Chapter Sixteen
The low hum of dinner conversation from the Silver Spur Café hit Paxton as the old-fashioned bell chimed above them. At least without the music, the café would be more conducive to conversation than O’Faredeigh’s. Talking—and hearing—would be much easier here, and that’s what he really wanted, to hear firsthand everything about how Sandra’s afternoon had gone.
Abbie, the owner of the diner and his cousin Jamison’s wife, waved them to a booth at the opposite side of the cafe. Thankful for any opportunity to be close, he placed his hand at the small of Sandra’s back and guided her past the tables and booths. Of course, half the dinner guests recognized them, delaying their efforts with the polite chitchat.
Sliding into opposite sides of the booth, Paxton set his hat down beside him, while Sandra reached for the menu. The thing about Abbie’s café is that most of the folks in town knew every item and didn’t bother with menus. That Sandra reached for one reminded him of just how long she’d been gone.
“You aren’t going to look, are you?” She glanced at him from over the top of the menu.
“Took me a few weeks to memorize it like the rest of the locals, but once I did, it actually made everything feel more like home.”
Bobbing her head, Sandra looked back at her menu and then glanced up at him again. “I’m noticing not much has changed. Hopefully, I won’t need weeks to fall back into local mode.”
He liked the sound of that. There were a lot of things he was liking right about now. Sandra being at the top of his list.
Abbie stopped at the booth, her pad in her hand. “How do you like being home?”
“I love it.” Sandra’s gaze shifted a moment to Paxton and he’d have sworn he saw her blush. Was he reading something into her response? Or maybe it was just wishful thinking.
“Glad to hear.” Abbie gave that same comforting smile that made all her customers love dining at the café. “Your mom was in here earlier with your son.”
“Really?”
“After school ice cream sundae.”
Sandra smiled, rolling her eyes. “Gotta love grandmas.”
“What a delight your son is. He’s a great kid.”
Sandra beamed. “Thank you.”
“I’m not an expert on kids,” Paxton chimed in, “but I think he’s pretty great too.”
“You do?” Sandra’s brows buckled.
He merely nodded but had to wonder why she looked so surprised.
“Yeah,” Abbie grinned, “he told me some jokes and I laughed at all of them.”
“I didn’t know my son was such a comedian,” Sandra said.
“Indeed.” Abbie tapped her pad. “So, what can I get you folks?”
Paxton motioned for Sandra to go first.
“Does Frank still make the best cheeseburger this side of the Mississippi?”
“He sure does.” Abbie nodded.
“Great. Cheeseburger with Swiss cheese, tomatoes, on whole wheat with sweet potato fries.”
Abbie looked to Paxton. “I’ll have the same,” he said.
With a smile and nod of her head, Abbie left them to return promptly with their drinks.
Dipping the straw in and out of her cola, Sandra leveled her gaze with his. “I wonder where David gets his sense of humor from?”
The question seemed a little odd to him. Sandra seemed to have a good sense of humor, but she wasn’t a big jokester. “Maybe it’s just a kid thing?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe.”
“I gather neither you nor his father are big on joke telling?”
Sandra shook her head. “I might tell a joke or two every once in a while, but there wasn’t really anything funny about Ed.” A frown took over her face.
Not the reaction he wanted. It was pretty clear that Sandra’s ex-husband was still a sore spot in her life. He didn’t know what had happened, and didn’t want to pry, but despite his curiosity, he opted to change the subject. “Tell me about your afternoon.”
“Anyone would think Polly’s salon had a revolving door. I was busy pretty much all afternoon. But you already know that.”
All he did was smile. He knew how important this job was to her and the few women in the family who he’d managed to get the word out to had been more than happy to pitch in and help Sandra out.
A wistful look crossed her face. “I have to admit, it’s nice to be in a place where I am appreciated.”
Another waitress appeared, set their order in front of them, and Paxton studied Sandra Lynn as she smiled down at her burger. Questions about her life continued to taunt him. He so desperately wanted to wipe away all the painful memories, but last time he looked, no one had died and made him God. Which left him only one choice, help keep that smile on her face.
Drawing the napkin across his lap, he reached for his burger. “Then it sounds like moving home is a good start.”
Swallowing her first bite, she nodded. “When I was a kid, growing up where everyone and their grandmother knew everything about you, and made it a point to share it with your parents, was horribly off-putting. The outside world looked so much more appealing. I thought Ed was my ticket to seeing the world. Enjoying things not available in Tuckers Bluff. By the time we ended the marriage, I felt more isolated than I ever did in a small town. You could say I learned my lesson about what really matters. Now, the idea of going out to dinner where someone shares things your son did, or spreads the word about your new job, all of that is enormously comforting.”
“I think that’s why my brothers and I are all happily settling in here in Tuckers Bluff instead of Oklahoma.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, why did y’all stop coming back to visit?”
Wasn’t that the billion-dollar question? He shrugged. “We don’t know. Mom told us that we weren’t welcome anymore, and we believed her. Turns out, the family here had no idea why we stopped coming.”
“That is odd.” Sandra sat back in the booth, nibbling on the last of her fries. “For a little while there I wondered if it was something I’d done.” She raised her hand before he could speak. “I know that was silly, but so many people were so stunned at your family’s absence. Obviously, I quickly figured out that whatever it was, it was a lot bigger than me or anyone else around here.”
“I loved my time here. And I have so many fond memories of racing horses across the fields, gigging frogs in the creek, hide and seek. And you.”
Now her smile widened enough for her eyes to sparkle. “I missed you.”
“Ditto.” That shouldn’t have made him as happy as it did, but he felt his heart swell and his cheeks tug at his smile and he wanted to crow like a rooster ready to announce the break of day.
As Abbie lifted the empty plates from the table, Sandra Lynn’s phone dinged. “Sorry, I need to check in case it’s about David.”
“Of course.” He drew his napkin across his lap and picked up the fork. Not at all happy to see her smile slip and her brows draw together in a tight V as she tossed her phone back into her purse.
Taking a sip of water, he wondered if she was going to say anything. Silence reigned heavily and he decided enough was enough. Pulling a few bills from his wallet and setting them on the table, he looked at her. “Let’s take a walk?”
Dinner had been as much fun as every time she’d been with Paxton. Just having him near filled her with contentment. Even when her ex sent her cryptic texts, just knowing Paxton was there made things seem more palatable.
Holding the door for her, the second they crossed out of the café, Paxton reached for her hand. “Do you mind?”
Mind? Was he crazy? She suddenly felt fifteen years old when you’d look at the cutest boy in the class, your stomach started doing flip flops, and you spent every night hoping that just once, he’d notice you. “I don’t mind at all.”
“Thought we’d head over to the park. It’s a short walk, but a nice evening.”
She nodded and for the first time in a very long time, just enjoyed the fresh air and company. How long had it been since she’d relished a man’s company? They reached the park and neither had a said a word. The sun was dipping behind the horizon and soon the stars would be shining big and bright, just like the song said.
“Shall we?” Still holding her hand, he gestured to the set of swing benches.
She gave a single nod and they eased onto the seat and Paxton lightly kicked it off so they were in a slow sway.
Delighted he had not let go of her hand, she twisted to face him. “Thanks for dinner. Again. Next time, though, my treat.”
“We’ll see.”
The way he flashed that lopsided grin that made her want to smile right back; she knew he had no intention of letting her pay. Some people would call that attitude chauvinist or even controlling. Not her. As far as she was concerned, she loved good old-fashioned chivalry. Having Paxton treat her like a lady.
They swung in silence for several minutes before Paxton cleared his throat. “So, want to tell me about that text?”
Did she? It took her another moment to realize that she really did want to share with him. “Ed.”
Paxton bobbed his chin, but let her speak at her own pace.
“Every so often I get texts where he’s yelling at me for something.”
Again, he nodded.
“This time he’s lost another job. He missed a few days’ work and got fired. He thinks it’s my fault for leaving.”
“How does your leaving cause him to lose time at work?”
Why was anything her fault? What was the point of protecting Ed anymore? “If I’m not there to wake him up, he’ll sleep the day away. But it doesn’t really matter. For him, everything he did wrong was always my fault.”
All Paxton did was bite down on his back teeth. She had the feeling he wanted to say something but refrained.
“You see, shortly after David was born, Ed started drinking more. Nothing much. A few extra beers after work to unwind. Then he started drinking whisky. Said it helped him sleep through the baby crying all night.”
Paxton blew out a heavy and disapproving sigh.
“By the time David was a toddler, Ed was drinking heavily from the minute he got home until he fell into bed. Literally. I kept telling myself that as long as he didn’t drink during the day, it wasn’t that bad. That may be, when David didn’t need so much of my time, Ed would ease up on the booze.”
“I gather that didn’t happen?”
This time she shook her head. “I suspected he was taking something else during the day, but couldn’t prove it. Eventually it got so bad that I had to practically drag him out of bed, fill him with coffee, and some mornings even dress him like a little kid.”
She could see Paxton processing her words, and knew from the twitch in his jaw that he was struggling to keep calm and silent.
“After a couple more years I realized that the only thing keeping me in the marriage was my pride. So I filed for divorce.”
“And he didn’t fight you?”
“He was too drunk to keep his thoughts straight. But he did fight for full custody.”
Paxton’s eyes flew open wide as silver dollars.
“I always knew it wasn’t for the love of his son, he hardly paid any attention to him at all. Last year, after a fight about his drinking, he grabbed David and stormed out of the house. I couldn’t stop him, so I called the police. They wouldn’t do anything about it. They patiently told me that it’s not illegal for a man to go out with his son, even if the only time he ever took David anywhere was to get back at me for something. I was so scared.”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” His hand landed on hers, giving her the strength to keep talking.
“Thankfully, because of his work records, one DUI, and my reporting him drunk and driving with David in the car, the judge agreed to shared custody only if Ed underwent regular drug testing. When he refused, that’s when I knew I’d been right about him mixing drugs with alcohol. At that point the judge granted me permission to move home even though Texas was out of state. Ed was spitting mad, though I never understood why. He doesn’t care about David. I don’t know, maybe he really does hate me enough to take my son away from me. But,” she forced a smile, “that’s all over and now we’re safe and sound in Tuckers Bluff.”
It took Paxton a few moments to form words. “Thank you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Thank you for trusting me with your story.”
If it were physically possible for a heart to melt, hers would have. The man was thanking her. She sure was glad that somehow fate had managed to bring her and Paxton both back to Tuckers Bluff at the same time. For the first time in a long time, she felt as if everything was not just going to be better, it was going to be great. And there wasn’t a thing Ed Morton could do to ruin it.