Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Vivian hurried along the sidewalk toward the pub’s front doors, feeling flustered. She had been sitting comfortably in bed, warm and sleepy, when she’d gotten Hazel’s phone call. She was glad that Hazel had chosen to call her under the circumstances, but it made her feel as though something was very wrong, having to go back out in the night when she’d thought she was going to be asleep.
She yawned, reminding herself that she had nothing to worry about. Jacob was more than capable, and she had no doubt that he’d be able to fix the issue. After all, he’d been astute enough to catch the issue before it became a hazard, and she felt immensely grateful for that.
She stepped inside the pub, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man stand up from a booth to greet her. She turned toward him, expecting to see Jacob, but to her shock, the man was Terrence Rawlins.
“Terrence,” she gasped, placing a hand on her heart. “What—what are you doing here? Did Hazel call you?” She glanced at her daughter in surprise. She didn’t know why her daughter might do such a thing—after all, they wanted the health inspector to be assured that all was working well and safely at the pub. Letting him know about all of the potential hazards that arose along the way wasn’t going to make getting his approval any easier.
“No, no, she didn’t call me.” Terrence smiled, and Vivian wondered if it was her imagination, or if his eyes were twinkling at her.
“Then—I don’t understand why you’re here so late at night.” She felt confused, and then a terrible thought struck her. “You’re not doing your inspection now, are you?”
Terrence laughed—it was a nice sound, a little like a rusty gate creaking. “No, don’t you worry about that. I didn’t send you an email, did I?”
Vivian smiled, feeling relieved. “No, you didn’t send me an email.”
“I just happened to be passing by, and I saw the lights on here. I know it’s after closing hours, so I decided to knock and see if everything was all right. Hazel told me what was going on here.”
“What is going on here? I’m a little muddy about that myself.”
“I think Jacob’s the best man for that question.” Terrence gestured to a corner of the dining room, where Jacob was standing on a ladder, peering into one of the vents with a flashlight. Hazel was standing beside him, looking up at him attentively. Vivian was struck by how nice they looked together, both of them remaining calm and optimistic in the face of the unexpected setback.
“I don’t want to disturb him now. What did he tell you about what’s wrong with it?”
Terrence gave her a summary of everything he’d learned from Jacob. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Sounds like he’s being overly cautious, which I like.” He chuckled. “And look on the bright side, you’ll know for sure that the pub is perfectly safe once Jacob and I have both finished looking at these vents.”
Vivian smiled. “That is true.” She laughed.
“And as for right now, the kids seem to have it under control. Why don’t we sit down for a while?”
“Sounds good to me. I expected to be asleep by now.”
They sat down together in one of the booths, where they had a good view of Jacob and Hazel and the vent that was being repaired.
“Speaking of it being so late,” Vivian said. “Why were you out walking so late at night?”
Terrence cleared his throat, growing sheepish in a way that Vivian couldn’t help finding adorable. It was so unexpected to see the gruff, no-nonsense man suddenly have a flush of embarrassment on his cheeks. “I was walking to the late-night minute mart,” he said.
“Oh?” she prompted, feeling curious and a little amused. “What did you need? Medicine or something like that?”
Terrence cleared his throat again. “No, I had a hankering for a snowball pastry. On my way back, I noticed the lights on in the pub.”
Vivian chuckled. “I never would have pegged snowballs at being your weakness.”
He shrugged, smiling. “What can I say? My mother used to make them, and they’ve always been my favorite. Especially at Christmastime.”
She smiled back at him, thinking to herself that he was full of surprises. She was starting to believe that he had a soft side beneath his rough exterior.
“As a matter of fact,” he said, pulling a white paper bag out of his large coat pocket, “I have them right here. I bought six of them. Would you like one?”
“Oh my, yes. I haven’t had a snowball in the longest time.”
He handed her one of the round, coconut-covered pastries, and she bit into it eagerly. It was flakey and moist at the same time, and the crisp flavor of the coconut balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the pastry.
“Mm.” Vivian swallowed, delighted by the taste. “My mother-in-law used to make snowballs just like this. She passed away a few years ago, and I haven’t had one since.” She stared into space for a few moments, remembering times past.
“Were you close with your mother-in-law?”
“Very much so. We always got along very well. She used to come and help out at the pub with me and Frank. Frank was my late husband, her son. We always had a good time together.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. I remember reading about his passing in the newspaper. The whole community felt that loss, I think. He was such a central figure in Rosewood Beach.”
Tears sprang into Vivian’s eyes. “Yes, he was.”
And so central in our lives as well, she thought.
“But the pub is just as popular as ever, maybe even more so.” Terrence nodded encouragingly. “Your children have helped to make it such a welcoming, friendly place. And may I say, you’re a central figure in Rosewood Beach yourself, Vivian.”
“Oh, tut.” She laughed breathlessly, feeling herself blushing over the unexpected compliment. “I wouldn’t say that. I’ve always been more behind the scenes than Frank was.”
“Not that behind the scenes.” He smiled. “People know that you’re the one in charge of this place, and that its warmth and friendliness comes from the way you do business. Just like this Christmas party you’re having. It’s a generous, kind-spirited thing to do. The people of Rosewood Beach see that.”
She felt her heart stir with gratitude. She wondered if he had any idea how much she’d needed to hear everything he was saying. She knew that he’d heard Judd’s condescending suggestion that they cancel their Christmas event, so perhaps he was trying to reassure her that their efforts toward the party wouldn’t go unappreciated.
“I appreciate you saying that.” She clasped her hands in her lap, suddenly finding it difficult to look him in the eyes. “I really do. It’s been rough, ever since we lost Frank. Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing a good job of running this place.”
He shook his head. “No doubt about that. Even if you do miss an email or two now and again.”
She laughed. “I have to admit, Frank was always the one to take care of that kind of thing in the past. I trusted him to take care of all the business details.” She frowned, thinking about how Frank had gambled a great deal of their money away behind her back. Finding that out after his passing had been a terrible blow, and her heart and the pub’s finances were still recovering from that reality.
“What is it?” Terrence asked, noticing her clouded expression.
She sighed. “Oh, it’s just that Frank didn’t actually manage the pub as well as I’d thought he did. Please don’t tell anyone about this, but it turned out he had some gambling debts that he hid from me. We’ve been able to pull through financially, but it was difficult news to learn.”
“I can imagine.” He shook his head sympathetically. “And don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul. Your secret is safe with me. But I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“Thank you. I still consider myself to be very lucky, since my children have been so helpful. They pulled together to help save the pub, and their efforts have continued to keep it running smoothly. As a matter of fact, we’re doing better than ever before.”
“You’ve raised some wonderful children.” He nodded his head toward Hazel. “They’re all ready to help other people out, clearly.”
“Yes, they are.” Vivian smiled broadly. She felt immensely proud of her children, and she always liked to talk about them. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without them.”
The two of them continued to talk as Jacob and Hazel worked on the vents. Vivian realized that she and Terrence had developed a new level of understanding through their conversation. She could see clearly that underneath his guarded exterior, he had a heart of gold.
“Hey!” Jacob called to them a few minutes later, grinning. “I think it’s all fixed up. Would you like to take a look at it, Terrence, to give a second opinion?”
“Fantastic.” Vivian felt a rush of relief as she and Terrence both stood up. “Now we’ll all be able to go home and get some rest.”
“It’ll take me a minute to look it over thoroughly, I’m afraid.” Terrence looked apologetic. “Would you like me to come back another time?”
“Oh, well, if you’re willing to check it now, I think that would be best! I’d rather play it safe.”
“As a health inspector, those are always words I like to hear.”
Vivian laughed and followed him over to where Jacob and Hazel were waiting.
“You know, after I finished dinner tonight, I was thinking to myself that I was nice and full. I certainly didn’t expect to eat another meal before tomorrow morning’s breakfast.” Hazel grinned at Jacob as she sat down across from him at the counter in The Lighthouse Grill’s kitchen. They were both perched on stools, about to devour a couple of plates of leftover tater tots that Hazel had just warmed up in the microwave.
“I think this counts as a snack, not meal.” Jacob chuckled. “There’s no protein.”
He was feeling tired but pleased with himself for fixing the vent issue. And he’d gotten to spend a lot of time with Hazel, and she’d proved herself to be even more kind, smart, and fun to be around than he’d thought she was.
“Mm, you’re right. Just soft potatoes surrounded by crispy, golden goodness.” Hazel popped one of the steaming hot tater tots into her mouth and sighed as she began to chew it. “Meal or no, I’m so hungry right now.”
“Oh, I know. I could eat a horse. I didn’t eat dinner.”
“What?” Hazel squeaked. “You didn’t eat?—”
Jacob waved his hand through the air, laughing. “Don’t worry about me. I had a big, late lunch.”
“What I’m hearing is that you neglected your lunch and your dinner.”
Jacob grimaced and hunched his shoulders up, pretending to retreat farther inside his jacket.
“Well, there are more leftovers in the fridge if you want them. I think there’s even a to-go order hamburger that never got picked up. Help yourself.”
“I’m okay, thanks.” He smiled at her. “These tater tots are hitting the spot, and then I have a ham sandwich calling my name when I get home. With mustard. And some potato chips on top.” His stomach grumbled at the thought. He loved ham.
“On the sandwich?”
“Oh, yeah, haven’t you ever tried that? It’s fantastic.”
“I haven’t, but I see what you mean. An added crunch and saltiness? Samantha would love that.”
“I don’t recommend potato chips in peanut butter and jelly though.”
“You know what is really great in that? M&Ms.”
They continued to talk and laugh while they ate, and even though there was a dish of ketchup and a dish of garlic aioli between their plates, Jacob never dipped his tater tots in the ketchup, only the aioli.
“You only like the aioli, huh?” she teased. “What did ketchup ever do to you?”
He laughed. “I get to eat ketchup all the time. I’ve got like four bottles of it in my refrigerator, and one of them is probably expired. Garlic aioli, on the other hand, is amazing and I hardly ever get to eat it.”
“I can teach you how to make it if you want! It’s not that hard.”
“You make garlic aioli, huh? I should have known. You’ve got all kinds of magical skills like that, don’t you?”
She shook her head, laughing. “Not magical. Just skills. Skills that you too can have. And it sounds like you’re going to need them, if you have such a refined palate. You’re clearly more hotsy-totsy than I’d thought.”
Jacob shook his head, suddenly in a more serious mood. The lateness of the hour and his fatigue made him more inclined to be free with his words. He’d never been one to share his heart at the drop of a hat, but he found himself saying, “I’m not hotsy-totsy at all. That’s exactly why I never made a move on you.”
Hazel stared at him with wide eyes. “What?” she stammered after a moment.
“I mean it,” he said, leaning forward a little and looking right into her eyes. “I always pictured you with someone sophisticated—some kind of cool, successful guy. That’s why I never asked you out.”
Hazel cleared her throat, blinking rapidly. “I mean—you’re a great guy, Jacob. A really great guy. And you are successful! Besides, I’m certainly nothing fancy myself.”
“I think you’re amazing,” he said. “You’ve always been so kind and energetic. And smart. You were always reading those really thick books when we were in high school.”
“They weren’t anything really impressive, just fantasy books,” she said in a small voice.
“But you are smart. And you carry this kind, genuine energy with you wherever you go. You brighten up a room. And you’re beautiful.”
Hazel, who was blushing furiously, shook her head. “Jacob, stop. Please stop.”
“Why?”
“You… it’s not okay to say things like this to me when you have a girlfriend.”
He froze for a second, and then he grinned. “I thought you knew. I don’t have a girlfriend, not anymore. She and I haven’t been together for months.”
She stared at him, and he had no idea what she was thinking. Her eyes were wide and she took a couple of deep breaths.
“Well, you—looks like we’re both done with our tater tots.” She cleared her throat. “It’s late. We should all head home.”
“I think Terrence might still be checking those vents.”
“Maybe. I’ll go check on him and my mom.” She stood up, smiled in a way that seemed very forced, and slipped out of the kitchen.
Oh no , Jacob thought. Clearly that wasn’t the right thing to say. I hope I didn’t ruin our friendship by saying that to her.
Sighing, he stood up and carried their plates over to the dishwashing area, hoping that he hadn’t just totally screwed things up.