The Ride of Her Life (8 page)

“No, really, I’ll carry him inside.”

Nick eased the six-year-old into his mother’s arms. “Good night, Mrs. Hart, and thank you for a pleasant evening. Perhaps next time you’ll allow me to treat you and Levi to an evening in town.”

She didn’t lift her eyes to meet his gaze. “There can’t be a next time, Mr. Perrin. I’m sorry.” Without a glance back, she slipped through the door of the cottage.

Nick stared at the door for a few seconds before stepping off the stoop and onto the path back to the service road. What had he said? He’d only suggested another family outing.

Realization hit him. Mrs. Hart and Levi were not
his
family.

Levi looked so sweet when he slept. Lilly brushed the sandy hair off his forehead and glanced around the small room she shared with him in the Graham family cottage. Emily had left a lamp burning there for her, and its light bathed the little room in a warm glow. It was still early enough that she should probably go spend some time with Emily or spell her with Kate.

“I’m not sleepy.” Levi, slurring his
s
’s, tried to open his eyes.

Lilly pulled the covers around his shoulders and laughed to herself. “I can see that.”

“Got to finish my snake cage ’morrow.”

“We’ll see.”

“Mama?” He opened his eyes a slit.

“What, sweetheart?”

“You like Mr. Nick now?”

She kissed his forehead. “Go to sleep, my sweet boy. I love you.”

“Mama, you like him lots now. Don’t you?” His voice trailed off as sleep claimed him again.

She fingered a little curl forming around his ear. “Yes, Son,” she whispered. “I do like Mr. Nick, but I shouldn’t.” Tears filled her eyes. “I can’t, and I won’t.”

Frost crystals glittered on the cobweb hanging from the eaves of Thorton’s Lunch Counter. The sunrise pinked the sky as Lilly unlocked the back door and entered. Thank goodness Emily offered to keep Levi and let him sleep in this morning.

If she hurried, perhaps she could get the biscuits in the oven for breakfast and the ham and beans started for lunch before she had to fry the eggs and bacon for the men. Soon she’d have Eugenia trained to help her. She chuckled. At least, she hoped she could teach the girl, although it might take a miracle.

She sent up a prayer asking for one, knowing that probably would not be God’s plan since He had a tendency to teach her patience in concrete ways.

After mixing the biscuits, Lilly rolled them out on a floured board and cut them in circles with an upside-down glass. She slipped a biscuit-filled pan into the oven as the back door opened. She gasped and banged the oven door shut.

“Sorry, Miss Lilly. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Eugenia, what are you doing here so early? I thought I told you to come in around nine.”

With a smile, Eugenia removed her enormous orange bonnet and slipped an apron over her head. “I couldn’t let you do breakfast all by your lonesome.”

“I don’t mind.” Lilly poured dry beans into a pot of water and set it on the back of the stove to soak before hefting the cast-iron skillet into its place in the front.

“Oh, but I do. I want to help. What can I do?”

Lilly complimented the young woman on her desire to help, but not ready to trust Eugenia with food, Lilly glanced around the kitchen for a task to assign. “I know. Why don’t you set the tables for the men? We need ten place settings.”

Eugenia nodded and scooped a stack of plates into her arms. “Will they need bone dishes too?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, full place settings have bone dishes. Soup bowls too, now that I think of it.”

Lilly stopped placing slices of bacon in the pan. “Eugenia, have you ever needed a bone dish or a soup bowl for breakfast?”

“No, ma’am, I guess not.” She hung her head.

“Plates, cups, napkins, and silverware will be fine. You figured out where all those were last night.” Lilly went back to her work, chuckling to herself.
Lord, if You sent Eugenia to teach me patience, please help me learn this lesson fast.

No sooner had Lilly pulled the last crispy slice of bacon from the skillet than she heard the heavy footfalls of the men entering. She grabbed a dry towel and wrapped it around the handle of the coffeepot before passing through the kitchen door into the dining room. “Morning, gentlemen. Breakfast will be out in a minute.”

“I can pour the coffee, Miss Lilly,” Eugenia offered.

Nick flashed Lilly a knowing smile, but Lilly pretended not to notice it. After hesitating for a second, she passed the girl the coffeepot. “I’ll be out with your bacon and eggs shortly.”

“That’s good, lassie,” she heard Sean McGready tell Eugenia as Lilly turned to leave. Maybe the girl would work out after all.

“Blech!”

Lilly whirled and saw Mr. McGready spew his coffee across the table.

8

“Are ya trying to poison me, lass?”

Rushing over, Lilly grabbed the pot from Eugenia. “Is there a problem?”

“Taste it.” Mr. McGready thrust his cup in her direction.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll . . .” She picked up another cup and began to fill it. Easing the cup to her lips, she took a sip. A rancid taste filled her mouth.

“Go ahead and spit it out, lass.” Mr. McGready handed her a napkin. “Ain’t fit for a soul to drink.”

She forced the liquid down. “That won’t be necessary.”

“So, what’s wrong with it?” Nick asked. “The girl mix it up wrong?”

“I made it myself.” Lilly stared into the cup. What was the film on top of the brew? What had she tasted?

The answer hit her so hard she nearly dropped the cup in her hands.

Soap.

She turned toward Eugenia. “When you washed the dishes, did you rinse them well?”

“You didn’t say to rinse them. You said wash and dry them.”

Chuckling broke out among the men, and soon the room was filled with full-bellied laughter.

Tears pricked Eugenia’s eyes, and Lilly took her arm and guided her into the kitchen. Poor girl. Lilly chastised herself for not speaking to her in private. After giving Eugenia a hug and apologizing for not giving clearer directions, Lilly returned with fresh cups and gathered the soapy ones. “I’m so sorry about all of this.”

“’Tweren’t yer fault.” Mr. McGready tugged on his beard. “Besides, this is the best laugh I’ve ever had before me mornin’ biscuit.”

His humor was infectious, and she found embarrassment ebbing and a smile forming on her lips. She handed him a cup brimming with coffee. “Want me to taste this first?”

He chuckled. “I’ll take me chances.” After a tentative sip, he grinned. “Good as it gets.”

She quickly poured coffee for them all. When she reached the kitchen, she found Eugenia sobbing in the corner. What had her mother been thinking, never teaching her a thing about kitchen work? If she was from a wealthy home, perhaps they had household servants, but if so, why was she working now?

“Eugenia, it’ll be fine. You’ll catch on.” She patted the girl’s arm, then began to crack eggs into the skillet. “Why don’t you come over here and I’ll show you how to crack eggs?”

A few minutes and some shells later, she had a platter full of fried eggs ready to serve. “Here, you take the bacon out and I’ll serve the eggs.”

“Are you sure, Miss Lilly? What if the men tease me?”

“I’m sure they will.” She passed her the Blue Willow platter, its oriental scene obscured by bacon. “And you can laugh right along with them. We all make mistakes.”

She caught Nick’s gaze on her as she approached the table.

Lilly’s chest constricted. And some mistakes were worse than serving soapy coffee.

“Mr. Perrin, may I have a word with you?”

Nick halted on the sidewalk at the sound of Avery Nash’s voice. He moaned. Why did the man in charge of the Lake Manawa management company annoy him so? He watched as the small man with the big attitude hurried toward him.

“You fellows go on,” Nick said to his men. “I’ll be along shortly.” When Nash reached him, he offered his hand. “Good morning, Mr. Nash, what can I do for you?”

Mr. Nash looked at the offered hand and crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t look like you’re far enough along on your roller contraption.”

“Roller coaster?”

“You know what I meant.” Nash grunted. “I don’t know if I mentioned it, but I wasn’t in favor of the monstrosity. However, the investors felt like it would be advantageous to the resort, so naturally, I gave in to their wishes.”

“Naturally.”

“And I’d hate to have to tell them what you said about it not being ready by opening day. Surely even you can see the importance of meeting the deadline.”

“Mr. Nash, I do understand, but it may not be feasible for safety reasons.”

“Fred Ingersoll himself assured us you could handle this job, and I will not hesitate to inform him if you do not meet the deadline.”

Nick stiffened and his jaw tensed. Was Nash threatening him? While he believed Mr. Ingersoll had faith in his abilities, he didn’t want to jeopardize his reputation with his employer, especially since this was the first coaster he had designed without oversight.

After inhaling a steadying breath, Nick met Nash’s gaze. “I can assure you my workers and I are doing everything possible to ensure the coaster is ready for the guests on May 27, but as I told you before, much depends on factors beyond our control—such as the weather.”

Nash thrust a finger toward Nick’s chest. “Just see that it opens.”

Nick sighed as Nash walked away. If the irritating little man didn’t wield so much power, he would have insisted he leave him, the roller coaster project, and its crew alone. But Nick knew in the amusement-ride business, reputation was everything. And if he wanted to start his own company soon, his name had better be golden in the world of trolley park investors.

With Levi in tow, Lilly slipped away from the diner to meet her friends at Marguerite’s home. Trip had promised to take the children on a boat ride. With supper already under way, she could spare a few hours this afternoon for enjoyment. Besides, it would take Eugenia most of that time to de-flour the kitchen from this morning’s baking lesson.

Running ahead on the boardwalk surrounding Lake Manawa’s north shore, Levi scooped up a stone and attempted to hurl it into the lake. It fell short and landed with a plop in the shallows.