Paradise Valley (Virgin River #7)(84)

Jack put down two more martinis for the matrons who didn’t look at all like matrons. He lifted an eyebrow and one corner of his mouth and went away. They were locked in some serious conspiracy.

“Well, then here we are,” Beth said. “We’ve got a couple of kids with a couple of kids on the way, and they clearly love each other. What are we going to do?”

Susan took a sip of her martini. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to rest until I see them married.”

Beth threw back her head and laughed loudly, earning a glance from Jack. “I love an ambitious woman. So, I have a favor to ask.”

“Sure.”

“I know you’ll be zipping down here the second the babies come and I know the mother’s mother gets special privileges. Let me come soon, please. I promise not to crowd the cabin and I’ll do all the shit work without getting in the way.”

Susan looked up at the ceiling, thinking. Then she glanced back at Beth. “Give us three days. And I’ll split the snuggling and shit work with you.”

Beth put a hand on her arm. “You are a good woman. I made my son-in-law’s mother wait a week.”

They both laughed loudly.

“Do you think we stand a chance of getting them married before the babies come?” Beth asked.

“I don’t know. They seem to have made up their minds about certain things, not that they’re sharing. And Abby’s very stubborn when she’s made up her mind.”

“She seems to be perfect for him. Everyone’s entitled to a mistake here and there. Not to mention they have babies coming. Any second…”

“Maybe if we put our heads together….”

The door to the bar opened and in came Ed Michaels, Chuck McCall, Abby and Cameron. They stood just inside the door and stared at Susan and Beth who had a couple of empty martini glasses apiece sitting at the bar.

“Just what are you two up to?” Cameron asked.

The women grinned largely and Beth said, “Just getting to know each other, Cameron.”

Abby tugged on Cameron’s sleeve to bring his ear down to her lips. “I never once thought it might be worse if they liked each other,” she whispered. “They’re going to be a pot of trouble.”

He grinned and slipped a kiss on her lips. “Nothing we can’t handle, baby. Stick with me.”

Dan Brady didn’t waste any time calling Cheryl. It wasn’t that he thought he’d met the perfect woman. Nor that he’d met someone as screwed up as he was. It was purely that she was attractive, interesting and was at work on getting her head on straight—a trait they seemed to share. Finding kindred spirits was rare enough that this was worth digging into.

“It isn’t time for rent money,” she said.

“I know. I have to drive to Eureka to order flooring. I thought we could have coffee or something. Or lunch. Or early dinner. Maybe Denny’s early-bird special.”

“Didn’t I tell you to take it easy—that I wasn’t sure I was breaking bread with you?”

“You did,” he said. “I thought I’d get on your dance card before you’re booked.”

“What is it you want?”

“Not so much,” he said. “I’m thinking patty melt and fries. How about you?”

And she actually laughed. That wasn’t a bad start. With a much nicer attitude, she asked, “What is it you think we can talk about?”

“You can talk about anything you want. I can probably tell you about home construction and remodeling in Virgin River, which is what I do. Or, if you’re interested, I have a little experience in agriculture.” Again she laughed. “You can always tell me about your work.”

“Well, there’s the thing. I wait tables in a diner. Which is why dinner at Denny’s doesn’t hold great appeal. You understand.”

“I do get that,” he said. “In fact, that’s probably good. Why don’t I get us a couple of big, messy sandwiches, a couple of bags of chips, a couple pickles, some iced tea, and we can meet in a park? Weather’s damn nice right now.”

“When?” she asked.

“I only have Saturday afternoons and Sundays off. Either one of those work for you?”

“Sunday,” she said. “I start at 5:00 a.m. and finish up around two. I could shower off the grease and see you around three. There’s a common in Old Town…”

“I know the place,” he said. “I’ll bring the lunch.”

Dan hadn’t had anything that even vaguely resembled a date in years. At least six, maybe more like eight. He’d had a conversation or two in a bar that went no place, because he didn’t really want it to. So what was it about Cheryl? The crazy thing was, before he knew anything at all about her, she seemed so stable. Like she had lead in her shoes and wouldn’t tip over during a big emotional wind. It made him laugh to himself. And then what does he learn from her? That she’s struggling to get her life back and could be on shakier ground than he ever was. Well, that might be a stretch. Hardly anyone had been on shakier ground.

On Sunday he found her in the common in downtown Eureka. She got there ahead of him. She sat at a park bench, legs stretched out, face turned up to the sun, relaxing. Eyes closed. He stood in front of her until his shadow fell over her and she opened her eyes. And she didn’t smile.