CHAPTER FOUR
T hat evening, Crystal sat in Jake’s with Dani and Brad, Melissa, Aaron Collister, Ross Roberts, and his friend, Ben Gooding. It was a congenial group. Aaron, Brad’s brother, had an interesting background. Part native-American, he was left at the Collister household by his mother who was dying of cancer. Though his coloring was different, there was no mistaking they were brothers. They owned Collister Construction together.
Ross Roberts was as famous a baseball player as Whitney had been as a television star. Forced to leave baseball because of knee injuries, Ross was one of the trio of people who now owned the Lilac Lake Inn. With sandy hair, blue eyes, and a well-known boyish smile, he could still be seen in sports ads on television. He was one of the first to build a house in The Meadows by Collister Construction and set many female hearts aflutter in town. Crystal liked him a lot as a friend.
His friend, Ben, had grown up in New Jersey with Ross and was a former catcher who’d played ball with Ross in high school and college. He looked the part with his broad, heavy-set body.
Crystal liked the easy companionship between all of them.
“I asked Emmett to join us,” said Dani, “but he said he had to go to New York for a few days. He’ll stay at Dr. Johnson’s house after they move out.”
“Dr. Johnson called to say that he and Martha will be gone by the beginning of next week,” said Crystal. “They’d already bought a place in Florida at the beginning of the year and won’t be taking much with them. After the move, if necessary, he’ll be back for a couple of weeks to help Emmett get settled in the practice.”
“That’s nice. It’ll give his patients time to get used to a new doctor. I imagine a few women in town will be delighted to see his replacement,” said Whitney. “Emmett is awfully cute.” She glanced at Nick and grinned. “Not as cute as Nick, though.”
Talk turned to the annual Summer Faire, which was held in August. Though it was still early to discuss the finer details, Crystal was glad to hear that Estelle Bookbinder, owner of Pages Bookstore, was in charge of it, as she had been for several years. The Summer Faire consisted of three days of shopping, food, music, and games, including canoe races on the lake. This year, the Lilac Lake Inn was offering special rates to visitors who came for the entire event.
As more and more young families returned to the area, these events grew their success. Crystal served on the committee in charge of publicity and offered specials at the Café during Summer Faire. This year, she hoped to hold a baking contest for residents, young and old.
Brooks and Bethany Beckman, whose family owned Beckman Lumber, arrived. After they greeted everyone and ordered some food, talk turned to children. Their first child had just started to walk, and it was big news joyously shared.
After a while, Crystal made her escape. As much as she loved these gatherings, duty called. Besides, she had mixed feelings about all the talk of babies.
Later, lying in bed, she thought of her life and realized her restlessness wasn’t a fleeting thing. She had no idea if it was hormones talking, but she wanted a family.
###
T he next few days were typical of summer in Lilac Lake with visitors roaming Main Street and stopping inside the Café for breakfast or lunch. Crystal loved greeting and chatting with people, happy her Café was a success. To her, it was about more than the food; the Café was a welcoming place to all. Having grown up in a town where she sometimes felt like an outsider, it was important to her.
One morning, she was surprised by a visit from Emmett. “Good morning. Back in town to stay?”
He grinned. “I think so. I brought just enough of my things to get by while the renovation of the house took place. I’ll be staying at the house in one of the bedrooms upstairs while work is being done on the first floor. It’s helpful that the medical offices remain set up and separate from the construction because I still have to learn my way around it.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” she said, pleased to see him.
He took a seat at the counter, and Crystal went outside to the patio to see how things were going. Satisfied, she returned to the kitchen to check on their progress. It had taken a lot of work to train her crew well enough so she wouldn’t be confined to the kitchen.
Before Emmett left, he approached her. “Do you do any catering?”
“Not usually. What do you need?”
He gave her a sheepish grin. “I’m not very handy in the kitchen.”
“I’ll tell you what. If you order off the menu, I’d be happy to bring an order to you from time to time for these first couple of weeks.”
“That’s a deal. I’ll make it up to you by treating you to dinner.”
“That’s a sweet idea but not necessary,” said Crystal.
His turquoise eyes studied her. “Thanks, but I’d feel better by showing my appreciation.”
After he left, she still felt the heat of his smile.
###
A fter a few days had gone by, Crystal almost forgot their deal. Then one day, after eating breakfast at the Café, Emmett said, “If your offer stands, I’d love to have a sandwich delivered to the office today, and I’ll take you to dinner.”
Surprised but pleased, she grinned. “Deal. What would you like?”
He placed an order and said, “How about Fins, seven o’clock?”
“That would be a real treat,” she said. “I look forward to it.”
When the time came, she could’ve had someone else make the lunchtime delivery, but with things running smoothly at the Café, she decided to do it herself.
She packaged up Emmett’s lunch and took it to his office.
When she stepped inside, Lucille Young, the nurse/receptionist smiled at her. “That’s for Emmett? He’s outside, down at the dock taking a break. He said you’d be stopping by.” Lucille, a pretty woman with graying brown hair, was in her 50s and had raised four boys. She was a calming influence in the office and had been with Dr. Johnson for years. “Dr. Chambers certainly is handsome. He’ll be glad to see you.”
“It’s just a deal we have for meals,” explained Crystal. Though she was intrigued by him, she decided she wasn’t going to do more than try to be friends with Emmett. GG’s thoughts about allowing people their privacy made her rethink the situation. If their friendship grew, he might be willing to talk about his family and his life.
“You go on then. Dr. Chambers doesn’t have an appointment for an hour,” said Lucille. “Enjoy the sunshine. It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, as I tell the kids who come in for a visit.”
Crystal smiled at her. “Mr. Rogers, huh?”
“Yes,” said Lucille grinning. “I’ve always thought he was a sweet man with his television programs, books, and all. The movie was great.”
Crystal left the office and headed to the dock. Even from a distance, she could see the outline of Emmett sitting on the bench. There was something about the way he hunched his shoulders that touched her.
She waited until she was closer to call out to him. But before she could, he turned around and waved at her, getting to his feet to greet her.
“Ah, personal delivery. I like it,” he teased.
“I figure it’s well worth a dinner,” she joked.
“I hope you brought enough for the two of us. It’s a nice day for a picnic.” He led her to the bench.
She set down the bags she’d been carrying. “I brought lemonade for both of us and your sandwich.” She took out a paper plate, unwrapped it, and handed it to him with a sandwich, chips, and a pickle. Then she removed two large paper cups with lemonade and set one down beside him.
Lowering herself onto the dock, she stared out at the moving water and listened to the soothing sound of it swirling around the pilings holding up the dock. “This is very peaceful,” she murmured closing her eyes and looking up at the sun.
“Hold it right there,” said Emmett softly. “You’re so beautiful.”
At the sound of his phone camera clicking, Crystal opened her eyes and turned to him with a silent question.
“I mean it,” said Emmett. “I can’t see the exact color of your hair but whatever it is, I like it. And your face ...”
Crystal held up her hand. “Stop. You’re embarrassing me. I never think of myself that way.”
Emmett’s gaze met hers. “Maybe it’s time you did. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Well, thank you.” She turned away and gazed out over the lazy river not in a rush to go anywhere, just moving along at a steady pace. She was startled by Emmet’s words. Her mother had thought she was ugly and had told her so when she was drunk or high and Crystal was trying to get her to come home to sleep it off. Later, attending Al-Anon meetings, Crystal understood her mother’s words had been spoken as part of her defensive stance. Her mother had apologized to Crystal before she died, but the damage had already been done. Even Nick, sweet Nick, hadn’t been able to convince Crystal that she was better in every way than she’d always believed.
Emmett placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. I’m here anytime you want to talk.”
She turned and stared up at him. “Thanks. It’s old baggage. I thought I’d dealt with that issue, but I guess I’ll have to rethink it.”
“We all have stuff we need to deal with,” he said. “I’m glad to help you with yours. That’s why I like the idea of a family practice. It’s a chance to help entire families because when one is in trouble, they all are. Of course, I’m talking mostly about health problems.”
“And mostly about other people. Right?”
He shrugged. “I guess.” He took a last bite of his sandwich. “I met with Dani, Brad, and Aaron at Collister Construction. I gave them the go-ahead to start with the renovation. Dr. Johnson has been delayed in getting back here, but I told him we can do most of the training online, and since Lucille is the one who handles all the office procedures, I’m covered there.”
“I’m happy that he and Martha can retire. He’s wanted to for a long time but felt he couldn’t leave until he was replaced. He’s that kind of person.”
“I hope I can be as well-respected as he is,” said Emmett honestly.
Crystal studied him. “I think you will be. Thanks for the break. I must get back to the Café.”
He stood as she got to her feet. “Thanks for the sandwich and the special delivery. I’ll see you tonight at seven. I’ll pick you up at your place, and we can walk down the street to the restaurant.”
“It sounds wonderful. After cooking most days, it’s a treat not to have to worry about it.” She left him and hurried back to her car aware his gaze was on her.