“You know what, Mom? Tomorrow afternoon I’m going to do for you what you did for me all those years ago.”
Her eyes widened. “What was that?”
“Help you find a way forward.” I hugged her. “To your dreams.”
ChapterSix
Nick glancedup at me when I entered the Sleigh Café the next morning. He was dicing potatoes. “I was wondering if you’d call in sick today.”
I shed my jacket and hung it up next to his, staring at the two coats for a moment, imprinting a false sense of coupledom in my brain. “Why wouldn’t I come in?”
“Your foot.” Nick bobbed his chin, glancing toward my feet. “You were on it a lot yesterday.”
“That wasn’t a lot.” I took a brown apron that was hanging from another hook on the wall and put it on. It had a sleigh embroidered on the front. “In New York, I’d have had to do all that at a much higher intensity, plus walk to the subway, walk from the subway, and take the stairs to my place.”
“All of which to say your foot is still hurting and swollen.”
“Only a little. It’s better every day.” Or at least, it was no worse. It was a dancer’s way never to admit the severity of an injury. I glanced around the kitchen, greeting Marvin, who was frying bacon. “Where’s Ivy? I thought you were taking care of her.”
“The plan is that she’ll sleep at my grandmother’s place. That way, I don’t have to drag her in here before the sun comes up. Grams will take her to school, and I’ll take her after school.” He slid a small sheet of paper across the counter toward me. “You’re in charge of the front this morning.”
I read the list out loud, “Grind coffee beans, make coffee, load the pastry case, write breakfast special on chalkboard – Santa Breakfast Bowl?”
“It’s a hash – sausage, ham, scrambled egg, onions, pepper, potatoes, and cheese.”
“Yummy. And…” I squinted at the last item. “…post Christmas cards on bulletin board.” I’d forgotten about the cards. “I can’t wait until Rudolph gets my card.” I grinned at Nick because the cards made me smile and were looking to be the highlight of my day. “And I can’t wait to see his response.”
“Uh, Al.”
“Yes?”
“We open in forty-five minutes.” Nick made a shooing motion with his hand. “Don’t let playing detective slow you down.”
“Right. Grind coffee beans. Make coffee.” I crumpled the list in my hand and set to work. It had been years since I’d ground coffee and brewed a huge amount of it, but it wasn’t rocket science. I managed.
I’d just completed the chalkboard sign and placed it out on the sidewalk when someone slipped in the café behind me. I whirled around like a true New Yorker, ready for anything. But the interloper wasn’t a threat. I darted back inside. “Hey, Dr. Lewis. We’re…uh…not open yet.”
The gray haired woman wearing scrubs smiled and shrugged, studying the pastry case. “But the door was unlocked.”
I sighed. “Vanilla scone and black coffee this morning?” It was a guess.
“Vanilla scone and pumpkin spice latte?” she countered.
“Or I could make you a pumpkin spice latte to go with that scone,” I agreed. I turned my back to make her drink. And before I was done, two more people had snuck in ten minutes before opening. “We’re not open yet,” I said dutifully. “At least, not for breakfast.”
The police chief pointed at the sign in the window. “It says you are.”
“Oops.” Dr. Lewis gave me an unrepentant grin. “I thought I was being helpful.”
Before I knew what was happening, there was a line a dozen people deep for coffee and pastry. I worked my way through the customers until there was only one more person standing to ask, “Why is everyone up so early on a weekday?”
Doreen Halifax wore her bright yellow and red work shirt with the convenience store logo. “Because the toy store and bookstore are opening at six for customers who work school or banker hours. My shift starts at eight today.”
“Ah.” I handed her a peppermint latte and then glanced at the bulletin board, not expecting to see my card to Rudolph had been taken.Wrong!It was no longer on the board. “Did you see someone take an envelope from the bulletin board?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t tell. Those are the rules.” Doreen pointed to a small, printed sign on the bottom:The only way your secret card is safe with us is if you don’t tattle on other senders.
“Oh, man.” How could I have missed the pick-up? “I wrote a reply to someone, and I wanted to see who it went to.”