Chapter Two #2
What kind of inappropriate comment would their father make about Mike and Daniel that could get their sister Charlotte rushing to their defense, or Seth making a comment under his breath, just loud enough for Thaddeus to hear, that made it clear none of them gave a damn what their father thought about Daniel’s relationship?
“He’ll behave himself,” Seth said. “Might be wise to give him a heads-up, though. For Mike’s sake, if anything. Spare your man a full-on familial meltdown when you announce your news at the Christmas dinner table.”
Daniel nodded. “I will.” A cold wind passed, and they started walking back to the office. “I just want to enjoy all of it first. Before Dad has the opportunity to ruin anything.”
“Happy for you, brother,” Seth said, clapping Daniel’s back. “But what if Mike says no?”
Daniel chuckled. “Well, at least you’ll still be around to keep me company.”
* * *
When Andrea entered Castillo’s, the Mexican restaurant on Tenacity’s Central Avenue, she was greeted with the heavenly aromas of cumin and oregano, and what she guessed was the freshly baked corn muffins she’d heard so much about.
The decor and atmosphere of the restaurant were just as inviting as the smell of the food cooking: Colorful bunting hung throughout the space, and cheerful music spilled out of the speakers near the bar, where a man was squeezing lime juice into a cocktail shaker.
She scanned the room, which was about half-full, then out of the corner of her eye noticed someone waving from the table near the window.
Andrea waved back and approached the table where three women were sitting.
She’d only met one of them, Nina Sanchez, a pretty dark-haired woman who had dropped by the ranch a couple of weeks after Andrea had moved in with a box of apple fritters from Betty’s Bakehouse bakery on Central Street as a way to say welcome to town.
“Andrea, great to see you,” Nina said. “And thanks for coming. This is Angela Corey.” She gestured to the woman beside her, who appeared to be in her mid--seventies, her silver hair cropped close in a chic, natural style that highlighted her high cheekbones and warm, deep brown skin, and then to the woman across the table, who seemed to be about Andrea’s age or a little younger and had a service dog curled up under her chair. “And this is Renee Trent.”
Angela stood up and shook Andrea’s hand.
“Nice to meet you, and welcome to Tenacity. We were so happy that the ranch finally sold after all that time. Seemed a shame to have it sitting there empty.” Her handshake was as warm as her smile and set Andrea at ease.
Small-town committees weren’t exactly her area of expertise, but then, nothing about this new life fit snugly into her wheelhouse.
“Thank you,” said Andrea, then turned to Renee, who took her outstretched hand next. “Nice to meet you too, Renee.”
Renee gestured to the yellow Lab under the table.
“And this is Buddy. He makes sure my blood sugar levels don’t dip lower than they should.
” She reached down and scratched the scruff behind Buddy’s ears, then looked back at Andrea.
“We’re thrilled you could join the committee.
I’m not sure how much Nina filled you in on this event, but the Holiday Hoedown is a big deal around here.
We started planning in September but could really use the extra help. ”
“I can’t say I’ve even been to a hoedown. But I’m happy to be included,” said Andrea.
“The money from the fundraiser we’re organizing is going to the town improvement fun,” said Nina. “I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that Tenacity is a little…rough around the edges.”
“It could use a little love,” agreed Renee.
“But we make up for it with a community of salt-of-the-earth residents,” said Angela. “What we lack in pristine amenities we make up for with heart.”
“I’ve started to notice that,” said Andrea.
For a moment as she shrugged off her jacket, she thought back to her first impression of Tenacity, back in July when she’d been looking at properties in the surrounding area.
Adam, her real estate agent, had arranged for her to tour five spaces, keeping in mind her specifications: quiet community, fixer-upper, room to breathe.
After they’d toured the last property of the day, she knew she wasn’t hiding her lack of enthusiasm.
Adam had done a search on his phone and made a quick phone call.
“Tenacity’s about a twenty-minute drive from here, if you still have time,” he’d said.
“I wouldn’t call it ‘cute’ or ‘quaint’ or anything, but there’s a…
There’s a certain charm to it. And this ranch, just outside of town, has good bones. ”
Despite her exhaustion, Andrea had agreed, and had felt something shift in her as she’d followed Adam through the old ranch, long empty but well-kept.
There was something ethereal about the quality of light that spilled into the space in the late summer afternoon.
The whole ranch had glowed in a way that beckoned her.
Reassured her. Like it wasn’t just wooden beams and plaster drywalls, but it was the building equivalent of a great big hug.
Unlike a few of the other properties they’d toured that were more on the modern side, or at least had been renovated within the past decade, the ranch was begging for a refresh, and Andrea could see the before-and-after pictures vividly in her mind.
After the walk-through, she’d been starving.
The day had been long, and she still had an over two-hour drive in her rental car back to her airport hotel near Billings-Logan, so Adam gave her directions into Tenacity’s downtown area.
“There’s a café there I’ve heard is good.
Silver Spur, I think it’s called. If you go now, you’ll make it before they close after lunch,” he’d said.
Andrea remembered driving slowly down Central Avenue, taking in the little town she’d never heard of before that day, with its clapboard storefronts, the mud-spattered pickup trucks parked along the street, the handmade signs taped to the lampposts advertising community potlucks and the grain elevator in the distance.
She’d had a moment of trepidation—could she really see herself living in a place so…
rustic? But lying in her hotel bed before her morning flight back to Denver, all she could think about was the warm smile on the face of the young woman who’d served her the burger she’d ordered at the Silver Spur Café on the town’s main strip, even though they were just about to close when she’d walked through the front door.
The curlicue of the lettering on the hand-painted sign outside the Goodness & Mercy Nondenominational Church.
The satisfying ding of the antique cash register at Tenacity Drugs & Sundries, where she’d stopped to buy a pack of gum before getting back on the road.
Despite its lack of polish, there was something about Tenacity that tugged at her. It was small. It was quiet. It was safe.
First impressions matter, Andrea reminded herself as she took her seat and accepted the menu that Angela passed across the table. “Thank you,” she said.
“Not sure if you’ve been here yet, but the enchiladas verde are worth a try,” said Angela. She made a chef’s kiss motion with her hand.
“Everything looks amazing,” said Andrea, scanning the menu. “I’ve been living off grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for the past few weeks.”
A woman in her mid-sixties with dark silver-streaked hair pulled back in a ponytail and a bright flower-printed blouse approached the table. “You ladies decided on anything yet?”
“Hi, Yolanda,” Nina said. “Andrea, this is Yolanda Castillo. She and her husband, Pablo, are the owners.” She turned back to Yolanda. “Andrea moved to town recently.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Andrea. “I’ve heard great things about this place. I’ll go with the enchiladas.”
“Good choice,” said Yolanda, grinning. She took the rest of the table’s orders, collected the menus, then disappeared into the kitchen.
“I heard you’re fixing up the ranch,” Angela said. “How’s it going?”
Andrea could almost feel the blisters on her hands and the ache in her back as she thought of the next daunting list of tasks waiting for her.
But there was satisfaction in the work, in every board she sanded and nail she hammered.
She straightened a little, letting that thought bolster her.
“Slowly but surely,” she said. “One step at a time, I keep telling myself.”
Renee looked impressed. “And you’re doing it yourself?”
Andrea nodded. “As much as possible.”
“Well, you’re a busy woman, then! We’d better not take too much of your time,” Angela said. “Should we talk about the event?”
Andrea nodded and pulled a notebook and pen from her purse.
“As Angela said, one of the things we’ve been tasked with doing is organizing the community fundraiser that takes place the evening of the hoedown,” said Renee. “We do a 50/50 draw, as well as a silent auction. All the items are set up in the auditorium of the Town Hall, where the dance is.”
“Most of the local businesses are willing to make donations,” added Nina. “A gift card, or a complimentary service or something like that.”
“We’re hoping you can solicit the donations,” said Angela. “It used to be my job, but I’ve got a hip replacement scheduled in two weeks’ time and I’m not getting around as easily these days. I could easily make phone calls, but I think people appreciate a face-to-face ask.”
“It’ll also be a good way for you to meet people,” said Renee.
“I think I can manage that,” Andrea said. Her pen was poised over her notebook. “Any particular places you’d suggest I start?”
Angela, Nina and Renee started naming off some of the local businesses, and for the next ten minutes before their meals arrived, they discussed plans for the fundraisers and logistical details, then put aside their conversation when their waitress returned with lunch.
“This looks unbelievable,” Andrea said, taking in the steaming platter of enchiladas in front of her, topped with gooey melted cheese and freshly sliced jalapenos.
As they ate, Andrea glanced around the table, their laughter mingling with the hum of the diner.
The women were warm and friendly, and as they chatted easily over their meals, Andrea congratulated herself on accepting the invitation to join the committee.
This was exactly the type of work that would ingratiate her to the community, help her make some acquaintances and get to know some other businesses in town that she could potentially work with, and start to form a genuine connection with her new home by helping to bring in some funds that could be used to improve the community.
Tenacity’s sitting on a gold mine, she recalled Seth Taylor saying.
He seemed pretty certain about that, but Andrea had enough experience to know that in the meantime, this fundraiser stood a better chance at bringing in some money than that guy’s pie-in-the-sky dino dig.
These women were also, unlike Seth, unaware of her past. To them, Andrea was just a new member of their town, pitching in to do her part for the community and setting down new roots.
The fresh start felt good.