Fresca backed off and joined Kipp’s side.
Adele turned to Kipp. “What did you call him? It’s only fair you say it in English.”
Kipp’s chin rose. “I said, you louse.”
“Louse? Louse?” Reggie said. “I’ve been interested in this chair since it came into the shop. How much do you want for it, baby cakes? I’m loaded.”
She wanted to hurl. All Reggie ever concerned himself with was money. “The chair is already sold to—”
“I’ll double whatever he’s paying,” Reggie said.
“It’s a very expensive Victorian piece and difficult to restore.”
“How much?”
“Six twenty-five.”
Reggie’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed hard. “Thirteen hundred.” He coughed.
Kipp tapped her on the shoulder. “It would not be so bad to let him have the chair.”
She turned to see the concerned look on Kipp’s face. He looked like he’d had the wind knocked out of him.
Reggie cleared his throat. “I never actually decided on the chair.”
“Oh, please. The both of you. Forget about the chair. Both of you leave. I’ve got to get back to work.” She shoved them both toward the door.
The two men walked out, still arguing about ownership of the chair. Adele scoffed and gathered up the letters. She’d deal with this later. Right now she had to get the shop open. If Dad came back and the shop was closed, she’d hear about it.
She sunk her teeth into the apple and headed for the front door to remove the sign. She had no idea what to do with Reggie. He just wouldn’t give up. Should she introduce him to some other women she knew? Did she dislike anyone that much? Why did she have to do anything? She had enough to deal with.
She took the sign off the door. And Kipp. Oh, that kiss, a kiss that left her heady and her mouth burning with desire. She reached up and touched her lips. She’d never been kissed like that. She’d never responded like that. The man was full of reckless passion. She wanted to succumb to him, but couldn’t let her logical mind escape its prison of responsibilities.
She wanted to throw caution to the wind and find out just where a relationship with Kipp would lead. Did he really want her to run away with him? Oh, how her heart longed for such an adventure. But, what about the shop? What about Dad? What about Zeke and Zach? What about college? She had to calm her female desires and think logically.
Ring.
She rushed to the conference room to answer the phone. Fresca jumped up on the table and barked.
“Quiet down,” Adele said, picking up the receiver. “Hello?”
Zymon answered back.
“Oh, it’s you. What do you think you’re doing, running out on your kids like that?”
He sighed. “I had to see Rhonda.”
“You’re in New York?” she said flabbergasted.
“I missed her, Sis.”
“Your kids miss the both of you. I’m telling you Zymon, this has got to end. You can’t keep dumping your responsibilities on me. I’m sorry, but I have my own life.”
“Like what?”
Her grip tightened on the receiver and her jaw clenched. How dare he? After all she’d done for him. The drunken, no-good jerk.
“I’ve enrolled at the U in nursing as a matter of fact. Come home by tomorrow or I swear all put your kids on a plane and ship them to you.” She slammed down the phone.
There. Now everyone knew her intentions. Her life was her own. A niggle of guilt stirred in her stomach.
Chapter Five
Adele carefully removed the back section of fabric off the chair and laid it out on the new fabric to trace. She’d made tremendous progress on Kipp’s chair today.
She heard Zeke and Zach laughing at the VHS tape of cartoons from the conference room and smiled. Their laughs were infectious. Maybe she should be carting them off to church today, but she had found it difficult to watch the shop and work on the restoration of the chair. Today gave her some uninterrupted time. True she had a lot of repairs on the wood frame before reupholstering, but she wanted to make sure she had enough fabric for all the pieces in case she had to match the dye lot.
She heard Fresca playing in the toilet water again. Silly dog. She realized they all needed to get out for some good exercise. Maybe they could take Fresca to the park later. She wiped her hands on her jeans, glad she could dress down for the day.
She mulled over her phone call with Zymon. He sounded drunk. He probably didn’t even remember their conversation. She’d be certain to remind him when he returned. As much as she loved Zeke and Zach, she needed to think about her future, her needs. Her mind wandered to the image of Kipp Waterbury. She found him intriguing, mysterious and, oh, so manly.
Could she have a future with him? She pictured herself pregnant, baking a cake, and two girls and two boys running about the house playing. Kipp would come home from work after a prosperous day and kiss her and rub her growing belly. Not a bad picture. She could see herself being happy.
Fresca trotted, water dripping from her mouth. She leapt up on the counter and landed in the middle of the stack of letters, sending them crashing to the floor.
“Fresca, get down from there,” she called.
Fresca struggled with her footing and fell. She landed on the floor and took off before she got yelled at. Adele bent down and picked up the letters, reorganizing them again. The temptation to read them overwhelmed her. They had been addressed by the same person with a very bold male handwriting. Were they love letters? Had Melisa hidden them away inside the chair and forgot about them?
She slipped the first one out of the yellowed envelope and read it.
Mi hermosa Melisa,
I think of you every second of every day and every night. We should not have to be apart like this. I miss you so very much. I listen to Bing Crosby sing our song, “Only Forever,” over and over until my parents scream at me. I will keep you in my thoughts and dreams until I see you tomorrow at school, mi hermosa.
I love you with all my heart,
Ralph
Ralph? Okay, beautiful letter, but Ralph? Not to mention the Spanish words for my beautiful Melisa. She rushed out to the old phonograph records, certain she had seen the title before. She flipped through the rack until she found it, Only Forever. If only she had a 45 rpm phonograph player that would play it. She took it with her and checked on the boys. They were totally enraptured with their cartoons.
She had to get back to work. That was what this day was all about—getting some work done. Yet as she went to set the letter down on the counter, the rest of them called to her. She desperately wanted to hear what else Ralph had to tell his sweetheart Melisa. For a young man in school, he was quite suave. The Korean War had just begun. Would he be drafted when he graduated? The times brought with it an early education in life. He didn’t want to lose his chance at love.
She read several additional letters and romanticized about Melisa and Ralph. The more she read the more she fell in love with the couple and the idea of true love. Do deep, meaningful relationships like that really exist? Is there such a thing as destined love?
She certainly hadn’t witnessed many positive marital relationships. Of course, Zymon had dashed off to be with Rhonda in New York, but she had her suspicions that he hadn’t been faithful to Rhonda. Adele hated thinking about his infidelity. As for her parents, she couldn’t remember her mother. She died when Adele was very young. Who did that leave to emulate?
A manly scent drifted on the air around her.
“Kipp?” she said, turning around.
She ended up directly in his arms.
Zeke and Zach snickered. “Kipp and Adele sitting in a tree,” they sang, laughing and punching each other in the arm. They headed back to their cartoons.
“I hope you don’t mind. The boys let me in,” Kipp said. “I brought some lemon pastries for all of you.”
“I want to find Melisa and Ralph, and I want you
to help me.”
* * * *
Kipp’s smile wavered. His heart overflowed at the idea of Adele wanting his help, but… “Who, please, is Melisa and Ralph?”
She waved one of the letters under his nose.
Kipp nodded. “Oh, Melisa Mathews. And Ralph is…”
She scoffed. “Her true love.”
“I see.” Actually, he didn’t.
The letters were forty some years old. If they were love letters, that would make the couple somewhere in their sixties. Why would Adele want to find them?
He savored the way she looked in her blue jeans and soft red blouse with fabric fuzz all over it. He had no problem standing here all day with her in his arms.
“Have you forgiven me for yesterday?” he asked.
“I’d rather not discuss it,” she said, trying to pout. Her lips curled up into a smile instead.
“How do you plan on finding Melisa and…”
“Ralph. We’ll just go to the address on these letters.”
He smiled at her naiveté. “After all these years you expect her to still be there?”
She gave him a scowl. “Of course not. But someone might know what happened to her and then we can follow that lead and so on and so on.”
He winced at the gutted chair. Six hundred and twenty-five dollars. He didn’t have that kind of money. He needed everything he had for room and board and college. What would he tell her? For now, he would enjoy the fact that they shared something together. He could picture her sitting in it at their apartment. Umm, minus the clutter.
“What is this?” she asked, moving to the counter and picking up a fleece toy shaped like a sheep.
“A present for Fresca I bring.”
Fresca jumped up her leg repeatedly, trying to retrieve the toy. She tossed it to Kipp and the game of keep-away began. Fresca barked and growled and jumped and lunged. Kipp signaled Adele to miss the catch. The toy sailed to the floor and Fresca pounced on it, shaking it with her teeth. They laughed and watched her settle down and take a nap with it.
“Thank you,” Adele said to him.
“It’s nothing. Just a toy.”
“Fresca loves it.”
He wished she would speak to him of love. He couldn’t stand being without her. How could he convince her that he knew his heart? He didn’t want to frighten her away. Reginald Vega had done a fine job of turning her emotions to doubt. He would slow down and give her a chance to know him. Finding Melisa and Ralph together would provide the opportunity for her to get to know him. For now, he would enjoy each moment they were together.
* * * *
Adele hummed as she unlocked the shop and set a few antiques out on the sidewalk to start the day.
Yesterday had been wonderful. The boys were not their usual little monster selves and kept busy while she and Kipp worked on the chair. They’d even been able to do quite a bit of restoration on the framework. Kipp could work magic with his hands, and she’d enjoyed the pleasant moment in his company. He told her about Budapest, his family, his early interest in mechanical items. She found him fascinating.
She doubted she would see him today. He had told her about the many jobs he had planned, including the water clock restoration. She had a billion things to do today too, especially paying the bills. Darest she say her least favorite job, especially with money so tight. Zymon’s trips always put them in the red.
Zach carried a real 1800s Indian blanket and a long Pony Express antique oil lamp toward the corner of the store.
“Whatcha doing?” she asked.
Zeke joined them carrying the old muzzle loader, a canteen and sheriff’s badge. “Tell her,” he said to Zach.
“We’re setting up a tent in the corner.”
They both glared at her, daring her to stop them. She smiled. Zymon would probably have a fit at them playing with the valuable antiques, but she couldn’t blame them. How fun could it be hanging around the shop every day during the summer? Zymon and Rhonda had to work out some other arrangements. Why didn’t they send them to camp? They’d have fun there.
Let’s face it. It was easier and cheaper to get good old Adele to babysit them.
“No problem, boys,” she said, giving them a jug. “Just be careful with the gun and the lamp.”
They marched off with their treasures, Fresca on their heels.
She slipped the keys around her neck and headed toward the office. Zymon and Rhonda would be back today, but she hadn’t told the boys. She didn’t want to see them disappointed…again. Hopefully they’d keep their word this time.
She got busy on the books, keeping an ear out for the bell jingling at the door. The day went slower than Saturday, and she managed to get all her paperwork done with only a few customers to deal with.
The bell jingled.
She put down her pen and headed out into the shop. Reggie hustled toward her, a determined look on his face. She rolled her eyes. Not again.
“I want to speak to you,” he said. “I understand that foreigner was over here yesterday.”
She tipped her head back and moaned. “And what business is it of yours?”
“I’m warning you, Adele. He means trouble.” He took her by the arm.
She pulled away. “Reggie, for the last time, what I do with my life isn’t any of your business. I’ve tried not to lead you on. I’ve been honest and up front with you.”
“I want—”
“That’s the problem, Reggie. It’s always about what you want. You never listen to me. If I told you right now that I’d registered for my first semester at the U, what would you say?”
He pursed his lips. “I’d say that was ludicrous. Why would you need to go to college if you’re going to marry me?”
She stamped her foot. “That’s just it. I’m not going to marry you. Can’t you get that through your head?”
At least Kipp had understood her desire to go to school, and he had been supportive. Why couldn’t anyone else be supportive of her choices?
“Bothering you again I think he is,” Kipp said, stomping up.
“You stay out of this,” Reggie said, giving him a shove.
Not again!
“Is there gonna be a fight?” Zeke asked, rushing up with Zach right behind him.
Zymon staggered in, followed by Rhonda.
Oh, what a happy reunion. Fortunately, there were no other customers in the store. Zymon pushed his way between Reggie and Kipp. She could smell his liquored breath from where she stood. What a mess.
“Heard a lot about you, Kipper,” Zymon slurred. “Gonna have to ask you to leave my shop.”
“What?” Adele said.
“That’s right, Kipper old boy. We don’t need you meddling in our family business.”
Kipp stood his ground, not threatened in the least. “I think that is up to Adele to decide.”
Reggie took a step forward. “The consensus is that you should leave for good.”
Zymon held up a hand at him. “I’m taking care of this, thank you.”
Adele threw her hands in the air. Fresca tried to jump in her arms and fell on her back on the floor. Adele knelt down and gave her a hug. Fresca shook herself off. Rhonda kissed her boys and smiled at the whole unbelievable scene, one that Adele was having trouble finding humorous. Everyone looked at her.
She took a deep breath, stretched her fingers, and curled her toes in her shoes. “I think both Reggie and Kipp should leave so that I can talk to Zymon and Rhonda about the boys.”
“What’d we do?” Zeke asked.
“Yeah,” Zach added.
Kipp gave her a deep, penetrating look. She wished she could speak to him privately but it was best if he and Reggie left. She needed to confront Zymon and Rhonda about relying too heavily on her.
Kipp nodded and she smiled at him. Reggie sniffed, stuck his nose in the air, and marched ahead of Kipp out the door. Hopefully the two wouldn’t cause a scene out on the street.
She rubbed her hands together. ??
?We need to talk,” she said, pointing the way into the conference room.
Zymon staggered in that direction with Rhonda by his side.
“Boys,” she said. “I need to talk to your parents alone.”
“Jeez. You spoil all the fun,” Zach said.
They headed back to their tent, Fresca tagging along.
She closed the door behind her. “There has to be some changes,” she began.
“Before you say another word, I’ve got some good news,” Rhonda said. She flipped her long brunette hair over her shoulder and blinked her makeup-caked eyes several times.
“But—”
“Wait. Let me finish. I got a promotion.”
Adele stared at her. A promotion? “And just what does that involve?” She braced herself.
“Well, eventually a lot less travel.”
Zymon dropped into a seat at the conference table and leaned on his fist.
“What do you mean, eventually?” she asked.
“For now, I might have to do a tiny bit more travelling. But-but-but, in the long run, it will be better for all of us.”
Adele’s neck stiffened and her head began to pound. She rubbed her forehead. “Rhonda, your boys need you now. I can’t keep running the business, seeing to Dad, and taking care of your kids. You two have got to work something out.”
“But this will,” Rhonda said, flipping her hair again. “It won’t take long to move up the ladder. Then I can settle down and stay home more.”
Zymon burped.
A lot of help he is in his condition. She cracked her neck to the side. Could she just walk away? How could she do that to Zeke and Zach? Should she just give in? This isn’t fair! She wanted to shout her anger out loud. It wasn’t just Rhonda being gone all the time. Zymon’s escapades added to the situation and so did Dad’s poor health. What should she do?
“Zymon? What do you have to say about all of this?” she asked.
“We need you, sister dear.”
Her muscles quivered at the sheer tenseness of them. “I’m sorry, but I want to go to college. I want a relationship. I want my own life.”
Chapter Six
Adele slumped at the conference room table.
What a morning. And she’d been so happy when the day had started. She had gotten nowhere with Rhonda and Zymon. They’d gathered up the kids and left without settling a thing. Her mind kept worrying about whether she would ever see Kipp again. He probably didn’t want to get mixed up with her dysfunctional family.