14. Scarlett
Scarlett
The Downtown Diner was mostly empty, seeing as it was a Thursday morning.
For my day off, I had invited Maeve and Claire out to breakfast. I was sitting in a booth by the window so that I would see them when they arrived, but when Claire slid onto the bench beside me, I realized I must have been lost in my own world.
Maeve followed right behind her, taking the bench across from us.
Claire’s schedule allowed for a bit of flexibility, and with Maeve on maternity leave, she was dying to get out of the house. She dropped Jane off at Charlie’s house for a playdate with her grandpa but had Veda with her.
Sheila met us at our table and scooped Veda into her arms. She was already almost two months old and getting bigger every time I saw her.
“Hey, my pretty owl girl,” she cooed at Veda.
Veda’s big, gray eyes rounded, and she kicked her chunky little legs with excitement.
She wasn’t smiling yet, but she clearly loved the attention Sheila was giving her.
“You ladies ready to order?” she asked. Still holding Veda, she placed the receipt book on the table and lifted her pen to take our orders.
After we ordered, she snuggled her nose into Veda’s neck before passing her back to Maeve.
“I have about thirty minutes before I have to feed her, so hopefully, that will be enough time to get our food and eat.”
“It’s the Downtown. Food will be out in four minutes, tops,” Claire said. She wasn’t wrong. The Downtown Diner could whip food out in what seemed like extraordinary quickness.
“How’s things at home? Has Jane gotten used to Veda now?” I asked.
Jane had been struggling for the first few weeks after she realized that Veda was here to stay.
“Better. Much better, actually. It took a little bit of time, but she’s accepted her role as a big sister.
I ask her to help me get the wipes when I change Veda so that she feels important.
I’m trying to get her to sit down with me to read Veda a story so it’ll be an activity we can all do together.
Anything I can think of that helps Jane accept her. ”
Jane had been the center of her parents’ world for most of her life, except for the first few months before she was placed with Maeve. Splitting Maeve’s attention with a newcomer was a hurdle, but I was glad to hear Maeve say it was mostly behind them.
“That’s fantastic. It’s going to be so great as they get older to be so close in age.
Aurora and I are five years apart, which isn’t crazy, but it was enough that we never had that solid sister-slash-best friend relationship.
That’s why I loved having her in town all summer.
It was a way for us to reconnect as adults. ”
“I get it. There’s ten years between me and Jackson. I was more of a mother to him than a sister. I’m really hoping Jane and Veda will have that special connection though. ”
“I would have loved a sibling growing up,” Claire said wistfully. “It probably would have made the whole absentee-parents thing so much easier to deal with.”
“Guys, we are so well-adjusted,” Maeve quipped sarcastically.
“Absolutely zero baggage over here. Not even a carry-on bag,” she laughed.
In fairness, she and Claire had both had crappy childhoods—albeit extremely different ones—but they really were both emotionally mature, caring, and compassionate people.
“Hey. I had a great childhood,” I complained with mock indignation. “I really am well-adjusted.”
“Oh yeah…how’s your four-year crush coming along?” Claire raised her brow with a knowing look and popped a home fry into her mouth.
I stuck my tongue out at her, spearing my pancakes with my fork.
Maeve rocked Veda in her car seat beside her. “Seriously though. Anything happening there?”
Air expelled from my lungs in a rush. “No. And it’s not going to.
Luke’s one of my best friends. He’s still going through a hard time with the divorce, and he has a lot on his plate with the case and Wes’s investigation…
” My eyes rounded. I didn’t mean to say anything.
I had no idea who knew what or who was allowed to.
“Is Luke working with Wes or against him?” Claire asked.
“I thought Wes’s position was that the police were scum and entirely untrustworthy,” Maeve said.
“What? No. Not really,” I said. “He doesn’t trust them. That’s true, but I don’t think Wes has ever trusted us. And he doesn’t think they’re all scum… I don’t think.”
Did he? I had never really put much thought into Wes’s opinion of me, but I was part of the police department too. He didn’t think we were all corrupt, right?
I leaned in and whispered, “Don’t tell anyone I said anything, but Luke is helping Wes as an inside source. And I’m helping Luke.”
“Helping him how?” Claire asked.
“Please tell me you’re helping with his stress relief?” Maeve sent me an exaggerated wink.
I leveled a look at her. “First of all, you spend way too much time with Wyatt.”
She laughed. “Sorry. I was cleared by the doctor last week to have…” She looked around carefully. “…sex again, but Wyatt is afraid he’ll hurt me. I just need someone else to have it so that I can live vicariously through them until I can convince Wyatt that I’m okay.”
“Oh, I can help with that,” Claire said. “I thought that after a few months of living together, our sex life would pull back a little, but nope. Reid’s just as voracious as ever. It’s been great.”
A wistful expression crossed Maeve’s face. “I bet.” In the blink of an eye, she straightened her spine and pointed her fork at me. “Nice deflection. Back to you.”
I absolutely loved these ladies. Laughing, I said, “I didn’t deflect. You’re just easily distracted.” I finished my pancakes and took a sip of coffee. “Since I’m at the station more than he is, I’ve been trying to collect the info that Wes needs without anyone seeing.”
“Ooh, sounds fun. Like you’re a spy or something,” Maeve said.
“That’s exactly what it feels like.” I grinned. “I just hope I can do something to help Luke out. ”
“And… we’re back to Luke. Why don’t you just ask him out?” Claire asked.
They didn’t get it. Luke was one of my best friends. That wasn’t something that I took lightly. If I ruined our friendship, I would be devastated. I would rather have him in my life as a friend than not have him at all.
Sheila came by to drop off the check and clear the dirty plates just as Veda started crying.
“Well, that’s my cue. I have to get out of here so I can feed her and then pick up Jane,” Maeve said. She reached for the check, but I stopped her.
“My treat. I invited you out for breakfast. I’ve got it.”
I paid the bill, and we all left together. It was a beautiful September day, the sun shining bright, the leaves just starting to subtly change colors. It was the perfect day for a new bunch of flowers for my apartment.
After saying goodbye to Claire and Maeve, I walked back to my car. A piece of paper was folded beneath my windshield wiper. As I picked it up, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
Luke: I just wanted to say again, great work yesterday. Wes said thank you, too. He’s reviewing everything now and he’ll let me know if anything jumps out at him.
I read Luke’s message as I got into the car. I threw the note in the storage compartment under the infotainment system while I texted Luke back.
Me: Happy to help! Do you think it will lead to anything?
Luke: Who knows anymore.
Luke: What are you up to today since you’re clearly not working. I have to listen to Brimley’s awful mumbling over the radio all damn day.
Me: Just finished breakfast with Maeve and Claire. Now I’m off to Daisy Days to get something pretty for myself.
Luke didn’t respond right away. I used the lull in conversation to navigate out of my parking spot and over to the flower shop. My phone lit up with a message, but luckily, it was only a three-minute drive, so I didn’t have to wait long to open it.
Luke: Do they sell mirrors there? I thought that was a flower shop.
I could feel my face warming up, and a silly grin spread across my cheeks. It was like baby flirtations, but I didn’t care. I would take any scrap he was willing to give me, even if he was only being nice. I sent him back the blushing emoji before pocketing my phone.
No one was at the counter when I walked into Daisy’s shop.
A mix of floral scents filled the air. Where some people may have thought it was too much, I loved everything about it.
Daisy’s premade arrangements were darker and deeper than her summer arrangements.
She used the autumn palette with such skill that each individual bouquet held a piece of the changing season.
“What’s got you in such a good mood?” Daisy startled me, coming out of the backroom with more material and flowers. I tried to school my features, wiping the smile off my face, but I couldn’t do it.
“Your shop always puts me in a good mood,” I told her.
“Ha. Liar,” she laughed.
Dammit. I really couldn’t lie to save my life.
“I’m not lying. This place is one of my favorite places in all of Calla Bay.”
“Aw. Thanks,” she preened. “But that’s not what’s got you smiling like a silly goose.”
I changed the subject, not wanting to get into the details all over again. I’d barely made it out of my last conversation about Luke with my sanity.
“Do you have any time today to help me build a floral arrangement for my apartment?” I asked. “If not, I’m happy to grab one of the premade ones.”
“Of course. You came at the perfect time. I was just about to get started on a new project, but it can wait.” She moved her flowers aside, putting them in small buckets of water by her workstation. “What did you have in mind?”
I glanced around her shop for inspiration. “Something with fall colors but still screams happy and upbeat. I don’t want it to look dull or muted, but I want it to be seasonally appropriate too.” I cringed. It was asking a lot, and I knew it.