Longing for Home (19 page)

“It’s raining.”

“And thunnering,” Tori chimed in.

Thank goodness for five-year-old eavesdroppers, Kate thought. They forced one to mind their manners.

“You don’t have the roof as overflow,” Alex said mildly, although Kate saw a flash of lightning in his eyes.

“It’ll be cozy.”

“Cozy.” The tone carried a similar inflection Kate heard when people said “mosquitoes” or “poison ivy.”

Fortunately, Zoey came to her rescue.

“Hey, Kate. The Kid’s Club is having a scavenger hunt tomorrow morning. I thought maybe Tori and Logan would like to come while you’re at the café.”

“That sounds great.”

“I’ll add their names to the list.” Zoey smiled. “See you in a little while.”

Kate ignored Alex’s growl.

“Kate?” Morgan trotted up to her. “Can you come down to the youth wing for a sec? I need your help with something.”

“Sure.” In for a penny, in for a pound, as her mom used to say.

Twenty minutes later, she and Alex loaded the children into the car and headed back to the apartment.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stop at a deli and pick up something to eat?” Alex asked.

“Number one, Mirror Lake doesn’t have a deli. And number two, it wouldn’t be as good as what I can make.”

“What are you making, by the way?”

“It’s a secret recipe.”

Alex slanted a look at her as he pulled into the alley. “That means you don’t know, either.”

Kate resisted the urge to stick out her tongue. Because it was important to provide a good role model for children.

While Alex helped Tori out of the backseat, Kate bounded up the stairs and opened the door.

“There you are! Hope you don’t mind that we let ourselves in!”

Kate’s mouth dropped open as she took in the scene.

A crowd of people were moving around her apartment like worker ants. Setting out dishes. Lining up steaming casserole dishes along the counter. The centerpiece on the table was a triple-layer cake with waves of butter cream frosting.

Several of the teens from her youth group were sprawled on the floor, playing with the cats. Mr. Lundy was setting up the chess pieces.

“What’s going on?” Kate moved forward when she felt Alex’s gentle nudge against the small of her back.

“We know you’ve been busy this week, so we decided to make dinner,” Esther Redstone sang out.

“But instead of going to one country, we’re going all the way around the world,” Delia said. “Everyone brought a dish to pass.”

“I can’t believe you went to all this trouble.”

“Trouble?” Delia snorted. “We’re being selfish, sweetie. Sunday afternoons would get downright lonely if it weren’t for you opening up your home.”

“You take care of us, we take care of you.” Rose Williams swept past with a basket of sourdough rolls. “That’s the way it works.”

Kate sneaked a glance at Alex.

He had stalked over to the table to inspect the variety of dishes that could be created with a pound of hamburger and a can of cream of mushroom soup.

“You look a little shocked, Mr. Porter.” Delia’s pink cane lifted and administered an affectionate tap on his shoulder. “Is this your first potluck?”

“Um…yes.”

“Well today you’re going to see what you’ve been missing,” the elderly woman declared.

Looking at Alex’s dazed expression, Kate could only hope so.

Chapter Twenty

“Y
ou’re all set, Ms. Foster. If you need anything, please let me know.” Alex held out the key to cabin four.

“There’s no need to be so formal, Alex,” Blaire Foster purred. “And I’m sure everything will be wonderful. It isn’t exactly Porter Lakeside, but it has its own charm, I suppose.”

She took the key and the tips of her perfectly manicured, blood-red nails reminded Alex of talons. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll extend my stay for a few days.”

There was no mistaking the meaning. Or the subtle invitation in the curve of her lips.

If Alex had known who was waiting for him at the front desk to check in, he would have been tempted to hide in the kitchen. Blaire Foster had pursued him for several months, but because she had reverted to her maiden name following a recent divorce, Alex hadn’t made the connection until she had sashayed up to the reservation desk like a runway model.

Blaire was stunning, there was no doubt about it. At one time, Alex might have considered asking her out to dinner.

Instead, he smiled politely.

“Another guest already reserved your cabin for tomorrow night.” And the three hundred and sixty-four after that.

Blaire pouted. “You can’t make an exception for a close friend?”

Maybe he could, if a close friend was the one asking.

“No, I’m sorry.”

Blaire parked a hand on her hip, a calculated pose designed to accentuate her willowy figure. “If you get lonely this afternoon, my cabin has a great view of the lake.”

Alex saw a flash of metal as a ’57 Thunderbird coasted up the driveway.

“Thank you, but I’ve got a great view from here.” Alex watched a petite redhead bounce out of the front seat and his mood improved.

Blaire narrowed her eyes.

“You seem different, Alex.”

Alex smiled.

“Thank you.”

Blaire looked a little bewildered as she walked toward the door.

Alex heard Kate and Blaire exchange a greeting as they passed each other on the walkway outside. There were only three guests scheduled to arrive, so Kate had opted to spend the morning at the café, catching up on some paperwork and reordering supplies.

He’d missed her.

The door opened and she plunged into the lobby. Alex took in her expression and went cold. Her eyes were dark with emotion, her freckles stood out in sharp relief against the pallor of her skin.

Concern propelled Alex around the reservation desk. “What’s wrong? Where are Tori and Logan?”

“They’re still with Zoey at the church.”

“Did you talk to the social worker again?” Alex went to touch her arm but she shied away from him.

“Can we talk in your office?” she asked in a tight voice.

“Of course.” Alex ushered her down the hall and closed the door. “What happened, Kate?”

Kate couldn’t believe he had the audacity to ask.

“This morning, I got a call from Jeff Gaines while I was at work. He’s given me twenty-four hours to come up with the money to buy the café or it’s going to be sold to someone else.”

“Twenty-four hours,” he repeated. “Isn’t that going to be difficult?”

“Difficult?” Kate’s voice cracked on the word. “Try impossible. A down payment I might have been able to manage, but he wants the entire amount.”

“Why would he do that?”

“You tell me.” The tears Kate had been battling surfaced. How could Alex stand there and look so calm? As if he hadn’t been responsible for destroying everything she’d worked for.

His mouth fell open. “You don’t think I had something to do with this?”

“Did you talk to Jeff?”

His expression became guarded. “Kate—”

“Did you talk to Jeff? It’s a yes or no question.”

“Yes, but we didn’t…” Alex hesitated and Kate could almost see the wheels turning in his head. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“You didn’t tell Jeff that I was wasting my talent? That I could do so much more with my life if I wasn’t ‘tied down’ by the café?”

Kate saw the truth in his eyes and felt the bottom drop out of her world. Again.

A small part of her had held out hope that Jeff hadn’t been parroting Alex’s words.

“I might have said those things, but I didn’t ask Jeff to sell the café out from under you. I didn’t even know he owned it.”

“But you found out. Because I
told
you.” She’d trusted Alex and he’d used the information against her.

“The conversation I had with Jeff took place last week,” Alex said quietly. “I had no idea he was going to do this. You have to believe me.”

Kate didn’t know what to believe anymore.

Until an hour ago, she wouldn’t have believed that Jeff Gaines, the easygoing businessman who sent her flowers on boss’s day, would take advantage of a loosely worded contract and destroy her dream.

Kate impatiently dashed away a tear that rolled down her cheek. “Do you know what else Jeff said? He told me that someday I would
thank
him for doing this.”

Alex didn’t say anything.

“You
agree
with him, don’t you?” Kate whispered. The realization turned the knife in her back. “You think that if I didn’t have the café, I would move away. Find another job. Don’t you understand? Mirror Lake is my
home
. This is where God wants me to be.”

And for a fleeting moment, she’d been naive enough to think that Alex wanted to be here, too. With her.

“I’ll talk to Jeff.”

“It won’t do any good. He has another buyer interested in the café. Someone he’s been putting off for a few years.”

Until you got involved
.

The unspoken words hung in the air between them.

Alex exhaled in frustration. “Maybe I did tell Jeff that you could be doing more, but it’s true. You are playing it safe. Your menu is safe. You cook dishes from different countries but you won’t travel to those places yourself. I know you—”

“No,” Kate interrupted. The word barely broke above a whisper, but Alex froze as if she’d shouted it. “I thought you were beginning to understand…you said you cared…but you don’t know me at all.”

That’s what hurt the most.

Kate walked toward the door and somehow managed to get into her car and drive back to town.

When Jeff had told her that she had twenty-four hours to come up with the money to buy the café, she had imagined that things couldn’t get any worse.

She’d been wrong.

As the reality of the situation seeped in, with it came a bone-chilling numbness. She’d trusted Alex with a confidence she had never shared with her closest friends and he’d used it against her.

Kate drove past the café, unable to face Grady yet. He would take one look at her and know something terrible had occurred.

She was about to lose everything. Her business. Her home.

Alex.

Don’t be silly,
Kate told herself fiercely.
You can’t lose something you never had.

“You must be looking for Kate.”

Alex glanced over his shoulder and saw Matt standing in the doorway of the sanctuary at Church of the Pines.

Was he looking for Kate? Or answers?

“I messed up.” There. He’d admitted it.

“Really.”

Alex narrowed his eyes. “You don’t seem surprised.”

Matt smiled. “Not as surprised as you are maybe, but it can’t be the first time.”

It was the first time Alex had admitted it. No, the second. The first had occurred the summer before, when he’d told Abby that he’d made a mistake in not trusting her judgment.

Matt closed the door and walked down the aisle. Alex half expected the pastor to take his place behind the wooden pulpit but he sat down on the carpeted stair in front of the pew instead.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. Yes.” Alex raked a hand through his hair. “I…did something. Something that I’m not sure Kate will forgive me for.”

“All right. I’m listening.” Matt spoke evenly enough but Alex saw the man’s jaw tighten, reminding him that Kate wasn’t just a member of the pastor’s congregation but a close friend.

That, Alex realized, was the kind of loyalty Kate inspired. That even a man who had dedicated himself to serving God wanted to punch Alex’s lights out if he’d hurt her.

“Two nights ago, Kate told me that she doesn’t own the Grapevine. Apparently her father needed the money from the sale of the café in order to leave. The person who bought it, Jeff Gaines, agreed to let Kate stay on as manager. He also promised to give her the first option to buy the café if he ever decided to sell. She’s been saving for years to make that happen.”

“I had no idea,” Matt murmured.

Alex felt the impact of the quiet statement. Kate had confided in him—told him something that she’d never shared with even her closest friends. And now she thought he’d used it against her.

“Part of the agreement was that they keep Jeff’s involvement a secret. This morning, he called and told Kate that he wanted to sell the café. He gave her twenty-four hours to come up with the entire purchase price.”

“Twenty-four hours,” Matt echoed. “I’m not sure that’s enough time for Kate to apply for a loan.”

“It isn’t,” Alex said flatly.

Matt frowned. “Why would he do that to her?”

“As a favor to me.”

Silence swelled, filling the space between them.

“I don’t understand,” Matt said at length.

“Jeff and I were in the same fraternity, although he was a few years older than me. We kept in touch over the years and I looked him up when I got into town. He happened to call last week and we had a…conversation.”

“A conversation in which you asked him to take away the business Kate has poured her heart and soul into?”

Alex flinched but he couldn’t blame the pastor for coming to that conclusion. He had built a reputation for basing his decisions on facts rather than feelings.

“I didn’t ask him.” Alex drove a hand through his hair. “All I said was that Kate’s talents were wasted in Mirror Lake. She could be on the corporate fast-track. Attend a cordon bleu school. She could probably run for governor.”

“She doesn’t want any of those things.”

“I realize that.” Now. After he had inadvertently destroyed everything Kate had worked for.

But, not only that, Alex was afraid he had destroyed any chance of a future with her. The devastated look on Kate’s face when he’d admitted that he agreed with Jeff continued to haunt him.

“You talked to Gaines?”

“I called him on my way here. He won’t budge. I planted a seed and he’s taking advantage of it.” The same thing Alex would have done if their roles were reversed. “He’s got in his head that if Kate doesn’t have a job, she’ll work for me.”

“Is that what you want?”

A week ago, Alex would have said yes.

“I want to make this right.”

“Maybe you can’t.”

Alex stared at him. “You’re a pastor. Doesn’t that mean you have to encourage people?”

“It also means I can’t lie.”

“I don’t know what to do.” The words were easier to say than Alex thought they would be.

“God does. Have you asked Him?”

Alex had already bared his conscience—why not his soul?

“I want to trust Him,” he said slowly. “But I don’t know where to start.”

Matt smiled.

“You just did.”