Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Rita Osbourne hung up the phone with a frown. It was getting so bad these days, she might have to change her number. She couldn’t understand, for the life of her, those telemarketer phone calls where the caller paused before speaking and then used some kind of heavy accent. They always wanted her to buy something, or switch service providers, or donate money. And she didn’t have time for that when she was at work. There was something going on with the refrigerator, everything was melting. She still didn’t have enough crab legs for this evening’s dinner service. And there was a muddy stink permeating the outside deck, which would make customers none too happy when they came in for lunch.
She shook her head and hurried outside to think about what she could do to camouflage the odour. The fact was, they’d had so much rain lately that everything stunk in that heady kind of way that it always did after heavy rain. It didn’t much bother her, but customers were finicky, and she hated to hear them whine. Maybe she could burn some incense, see if that helped. She had some lavender somewhere.
After she located the diffuser and got the lavender oil burning on the patio, she sat in her small, cramped office behind the pantry to see if she could figure out the crab legs situation. After a few phone calls, it looked as though dinner was saved. She called a refrigerator tradesman, and he promised to visit the cafe later that afternoon. Then, when the manager, Amanda, arrived to start on the lunch service, she packed up her things to head home.
Rita had trained Amanda herself and had handed off the day shift to her at least five years ago. They were a good team. And Rita didn’t have the energy she used to when she was in her forties. These days, she was exhausted by the end of the evening and found it hard to get going again the next morning if she’d been on her feet too long. She found that spending the afternoon at home gave her enough rest before she tackled dinner at the cafe.
Amanda poked her head through the office door with the ever-present scowl that Rita had grown accustomed to. “Those crab legs come in?”
“Cal is dropping them over in the next half an hour. Let me know if he’s runnin’ late. Y’all need to keep an eye on that fridge though. It’s acting up again. The fridge man is coming this afternoon, and I hope to goodness he gets it dealt with ‘cause I don’t have the patience to deal with it today, what with everything else I’ve got going on.”
“You feeling okay, hon?” Amanda asked. “You’re looking a touch pale.”
“Just tired. I’m gonna get me some rest.”
“You do that. I’ve got this under control.”
The drive to the lake house was a short one. The Jackson Lake property had been in her family for generations. And so had the Honeysuckle Cafe. They were thirty minutes apart, and it was a pleasant commute, with large green fields on both sides of the road. Both the lake house and business were left to her by her parents ten years earlier when they’d passed in close succession. And she’d done everything she could to hold onto them, tooth and nail, through two economic downturns, a pandemic, and a lawsuit filed by an entitled customer who had been determined to rip her off. She and her business had made it, just. Although the buildings themselves were a little worse for wear. Both could do with a new coat of paint and a few upgrades. But money was tight, so it would just have to wait.
She glanced in the rearview mirror and sighed—she needed a bit of work done too. She fluffed the wavy, greying hair that fell over her forehead. And did her best to smooth out the wrinkles that fanned out from the corners of her eyes. Of course, they returned the very moment she let go of the loose skin. Sometimes she almost didn’t recognise herself. She tried not to look too intently into mirrors these days. An unexpected glimpse of her reflection in a store window often gave her a fright.
Her black Chevy pickup was big and blew smoke when it was feeling ornery. But it did the trick and got her home. That was good enough for now.
Blue, her black lab, barked loudly when she pulled into the driveway. He kept watch over the house while she was gone. She shut the gates to keep him in, although that never seemed to work when he had a mind to wander. These days, though, he stayed put most of the time. He was slowing down just as she was. And she hated to think what she’d do when he was gone.
She climbed out of the truck with a smile and rubbed his head and ears. His tail whacked rhythmically against the truck door. His breath stunk of something disgusting. She didn’t want to know what.
“You keep that dang tongue to yourself, boy. Whatever you’ve been into, I don’t want that on my leg. Now stop it!”
The dog looked chagrined, almost mournful, and she shook her head. “Don’t use those puppy dog eyes on me. You know you’re not supposed to lick me.”
“Hey, Rita!” A man’s voice caught her attention, and she spun about to look over the truck’s hood.
“Well, what are you doin’ home at this time of day, Ryan Merritt?”
Ryan strode over to her, wearing a torn pair of shorts and a grease-stained t-shirt that showed off his strong, tanned arms. His dirty blonde hair spiked out beneath a hat, and his dark sunglasses hid the green eyes that generally sparkled with mischief when he spoke to her.
“I took the day off to get some things done around here. Anything need fixing at yours?”
“Anything…?” She laughed. “A better question would be, is there anything that doesn’t need fixing?”
He crossed his arms over his thick chest. “I can look around if you like. See if there’s anything urgent.”
“I’d appreciate it,” Rita replied. “I can’t get my head on straight right now. I’m sure it’ll come to me right about midnight. But I know there’s a broken faucet in the kitchen. Otherwise, I’ll have to find that list I was making. It’s got to be around here somewhere.”
“What have you got planned for the afternoon?”
“I was thinking about taking a big ole nap.”
He grinned. “Sounds perfect. I’ll make sure to keep it down.”
“Have you asked out that woman in the bait shop yet?”
He shrugged. “She’s not my type. I told you that.”
“I’m dying to know who is your type,” Rita said.
“I’ll never tell. You’ll try to set me up.”
She wrinkled her nose. “It’s my duty, as an old southern woman, to meddle in your affairs. And you’re ruining all my fun. How about Amanda, the manager at the cafe?”
He forced a smile onto his face. “Stop trying to set me up. I’m a grumpy thirty-five year old man who just wants to be left alone. I don’t want a girlfriend, or a wife, or anyone to bother me. Let me fix things around your house in peace, and we’ll all be happy.”
“Why are you so grouchy? I’m going to start calling you Oscar,” she said with a frown.
“I’ve been there, done that and don’t want the t-shirt,” he called over his shoulder as he walked away.
“You need love!” she demanded in a loud voice at his retreating back.
With a stamp of her foot, she pondered how frustrating he could be at times. She could help him find happiness, if only he’d let her. She’d always been a good matchmaker. Everyone knew it. Now Ryan simply needed to give in and let her go to work. He’d be forever grateful. She was sure of it.
Even though he could sometimes be the difficult, sullen type, it was nice to have good neighbours. She might live alone, but she never felt lonely. There were too many people checking on her at home, at work, and everywhere in between. Ryan had moved in three years earlier when he bought the two-story place next door. It’d needed an entire renovation, which he’d started soon after. He wasn’t finished yet, but when he was done, the structure would look incredible. She felt almost ashamed of her single-story, dark, peeling bungalow beside it. Although she couldn’t quite embrace the feeling, given how much she loved the place. It was nostalgic, held so many memories of her childhood. She couldn’t imagine moving anywhere else.
She unlocked the house and glanced at the unopened stack of mail on the hall table. She’d deal with that later. It would only be bills and such, and she didn’t have the energy to face it. Maybe later, after a glass of chilled wine on the deck.
The phone rang, and she shuffled into the kitchen to answer it. Her hip was acting up, and the sciatic pain radiated down her whole right leg, making her knee ache. With a grimace she reached for the phone and answered it.
“Hey Aunt Rita, it’s Julie. I can’t believe you still have a home phone. You must be the only person in the country who still has a telephone hanging on her kitchen wall.”
Rita laughed. “You know I don’t get good cell service out here. What if there’s an emergency? I’ve gotta have my phone. Where are you?” Rita’s gaze landed on a frame that hung on the wall beside the phone. It held a photograph of her with her sister from ten years earlier. She looked younger, and her sister was gone now. They both had light brown hair with blondish highlights. Now her hair was a dusty blonde and full of grey.
“I’m still in Athens. I’ve decided not to come home this weekend, so I won’t get to see you.”
“Oh, that’s a shame.” Rita loved when Julie visited. Her twenty-five year old niece brought the place to life in a way no one else quite could.
“I’ll be back before you know it. I’ve got too much study to get through. That, plus I got a new job waiting tables at the Magic Mushroom pizzeria. So, I can’t miss my shift on Saturday.”
“Good for you. That should help with all those little expenses.”
“I’m burning through money like I’m on fire.” She laughed, a happy tinkling sound that made Rita smile.
“You’re doing it right, then.” She chuckled. “That’s just the way an entitled little sorority girl is supposed to act, isn’t it?”
“You know it,” Julie quipped.
It was their ongoing joke—Julie had worked hard to pay her way through college. She’d earned a scholarship for the tuition. But she was responsible for her living expenses. Rita helped out when she could, but Julie was proud and liked to do it alone, and so far, she was managing it all pretty well. She’d clawed her way through undergrad and was now working on a doctorate in psychology.
“How’s the cafe?”
“It’s still chugging along. We miss you waiting tables. You made the customers happy, that’s the truth.”
“I miss the tips,” Julie groaned. “Never mind, college students tip. Not as well as the folks at your cafe do, but they do okay.”
“At least you have all those years of experience to fall back on,” Rita said.
“It helps on my resume, for sure.”
“And have you decided on a subject for your thesis yet?”
Julie hesitated. “No, not really. It’s a lot harder to come up with something unique that contributes to academia than I thought it’d be. Have you been taking those vitamins I bought you?”
“Huh? Which vitamins?”
“I got you some capsules. You said you weren’t feeling very energetic. They should help. I hope you haven’t lost them already.” She could almost hear the eye roll in her niece’s voice.
“I’m sure I’ve just misplaced them. You know how I am. Put them away somewhere for safekeeping. Only the Lord knows where that might be.” She chuckled to herself as she padded towards the bedroom. “Listen, honey, I’m going to have a lay down. I’m turning the phone off so it doesn’t wake me.
“Okay, I’ll see you later but call if you need anything.”