Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
MATTHEW
O nce upon a time, I loved Tandy. As a young woman, she was spunky and wild. Impulsive and willing to try anything at least once. Her stunt yesterday proves that she hasn’t changed much.
Betting on that fact, I grab the bag of candy and the box of donuts as I get out of my truck. Back in high school, Tandy had a huge sweet tooth, and I’m hoping she still does. If I have lots of sweet options, maybe she’ll ask for something, which would require speaking to me. That’s my goal. To have her talk to me.
There is no reason for us to be enemies.
Maybe I could spark a conversation by telling her that yesterday on the porch, I was trying to catch her but failed. These muscles aren’t what they used to be. Definitely not like the young guys she likes to photograph for her covers. But I softened her fall. That counts for something. Hopefully.
I beat Blake here today, and while it’s probably wiser to wait in my truck until he arrives, I’m not going to do that. I gather my goodies and head up the walkway.
The curtains move as I step onto the front porch. She’s aware of my presence. The question now is if she’ll open the door when I knock. As I lift my hand, the door swings open. But she’s nowhere near it.
Laughing, I walk in. “Good morning. Sorry I’m a few minutes early. The stop at the donut shop didn’t take long at all.”
She pokes her head out of the kitchen and looks at the box in my hand.
“Where should I put these?” I am going to keep being friendly until she thaws.
How can she still be mad after all these years? I was young and stupid when I walked out on her. It seems insane to still hold that against me.
Tandy pats the kitchen table without saying a word.
We’re now communicating, just without words. But her action was a direct answer to my question.
“Body language. I like that.” I hold her gaze while walking to the kitchen.
Tandy stares daggers at me.
I set the box down but keep the bag of candy tucked under my arm. “Sweets has so many good options. It was hard to decide. You still like chocolate? I got an old-fashioned chocolate one, a chocolate-covered donut, and a chocolate cream filled. Take your pick.” I lift the lid and nudge the box toward her.
Breaking eye contact only a second, Tandy glances at her choices, then picks up the chocolate-filled donut.
“You like the ooey gooey inside. Good choice. Sweet on the outside. Even sweeter on the inside.”
As she takes a bite, there is a knock at the door. She marches past me.
Something about her makes me feel young again. Maybe it’s memories, or maybe her vivaciousness is contagious.
She helps out at the venue and the winery, so either she’s in need of money or she’s lonely and wanting to be around people. It’s been more than fifty years since we’ve been on speaking terms. Honestly, I didn’t know she was ignoring me until she moved back to town a few years back. The first time I saw her in town, she turned around and walked away. I got the hint really quick.
But after being around her, I’m not content with being hated.
We were friends once, and now that we’re both old and single, I see no reason we shouldn’t be friends again.
Blake bumps my shoulder as he eases up beside me, then whispers, “She let you in. That’s progress.” He grabs a donut, takes a bite, then opens his binder. “I figure you can get started here in the kitchen, and I’ll work in the bedroom. Once all the cabinets are empty, you can take all the doors off. I’ll start by ripping out the carpet in the bedroom.”
“Sounds good. I’m not sure Miss Cavanaugh wants me in her bedroom.”
I can’t see Tandy’s reaction, but I hear her give a huff.
Laughing, I choose a donut, then walk through the kitchen, checking cabinets. The one above the coffee pot is still full of mugs. “Ask Tandy if she has a box. I’ll pack up these mugs.”
Blake is doing his best not to laugh. “There are some in the truck. And a stack of packing paper. I picked some up in case we needed it.” He lifts his donut. “Thanks for this. It hit the spot.”
Tandy startles me when she pokes her head into the kitchen. “Blake, I’m closing the cats into one of the spare bedrooms so that they won’t be in the way or make an escape.” She shoots me a dirty look before walking away.
I set the bag of candy in a chair, then head out to Blake’s truck to get what I need. Once the box is assembled and ready to be packed, I unload the mugs from the bottom shelf. Each mug gets wrapped in multiple layers of paper before going into the box because I don’t want anything to get chipped or broken. I don’t need to give her any more reasons to dislike me.
Then I clear out the second shelf. This woman has a lot of mugs.
As I unload the top shelf, Blake walks in, and he’s biting back a smile. “I was asked to tell you to make sure to leave out a mug so that she can have coffee in the mornings. She’s going to set up the coffee pot in the dining room until we’re done.”
When Blake asked me to help out on this project, he was fully aware that Tandy avoids me. But I’m not sure he expected to be the go-between for every interaction.
“Got it. Will do.” I grab her kitchen stool so that I can reach the back corner of the top shelf. And there in the far back corner is a mug I recognize. An old Charlie Brown mug.
I gave her the mug for Christmas many, many years ago. We’d been fans of the comic strip, and when the movie came out, we went to see it together. I’m more than a bit surprised that she still has the mug.
But this gives me hope that she might speak to me eventually. And I know how to help that along. I’ll leave out the Charlie Brown mug. Then she’ll think of me every time she has coffee.
And unless she’s changed a lot, the woman loves coffee. Just with lots of cream and sugar added.
I hear movement in the dining room and peek in. Tandy is setting up the coffee pot on the buffet. It’s time to break out my candy bag. I have her favorite, at least what used to be her favorite, but I’m saving that for when she’s speaking to me.
The machine starts making noises, and soon the dripping starts as coffee brews.
Quietly, I rustle through the bag and slide out something guaranteed to get a rise out of her. She walks into the kitchen, makes eye contact with me, then scans the room. I stay quiet, hoping she’ll just ask for what she wants. And I shift so that the one mug I left out is behind me.
“Hello. Things in here are coming along. There’s a lot of prep needed before we can paint these cabinets, but painting should start in the next few days.”
Ignoring me, she wanders through the room, peeking into cabinets. Then her gaze lands on the box of mugs. After an exasperated sigh, she marches out of the room.
I bet she thinks I forgot to leave out a mug. While it would serve her right to open the box and have to seal it again—the silent game is so childish—but maybe I can inch my way to her good side if I prevent that wasted work. I set the Charlie Brown mug on the table, right beside the box.
Carrying scissors, Tandy returns and blinks when she sees the mug. Without a word, she picks up the memory and goes back into the dining room.
So I follow. “Coffee smells good. Tomorrow, I’ll bring my own cup. You know, since yours are all packed. And I took great care to wrap each one so that nothing chips or breaks.”
She keeps her back to me.
Standing behind her, I lean close and hold out a caramel candy. “Interested in a Sugar Daddy?”
Her shoulders tense, but other than that, I get no reaction.
I set the candy on the table. “If you change your mind, it’ll be right here. I guess if you have dentures or something, you might want to avoid it. Sticky.”
She whips around, and the glare she gives me cools the room a few degrees.
Now that she’s looking at me, I smile. “Or do you want a kiss?” I wait a second after the end of the question before showing her the Hershey’s kisses in my other hand.
Tandy picks up the kisses on my hand, swipes the Sugar Daddy off the table, then fills her mug.
But she still hasn’t spoken to me.
“Determination was something I admired about you. But I think your determination has morphed into stubbornness in your old age.” I’m pushing it, and this jab may be the reason she never speaks to me.
She sips her coffee, unwraps one of the kisses, then balls up the foil and tosses it at me.
This game may last a while.