Chapter 14
Theo
I got to the Steaming Mug a little early.
I was meeting my mom so I could talk to her about my new job and the move.
I needed to tell her in person—and before the rest of the family.
I figured a coffee date would be a nice way to break it to her.
There was already a Haven family dinner at my folks’ place planned for that night, so I could tell everyone else then.
Tilikum’s popular coffee shop was usually busy, and even fairly early on a Saturday morning, there were quite a few customers. Some sat in armchairs, others at small tables. Soft music played in the background and the scent of freshly ground coffee filled the air.
I hadn’t broken the news to Pen yet. I’d thought about it when I’d come home after talking to my dad, but it had been late and hadn’t felt like the right time. Friday had been too busy, and with an away game that night, I hadn’t gotten home until after she’d gone to bed.
Since I had a few minutes, I texted Mom to see what she wanted so I could order for her. She replied that she’d be there soon and would love a spiced chai latte.
The front counter was painted teal and the chalkboard menu hung on an exposed brick wall behind it. Three baristas flitted around each other, filling orders and calling out names. The sound of grinding coffee beans and whir of frothing milk seemed endless.
When I got to the front of the line, I ordered my mom’s spiced chai and a black coffee for myself. I loved coffee, but I tended to keep it simple.
“Amanda,” one of the baristas called out and slid a drink across the counter.
That got my attention. It couldn’t be that Amanda. Could it? What were the chances I’d run into her in public?
Actually, the chances were good. Small-town living and all that. I ran into people all the time.
Sure enough, the Amanda came to the counter to retrieve her order.
Dressed in a sweater with jeans, her outfit was a lot less revealing than what she’d been wearing at Morris’s celebration of life.
I watched from the corner of my eye as she took a seat across from a woman dressed similarly, with shorter blond hair.
There was an open table near her, so I casually walked over and sat down. Angling myself so I was facing the counter, not the two women, I rested my elbow on the table with my hand to my chin and leaned slightly in their direction.
“It’s so weird, because I looked at his profile and I totally would’ve swiped left if I’d met him that way,” the other woman said. “But we actually had a good time.”
“That’s the problem with online dating,” Amanda said. “How can you tell anything from someone’s profile? I’m so over it.”
“You say that now, but give yourself a few months. You’ll reactivate your profile.”
“Maybe. I guess I haven’t had luck the other way, either.”
“Well…” Her friend paused. “I mean, the last guy was…you
know.”
Amanda sighed heavily. “I know. I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Good, because I really don’t. Did you actually think he was going to leave her?”
“I do not want to talk about him,” Amanda snapped. The sudden change in her voice almost made me shrink away.
“I’m sorry,” the friend said, her tone sympathetic. “I know it’s been hard.”
“Theo!” the barista called.
I got up and went to the counter to get my order. As I brought the drinks back to my table, I studied the two women for a second. Amanda seemed agitated, and the way she’d snapped at her friend clearly meant it was a sore subject.
But why?
Unfortunately, they were gathering up their things to leave. When I sat down, I heard the friend say something about getting to work. A moment later, they got up and left together.
I took a sip of my coffee, mulling over what I’d heard. I’d have bet a million dollars the guy they’d been talking about was Edwin Morris. Amanda had been having an affair with a married man.
A married man who’d wound up dead.
Did Amanda have anything to do with it? Did she kill Edwin while his wife was out of town?
The plot thickened.
My mom walked in, and I had to push all thoughts of Edwin Morris aside. But man, I wanted to talk to Pen. I couldn’t wait.
With a smile, Mom sat down across from me and tucked her chin-length hair behind her ears. As always, she wore her blue-rimmed glasses, and she was dressed in jeans and what looked like one of Dad’s flannel shirts over a Squirrel Protection Squad T-shirt.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, honey.” She set her purse on the floor near her feet and moved her mug closer.
I could see the concern in her expression. “Did Dad talk to you?”
“He just said there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Which probably made you worry.”
She nodded and wrapped her hands around her mug. “A little. So what’s going on? Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, everything’s good. Great, as a matter of fact. I’ve been offered a job coaching at the college level.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Really? That’s so exciting.”
“It is. And it’s in South Carolina.”
“Wow, that’s a big move. Tell me about the job.”
“It’s an amazing opportunity—offensive coordinator at the University of South Carolina. They have a great program, and the chance to coach at that level is huge for me.”
Her smile was real, as was the hint of sadness she was trying to hide. “I’m really happy for you.”
“Thanks. I know it’s a long way away, and I took that really seriously. I don’t love the idea of relocating, but this is such a great opportunity. I think taking it is the right thing to do.”
“Good,” she said, her tone emphatic. “Then you should take it.”
“That’s what Dad said.”
Taking a deep breath, she reached across the table and took my hands. “Of course I’m going to be sad to see you go. But I’m so proud of you. You’ve come such a long way.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
She let go and took a sip of her drink. “When do you leave?”
“I’ll finish the school year here and move down there next summer.”
“I’m glad you have plenty of time. Have you thought about what you’re going to do with your house?”
“I might keep it as a rental. I recently ended up with a roommate—a friend from work. She just went through a breakup and needed a place to live. If she wants to stay, I could rent it to her. And if not, I’ll figure it out.”
“You could talk to Josiah about it. He’d probably be able to manage it for you.”
My brother Josiah had partnered with my dad, and the two of them had become small-town real estate moguls. They bought old houses and fixed them up. They sold some, but they kept a lot of them as rental properties.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Sorry, I don’t mean to jump in and start problem-solving. It’s a mom thing. I can’t help it.”
“That’s okay. I appreciate it. There are a lot of details I’ll need to figure out. But like you said, I have time.”
“And you have a roommate now? That’s big news. Who is she?”
“Her name’s Penelope Fallbrook. She’s the art teacher. We’ve been friends for a while, and, like I said, she just got out of a relationship. Didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“It’s good of you to be there for her.”
“Yeah, what are friends for?” I cracked a smile.
She nodded slowly, and the way her eyes lingered on me made me wonder what she was thinking. Hopefully she wasn’t getting the wrong idea about me and Pen.
“Can I make one request?” she asked after a pause.
“Sure.”
“Come home once a year. I know it seems like that isn’t a lot, but it’s amazing how quickly time goes by. And how easy it is to lose touch with the people you love.”
“I’ll come home at least once a year. How about that?”
She smiled. “I appreciate that. And I know Annika and your brothers will, too.”
I let out a long breath. “Speaking of Annika and my brothers…I need to tell everybody.”
She took another sip of her drink. “That’s going to be fun.”
I chuckled. “Not really.”
“Don’t worry. They’ll give you a hard time, but they won’t mean it. Do you want to tell them tonight?”
“Will everyone be there?”
“I believe so.”
“Either that’s perfect or it’ll just give them a way to gang up on me. But yeah, that would be great. And thanks for not freaking out when I said South Carolina.”
“I’ve had adult children long enough to know the best thing I can do is go with the flow and love you from afar, if that’s all I can do.”
Maybe she was talking about me, but she was also talking about Reese.
She had to be. I needed to know what the hell was going on with him, or at least what she knew.
I opened my mouth to ask her, but before I could get a word out, a little old lady in a gold velour tracksuit came in and immediately spotted us.
Aunt Louise.
Louise Haven was a small-town force of nature. If you had so much as a stuffy nose, she’d be at your house with soup or a casserole. But she was most famous, at least among my brothers and me, for having declared herself the Haven family matchmaker.
The problem? No one wanted their eccentric aunt to set them up on dates. Especially because she was notoriously bad at it.
“Marlene!” She gave my mom an air kiss next to her cheek. “What a lovely surprise.”
“Hi, Louise,” Mom said with a smile. “How have you been?”
“Can’t complain.” Aunt Louise pulled a chair to our table, sat, and dug a small notebook and pen out of her large handbag. “Theo, I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been working on something for you.”
I didn’t reply. Just met my mom’s eyes with a look of alarm. She smiled, as if to say, Don’t worry.
But I was worried. You had to worry when Aunt Louise was up to something. And she was always up to something.
Louise flipped through the pages of her notebook. “Here we are. What are you doing Friday evening?”
I hesitated and she looked at me expectantly, batting her eyelashes. “You’re free? Good—”
“Whoa,” I said, putting my hands up. “Slow down, Aunt Louise. If you’re trying to set me up on a date, the answer is no.”
“Don’t be silly. You haven’t been on a date in ages, have you?”
“No, but—”
“Then it’s the perfect time. You know you can trust me.”