Handle with Care (2 page)

It
was a beautiful Sunday morning; almost midday by the time she emerged into the
sunshine. The tiny town her uncle had insisted she visit was moving at a slow
pace matching the sun’s movement across the sky. There were very few cars on
the road. Abby noticed right away that several of the stores on the main strip
were closed. She hadn’t even considered the idea there might not be anywhere to
buy groceries.
Abby’s trip had been made in a daze. She had flown into Eugene, Oregon and then
taken a pre-booked Budget Taxi to her uncle's boat, assuming she would not need
a car.
As she stood outside a tiny shop,
displaying food in the window but with a closed sign on its door, she wondered
if she would have better luck finding a car rental. Her eyes scanned to the end
of the strip, where she noticed a diner that appeared to be open. Her stomach
growled again in encouragement.
The last thing I need is to deal with
people.
But she was hungry and had no other choice if she wanted to eat.

When
she entered, the diner appeared to be crowded with townsfolk. She wondered if
this was a routine - brunch after Sunday services - or maybe a matter of it
being the only gathering place available. Either way, she felt as if the entire
population of Winchester Bay was staring at her when she stepped in. Apparently
the residents were not opposed to gawking.

Abby
lowered her eyes, pushed back a strand of brown hair that escaped the hairband
holding a ponytail, and headed for the only empty table she could find.

"Oh,
sorry, Ma'am," a young blond waitress chirped quickly, as Abby was about
to sit down. "That table is reserved." Abby was not amused.
Could
this be some kind of discrimination against out-of- towners?

"Can
I get something to go, then?" The young waitress looked a little confused
by the question.

"That's
alright! She can join us," a small voice chimed.

Abby
turned to see who had spoken up. It was a little girl with brown curls, swept
into two slightly-lopsided pigtails. Her eyes sparkled with the untainted
friendliness only a child could possess. She smiled and issued the invitation
again. It was only then Abby noticed hands on the child’s shoulders, and when
she looked up to see who owned those hands, her gaze met Craig Port’s eyes.

"Craig?"
Abby acknowledged quietly, forcing her lips into a smile. The unfamiliar
expression felt very awkward, and it showed.

"Abigail,"
he replied with a quick wink, "this is my daughter, Chloe." He patted
the top of the child's head; she could not have been more than seven.
"Would you like to join us for lunch?" He offered as he pulled out a
chair for his daughter.

"I
don't think that's a good idea," Abby said quickly.

"Oh,
please," Chloe begged as she patted the seat next to her. "I heard
you're from Philadelphia. Is that true? That's so far away!"

Abby
could not imagine how anyone knew anything about her. She hoped they would not
figure out who she was. She didn’t want her peaceful retreat turned into a
media circus.

“I
am,” she nodded lightly, it was more comfortable to focus on Chloe’s
transparent face, “and it is.” Abby glanced at the empty chair Craig laid his
hands on top of, prepared to pull it out for her.

“Best
food in town,” he assured with a smile to
the
waitress, who was patiently waiting to take their order. Abby looked toward the
door of the restaurant and considered leaving. She could not see how sharing
lunch with strangers would help her, but the little girl was so sweet.

Abby
had always loved children, but her career had been her main focus. It was hard
to think of having a child when she dealt with so much daily trauma. It seemed
to her it would be impossible to protect a child from all the injustice and
violence in the world. Yet Chloe appeared to be thriving. The smells wafting in
from the kitchen were making her mouth water, and her stomach grumbled its vote
again. Placing her hand over her waist in a futile effort to stifle the sound,
Abby nodded her head and forced another strained smile.

“Thank
you,” she said politely, as Craig held the chair out for her. Abby could not
remember the last time a man had shown her such courtesy. She had dated off and
on, but never seriously. She was so wrapped up in her profession she never
could find room in her life for a relationship. More accurately, she never made
it a priority.

"Can
I call you Abigail?" Chloe asked as soon as Abby sat down.

"Ms.
Miles," her father corrected. "Or, is it Mrs. Miles?" he asked.

"Abby,"
she avoided the implied question with her answer, and his eyes by looking at
the menu. "Abby is just fine," she assured Chloe.

Chloe
cast an impish grin at her father; he always insisted she addressed adults
properly. It was a rare treat for her to be allowed a bent rule.

As
Abby perused the options, she could feel Craig peering over his menu at her.
Every time his eyes grazed over her, she felt it, like an itch demanding
attention. It was unnerving. She became irritated with the persistent sensation,
looked up and caught him studying her.

"Yes?"
she challenged.

"Are
you staying long?" asked Craig.

Abby
clenched her teeth and tried to resist telling him it was not really any of his
business. Thankfully the waitress arrived with drinks and took their orders. A
welcome distraction before the words could slip out. Abby found it harder to
censor herself since her nervous breakdown. She was prone to bursting out with
whatever she was feeling, rather than considering whether it was appropriate.

"I'll
have pancakes and eggs," Abby said quickly, "and some toast."
She paused for a moment and frowned. "Can you add a side of bacon
,
too?"

"Of
course.” The waitress smiled.

"You're
hungry," Chloe said bluntly, while her father ordered for both of them.

"There
aren't many places to buy food here," Abby explained.

"Oh...
The grocery store is about thirty minutes away. Do you need a lift?" Craig
offered.

Abby
locked eyes with him across the table. There was something about the way he was
being so kind; it did not feel completely generous. It was almost as if he was
making an excuse to spend more time with her.

"I
can take a cab," she said, smiling politely.

"Not
today, you can't." He chuckled.

"I'll
go tomorrow," she replied with forced evenness, before giving her menu
back to the waitress. Craig narrowed his eyes, as if he was trying to figure
her out. Abby was already uncomfortable, and worn out from his attention. The
food hadn’t even been served yet.

"Are
you in school?" she asked Chloe, hoping to steer the conversation away
from herself.

"Yes,
second grade," Chloe grinned proudly.

"Is
Mom having a little time to herself this morning?" Abby guessed, thinking
it sweet Craig would bring his daughter for breakfast by himself. She thought
he must do so frequently, considering they had a table reserved for them.

The
pause became awkward as Chloe's previously impenetrable smile faded. Craig
cleared his throat and took a sip of water. Abby realized she had touched upon
an emotional subject. When Chloe stared down at the table instead of speaking,
Abby glanced at Craig for help. Craig's eyes were clouded with sorrow, and his
voice warbled as he spoke.

"It's
just Chloe and I, now," he said cautiously, watching his daughter.
"We lost Rachel a year ago."

Abby
was mortified she had brought up such a sensitive topic. Of course, there was
no way for her to have known. But still, she felt as if she had caused them
undue pain on an otherwise cheerful excursion.

"I'm
sorry," Abby said genuinely, her voice barely above a whisper. She didn’t
know what else to say. Abby had spent so much time wallowing in self-pity,
celebrating her own pain; she seemed to have dulled her ability to sense the
pain of others. She had been focused on her own problems far too long, without
having to consider anyone else’s. 

"It's
okay," Chloe said bravely, her voice marred by the barest of trembles.
"Daddy says she still watches over me. Right, Daddy?"

Craig
nodded and managed a smile. "Of course she does, Chloe. Why don't you tell
Abby about the spelling bee?" he suggested.

Abby
smiled with gratitude at him for changing the subject.
She could not imagine suffering such a loss at Chloe’s
young age. She had dealt with many patients who had
experienced death, but it was never easy to see immense grief, and confusion,
in the eyes of a child.

"Oh,
I am
so
going to win," Chloe stated, without skipping a beat.
"I know Kimmy Parks is very good
,
too, but
I have been practicing every day!"

"It's
true,” Craig chuckled. "First thing in the morning I hear, ‘Quiz me, quiz
me!’"

Abby
smiled fondly at Craig. She had a developing sense of respect for him, knowing
he was parenting on his own. She recalled how standoffish she had been with him
when they first met, and regretted not being a little more civil.

“Hm,
how do you spell ‘laugh’?” She asked knowing it could be a tricky one.

“Seriously?”
Chloe said with a knowing
smirk.
“L-a-u-g-h!”

“Very
good!” Abby smiled, genuinely impressed. Craig wore a proud smile, clearly
content to watch her try, and fail, to stump Chloe a dozen more times. When the
food arrived it was a bit of a disappointment to end the game
.

As
they had bantered words and letters, Abby felt her smile spread to the point it
strained her face. It had been so long since she’d had that joyful stretch. Her
eyes fluttered closed for a moment before she turned her attention to the food.

As
they ate, she felt Craig's eyes boring into her. His determination to pry into
her life was unsettling.
Abby spoke as little as
possible for the rest of their lunch, only offering polite and kind words to
Chloe, who was very talkative. Craig had grown fairly silent as well, and Abby
was sure he was looking forward to the meal being over.

When
the waitress brought the bill, Abby quickly snatched it and offered her credit
card. “It's the least I can do, since you shared your table with me.” She
smiled.

“Please,
let me,” Craig protested firmly shooting a glare of warning at the waitress,
who he appeared to know very well.

Abby
stood from her chair. “Just this once,” she stated, “let someone do something
for you.” She smiled again and Craig was surprised at the warmth in her voice.

After
signing for the bill, Abby wiggled her fingers in a light wave to Chloe and
headed out the door. She did not get far before she heard small feet running
after her. “Abby! Abby! Do you want to come to the lake with us?” Chloe pleaded,
reaching
for Abby's hand
as she caught up to her.

“Chloe!”
Craig called sternly as he ran out of the restaurant after her.

Abby
laughed as he skidded to a stop beside them, his face burning with
embarrassment. “It's okay. She's very sweet,” she assured Craig.
In fact, it was more than okay. Chloe's
infectious happiness was making a difference in the way Abby felt. She could
almost breathe without resisting.

"It's
not okay," Craig said firmly as he glowered at his daughter. "You
should not be running off like that."

Chloe
frowned and scrunched up her nose. "I wasn't running off. I was running
to
Abby," she pointed out
reasonably.

"Chloe,"
he warned, raising one finger in the air.

"Alright,
alright," she sighed. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

 He
smiled,
annoyance forgotten with her use of
the endearment, and wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders. "We
are headed to Lake Marie, if you'd like to join us."