After All These Years (5 page)

Like most Monday mornings, this one kicked into high gear promptly at nine o'clock, two minutes after Dot Cassidy waltzed in to take her place at the cash register beside Lia in the back of the store.

Isabel enjoyed her role of chatting with customers and covering the front register. The simple changes Lia had already incorporated exuded a pleasant small-town environment. Her pharmacy area was located at the back, with the drugs and counter in one corner and a waiting area in the other with four new wicker arm chairs and a coffee table holding magazines. Besides the regular array of drugstore items, the pharmacy now carried distinctly more tasteful cards, organic herbal teas, Brady's books, delightful gifts for any occasion, and an assortment of candles, their delectable scents permeating the shop.

Cal walked in before ten o'clock, carrying a paper bag with the hardware store's logo and a drill. “Morning, neighbor.”

“Good morning, Cal.” Isabel winked at him. “I've heard you were upstairs already! Don't you think Lia's done wonders with the place? Especially the
shower?
”

“Like I saw
that
, Miss Nosy Mendozy,” he bantered, although his tan deepened three shades and his jaw worked furiously on a piece of gum. “Why don't you announce it on your show?”

“Maybe I will.” She trailed after him down the aisle and held her breath as he ambled by the collectible figurines. For his mammoth size, his movements were surprisingly graceful. She breathed again. “What's with the drill?”

Over his shoulder he threw her what she called his cop glower, a look that said, “I'm asking the questions here, lady, not answering them.”

She scrunched her nose back at him.

“Izzy!”

She whirled around. Tony stood there, holding the door open while dear old Mrs. Anderson lumbered through it, thanking him on her way out.

Here was another reason she had needed to come early this morning…needed to fill her day with busyness… “Hello, Tony.”

The lopsided grin spread slowly as he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “Ah, my day is a success. I've tracked you down.”

“How did you—”

“Uh-uh,” he wagged a forefinger, “can't reveal my sources, but I know you work here on Monday mornings, your day off from the station.”

He knew more than that. She saw it in his eyes, a glint of familiarity. He had remembered. A dread reality settled like wet cement on her bones. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Lia.

“Isabel, do you mind helping out back here? Cal's going to put a deadbolt on the door and— Oh, hello.”

Tony extended his hand. “Hi. Tony Ward, old friend of Izzy's. In town to interview The Author.” He nodded toward a display of Brady's books.

“Lia Neuman, pharmacist. Nice to meet you.” She looked at Isabel. “I hate to interrupt—”

“No interruption. I'll be right there.”

“Thanks.” She strode back down the aisle and glanced over her shoulder. “Izzy?”

Isabel shrugged in reply. She hadn't allowed Tony's special name for her to surface since college. “Tony, we're swamped. I need to get to work.”

“Right. You don't want the blue hairs to get restless. How about dinner tonight?”

“Tonight is—”

“Open. No work. No church service. No book club. No teen group.” He tilted his head, brows raised. “Rib House in town here?”

Avoiding him would be impossible. With resignation, she gave in to his persistence. “Are you staying in Rockville? I have errands—”

“Name the place.”

“How about the Italian Village, just off Route 18 on Fifty-second.”

“Got it.” He sauntered to the door. “Six o'clock work for you?”

She took an unsteady breath. “Fine.”

Like that paper cut, Tony Ward wasn't going to go away.

“Cal, you didn't have to do this.” Lia followed him into the back room.

“No problem. Comes under the job description of keeping Valley Oaks citizens safe.”

She studied the back of his head as he knelt on a knee, emptying tools from the paper bag onto the floor. His hair was a light brown, the type that would age into silver. Its bristly texture hinted at shorn curls similar to that on a teddy bear. “How about that coffee now?” she asked.

He looked up, and she noticed his eyes were a vivid green. “You've got a store full of—”

“Oh, I always have a pot going right here.” She went to the laundry corner that contained a sink and a counter just large enough for the coffeemaker. “I keep a carafe out in the shop for the customers.” She handed him a large mug. “Which you would know if you'd ever been a customer here.”

He gave her a guilty smile. “Guess I'm just on the healthy side.”

“What, you never need toothpaste?”

With a sideways glance, he sipped his coffee. “Mmm, great coffee. Hey, don't let me keep you from your
customers
.”

“Right. Oh, if Chloe comes downstairs, just tell her you're the teddy bear who carried her in last night.” She walked back into the store, smiling to herself at the look on his face. The gauntlet had been tossed the night before when he terrified her by walking unannounced into her apartment. Teasing him about not patronizing the shop was her payback. The teddy bear remark put her ahead. It had rendered him speechless.

She stepped behind the counter where Dot handed her a bottle of capsules.

“This needs your okay. And this one here.”

“Thanks, Dot.”

Her only full-time employee was a bit of a puzzle. In her mid-50s, the platinum blonde was well-preserved, petite, always fashionably dressed, and pretty. But one minute she resembled an airhead embellishing the latest rumor, and the next she was efficiently advising a customer about his prescription. Like a fixture at the pharmacy, she had worked there almost for as long as the Bentleys had owned the place. Lia happily kept her on because she knew the business. Legally she could do everything regarding a prescription
except give it to a customer without Lia's approval first. Rightly, the customers trusted Dot's knowledge.

At the moment Lia sensed an icy draft floating in her direction despite Dot's normal tone of voice and smile. What in the world could have happened between the time Lia left to chat a moment with Cal and now?

Cal. Yes. What was it Isabel said? He was dating Dot's daughter, Tammy.
Oh, Lord, these small-town relationships…

When there was a lull in the activity, Lia said, “Dot, your Tammy certainly has herself a catch. Cal is so thoughtful and professional.”

Dot was never at a loss for words, but her tongue seemed to be in a stranglehold. “Uh, what's he doing here?”

“Installing a deadbolt. I met him last night. He was patrolling the alley and saw me unloading Chloe in the rain. He stopped to help and noticed the flimsy lock on the back door. Now here he comes today offering to take care of it.”

“That's our Cal.” She glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “Between you and me, I think they'll be engaged soon.”

“Congratulations,” Lia whispered.

Dot gave her a conspiratorial smile as three customers walked up.

Lia sighed inaudibly. If Dot knew her better, she'd understand there was nothing to worry about. Lia had no intentions of stealing Cal away from his intended. Chloe's father had cured her of even the thought of sharing her life with a man.

Lia bounded up the stairs behind Chloe, both of them giggling. It was evening, after dinner, and they had just raided the store's candy shelf. Homemade fudge and a generous array of licorice, candy bars, and chewy drops filled a basket.

They raced to the couch and plopped down cross-legged. A cartoon video awaited in the VCR and a fluffy newcomer named Soot lay curled up on the rug, purring.

“Chloe, it wasn't too bad of a first day, was it?”

The girl concentrated on unwrapping a candy bar, her chubby cheeks hidden behind her chin-length black hair falling forward. She resembled Lia only slightly. The Asian hint about her eyes was less pronounced, evidence of another generation removed from her grandmother's ancestry. Chloe's royal blue eye color was a beautiful blending of her mother's almost black and her father's light blue.

“The vet was nice, wasn't she?” Lia prompted. Gina had delivered the kitten that afternoon.

Chloe nodded. “I like Soot. And Isabel was funny.”

“She's my new best friend here. What did you think about the school?” They had registered Chloe that afternoon while the store was closed for a 45-minute noon break. She would begin fifth grade next week when school opened.

The girl shrugged. “It's old. Not like home.”

“I know. Little towns have a lot of old things, like this building. But at least we have a video store right next door.”

“Maybe they'll give us a key!”

Lia laughed at the image of the slovenly owner being overtly kind. “And we can get videos any time! Let's check out the Community Center tomorrow. That's fairly new and just down the block. You can sign up for gymnastics again if you want.”

Chloe scooted over and laid her head against Lia's arm.

“Oh, sweetpea, I know it's hard and that it will take time to get used to everything. Just remember Jesus is taking care
of us. I think we'll like it here. But Chloe?” She put a finger under the girl's chin. “You tell me when you don't like something, okay? Promise me you will.”

“Okay, I promise.”

“Thanks.” She kissed her forehead. “All in all, I think it was a pretty good day, not easy, but pretty good.”

Chloe nodded, a somber pose on her lips.

“I just wish you could have met the teddy bear.”

“The
peppermint
teddy bear.”

“Peppermint?”

“I remember he smelled like peppermint.”

Chloe's grin was the reward Lia needed. The answer to prayer.
Thank You, Lord. Please, please make it work out here.

Isabel fussed at herself for choosing the Italian Village. She had forgotten about the candlelight and cozy booths. On the spur of the moment, at the pharmacy when Tony invited her to dinner, it had simply been the first decent restaurant that came to mind.

Across the table in one of those cozy booths, Tony scanned the room. She remembered that about him, his incessant curiosity about everything.

The waitress, a disinterested young woman, asked for their drink orders.

“Diet cola, please.”

Tony raised a brow at her and asked for a beer. When the waitress left, he said, “Ah, Izzy, no tequila? You disappoint me. Don't you remember?”

“I remember.”

“I envisioned us tying one on—with tequila, of course. For old times' sake. You know, trip the light fandango down memory lane. Have a few laughs over our youthful indiscretions. Thank God that we made it, eh?” He was animated, from cocked brow to tilted head to half smile to shifting shoulders, arms, and hands.

Her own body felt strangely still. Normally she would be matching him gesture for gesture. She had always been expressive. In college, other students were either annoyed or entertained by the twin-like mannerisms she and Tony shared. Their personalities enmeshed, creating a one-two punch effect whether they were interviewing or hanging out at the local pub.

But that was a long time ago. She gave him a tight smile. “I thank God every day that I made it.”

“Uh-oh, I see a pattern here. No tequila. Friend of The Author's girl. Thanking God.” He leaned across the table. “You, Izzy Mendoza, are a Christian.” It was an accusation.

“Flimsy evidence, Ward, but your investigative skills are intact. I am.”

The waitress served the drinks and asked for their food order. Though the pizza was a favorite, Isabel balked at sharing one with Tony. It seemed too intimate somehow.
Now that's ridiculous…
She chose the spinach ravioli, he the lasagna.