Chapter 20
20
H ope had never sought advice from a stranger, especially a senior citizen in high-top sneakers and sweatpants, but Mimi insisted Angelo “Pop” Benito could help her. When she contacted him, he hadn’t sounded surprised to hear from her and invited her for afternoon tea and pizzelles. If the man could find a way to help her make sense of her life, she’d agree to anything.
At ten minutes before two, Angelo Benito invited her into his modest home with a wide smile and a welcome. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Hope. How about I fix a nice cup of hibiscus tea and a few pizzelles? Have you ever had a pizzelle?”
Hope shook her head, wondered how this man could help her. Mimi said he held a lot of answers, but he never “told” a person what to do—he merely offered suggestions and helped them find their path. If he could help her find her path to straightening out this mess with Sam, she’d eat anything—including a pizzelle even though she’d never tasted one. “Thank you, Mr. Benito. And thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I truly appreciate it.”
He raised a bushy brow, nodded. “You’re welcome, and the name’s Angelo or Pop. No, Mister.” He pointed to an overstuffed chair in the sitting room. “Have a seat and I’ll be back in a few minutes.” His voice softened like one of Mimi’s buttermilk biscuits as he pointed to the portrait of an attractive woman with dark eyes, dark hair, and a mysterious smile. “That’s my Lucy.” His voice turned softer. “My heart and soul. She was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. How that woman ever saw it in her heart to give me a chance, I’ll never know. I didn’t deserve it, not the kindness or the love, but I wasn’t going to turn away either. She was the one who taught me about real love along with forgiveness and never giving up on possibility.”
Hope thought about Pop Benito’s words as she waited for him to return. There was no denying the love when he looked at his deceased wife or when he spoke of her. What must that be like? The loss would be immeasurable, but to have a chance to experience that connection with another person… She guessed Pop Benito would tell her it was worth it.
She was still contemplating love and loss when he returned with two glasses of hibiscus tea and a plate of pizzelles. “I’ve read about pizzelles, and I’ve seen them in a few bakeries, but I’ve never tried one. I hear they have anise in them?” She would not confess her distaste of anise… How many would she have to eat before he was satisfied?
“Yes, there are anise pizzelles and those are my favorite. However, not everyone loves the anise flavor. I can usually pick out the people who will and won’t enjoy an anise pizzelle.” He pointed to the plate as he sank into his chair. “These are vanilla pizzelles. They have a much sweeter flavor. Try one and see.”
He must have sensed her two-second hesitation because he added, “Just try one, and if it’s not to your liking, I won’t pressure you to finish it.” A wink and a soft, “But I bet you will, and I’ll even bet you’ll have more than one.”
Hope selected a pizzelle, studied it for a few seconds before she bit into it. Crunchy. Sweet. “This is good. Really good.” She munched on the pizzelle, caught Pop smiling when she reached for another.
“Sure is. It’s all about matching the right flavor with the right person.” He bit into his pizzelle, chewed as though contemplating what he’d just told her. “No different than relationships. Put the right ones together and watch the magic.” A shrug, more chewing, and then, “Put the wrong ones together and they won’t come back for a second helping. In fact, they might try to spit it out when no one’s watching. No different than a relationship. It will either work or it won’t. And if the partnering is wrong, you can forget it.” A small sigh, a shake of his gray head. “But, if there’s a connection, even one neither party wants to admit, keep an eye on that because it’s going to be very interesting.” He slid her a look, finished his pizzelle, and let his comments sink in.
Oh, he was crafty. The man could join the marketing firm for Hope’s company and probably teach them all a thing or two about subliminal messages. “I’ll have to remember that.”
“Please do.” He sipped his hibiscus tea, nodded. “So, how are you enjoying Magdalena?”
Hope bit her bottom lip, studied the plate of pizzelles. There was no sense pretending with this man because he knew why she was here. “I… I really like it. I never thought I’d say that, but it’s true. There’s a connection I feel that I haven’t had since I was a child.” Oh, she did not want to do this, but it was necessary. “I grew up in a small town…a fact I don’t often share and have spent most of my life trying to forget. It wasn’t a pleasant experience and I think it had more to do with my mother than the place. When you’re miserable you just want to get away from every reminder and that includes the place where you’re living.”
Those dark eyes burrowed into her, turned bright. “I’m very sorry to hear this. Families are special and you shouldn’t want to run away from them.”
Hope cleared her throat, clutched the glass of tea between her hands. “Unless you have a mother who’s always trying to change you, telling you how you’re just not good enough and need to be better, rise above your circumstances and your situation. You need to…” The darn tears were coming and she had to stop them. “I just wanted to be myself, but I had to change because I wanted her to be proud of me. All these years, I just pretended around my life, and after a while, it seemed more natural than trying to figure out who I was and why I was hiding.” Pause and a deep breath. “Then I came here.”
Those dark eyes turned darker. “And you met Mimi and the rest of the town…and Sam.”
The first tear fell and she swiped it away. “Yes, and then I met Sam.”
“He’s a good boy but stubborn. He’s had a hard time forgiving himself for choosing the wrong woman with the ex-wife, and he might think he’s done it again.” Pop patted her hand, his voice gentle. “He picked the right one this time, but it might take a bit for him to realize that. And then with his father getting stuck in the middle with your company…”
“I’m the one who told my boss about Sam and Edgar being at odds with one another. It was early on in my stay and just part of a conversation about the town. I never thought he’d use that against me. Martin was like family to me.” Sadness and regret clouded her next words. “I don’t blame Sam for wanting me gone.”
The man Mimi said had helped more than one couple out of an impossible situation, slid her a look. “The way I see it, you’ve got a choice. You can stay and fight for Sam, or you can pack up and head back home.” He rubbed his stubbled jaw, added, “I guess the real question might be where is home? Is it where you came from in Virginia and pretended you belonged, or is it here, where you landed?”
He expected an answer, but how could she give him one when there were so many unknowns? For years, she’d had a plan that included goals and objectives and a path to success, happiness, stability. No second-guessing, no what-ifs, no unknowns . She’d spent too many years like that and she did not want to go back again. But what if uncertainty and the unknown were normal parts of living that you couldn’t avoid? What if?—
“Hope? Listen to your heart and follow it. Not those fancy spreadsheets or all the whys and wherefores that college degree got you. Listen to your heart and trust it.”
“But what if I fail? What if I put myself out there, and get rejected? It would be embarrassing and humiliating and sometimes I wonder if it’s better to hide my feelings.”
“Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. Have you ever heard that the people we care about most can hurt us even if they don’t mean to, even if they care about us, too? It’s true. Live long enough, and you will experience it. I did, and it almost broke me… But you don’t give up and you don’t walk away because whatever your troubles, if that person lives in your heart, then you find a way. The only question I have for you is does Sam Harrington live in your heart?” He leaned forward, placed a hand on her arm. “Just the truth, Hope. The one that’s sitting in your heart.”
A nod, followed by, “Yes, he does, but I’m afraid he’ll never forgive me. I swear I didn’t know my company would go behind my back and try to force a sale, but maybe I should have. Maybe I should have thought it through and considered the possibility. I am so sorry for all of the grief I’ve caused to Mimi and Sam’s family and anyone else who’s been hurt. My company might go after Edgar’s property, but I’m going to do everything I can to stop them.”
“I know you will.”
A shrug, and then, “Even if I am successful, that doesn’t mean Sam will give me another chance.” She cleared her throat, sniffed. “We were so close to sharing our real feelings. I felt it…” She placed a hand on her heart. “And now I’m petrified it’s all gone.”
“Do you believe in second chances?”
“Second chances?” She laughed, shook her head. “I’m a living reminder to myself every day of what a second chance looks like.”
“But what about relationships? Do you believe those can have second chances as well?”
Now there was a question. She’d had a difficult time getting close enough to allow anyone a first chance, let alone a second one. Kent had been a big mistake and a huge disappointment. Sam had been different. He’d been as uncertain and cautious about trusting someone as she’d been, but when they were together it was impossible to deny the attraction—physical, emotional, cerebral. “I haven’t been very successful in that area.”
“Neither has Sam, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have success with him if you’re willing to risk it. I could tell you all about the couples who didn’t want to depend on anyone, didn’t want to care, didn’t want to admit the other person owned their very breath. Guess what?” His thin lips pulled into a slow smile. “It didn’t matter because destiny has a funny sense of humor. The harder they fought it, the more obvious it was to everyone but them that they belonged together. You might have heard about a few of them: Nate and Christine Desantro, Daniel and Tess Casherdon, Ben and Gina Reed.” He lifted a bony finger, began ticking off more couples. “Nick and Delilah Borado, Law and Ava Carlisle, and Beckett and Katrina Durrell. And let’s not forget the man who celebrated being a bachelor until he was past fifty.” Pop chuckled, his dark eyes bright. “Harry Blacksworth. That man certainly has a story, one he’s happy to share.”
“Harry is quite colorful.” She thought of his full-bellied laugh and charm. “He seems to believe there’s a special someone for all of us.”
“Indeed he does and that’s one of the reasons I knew he would be perfect as my replacement.” The man raised a bushy brow, studied her. “You’ve got to have a big heart, an open mind, and a past that says you know all about going down the wrong road and suffering the consequences of it.”
“Do you really believe Sam will be able to move past what happened and give us a second chance?” No matter what happened between them, she was going to make sure Mimi, Edgar, and everyone in Magdalena were safe from Martin’s company.
“I do. I’ve seen worse, and I’ve seen better, but what’s most important is opening up and taking a chance. You’ll be surprised what can happen when you do.” He winked, raised his glass of hibiscus tea. “Destiny is a funny creature. Just when we think we have it all figured out, she steps in and shows us we don’t.”
He opened his mouth to no doubt continue his thoughts on destiny and second chances when his cell phone rang. “Darn thing. Hold on a second.” He removed it from his pocket, squinted at the caller ID. “It’s Harry. I better take this. Hello? Harry? I’m in the middle of something right now. Can I… What? When? Where is he? Is it serious?” A long sigh and a shaky breath later, he continued, “Okay, give me ten minutes and I’ll be ready.” Pop placed the phone on the table between them, opened his mouth to speak, closed it.
“What is it? Is someone hurt?”
He dragged his gaze to hers, spoke in a voice that was not much above a whisper. “Edgar Harrington passed out a little while ago, hit his head on the desk. They had to rush him to the hospital; they’re running tests now.” He made the sign of the cross, glanced at his wife’s portrait, then turned back to Hope. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to head to the hospital.”
“I’m so sorry to hear this.” She needed to get to Sam and his mother, offer support and whatever they needed. “I want to go, too. Let me take you.”
“That’s not necessary. Harry’s on his way.” Pause and a quiet “I know you want to help, and the time will come when they might accept the offer, but now is not that time.”
Poor Dr. Harrington… Landed in the emergency room…
Talk about scary…
Talk about not knowing what’s happening.
What did you hear? No one is really talking too much.
I heard the whole story at Lina’s Café yesterday morning over coffee. Dr. Harrington was in his office and when he stood up, he passed out and hit his head on the desk.
Goodness gracious. Did he have a heart attack? A stroke?
They didn’t know at first, but they rushed him to the hospital and started with the tests. You know how that goes.
Oh, but I do… When Harold ended up there, they did all sorts of tests and it turned out it was his gallbladder.
Well, this was not about Dr. H’s gallbladder. It had to do with low blood sugar. He was trying to hold off eating breakfast so he could have a hamburger and French fries for lunch and he passed out. That’s when he hit his head.
I’ll bet Joyce was not happy about that.
Not happy? She was so scared, praying to all of the saints…and then when he confessed what he’d done? Once she knew he was going to be okay, she let him have it. Can’t say I blame her.
And that was it? This all has to do with low blood sugar?
There was some talk about him being anxious and maybe having a panic attack, but I’m not sure if that’s the truth.
Panic attack? Over what? Oh. Let me guess. This has to do with Hope Newland and her bad karma.
It’s just whispers. Nobody will say either way.
What’s Sam saying?
That poor man was beside himself. I heard he told his mother he’d never forgive himself if anything happened to Dr. H, said it was all his fault.
But how could it be Sam’s fault, or do you mean because of her?
Right, and how her partner tried to strong arm Dr. H into selling his place.
Tsk tsk. I also heard Janelle Reynold’s daughter was taking care of Dr. H in the emergency room. She’s a nurse now, did you know that?
Sure did. She’s quite the looker.
Well, apparently, she was looking at Sam, so who knows?
Maybe he’ll open his eyes and pick her instead of that stranger in high heels who’s invaded our town.
Maybe. We’ll see.
At least Dr. H is going to be okay. They said he had a slight concussion and they’re planning to set up a meeting with the dietician so he can learn about proper eating. Can you imagine someone instructing Dr. H about proper eating?
Ha ha. Not really, but maybe it scared him enough to do something about his bad habits. He always thought he was fooling his wife.
Guess he’s the one who got fooled.
Guess so…and speaking of trying to fool everyone, when is that woman leaving our town?
I hear Mimi’s protecting her at the Heart Sent, and you know Mimi…she never gives up on anybody even when she should.
So? When is Hope Newland leaving Magdalena? The sooner she’s gone, the sooner life will settle down and Sam can move past another bad choice.
And choose a good one this time. Not sure when she’s leaving but it can’t be soon enough.
Right. And if the nurse doesn’t catch his eye, I’ve got a few other names in mind, starting with a Sunday school teacher, a doctor, and a lawyer.
Let’s make a list of possibilities…
Yes, we’ll help Sam find his happily ever after.
As long as that happily-ever-after does not include the woman who tried to destroy our town.
Good riddance, Hope Newland.