Rainier Drive (Cedar Cove #6)(59)

David immediately started his meal until his father stopped him. “We say grace before we eat.”

Somewhat embarrassed, David set his spoon aside and bowed his head while his father said a few simple words of thanksgiving. David then had the good sense to wait until Charlotte reached for her spoon before he took up his own. She did so want to think well of Ben’s son and could see that he was trying.

“I’ll write you another check,” David insisted after he’d finished his soup, on which he’d complimented Charlotte any number of times.

Ben didn’t encourage him, nor did he refuse his son’s offer.

“You’re staying in Seattle, David?” she asked, making conversation.

He nodded. “I’m at a hotel downtown.”

“How long will you be there?” Charlotte asked next, wanting to cover the uncomfortable silence.

“I leave tomorrow. Say,” David said, “on my way into town, I drove past the waterfront. What happened to The Lighthouse restaurant? It’s gone.”

“It was destroyed by a fire,” Ben responded, “that seems to have been set by an arsonist.”

David’s brows shot up and he leaned forward. “Here in Cedar Cove? That’s hard to believe.”

“It was terribly shocking,” Charlotte agreed. “Poor Justine and Seth have been beside themselves. Until everything’s settled, Justine is working part-time at the bank and Seth has taken a sales job.”

“What about the fire? Is there a suspect?”

Ben exhaled slowly, as though loath to discuss the subject. “A high-school boy appears to be responsible. The sheriff has called Anson Butler a ‘person of interest.’ The boy hasn’t been seen since the fire and apparently Seth let him go shortly beforehand.”

“Everyone in town is heartbroken for Seth and Justine,” Charlotte said. “But I’m sure they’ll rebuild soon.”

“I feel bad for them,” David said, sounding sincere. “I hope everything works out for your granddaughter, Charlotte.”

She was touched by his words and thanked David. “A cookie?” she asked, passing him the plate.

David took two.

Before he left, he wrote his father another check. “I couldn’t be more embarrassed, Dad,” he said. “You shouldn’t have any problem with this one.” He shifted his eyes from Ben to Charlotte, then stared at the floor. “You might want to wait until the first of the month, though, if that’s not inconvenient.”

Again Ben didn’t comment. He accepted the check, nodded his head at David’s request and walked his son to the door.

“Next time, let us know when you plan to stop by,” Charlotte chastised him gently. “That way I can make you a real dinner.”

“Thank you, Charlotte,” David said, kissing her cheek. “Next visit, I’ll give you plenty of notice.”

Charlotte and Ben stood out on the porch with him. It was cool, and the drizzle continued. Ben put his arm around her shoulders.

“Come and see us again soon,” she said as David ran to his car. She waited until he’d started the engine and driven off before she went back inside, Ben at her heels.

“It was good of David to stop by,” she commented, watching her husband closely.

“Like you said, David should’ve let us know he was coming,” Ben murmured. He helped her clear the table. “Frankly, it would’ve suited me just fine if he hadn’t bothered.”

“Ben! That’s a terrible thing to say about your own son.”

Her husband shook his head. “I know David.” With that, he reached for the check his son had given him and tore it in several pieces. “This is as worthless as the first one he wrote.” Ben’s eyes filled with pain as he crumpled the scraps and dropped them in the garbage.

Charlotte walked over to him and slipped her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry about this,” she whispered, wishing she knew how to ease the ache in his heart.

“So am I,” Ben said, holding her close. “So am I.”

Twenty-Five

The morning before the senior prom, Allison drove into Silverdale to pick up her dress. She’d dreamed that Anson would be her date on prom night. That wasn’t possible, but rather than stay home feeling depressed, she was attending with her friend Kaci. Her parents didn’t understand why she’d refused to go with any of the three boys who’d invited her, and Allison knew her mother was disappointed on her behalf.

Her cell phone rang as she walked through the mall to the parking lot, the dress draped over her arm. She’d purchased the cell with her own funds, hoping against hope to get the number to Anson so they could talk privately. So far, there hadn’t been any opportunity. He hadn’t phoned her again and his mother had no way of getting in touch with him, either.

“Hello,” she said as she walked toward her mother’s car, expecting to hear Kaci’s voice.

“Allison?”

She stopped cold. It was Anson.

“Can you talk?”

“Yes,” she said, hardly able to believe it. Despite her fears, her heart did a little jig of happiness. She had so much to tell him, so much she wanted to ask.

“Are you alone?”

“Yes,” she said. “I’m in the parking lot outside the Silverdale Mall.”