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As he braced himself to throw his full weight against the swinging aluminum doors, Sean emerged with a snarl donning his upper lip. Being confronted with William, he stopped short, the two men mirroring each other’s expressions, standing toe to toe.
“Whoa. Call off your son, Joyce,” Sean finally spat without tearing his eyes from William.
“You’re the one hollering in there,” William said in a deep tone.
“True,” Sean replied in a hushed voice as he hoisted his belt higher on his waist. “The wife still needs to be told from time to time. You know how that goes, swabbie.”
William’s jaw tightened as Sean sauntered around him and stopped to grab a few mints on his way out the front door. The little wife? If Annie had married Sean Butler, it was no wonder she looked as harried and worried as she did. Losing a Miss Congeniality award was the very least of her problems if Sean had weaseled, or more likely bulldozed, his way into her life.
* * *
ANNIE HUNG BACK until she was sure Sean had left. She detested his unannounced visits. They were manipulative confrontations she worried would escalate into public scenes. Every so often, like clockwork, he’d fabricate an excuse about how she was doing a poor job mothering James just so he could come by and unleash verbal jabs in front of her friends and coworkers. But as much as she hated it, they were the witnesses she preferred. On occasion he had stumbled onto her porch steps, sweating whiskey sours and moaning profanities. Any humiliation she tolerated at work was better than scurrying the children off to hide in their bedrooms.
She knew Sean delighted in the power he wielded over her. He was James’s father, so she wanted to believe that underneath the verbal jabs, he loved the little guy, but she really couldn’t vouch for it with any certainty. Most days, James’s welfare was an excuse Sean used to make her life miserable.
Annie bit the inside of her cheek and refused to cry. It wouldn’t solve anything except make her eyes puffy and solicit questions from her friends. She held firmly to her mantra: no emotional breakdowns except in the shower.
After forcing a few deep, calming breaths, she smoothed the front of her dress and stepped out into the dining room with the resolve of a royal diplomat.
“Are you okay, honey?” Joyce whispered, looping an arm through hers.
Annie feigned a smile. “Of course.” But when she read pity in William’s gaze, a sinking pit in her stomach quaked open. Pity was something she absolutely could not take.
She’d had her fair share of it over the years. The pitiful stares after Julian ran out, leaving her pregnant with Betsy and practically destitute, still haunted her.
There had been a pity party disguised as a wedding reception when, out of pure desperation to provide for Betsy and herself, she had married Sean. Oh, how she had wanted to escape from the hall after Sean got drunk with his buddies and forgot her during their first dance.
She was still paying the price for those bad decisions, and she didn’t need anyone’s pity or judgment, especially William Kauffman’s. Perhaps if he hadn’t bailed on her in the first place, things would have been different somehow. But instead, here he was, standing in front of her as the aftershock of Sean’s visit rattled her.
“Are you okay?” His voice aimed to soothe, but Annie wouldn’t allow it. She paused, fiddling with her apron strings as William leaned closer, the heat from his strong build warming her skin, making goose bumps prickle up her neck.
“Never better,” she said.
“I heard the way he talked to you.”
“So?”
“Does he do that often?” Annie shrugged in dismissal, but he quickly continued. “You don’t deserve that, Annie.”
She met his gaze, ready to defy his pity, but found only grave concern instead. His center of gravity seemed to shift, and she thought he was about to reach out and touch her. How she had ached for him to touch her when it had been another man cozied up beside her in bed and all that truly comforted her was the memory of his gentleness.
Annie pulled away. “Unless you want to place another order, I have paying customers to see to. Excuse me.”
She breezed past him. She hated that she still longed for him to touch her. And she hated that he was witnessing how her life had fallen apart these last twelve years without him in it.
* * *
WILLIAM SLID A For Sale sign onto his dashboard in one swift movement. Once he sold his truck, he’d have enough money to gas up Old Red and head for the Pacific Northwest for the summer. Who knew where things would lead him after that? He’d travel on the wind, no ties to anyone, and decide next steps as opportunities arose.
“Are you selling your truck?” Joyce frowned at him, having just locked up the diner for the night. William nodded, opening the passenger door and helping her up into the cab. “What’s wrong with it?”
“I can’t drive a motorcycle and a truck at the same time.”
Joyce clutched her handbag on her lap and fiddled with the straps as William climbed into the driver’s seat.
“I don’t see why you can’t have both. There’s room in the garage and shed.”
He stalled before answering as Joyce’s eyes bored holes in the side of his face. She had assumed he was home to stay, and he knew he had to correct her. At some point. After firing up his Chevy, he offered a reply.
“I need to sell her while she’s still running.”
“On her last legs, is she?”
“Something like that,” he said, tuning the radio to a classic-rock station. Joyce nodded before yanking a handkerchief from her purse and hacking into it with such force, William nearly swerved off the road. “Ma, are you okay?”
Joyce attempted a nod as her cheeks swelled to a patchy rouge. With each gasp for breath between coughing fits, William was more alarmed, his eyes darting back and forth between her and the road.
After several agonizing seconds, she finally heaved a sigh, clutching her chest in relief. “Oh, goodness,” she breathed. “I’m glad that’s over. Don’t look so worried, sweetie. It comes and goes.”
“What exactly?” William said, resting his hand tenderly on her shoulder.
“It’s a little respiratory infection I’m still shaking. My immune system is building itself up again after my being sick last winter. I could do with a nap before dinner.” Joyce blotted her mouth with her handkerchief before carefully tucking it into her purse. She smiled reassuringly. “Really, honey, I’m fine.”
“Have you seen a doctor?”
“Of course, of course. My seasonal allergies aggravate it. Plus it’s been a long day.”
William finally eased back into his seat and put both hands on the wheel. “It was an interesting day.”
“How so?”
“Does Sean Butler come into the diner often?”
Joyce rolled her eyes. “Define often.”
“He hasn’t changed a lick since high school, you know.”
“Did you know him, dear?”
Bullies like Sean hardly went unnoticed in a school as small as Chinoodin High. “Unfortunately. How long have they been married?”
“They divorced three years ago, but he’s as awful an ex-husband as he was a husband.” William tensed, imagining Annie married to Sean Butler. He was a class-A creep. “Annie’s had a rough time of it,” Joyce continued, tilting her head back to rest.
“Why? What’s happened?” William frowned. A soft hum vibrated behind Joyce’s cute smile as she lovingly patted his leg. “What?” he blurted, shoulders jerking in defense.
“Some things don’t fade with time, I suppose.”
“Never mind,” he said, turning up the radio volume. The less he knew about Annie and her troubles, the better. She’d be a dot in his rearview mirror in a matter of days anyway.
CHAPTER THREE
SITTING ON HER porch steps, Annie wrapped her arms around herself. Summer evenings like this one reminded her of her youth, riding her bicycle around the neighborhood and down to the lake. She hadn’t had a care in the world back then except a scolding and a cold dinner if she didn’t get home before dark.
But as she admired James tenderly coaxing a caterpillar onto his hand, she regretted that he had bigger problems at the tender age of six than she had ever had.
“Look, Betsy,” he said, carefully crouching closer to his sister, his eyes fixated on his prize. “He was on the flowers.”
“Can I hold him?” she said, examining his discovery. “We can build him a little house or bed out of these sticks.”
Annie knew they could be a happy little family if they could just get away, but the informal arrangement with Sean kept her from pressing her luck. He was content to let her have sole custody of James and she didn’t want to jeopardize that. Besides, it would be difficult to leave good friends. They were the closest thing to family she and the children had.
Although she had just glanced at the clock on her phone, she obsessively checked it again. Each minute dragged them that much closer to Sean’s arrival. His visits were better than sharing a home, but their arrangement was far from great for her and the children.
She closed her eyes briefly when she heard Sean’s BMW roll up the street. He swung wide into the driveway and sat for a minute, letting the car idle while issuing orders at someone on the other end of his cell phone. Annie was not in the mood to draw out their exchange any longer than necessary, but each second he spent on the phone was one less second he had with James.
The children, having spotted Sean’s car racing from down the block, had fled behind the shrubs along the side of the house. The tips of their visible sneakers the only giveaway of their position.
“The movie starts in a few minutes. Where is he?” Sean asked, finally emerging from the car.
“James!” Annie called. “Your father is waiting!”
Sean sneered. “Is he hiding again?”
“He doesn’t want to go,” Betsy said, stepping out from behind the shrubs, a hand propped on each hip. “He doesn’t feel good.”
“Ugh, come on! I don’t have time for this.” Sean clipped his phone to his hip and charged toward the bushes.
“Wait, Sean,” Annie said, jogging to intercept him. “Give me a second first.” Hurrying past him and around the shrubs, she knelt in front of James. His big gray eyes peered up at her, pleading to be left alone. Annie’s heart sank as she stroked a wisp of hair off his face and summoned the most pleasant voice she could muster. “Your father is going to take you to a movie, and then he’ll bring you straight home.”
“I don’t wanna go.”
“He’ll probably buy you a popcorn,” Annie reminded him, but James shook his head. “I know you want to stay here, kiddo, but your dad really wants to spend time with you. You’ll be home before you know it. We’ll stay up later than usual tonight, so we can squeeze in a few books before bed, okay?”
Betsy wrapped him in a hug and placed a white pebble in his hand.
“Here, James. This lucky stone will make you brave.”
“Don’t you want candy?” Sean yelled impatiently from the driveway.
Annie gently took James’s small hand and led him out from behind the bush.
“Are you hungry?” Sean asked, grasping James. The little boy attempted to slink away from his father’s firm grasp. “Well, are ya or aren’t ya?” Sean demanded.
“He just ate dinner, but perhaps a treat at the movie would be nice,” Annie said, kneeling to hug James and kiss him sweetly on the ear. It was all she could do to refrain from scooping him up in her arms, running into the house and locking the door behind her.
“We’re going to have to fly to make it there on time. Those dinosaurs start fighting in ten minutes.”
“Wait,” Annie said as James buckled himself into the back seat. “I thought you were going to see a cartoon.”
“Cartoons are for wussies, right, kid?”
“Nothing scary, Sean. He’s only six.”
Sean gave Annie the once-over. “Maybe I should take you out instead, huh? I kind of regret letting you get away when you still look like that.”
“Stop it, Sean,” Annie warned, clutching Betsy against her side. Sean squinted down at the little girl.
“You can’t go ’cause you’re not invited,” he taunted in singsong. Betsy scowled up at him, her fierceness impressive for a girl her age. “Nice attitude you have there, princess. You’re taking after your mother in that department, I’m sorry to see.” He strolled back to the car, flipping sunglasses down onto his face. “Rude little brats like you don’t get popcorn and candy.”
“I wouldn’t want to go even if he invited me,” Betsy told her. “But I’d go to be with James.”
“I know, baby,” Annie replied, squeezing Betsy without tearing her eyes from the top of James’s head slunk in the back seat.
Sean would never physically endanger James, but she knew how easily a mean-spirited man could wound a tender little heart.
* * *
WILLIAM PERKED UP at the sound of voices. Because the diner closed early on Friday nights, he thought he’d have the place to himself to scavenge the fridge after spending the afternoon working on Old Red. Poking his head through the swinging doors, he discovered Annie and a pint-size replica in the dining room.
Annie’s head shot up as he drifted toward their table. He knew he was a sight, still covered in motor oil and grime, but Annie’s frown appeared more intense than usual as she crossed her arms over her chest and glowered. The little girl sitting across from her shoveled a large forkful of chocolate cake into her mouth and stuck her hand out when William introduced himself. He instantly decided he liked Betsy, chocolatey grin and all.
“What are you doing here tonight?” he asked, sliding into the booth next to Betsy as Annie had made no effort to accommodate him.
“Why?” Annie asked suspiciously.
“I didn’t expect to see you here. The place is closed, and I didn’t know you had a key.”
“Of course I have a key,” she said. “Who do you think has been opening and closing around here for the past few years?” William leaned back defensively. He knew his reaction registered when Annie paused, took a deep breath and started again. “We had a craving for cake.”
“We needed to get out of the house for a little while,” Betsy clarified, grinning up at him.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. Annie nodded before pressing a glass of milk to her lips and taking a sip, but she was far from convincing.
“Mom says we need to drown our sorrows in chocolate cake.”
“Cake is good for that,” he said without breaking his gaze from Annie. Something big was weighing on her, and although he knew he wasn’t her favorite person, he felt inclined to help.
“For my birthday I want a giant pink cake with hearts all over it. What’s your favorite kind of cake, William?” Betsy scooted onto her knees to peer up at him. Her chocolatey breath and puppy-dog eyes were so endearing, and so innocently invading his personal space, William couldn’t help but grin before answering.
“Chocolate, I suppose.”
“With icing?”
“Yes.”
“And sprinkles?”
“Sure.”
“And candy?”
“Betsy...” Annie said, her voice low and strained. Betsy sat back on her heels and eyed her mother for any indication she was in trouble. When Annie winked at her, she immediately relaxed and returned to her chocolate cake. “If you’ll excuse me a minute, William,” Annie said.
William nodded as Annie quickly slid out of the booth, her eyes already reddened with tears. She ducked into the ladies’ restroom, and he turned his attention to his chatty companion. She was a lively child. The joy she drew from a single slice of chocolate cake, her eyes goggling with excitement with each sugary lick, made him hard-pressed to recall the last time he had enjoyed one of life’s simple pleasures with such gusto.
“Betsy, how are you doing?”
She considered this. “Happy and sad,” she said.
“Why?”
“Happy I get to eat cake, but sad James isn’t here.”
“Is James your brother?”
She nodded solemnly. “We get sad when James has to go with his dad.”
“Oh.”
“We want him to stay with us all the time.”
“How old is James?”
“He’s six, and I’m eight.”
“So you’re the big sister, huh?”
Betsy beamed with pride. “I protect him when mom argues with Sean. She says I’m going to be a good mommy one day.”
“I’ll bet you will be.” The stress in Annie’s home became clear. Sending your child off with the likes of Sean Butler would put anyone in a bad mood. “What’s up, kid?” he asked as Betsy had hesitated. She had all but finished a couple bites of cake.
“Maybe mom wants the last of it,” she said, hovering her fork over the shared plate.
“Nah. I think you should finish it off, and we’ll get her a fresh piece.”
Betsy’s eyes brightened with delight. “Good idea, William!”
William stood and lingered near the table, waiting for the little girl to lick the plate clean.
“We’re getting you a fresh slice,” he told Annie, who’d marched out of the bathroom.
“No, thank you,” she replied, motioning for Betsy to join her. The little girl hustled out of the booth to stand beside her mother.
“Okay,” William redirected. “How about a drive down to the lake, then? I thought I’d cruise around the peninsula if you’d like to join me.”
Annie vigorously shook her head and put her hand on Betsy’s shoulder to silence the little girl’s enthusiastic squeal of approval.
“We have to get back.”
“But mom, couldn’t we, please?” Her mother shot her a stern look as a final warning.
“Another time.” William winked at Betsy, escorting them to the entrance. As he exited ahead of them and held open the door, he could feel Annie hesitate.
“Thank you,” she said, briskly scooting by him.
“Thank you,” Betsy echoed cheerfully.
“Annie,” William called. She turned as Betsy bounded ahead of her to the car. “Is there anything I can do for you? For the both of you?”
Annie seemed to scrutinize his words.
“Why?”
“You seem like you’ve got the world on your shoulders.”
Her face fell. She studied him for a few moments, her wide brown eyes drawing him further in with each slow blink. She was guarded from what he assumed was a direct result of years spent with Sean. And while he knew he shouldn’t care, seeing her again made him feel like a hint of the man he’d been in high school. A man he had long forgotten.
As he moved closer, she shook her head and turned to her car. Her quick dismissal reminded him that a lot of time had passed and that she’d most likely forgotten the man he once was, too. Still, before he left Chinoodin Falls, he’d need some assurance that she was going to be okay.
* * *
ANNIE JOGGED THROUGH the back door of the diner and snatched her apron just as Mia, a fellow waitress with a spirited disposition, handed her a cup of coffee.
“Thanks, M,” she breathed between gulps. “I feel like I’m always running from one thing to the next.”
“How’s the little guy?” Mia asked, her clumpy mascara-coated lashes batting with concern.
“I can’t tell if he really has a tummy ache or if it’s anxiety.”
“Girl, your ex-husband gives me a tummy ache. I covered your tables.”
Annie softened in appreciation as she caught her breath. She’d taken James to the doctor for the first appointment of the day before dropping him at school. His temperature was a little above normal, but the doctor believed he was fine. It was nearly summer, and not wanting him to miss end-of-the-year festivities, she’d said goodbye to him with an extra hug and kiss.
She and Sean had argued the night before, as per usual, and she knew James internalized it. He had zero control in a stressful relationship with his father, so a sudden tummy ache probably had more to do with his emotional health than physical. She couldn’t blame him. She felt like she couldn’t fix things either, and she was an adult.
“How’s my favorite lady?” Miles called from the kitchen.
“I can hear you, you know!” Mia said, her bottom lip turning down in a pout.
“Mia,” Miles said, poking his head around the corner. “You know I have nothing but love for you, but my heart will always belong to Annie. What can I make you?”
“I’ll stick with coffee.”
Mia pointed at Annie’s waist. “You need some sustenance, A. Miles, scramble her some eggs.”
“Coming right up!”
Annie scrunched up her face. “I can’t eat right now, Mia.”
“You have to eat something good. I can’t have you skinnier than me on my wedding day.”
“What I need is to drop two hundred pounds of ex-husband.”
“Maybe he’ll get amnesia.”
Annie laughed. “A girl can dream,” she said, but her face fell once she spotted William sitting at the end of the counter. She had mulled over his comment from the other night, trying to decipher what it meant. Is there anything I can do for you? He’d had some nerve telling her he loved her, running out on her without any explanation and then showing up more than a decade later as if she hadn’t meant anything to him in the first place. Now he wanted to know if there was anything he could do for her? He was too late.
She greeted the Old Timers, a name she’d coined for a group of retired men who were her favorite regular customers. All born and raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, their friendly banter was as charming as their thick, Fargo-sounding accents. Heavily reminiscent of the Finnish and German influence on the area, some native speakers sounded like they were conversing in another language once they really got going. But Annie had lived in the Upper Peninsula since she was a child, so deciphering was old hat.
“Dare she is!” Joe declared, slapping the table. “How ya doin’ now, Annie?” With his sparkling blue eyes and puffy red nose, he could have walked straight out of a quaint, small-town pub.
Danny winked at her, fluffy white eyebrows fluttering above large, thick glasses. “Mia had to bring us our coffee, and she don’t pour it right, dontcha know.”
Annie smiled and pulled out her order pad. “Are you eating this morning or just shooting the breeze and holding my tables hostage?”
Joe pointed a calloused finger at her. “Now don’t start! I need a refill on my coffee first.”
Annie tapped her pen on the table in feigned anger. “I’m never gonna retire if you only order coffee, Joe.”
He took a sip and peered at her over the top of his cup. “But it’s such good coffee.”
“I brew it myself.” She winked before turning to the others. “How about you, Earl? Do you want the Early Riser breakfast, like usual?”
Earl flipped the corner of his newspaper down to contemplate her suggestion. He’d ordered the same breakfast every day for three years. He purchased The Chinoodin Chronicle newspaper and read it cover to cover at the table every morning. And even if the temperature reached eighty degrees, he’d worn the same red Kromer hat with fleece-lined flannel and earflaps. His eyes darted around the room before he flipped the corner of his paper back up, shielding his face. “Yah,” he answered in his usual gruff way.
The Old Timers had been coming into the diner occasionally long before Annie had started working there. But when Dennis passed away and Annie began full-time, as Karrin told it, the Old Timers quickly took notice. They had begun arriving every morning since like clockwork.
Annie hustled to grab the coffeepot, aware that William’s eyes were following her.
“Good morning, Annie,” he said, his voice soft and easy like a swaying oak. She nodded curtly before returning to the Old Timers. The ones without coffee flipped over their cups, but kept right on talking about the newcomer.
“What’s his story?” Joe asked. Annie caught William’s eye. His look deepened from over the top of his coffee mug, making her nerves tingle.