Chapter 7 #3
“They had to sell the family farm a few years ago and moved away. I’m not sure where they went.” Bea shrugged. “Maybe they’re with Kelly.”
Jesse found that hard to believe. Noah made it sound like they’d had an ugly falling out.
“What about the guy she ran off with?” she pressed.
Bea looked confused. “Joe?”
“Has he been back to town?”
Bea snorted. “Last I heard, he’d already ran off with another woman just a year or so after he left town with Kelly. Any man willing to steal his best friend’s wife is a man who will dump you the second he gets bored.”
“That’s true.”
“Is there a reason for your interest?”
A good question, Jesse silently acknowledged.
Was Noah’s relationship with his ex-wife any of her business?
Absolutely not. Did she think that Kelly had disappeared like her father?
Probably not. Did she think Noah could have anything to do with her avoiding the town of Canton?
Perhaps. But not because he’d done anything nefarious.
She was more than likely embarrassed to show her face.
Jesse shook her head. “Not really. It’s just that Noah dropped everything to swing by and inspect the bar for me, and it made me wonder what kind of woman would walk away from him and never come back. He’s such a nice guy.”
Bea heaved a gusty sigh. “Well, they do say that nice guys finish last. Women prefer the bad boys.”
Jesse couldn’t argue with that. She’d deliberately avoided the hundreds of men she’d met over the years who would have offered her a nice, stable life.
And she couldn’t deny her initial fascination with Parker had something to do with his bad boy vibe.
A psychologist would no doubt claim it had something to do with her messy past.
“What about you?” she asked, not in the mood to delve into her questionable life choices.
“Excuse me?”
“Do you prefer bad boys?”
“Me?” Bea looked shocked. As if she’d never been asked about her love life. “I can’t remember. It was all too long ago.”
“I don’t believe that. There must have been someone special.”
“Not really. I was born to be a spinster.”
“Bea, there’s no such thing as a spinster. Being in a relationship is a choice, not a mandate for women,” Jesse chided. “But I can’t believe you never thought about marriage.”
Bea hesitated before a bittersweet smile curved her lips. “I suppose I did. I was in love once. Long ago.”
“What happened?”
“We were in two different places.”
Jesse felt a pang of sympathy. If Bea’s mystery man lived in another town, that would explain why Jesse had never seen them together.
“Long-distance romances are tough.”
“It wouldn’t have worked out, anyway,” Bea said, waving her hand as if to dismiss the potential relationship. “Truthfully, no one offered me the same sense of satisfaction as watching the café flourish and then going home to a peaceful night on the couch.”
“You weren’t ever lonely?”
“Better lonely than unhappy.” Bea sent her a teasing wink. “I can easily cure loneliness.”
Jesse laughed. Bea might be motherly, but she was too practical to let her heart overrule her good sense.
“You have a point.”
Bea glanced around the empty bar. “Is Noah going to be able to patch things up for you?”
“Yes, he didn’t seem to think there was anything catastrophic, which is a relief. I don’t have the money to make major repairs.” Jesse abruptly recalled his assessment of the cellar. “And he did mention that I have a partially new foundation thanks to you.”
Bea looked confused. Then she snapped her fingers, as if suddenly recalling the renovations.
“Right. It was something Mac and I discussed a dozen times. We were always going to replace the crumbling wall between us, but we never could agree on a mutual date to shut down our businesses. Especially after Mac remarried.”
“No doubt.” Jesse rolled her eyes. “Dad wanted to take Tegan to St. Louis for a couple of days to enjoy the zoo and a baseball game and Victoria threw a fit. She informed him that if he wanted to do something special for Tegan, he could take on an extra job so she could have some decent clothes.”
Bea’s features pinched at the mention of Victoria. Had she sensed the beautiful woman wasn’t who she claimed to be? It was doubtful. If Bea had discovered there was something off about Victoria, she would have outed her immediately. Bea was many things, but she wasn’t subtle.
“The work is done now,” Bea murmured. “Best for both of us to keep those memories in the past.” Jesse didn’t know if the older woman was talking to her or herself.
Maybe both. “Now, I have muffins that are fresh from the oven.” She patted the top of the basket, her smile returning. “Eat them while they’re warm.”
Jesse’s stomach rumbled in anticipation. “They smell delicious, but please don’t feel like you have to fuss over me, Bea. I know the café is always slammed this time of morning.”
“It’s no fuss,” Bea protested, moving to pat Jesse’s hand. “I have a couple of college students working today. Both of them are a lot of help, which is not always the case.”
“Wait, I almost forgot.”
Jesse reached into her back pocket to pull out her phone. Bea’s mention of college students reminded her that she wanted to ask her about the mystery guy at Tegan’s birthday party. It was a long shot that he would have an information to help. But right now she had zero leads to follow.
“Forgot what?”
“I’m thinking about doing a small memorial for my dad once everything is settled.” Jesse used the same story she’d given Lara. It was too small a town to have more than one lie circulating.
“That’s nice.” Bea offered a sympathetic smile. “We could all use the closure.”
“I agree.” Once again, Jesse felt a pang of guilt. Maybe she should have a memorial.
“What do you need from me? I could do the catering, if you want.”
“I wouldn’t have anyone else,” Jesse assured her. “But until the plans are finalized, I was wondering if you could tell me who this is?”
Swiping up the picture, Jesse zoomed in until the guy’s face dominated the screen and turned it toward Bea.
The older woman leaned forward, studying the image for a long moment before shaking her head.
“I don’t have a clue. Why do you ask?”
Jesse ground her teeth again. It felt like another dead end, but she refused to give up.
“I only have a couple of pictures of Victoria and Tegan.” She zoomed out so Bea could see the whole image.
“I wanted to include this one in a video slideshow to run at the ceremony, but I didn’t recognize the guy in the background.
It seems weird to put up his picture without asking his permission. ”
“I can’t imagine he would care. You can barely see his face.”
“Maybe not, but you never know. I’d rather ask,” Jesse insisted, although she knew it sounded stupid. “He worked for you around the time this picture was taken. Just before Victoria left town.”
“He worked for me? Really? I don’t remember him.”
“Lara said that he came to help you set up for the party.”
“Hmm. It’s possible, I suppose. I don’t think he worked at the diner, but over the years I’ve hired lots of students to help with my catering. They’re all just temporary. Too many to remember, I’m afraid.”
“Would you have any record of him?”
“I suppose I could look back at my old tax returns to see if I can track him down,” Bea offered, although she didn’t sound enthusiastic. “First I’ll have to find the forms from that year. I don’t think I’d started to computerize my taxes back then. They’re probably in my storage shed.”
Jesse resisted the urge to tell her not to bother. She wanted the name.
“Thanks, Bea. I appreciate that.”
“I would do anything for you, Jesse.” Bea patted her arm. “You only have to ask.”