A smile touched her mother’s eyes. “You were so determined to prove it.”
“Yes, well…It was easy enough to think I could do everything by myself before Katie was born, but afterward…it was a different story.” Never would she have imagined that one tiny baby could be so demanding. Most nights Maryellen had only managed to sleep in twenty-or thirty-minute stretches—if at all. A rash of ear infections kept Katie up at night screaming in pain. Thankfully Jon had insisted on being part of his daughter’s life and wanted to share the responsibility of raising her. Maryellen had quickly seen that Katie needed him, and so did she. “The similarity, Mom, is that I was so sure about everything—and I was wrong. Maybe you are, too.”
As Grace began to reply, Elaine, the owner’s wife, came for their order and predictably Maryellen chose her chicken hot sauce noodles. Grace asked for Wor Wonton Soup.
When Elaine had left their table and gone back to the kitchen, the restaurant door opened and in walked Cliff Harding.
Maryellen leaned toward her mother. “Don’t look now, but Cliff just came in.”
Grace stiffened. “Did he notice us?”
There wasn’t time to answer. Cliff walked directly over to their table and smiled down at both women.
“Hi, there,” Maryellen said, raising her hand. “This is a pleasant surprise.”
He acknowledged her, and removed his Stetson as he turned toward her mother. “Grace,” he said with a curt nod.
“Hello, Cliff.” Her mother’s voice was calm, and she kept her eyes trained straight ahead.
Maryellen admired her poise in this awkward situation. She watched as Grace slowly glanced up and offered Cliff the scantest of smiles.
“There must be a problem with your answering machine,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you.”
“Would you care to join us?” Maryellen asked, ignoring the daggers her mother was shooting at her.
“Grace?”
Her mother hesitated only briefly. “By all means.” She looked at her watch as if to gauge how much of her lunch hour was left. “I’ll need to leave in a few minutes, anyway.”
“Nonsense,” Maryellen challenged. “We ordered no more than three minutes ago.”
Cliff sat at the end of the booth, setting his cowboy hat on the empty space next to Grace.
“It’s a little early for you to be having lunch, isn’t it?” her mother asked pointedly.
Cliff smiled wryly. “The truth is, I drove by and saw you and Maryellen in the window. I figured if you weren’t going to answer my phone calls, the best thing to do was talk to you in person.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorrier than you know about that night,” he said with sincerity.
So Maryellen was right. Cliff knew what he’d done and was trying to make amends.
“I was hoping you’d be willing to give me another opportunity.” His eyes pleaded with Grace. “I’d still like you to come out to the ranch for dinner,” he said in a rush.
Grace seemed to waver. “I—I don’t know.”
Maryellen wanted to shake her mother. “I’m sure she’d enjoy that very much,” she said firmly and ignored the kick as her mother’s shoe connected with her shin.
Maryellen nearly laughed aloud at the shuffling of their feet beneath the table.
In the meantime, Elaine brought Cliff a teacup and a menu. He accepted the tea, but declined lunch.
The small interruption was followed by an uncomfortable silence. “When would you like Mom to come over?” she asked.
“Maryellen!” Her mother’s protest was accompanied by a glare. “I’m sure Cliff has more important things to attend to than making me dinner.”
“I’d like to do it,” he countered, a smile twitching at the edges of his mouth.
“What date were you thinking of?” Maryellen was finding pleasure in this. It was a fitting turnabout, considering all the times Grace had tried to match her up after her divorce. She’d resented it back then, never suspecting that the day would come when she’d play matchmaker for her own mother.
“Thanksgiving,” Cliff said.
That astonished them both, and they stared at him.
“Thanksgiving,” Grace repeated softly. “I’m sorry, I already have an invitation.” She sent a triumphant look in Maryellen’s direction.
“To my house,” Maryellen said. Feeling she needed to explain the situation to Cliff, she added, “Kelly’s going to be at her in-laws’, so Mom was planning to join Jon, Katie and me.”
“Aren’t you flying out to be with Lisa?” Grace asked.
“Lisa was here earlier in the year,” Cliff said, and of course Grace knew that. “I thought I’d stay home. I don’t pretend to be much of a cook, but I can probably manage a turkey and fixings.”
Maryellen watched the lowering of her mother’s guard. No matter how hard Grace tried to convince herself the relationship was over, she couldn’t do it. In a matter of minutes, her resolve was visibly crumbling.
“I appreciate the invitation,” her mother said, her eyes warm with longing, “but I’m already committed to my daughter.”
“Mom, it’s all right, really. Jon and I won’t mind.”
“Nonsense,” Cliff said quickly. “I was hoping Maryellen, Jon and the baby would come, too.”
Grace met Maryellen’s eyes.
Maryellen felt a sense of satisfaction steal over her. “I’ll have to check with Jon, of course, but I imagine he’d enjoy the opportunity not to cook this Thanksgiving.”
“Then you’ll both be joining Cal and me,” Cliff said, as he got to his feet. He reached for his hat and when he smiled, it seemed to Maryellen that there was a new lightness in his expression. His habitual look was one of gravity and she’d rarely seen this kind of…elation on his face before.
She noticed that her mother was smiling, too.
Fourteen
The ringing of the phone destroyed the calm of the afternoon. Corrie reached for it on the second ring. “Roy McAfee’s office,” she said in her professional voice.
The lack of response caught her attention. “This is Roy McAfee’s office,” she repeated.
Silence again.
Sighing, she replaced the phone. When she looked up, Roy was standing in the doorway leading to his office, his arms crossed. He glowered at the phone as if it were guilty of some unspeakable crime.
“How many hang-ups have we had in the last couple of weeks?” he asked.
Corrie hadn’t counted them. “Two or three,” she said, but she knew it was more. She shrugged, making light of it. “I think the phone company must’ve issued a number similar to ours to a pizza parlor or something.”
“How many hang-ups did we get in October?”
“Oh, honestly, Roy, you don’t expect me to remember that, do you?”
His eyes narrowed. “As a matter of fact, I do. I don’t know anyone who has a better mind for details. How many, Corrie?”
She swallowed hard. “None.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“In other words, you think whoever’s been mailing these postcards is switching to phone calls?”
“I don’t know.”
“Any more postcards recently?” Corrie hated to ask, but she needed to know. She hadn’t seen any, and Roy hadn’t mentioned getting even one in quite a while. Still, she was afraid he might be hiding them from her—for her own protection, of course.
He shook his head. “The last card arrived on October sixth.”
Corrie smiled, not that she found it humorous. She did feel a little relieved, yes. But her amusement, such as it was, came from Roy’s claim that she had a head for details, although he was the one who categorized every fact, no matter how minute. If it hadn’t been for Roy, the murder at the Thyme and Tide might never have been solved. Little things like the date of the last postcard stayed in his mind—and hers, too. Nothing, however, had been as troubling as this.
The phone rang again.
Corrie looked at Roy before answering on the second ring. “Roy McAfee’s office.”
“Mom,” Linnette cried, “where are you?”
“Ah…”
“The ceremony for the clinic opening starts in fifteen minutes! I thought you were coming.”
Corrie nearly laughed out loud. Only seconds earlier, she’d been congratulating herself and Roy on their memories, and they’d let the most important day of the month slip past them.
“Dad and I will be there in a few minutes.”
“Hurry! You wouldn’t believe all the people who are here.
Besides, I want to introduce you to Dr. Timmons. Oh, Mom, he’s just so cute.”
“We’re on our way now,” Corrie said.
“Don’t even think of driving. There isn’t a parking spot to be had for miles.”
Corrie loved the joy and excitement in her daughter’s voice. “We’ll be right over.”
Roy must’ve heard, because he’d already collected his jacket. He held Corrie’s long wool coat for her. When she’d pulled on her gloves and wrapped a hand-knit scarf around her neck, they walked out the door. Roy automatically stopped to check that it was locked.
The brisk cold wind off the cove was powerful enough to make Corrie’s eyes water. She shivered and Roy tucked her hand in the crook of his arm as they set off at a brisk pace toward the newly constructed clinic across from City Hall.
“I’m glad Linnette’s living in Cedar Cove now,” Roy murmured, surprising her. He didn’t generally reveal his emotions; he was the kind of man who showed his love through the things he did, not the things he said. Corrie was pleased he had a good relationship with Linnette. But that reminded her of his conflicts with their son, which immediately saddened her.
“I’m glad she’s here, too.” Corrie was more than glad, she was thrilled. Ecstatic. She just wished Mack and Roy would sort out their differences. She resisted the urge to remind her husband that Mack had helped his sister move from Seattle to Cedar Cove. Roy would see through that conversational ploy instantly.
By the time Corrie and Roy arrived at the medical complex, there was a crowd, just as Linnette had said, with more people gathering in front of the big red ribbon stretched across the sidewalk. Corrie spotted Mayor Benson with several other members of the council.
Charlotte and Ben Rhodes were there. That was fitting because it was through their determined efforts that Cedar Cove had a medical facility at all. Jack Griffin and a photographer from The Chronicle were interviewing a group of older people, while the sheriff and his deputies scanned the crowd.
Linnette smiled and waved when she saw Corrie and Roy. She motioned with her head at the good-looking man standing on her right. This must be Chad Timmons, the physician she’d mentioned countless times.
A small podium had been erected and Mayor Benson finally stepped up to the microphone. “Welcome, welcome,” he called out, and a hush fell over the crowd. “I’m delighted to see such a large turnout for this afternoon’s grand opening of Cedar Cove’s brand-spanking-new medical facility.”
Corrie was almost deafened by the resounding cheer that followed. “This has come about as a result of the cooperation between the private and public sectors. I’m proud to have played a role in getting this facility off the drawing board.”
Corrie glanced at her husband and saw that he was having a hard time squelching a smile. “The old windbag should be thanking Charlotte and Ben,” he said, bending down to whisper in her ear.
“Yeah,” Corrie whispered back. “He wasn’t the one who risked jail time.”
Mayor Benson gestured expansively. “Now, I’d like to introduce our staff members.” Several other men and women had joined Linnette and Dr. Timmons, and the mayor briefly introduced each one. When Linnette’s name was announced, she gave a small wave. Corrie clapped as loudly as her gloved hands would allow.
After the introduction of the staff, Mayor Benson continued to elaborate on the role his office had played in establishing the clinic.
“Just cut the ribbon,” someone shouted from the back of the crowd when rain started to fall.
Mayor Benson reached for the big scissors. “Normally it’s my privilege, as mayor of Cedar Cove, to cut the ribbon, but I’d like to defer in this instance.” He turned to Charlotte and Ben. “Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes, would you kindly do the honors?”
The crowd roared with approval.
Blushing, Charlotte stepped forward and with Ben at her side, cut the ribbon.
“Now we’d like everyone to come in for a tour of the facility. And please, help yourself to refreshments.”
The small podium was quickly moved and the double glass doors opened wide as a stream of visitors flowed in.
Corrie and Roy paused to chat with friends along the way. Jack’s photographer took dozens of pictures, but Corrie was sure the photograph on the front page would be of Charlotte and Ben cutting the ribbon. She had to give the mayor credit. He was a savvy politician to surrender the honor to Charlotte and Ben Rhodes. That had probably earned him more votes than anything he might have said.
Corrie chatted with Peggy Beldon while she waited for the crowd to diminish so she could talk to her daughter. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gloria Ashton, Linnette’s neighbor, deep in conversation with Dr. Timmons. She’d recently met her when she’d visited Linnette to drop off a casserole. Corrie noticed the way Linnette’s gaze followed her newfound friend, as if sizing up the competition. Oh, dear. That could be a problem. Although Corrie had only met Gloria the one time, she’d liked her and hoped that Linnette and her neighbor would become good friends.
“Who’s that?” Roy asked, nodding toward Gloria.
Linnette had walked over to Gloria and Dr. Timmons and joined in the conversation. Corrie saw Dr. Timmons’s quick frown, as if he resented the intrusion. This definitely wasn’t a good sign.
“Do you know her?” Roy asked again.
“That’s Linnette’s neighbor. She works for the sheriff’s office in Bremerton.”
Roy didn’t say anything. “What makes you ask?” she prodded.
“No reason.”
Roy was probably thinking the same thing as Corrie. Their daughter had a major crush on this doctor. Corrie couldn’t remember hearing Linnette more excited than the day she’d learned the clinic had hired Chad Timmons.
“Come on,” Corrie said, taking her husband’s hand. “Let’s go talk to Linnette.”
“In a minute,” Roy said, frowning as he watched his daughter interact with the small group. “What do you know about this guy she’s so keen on?”
“Just what she told me. Roy, good grief, give the girl a chance. She’s got a mind of her own and she isn’t going to appreciate your interference.”
“Is that so?” Roy teased.
“Absolutely.”
Roy smiled again. “How’d her date go with that bachelor you paid top dollar for?”
His comment hit its mark. “Touché,” she murmured. The dinner was a major disappointment in Corrie’s view. Apparently Linnette’s evening had been enjoyable enough; in fact, according to her daughter, it’d been a better experience than she’d expected. But as far as Corrie knew, Cal Washburn hadn’t phoned her for a second date. Sadly, she wasn’t entirely convinced Linnette would accept if he did.
“Then I guess we should make this young doctor’s acquaintance.” With his hand at the small of her back, Roy steered Corrie toward the group.
The three stopped chatting when Corrie and Roy approached. “Mom, Dad,” Linnette said, smiling broadly. All that was missing was a trumpet fanfare. “This is Dr. Timmons.”
The physician exchanged handshakes with Roy and Corrie. “Pleased to meet you,” he said politely.
“I think Linnette’s mentioned your name,” Corrie told him, downplaying her daughter’s interest. “Did you attend classes together?”
“Not really,” Chad said. “We met at the hospital where Linnette did her practical training.”
<
br /> “And this is Gloria Ashton,” Linnette inserted, smiling at her father. “We live in the same apartment complex. Gloria, meet my dad, Roy McAfee.”
“It’s a pleasure,” Roy said.
Gloria nodded. “Same here.”
After a moment’s silence, Dr. Timmons said, “If you’ll excuse me, I’d better do some more mingling.” He grinned at Gloria. “I’d be interested in following up on our conversation,” he said, then glanced self-consciously at Linnette. “Could I give you a call sometime?”
His question went unanswered and there was an uncomfortable silence.
“Oh—yes, I’m sorry,” Gloria said. “I’d like that.”
Linnette’s face fell, but she recovered quickly. With a strained smile, she ushered her parents toward the interior of the clinic. “Come on, Mom and Dad. I’ll give you a personal tour.”
Corrie wasn’t fooled. She could sense trouble brewing between Linnette and her new friend over the handsome Dr. Timmons.
Fifteen
Cecilia liked Rachel Pendergast right away. They talked for a few minutes before the beautician seated her and draped the plastic cape around her. Rachel had a friendly, down-to-earth manner that Cecilia found appealing. Ian had suggested she introduce herself to Warrant Officer Nate Olsen’s girlfriend, so she’d scheduled an appointment. Cecilia was due for a haircut, anyway, and wasn’t opposed to trying out a new shop, especially one with such a good reputation.
Rachel turned the chair around so Cecilia faced the mirror. She combed through Cecilia’s thick hair and ran her fingers from beginning to end.
“How much would you like cut off?” she asked, meeting Cecilia’s gaze in the mirror.
“About an inch,” she said, “and I’d like you to trim my bangs.” Cecilia guessed she and Rachel were close to the same age; perhaps Rachel was a few years older. It was hard to tell.
“When’s your baby due?” Rachel asked, leading Cecilia to the shampoo sink.
“March fifteenth.” The date was embossed in her mind as she mentally counted the days before she would hold her son in her arms.