Chapter 6
Wyatt Woods
The phone rings, waking me from my slumber. I pick up the handset from the cradle and rub my eyes.
“Good morning, Sugar britches.”
“Mom?” I glance at the clock on the bedside table; it reads five thirty AM. “Is anything wrong?”
“No, nothing wrong as such. I was wonderin’ what’s your schedule look like?”
“Since the festival is today, the office is closed. We wanted the entire office to attend. However, I’m on call.”
“Are you available this mornin’?”
“Sure. What do you need? ”
“I need an extra pair of hands in the kitchen, one of my employees has called in sick.”
“Do they have something contagious?”
“No. I think they wanted to play hooky.”
“I just need a few minutes to take care of the animals and shower quickly.”
“Thank you, son.”
“You know you can count on me.”
“I know. That’s what makes you special.”
I place the handset back on the receiver, sit up, pull the covers back, and make my way to the bathroom. When I return, I close the window to my bedroom. Last night, there was a small breeze circulating in the room. Now, the brisk morning air makes me shiver.
I pull on a pair of sweats over my boxer briefs and open the bedroom door. I glanced down the hallway to the closed door at the far end. I turn and ignore my grandmother’s voice telling me it’s time to let it go.
There are times when you know you should listen to advice from your loved ones.
I just have a hard time opening the door to the past and seeing the baby’s room.
It’s just another reminder of the life that should have been.
I take a few steps further and peek in Emily’s room and see she’s still sleeping.
I’m glad the sound of the phone ringing didn’t wake her.
I stepped softly toward her, gently tucking the covers up snugly, and kissed her on the head.
As I head out, I hear her voice. “Daddy, is it time to get up?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then why are you up?”
“Time for me to feed the animals.”
“Can I help?”
“Sleep a little longer. I’ll wake you soon.”
“Okay.” A peaceful expression on her face assured me that she was back to sleep. Her dark hair frames her little face. She makes me feel lucky to be alive and erases the turmoil that had plagued me for a moment. She gives me purpose to live on.
I headed back to my room and put on my work-around-the-house clothes.
A worn pair of jeans and a ragged old T-shirt that has seen better days.
A yawn escapes me, but I soldier on, knowing I have a lot to get done before I head over to my mother’s inn.
After the horses and chickens have been fed, I head back upstairs to shower.
While I let the water run to warm up, I look at myself in the mirror. I turn my head back and forth and rub my cheeks. The stubble on my face is longer than a five o’clock shadow. I’m not in the mood for shaving, so the scruff is staying on today.
I stripped down, jumped into the shower, and let the warm water beat down on me.
With my eyes closed, I visualize the woman with those stunning eyes, one blue and the other hazel.
For some reason, she captivated me. Bewitched me to where I spouted off nonsense.
I didn’t even ask her name, and I’m sure I’ll never see her again .
After I shower, I take a pair of jeans out of my drawer and a black T-shirt. A soft knock comes from outside my bedroom door.
“Daddy?”
“Hold on a second, I’m changing.” I hear her footsteps fade away, then the door opens and closes to the hallway bathroom.
Knowing she’s awake, I finish dressing and head downstairs to make a small cup of coffee.
I’m waiting for her to come downstairs so I can tell her that we need to spend the morning at the inn.
She spends a lot of time at daycare but loves any time she can share a minute with my mom.
I suppose we can skip breakfast and eat at the inn.
Vegetarian, who’d of thought…damn, why am I thinking about that redhead. We barely shared more than two sentences. Shit. It’s not like I’ve never seen a woman with red hair before.
“Daddy!”
“Yes, precious?”
“Are we going to the festival? ”
“Yes, later today.”
“Do you have to work?”
I shake my head. “Then why can’t we go now?”
“Because, young lady, it doesn’t open until after ten AM.”
“Oh.” She huffs out a breath.
“Besides, Nana has asked us to come help with breakfast.”
Her eyes beam with excitement. “Really?”
“Yup, let’s get you dressed and head over.”
“What about breakfast?”
“We’ll eat there as well.” She claps her hands and cheers. “You’re excited.”
“I am!”
“Come on.”
She sings songs up the stairs. “I’m going to Nana’s house.”
“Nana’s inn, honey. Not her house.”
“I’m going to Nana’s inn.”
I don’t know why I corrected her; it’s not going to make a bit of difference. So long as she’s excited about seeing her grandmother, that’s all that matters.
Thirty-five minutes later, we headed out the door and on our way to mom’s.
As always, she’s hard at work, since this is a busy day for most small business owners as people come in from out of town for our Founders Day celebration and festival.
I’m sure all her rooms are booked, and she’s known for making traditional foods with flair.
Today, she’s making what was always a staple in our home. Breakfast tacos were, and will always be, my favorite. It’s often made with leftover barbecue, scrambled eggs, and cheese. Knowing my mother, this isn’t a leftover barbecue. She probably hasn’t even been to bed yet.
I will do anything I can to help her out. The kitchen smells amazing, which makes my stomach rumble. Mom gave me the chore of making scrambled eggs, so I gave Emily a job helping me. The funniest part is her saying eww every time she cracks an egg.
All the food is placed in chafing dishes. With gloved hands, I take the full pan and set it down on the buffet table to keep it warm. A water pan is underneath, and a burner is beneath both pans to keep the food at the optimal temperature.
I repeat this process until each food item is in the proper place and the breakfast buffet is ready for the guests.
The tables have fresh linen, and silverware is placed next to the empty plates.
I take one last look around to see what’s missing.
Drinks! I head back to the kitchen and help mom bring out carafes filled with orange juice, water, milk, regular and decaffeinated coffee.
Once the doors open at seven AM, the waiting crowd steps in, and I return to the kitchen. I’ve made enough for a second batch, so we can fill the trays once more.
“Wyatt.”
“Yes, mom. ”
“Why don’t you and Em grab a plate and eat?”
“What about you?”
“I’m going to check to make sure everything is okay at the front desk.”
“Mom, if they need you, they know where to find you. You need to eat too, come and sit with us.”
“You’re right, sugar britches.”
“Of course I’m right, I’m a doctor.”
“And a sassy one at that.”
“Where’s dad this morning?”
She glances at her watch. “I would think he would be here after he’s set up his tent for the fair today. You know he starts preparing his barbecue pretty early.”
We wait for a break with the guests and grab a plate of food.
I put a smaller plate in Emily’s hands so she could pick out fruit and still be able to grab a glass of milk.
Her eyes go wide at the size of the strawberries that came from one of our local farmers.
My mother always tries to accommodate our guests the best that she can.
Her only problem is that she wants to oversee everything down to the last detail and doesn’t give herself a minute to relax. We finally sat down, and I poured milk into a bowl of cereal for Emily.
“Oh, there’s the out-of-towner. She is such a pretty lady.”
I lift my head slightly and glance in the direction she’s talking about. The redhead with striking eyes. “She’s alright.”
“Dear God, son, have you not gotten a closer look? She’s beautiful.” She takes another bite of her food, and her tone tells me she’s disappointed. “I wonder if she and the gentleman she’s with are best friends; maybe they’ll turn into lovers like in one of my favorite novels.”
“Mom, can we not discuss that at the table with little ears? Perhaps cut back on those Pierce Stone books. You know, life is nothing like it is in romance novels. There truly is no happily ever after.”
“Nana, he’s already seeing someone.” Emily’s little voice interrupted us.
We both turned and looked at her. “How do you know that honey?”
“He was talking on the phone yesterday and said he loved them.”
“Oh, that’s lovely. But next time, don’t listen in on people’s telephone conversations.”
“But Nana, he was standing right in front of me. What should I do, cover my ears?”
“Hmm. Probably not. Just do your best not to eavesdrop, or better yet, come find me or your dad.”
“Okay, Nana.” We ate in silence for the remainder of the meal, but my eyes kept roaming over to where she sat alone. Once I was done, I stood and picked up all the empty dishes.
“Excuse me, Ms. Abby. Can I ask you a question?” I looked up from what I was holding to see her standing at our table.
“Of course, what is it?”
“What time does the library open?”
“Oh dear! I forgot to tell you that today is a local holiday for us, and all government buildings are closed for the day.”
“What kind of holiday is it?”
“It’s Skybrook’s Founder’s Day.”
“Oh, perfect. It gives me a chance to see the entire town.”
“Are you in town for business or pleasure?”
“I’m here for business. But it doesn’t hurt to do both.”
“Do you mind me asking what kind of business you’re in?”
“Real estate. I work for a company called Phoenix Construction.”
“Phoenix Construction.” I repeated.
Her eyes darted to mine. “Yes, that’s correct.”
“You mean the same company that wants to swallow up our town? ”
“Please forgive my son.” My mother stood. “Where are my manners? Ms. Masterson, this is my son, Wyatt Woods, and my granddaughter, Emily Woods.”
She put out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you; you can call me Valerie.”
I was seeing red, and it had nothing to do with the color of her hair.
I took a step back. “Excuse me, I have things that need tending to.” I stormed off back to the kitchen.
I was fuming as I tried to figure out why.
Was my fury stemming from the fact that the one woman I found irresistible was, of all things, on the opposing side?
I’ve been listening to Clay discuss a major mogul coming soon who wants to change my town.
The very same town where I want my daughter to grow up, unchanged.
There’s something to be said for small town living.
Yet, I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe old men in three-piece suits and briefcases trying to intimidate the townsfolk.
Just because she wears a short skirt and heels and has a pretty face, doesn’t mean she’s not gonna wipe us out the first chance she gets. I scraped our plates into the garbage and dropped them on the counter. I grabbed a clean towel and wiped my face then took a deep breath.