smile. “You could go right now. I can handle everything here.”

  “Yes, I guess I could, couldn’t I?” Lucy glanced down at her watch. “Charlie should be in that meeting until at least ten or eleven. Sometimes they go all night.”

  “It’s quiet here. I can cover for you.”

  “If Charlie ever finds out I went over to the enemy, he’ll kill me. . . .” Lucy said, pulling off her apron. “But I suppose you have to live dangerously once in a while.” She picked up the catalogs. “If you have any problems or can’t find something, just ask Fred, he’ll help you out,” she said, mentioning the replacement cook. “And promise you won’t breathe a word of this to a living soul.”

  “Your secret’s safe with me,” Sara promised.

  “Thanks, hon. See you later.” Lucy gave a little wave and headed out the door.

  The diner was quiet for the next few hours, and Sara easily took care of the few tables. When she had nothing to do, she leafed through some back issues of the Messenger, looking for articles that mentioned Emily Warwick. A number of articles did, but only in connection with the issues in the town. None of them had any personal information. Sara decided she’d go over to the library on he
r day off and see if she could find out more about Emily. And the whole Warwick family, for that matter. She knew that the Warwicks had been in this area for a long time and had once owned a big estate with an old mansion. She’d driven past but hadn’t gone inside. She would check that out, too, she resolved.

  Sara was at the register, ringing up a check, when a new customer entered. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, wearing jeans with a denim jacket and a black T-shirt. His thick brown hair was cut short. He stood at the door and slowly looked around, as if he were unfamiliar with the place.

  “You can sit anywhere,” Sara greeted him. “I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

  He looked at her but didn’t smile. His pale gray eyes were unusual, she thought. Something about them was wary and cold.

  As he headed for an empty table, she noticed his slow, halting gait. Not really that obvious, but she always noticed small details about people.

  “There are specials on the board,” Sara said, handing him a menu. “Can I bring you something to drink while you’re deciding?”

  “Just coffee, please,” he said without looking at her.

  At first she thought he might be one of the local workingmen, who seemed to favor the diner. But when she brought the coffee back, she noticed that his hands looked too smooth and clean for outdoor work. For that matter, so did his clothing.

  He stared at the menu, seeming not to notice her. Then he said, “What’s good here?”

  “Gee . . . I’m not sure. It’s my first day. Everybody seems to like the clam rolls, though,” she added quickly. “And the hamburgers look good.”

  “Okay, give me a clam roll, then.” He closed the menu and handed it to her. “At least you’re honest.”

  Sara wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She jotted down the order on her pad.

  “So, how do you like your new job?” he asked before she could walk away.

  Sara shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m just here for the summer and I needed something.”

  “The summer is nice up here. I used to come here every year with my family when I was a kid. It doesn’t look like it’s changed much since then.”