Chapter 5
5
“So, no date tonight?” Laurie asked teasingly as she kissed Zach’s cheek. He handed her the hand-tied bouquet of winter jasmine he’d bought in Litchfield and she murmured her thanks.
“Nope, no date,” he replied breezily. “I’m taking a break.”
“What he really means,” Jenna informed Laurie as she unzipped her parka, “is that there are no more eligible women in the entire Litchfield area. Or Torrington.”
Zach strolled over to the kitchen table, keeping his smile in place. These kinds of jokes never got old with the good citizens of Starr’s Fall or his sister, he reflected sourly. It was amazing how easily some people were amused, Jenna included.
“I’m sure you’ll find the right woman one of these days,” Laurie remarked diplomatically as she put the jasmine in a little pottery jug. She slid him a smile full of warm-hearted affection. “Won’t you, Zach?”
“Here’s hoping,” he replied in the same breezy tone.
“Well, he’s certainly found a lot of right now women,” Jenna remarked, her joking tone not without the faintest touch of acid.
Zach’s smile slipped as he gritted his teeth. He and Jenna had been coolly polite with one another ever since their argument four days ago, and that wasn’t how they usually operated, mainly because Zach always kept up a jokey, devil-may-care attitude to alleviate Jenna’s control-freak tendencies. But having her make that kind of pointed remark when they were already not quite getting along felt like a bit much to take, especially when they were with company.
“Since you don’t go on the dates with me,” he remarked in what he hoped was a pleasant tone, “or ever discuss my dating life with me, I’m not sure how informed you are to make that assessment of my motivations.”
Both Jenna and Laurie gave him the sort of startled look that made him feel like he’d just burped or farted. He knew he didn’t normally push back like that, but lately he’d been getting pretty tired of the status quo. Maybe it was meeting someone new, and seeing how Maggie and Ben Parker were starting their lives over in Starr’s Fall. Could he do that too, even if he’d never left?
“Just saying,” he finished with an easy smile. Max had come to sniff around his sneakers and Zach scooped him up in one hand and deposited the little dog in his lap, grateful for the distraction.
“So how is our newcomer settling in?” Jenna asked Laurie. “It was nice of you to invite her to dinner. What’s her name again?”
“Maggie Parker,” Laurie replied, “and her son is Ben.”
An awareness twanged through Zach as his hand stilled on Max’s back. He’d just been thinking about Maggie, recalling seeing her yesterday, the way her deep blue eyes had widened as she’d nervously tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, that single streak of gray reminding him of a bird’s wing. So Maggie and Ben were coming to dinner. When Jenna had relayed Laurie’s invitation, she hadn’t mentioned that salient fact.
“I asked Annie to come too,” Laurie continued, “but she has to stay home with her mom.” She gave an unhappy frown, and Jenna nodded in understanding. Annie Lyman ran Lyman Orchards and Zach knew her mother had advanced Parkinson’s. He’d known the Lymans his whole life; it was a terrible and yet also inspiring thing to witness Barb Lyman’s decline, managed with both humor and dignity, yet inevitable and tragic too, as she succumbed more and more to the ravages of the disease.
“What’s their story?” Jenna asked as she took a pile of silverware from Laurie and started setting the table. “Maggie Parker’s, I mean?”
Zach carefully deposited Max back on the floor and went to get the plates, trying to act as if he wasn’t eager to hear every word Laurie was about to say.
“I really don’t know,” Laurie admitted. “Only that she and her son moved here on their own to start this boardgame café. But maybe she’ll tell us something of it tonight.” She paused, her head cocked in thought. “I get the sense,” she finished slowly, “that she’s been a little… battered… by life.”
It was the same sense Zach had had not just of Maggie, but of Ben too. There had been a fragile and bruised quality to the pair of them that had made him feel weirdly—and nonsensically—protective of them both. Like they’d had a few too many hard knocks and might not survive another one unless they had someone to keep them upright. Or was he just being fanciful, wanting to swoop in as the protector, finish the fairy tale? He had a tendency to overthink these things. Overimagine, too.
“Haven’t we all,” Jenna replied on a sigh. Laurie gave her a commiserating look while Zach kept quiet. He knew that during a year-long internship in San Francisco more than ten years ago, back when he’d had his brief stint in college, Jenna had had some kind of heartbreak. She didn’t talk about it, and he didn’t ask, but he suspected it was what was behind some of her more barbed remarks about his dating life—not that knowing that made taking them any easier.
“Hello?” a voice called up the stairs, and then a few seconds later Joshua appeared at the top, giving Zach his customary cautious smile, almost as if he was afraid Zach might vault over the table, pull him into a headlock, and give him a wet willy in his ear. And in truth, he might have done just that when they’d both been fourteen, but not now. Not for a long time.
Zach raised his hand in a salutary fashion. “Hey,” he said, and Joshua gave a nod back, along with a very small smile.
“Hey. What’s up?”
“Not much.”
It wasn’t much conversation, but it was at least a start, Zach supposed. He watched as Joshua went to Laurie and kissed her hello, and then gave Jenna a quick, one-armed hug. Okay, he wasn’t feeling like an outsider, he told himself, even though he knew he kind of was. But then, he’d felt like an outsider in Starr’s Fall for a long time, which was kind of ironic considering he’d spent basically his whole life here, and he had no great desire to go anywhere else. Kind of a conundrum, really, to not entirely like where you were living, even if the place itself felt as if it had settled right into his bones. Truth was, he couldn’t imagine living anywhere other than Starr’s Fall. He just wanted it to feel better.
A sigh escaped him, and Jenna glanced over. “What?” she asked, her tone landing somewhere between teasing and nettled. “Bored already?”
“Nope,” Zach replied as he finished laying the plates on the table. He purposefully ignored his sister as he turned to Laurie. “What else can I do?”
“Oh…” Laurie glanced between him and Jenna, clearly sensing the palpable tension. They obviously needed to clear the air about managing the store. Zach had been working on a new business plan for some high-end tourist items, and he was determined for Jenna to take it seriously.
“Um, do you want to fill a jug of water?” Laurie suggested. “Joshua, why don’t you put some music on? I’ll just check on the lasagna…”
She went to the oven while Joshua fiddled with his phone to connect it to the speaker. Zach reached for the blue pottery jug above the sink and started to fill it with water, all the while feeling his sister’s assessing gaze on him.
“You okay?” she asked after a moment, her tone mild, maybe the tiniest bit apologetic.
“Yup.” He turned off the sink and went to put the jug on the table. Now was not the time to have it out with Jenna, not that he’d even know what that would look like. As close as they were, or at least as people thought they were, they’d never really done heart-to-hearts. Jenna was too prickly and private, and he was… well, he was too wary. He didn’t need his sister throwing yet more assumptions at him about who he was now, just because of who he’d once been.
Cello music floated from the speakers, the mellifluous sound seeming to ease the unspoken tension between him and Jenna. It was hard to stay grumpy when Yo-Yo Ma was playing Bach in a way that wrapped around your soul. Zach gave her a quick, semi-conciliatory smile, and she nodded back. It would, he suspected, take the place of a proper conversation.
“I think dinner’s ready,” Laurie said as she straightened from the oven. “Now we just need to wait for Maggie and Ben.”
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
“Jenna, can you get it?” Laurie asked. “I’m just going to drain the green beans.” She turned back to the stove. “Joshua, do you want a beer? Zach?”
“Sure.” Zach opened two bottles and handed one to Joshua as he listened to the murmurs and exclamations coming from downstairs. He felt a curiosity as well as an excitement flare to life inside him, and he realized just how much he was looking forward to seeing Maggie Parker again.
He took a long swallow of his beer just as they came up the stairs—Jenna first, following by Maggie clutching a bottle of wine like a life preserver, and then finally Ben, his shoulders slumped, his sneakered feet dragging along the floor like he was entering the ninth circle of hell, which, for him, maybe he was.
“Maggie!” Laurie exclaimed. “And Ben, too. I’m so glad you both came.” She went forward as Maggie held out the bottle.
“I brought this,” she said uncertainly, her gaze darting from person to person and then landing on Zach, her startled gaze widening as color flooded into her cheeks.
Oh, that was a nice reaction. Zach tipped his bottle back and took another swallow as Maggie’s gaze darted away.
“Let me introduce you,” Laurie continued, blithely unaware of any undercurrents. “This is my boyfriend Joshua, and my friend Jenna, and her brother Zach. They run the general store, which is so cute and old-fashioned. You should definitely have a look through it when you get the chance.”
“I will,” Maggie replied, her voice coming out slightly strangled. “Nice to meet you all.” Her gaze moved around the kitchen once more, this time not resting on Zach, something he suspected was deliberate.
“Mom, we already know Zach,” Ben told her, sounding exasperated, like she was just being slow, and Zach took another swallow of his beer to smother his laugh. Maggie’s cheeks had flared pink again.
“You do?” Jenna asked, sounding both curious and a little miffed.
“I came into their café,” Zach explained. “Yesterday.”
“Why?” Now his sister sounded mystified.
“Because I wanted to know when it was opening,” Zach replied mildly. He smiled at Ben as he cocked his beer bottle toward him. “February first, right?”
Ben grinned back. “Right!”
“Well, we’ll see,” Maggie murmured. She tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear, her composure seeming mostly restored. She looked understatedly elegant in a fitted gray cashmere V-neck sweater paired with wide-legged black pants and black leather ankle boots. Discreet diamonds winked at her ears. Zach wondered how old she was. Forty?
As she tucked her hair behind her ears again—clearly something of a nervous tic—he saw the glinting flash of a platinum wedding ring on her finger. Huh. He’d definitely been getting single mom vibes from her, but who could tell? Maybe her husband worked in the city and would be joining them on the weekend… a prospect that made him feel like kicking something.
“I’d never heard of a boardgame café before,” Laurie told her as she took the wine and handed it to Joshua to open. “But that sounds like such a cool idea.”
“Oh, well, it was Ben’s idea, actually,” Maggie said. She smiled at her son, her hands fluttering by her sides like she didn’t know what to do with them. “I’m just along for the ride.”
Laurie’s smile was warm as she turned to Ben. “So, tell us, Ben, what exactly is a boardgame café?”
“It’s, um, a café with boardgames.” Ben flushed, looking as flustered as his mother. “I mean, you play them while you’re having a coffee or hot chocolate or whatever. And there’s someone in the store, staff, I mean, who knows how to play all the games and can help you with learning the rules and stuff.”
“That sounds so cool,” Laurie enthused. “Did you think of it yourself, or had you been to one before?”
“Oh, I’ve been to one,” Ben said quickly. “There’s one in New Haven, and I mean, in general, there are lots all over the country.”
“And now one in Starr’s Fall,” Jenna chimed in with a smile. “Nice. We could use some more entertainment, along with a place to have decent coffee.”
“Let’s hope the coffee’s decent,” Maggie joked, a tremor to her voice. She really was nervous, Zach realized, with a twist of sympathy. What had happened—or not happened—in her life to make her so uncertain of herself in what was a pretty basic social situation?
And Ben too… He glanced at the teenager, noticing the way he hid his hands in his sweatshirt, ducked his head. They both seemed out of their element, in a way that made Zach feel both curious and sympathetic. How could two people who were so uncertain about themselves work up the courage to move to a new town, where they seemingly knew no one, and open a business?
Unless it wasn’t courage, but desperation? And yet even that required its own sort of bravery.
Zach realized he’d missed the rest of the conversation, and everyone was staring at him. He raised his eyebrows in query as Jenna said dryly, “Earth to Zach. Did you hear Laurie’s question?”
“Sorry, I was a million miles away.” He gave his hostess an apologetic grin. “What were you asking me, Laurie?”
“Just if you liked boardgames,” Laurie replied. “Since you went into the café. I’ve pretty much only ever played Monopoly, myself.”
“Yeah, I like games.” He glanced at Ben, who was frowning slightly, looking apprehensive and maybe even a little confused, no doubt by Zach’s measured reply. The truth was, he didn’t particularly want to explain about his gaming life; a lot of people, his sister most likely included, assumed a thirty-one-year-old guy with a gaming interest was, well, weird . And yet… what was he saying to Ben, by not mentioning it? Ben was obviously a diehard RQ fan. Zach had a sudden, strong sense that not mentioning his gaming would feel like some kind of betrayal.
“I play an online game,” he stated, like an announcement. “RainQuest. Ben does, too.” He nodded toward Ben. “I was asking about it because the café’s logo had one of the characters from the game on it.”
“An online game?” Jenna looked incredulous. “Wait, what ?”
“It’s fun,” Zach replied, a slight warning note to his tone. The last thing he needed was Jenna sounding scathing about a game Ben clearly loved, never mind how he felt about it. He had a feeling the kid wouldn’t be able to take that kind of implied criticism. “Right, Ben?” he asked, with a pointed look at his sister.
“Yeah, really fun.” As Zach had expected, Ben sounded cautious, like he didn’t want to admit too much to this crowd. Zach didn’t blame him.
“RainQuest,” Jenna mused, clearly getting the warning and moderating her tone. “Wow. Well, I’ve, um, never heard of it.”
“It’s a fantasy game,” Joshua chimed in. He also sounded cautious, but he shot Zach a commiserating smile, which he returned with a grin. He should have figured Joshua played RQ. “I’ve played it a little.”
“Really?” Ben looked heartened by this news. “What’s your username?”
“Umm… MusicMan15.” Joshua smiled, clearly embarrassed. “I mean, it’s been a while…”
“Has it?” Zach raised his eyebrows. “You know we can check the last time you played?”
“Busted,” Joshua conceded with a wry grin. “Fine, full disclosure, I played last week. You?”
“Last night ,” Zach replied, in the unlikely manner of a boast, and Joshua chuckled.
“You got me beat, man,” he said. “ This time.”
Emboldened, Zach held out his fist for a bump, and sheepishly, Joshua lightly bumped it. Then Zach turned to Ben, who did the same with a shy awkwardness that tore at his heart. The kid clearly needed friends.
“All these secret players!” Laurie exclaimed. “RainQuest. That’s such an interesting name. Ben, you’ll have to tell me all about it.” And with an ease that came from an innate warmth and friendliness, she began ushering everyone toward the table. “Maggie, you’re on the left with Ben there,” she instructed, “and Joshua and Jenna on the other side… Zach, you can go on the end, next to Maggie.”
Laurie beamed at them all as she brought over the lasagna, its golden top bubbling with melted cheese. “I’m so glad you all came!”
Zach slid into his seat as Maggie sat down in hers and fumbled with her napkin. Her head was bent, and he had the feeling that she was deliberately choosing not to look at him. Interesting.
Laurie cut into the lasagna and started serving out portions as Joshua poured the wine and Jenna got a Coke for Ben.
“So tell us about yourself, Maggie,” Jenna invited in a way that was both typically friendly and forthright. “What made you choose Starr’s Fall as the place to open your boardgame café?”
Maggie’s dark blue eyes widened as she froze, her napkin clenched in one hand. It was almost as if Jenna’s friendly-sounding question had been akin to asking her to strip naked. Either she was a very private person, he reflected, or she had secrets to hide. Either way, it was intriguing. She was.
Zach lounged back in his seat, reaching for his wine as he waited for her answer.