Most Eligible Baby Daddy (5 page)

“What is it?” she demanded when she couldn’t ignore it any longer.

Kelly looked away. Grace grinned. “You’re smitten, girl, that’s what.”

“Smitten?”

“You haven’t been able to get that man out of your mind since he came in and caused that scene.”

“Oh, come on.”

Gracie looked at Kelly and shrugged.

“I’m just thinking about him,” Elle said. “It was strange. He touched me, and then I spilled coffee all over his lap, and then he was gone.”

“It was weird,” Kelly said.

“Not all that weird, in the grand scheme of things,” Grace said.

“I think it was pretty weird,” Kelly repeated. “And I’d be careful about seeking out a guy like that, Elle. He looked like he could mean trouble.”

Elle had to agree with that. He certainly wasn’t your run of the mill character. His arms were thick with detailed tattoos. He walked with the kind of confidence and swagger that often got men into trouble. But he was also amazingly handsome. His eyes had pierced right into her soul. Try as she would, Elle just couldn’t get him out of her mind. He’d burned himself into her the moment he’d looked into her eyes.

“He was hot though,” Gracie said.

Kelly and Elle burst out laughing.

“Oh, don’t be shy, Gracie,” Kelly teased. “Just call them like you see them.”

“I might look old to you two,” Gracie replied, laughing herself, “but don’t think for a minute that I wouldn’t know what to do with that man if I ever had the good luck to find him in my bedroom.”

At that, the other two laughed even harder. The diner was finally empty and they cleaned up before closing for the night. It had been a long, hectic shift, and they needed something to laugh about.

“What would you do with him?” Kelly said.

“I’d put him where he belongs,” Grace laughed, “right between my legs.”

“Oh, Gracie,” Elle said.

“Don’t
Oh Gracie
me, young lady. I’ve been looking down at hunky guys’ heads between my legs since before either of you two were born. Hell, the way you two acted when he came in, I swear I’d probably have a better chance with him myself than either of you do.”

“Oh, come on,” Kelly said.

“You two fawned over him from the second he walked in the door.”

“We did not
fawn
over him,” Kelly said.

“I did,” Elle admitted.

“
He
was the one who touched your hand, Elle,” Kelly reminded her. “If anyone forgot to play it cool, it was him.”

That thought made Elle smile, briefly, before banishing it from her mind and getting back to work. She went around the diner putting the chairs up, and then she mopped the floor. She was almost finished when Gracie and Kelly offered to help her. They’d just finished their own work.

“No, no,” Elle insisted. “I can finish this. You can leave if you want to get home, Gracie. It’s been a long day.”

“It went a lot quicker now that we have you,” she said.

“Yes, really,” Kelly added. “Thank God you came to us.”

Elle smiled. “Thank you for trusting me,” she said. “I’m really grateful. I’d have been destitute without you.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind closing up?” Gracie said.

Elle could see how tired she was. “Certainly, Gracie.”

“All right. Just turn out the lights and pull the door shut behind you when you’re done. The door will lock automatically.”

Elle watched them leave and then finished mopping the floor. She couldn’t believe the two of them had been keeping the place running by themselves. They’d opened for breakfast before seven, and it was now almost ten at night. The diner wasn’t busy all day, it was mostly just the rushes at each meal time, but it was still an incredible amount of work. It made her feel good knowing that she was needed around the place. It made her feel secure. It was hard work, but it was good work, and she enjoyed it.

After she finished the floor, she sat at the counter with a cup of coffee and counted her tips. There was over a hundred and fifty bucks in her jar. Not bad. Added to her paycheck, it would be more than enough to maintain a modest life.

She was feeling optimistic. She’d landed on her feet, it seemed. She had a little place to call her own, it was simple, but cozy and comfortable, she had two good friends, a job, her car wasn’t dead yet. All in all, she decided, she had everything she needed to make a nice little life. If she could steer clear of troublesome men, like Gris, things might just turn out okay for her.

She looked around the diner approvingly before turning out the lights. Everything was in its right place. She shut the door behind her and felt the latch lock.

As she turned to make her way back down the street to her little apartment, she noticed a pickup truck parked on the far side of the lot. She could see a man sitting in the front seat.

At first she got a fright, because she thought the man was watching her, but then she saw that he was asleep.

He must be freezing.

She knocked on the window and the man began to rouse himself. It was only then that she realized it was the man from earlier, the one she’d spilled the coffee on.

He opened his eyes and rubbed them. He seemed confused about where he was.

“Are you all right?” she said.

“Oh, God, where am I?” he said.

He looked into Elle’s eyes and again she felt transfixed by his gaze, as she had the first time he’d looked at her.

“You’re asleep in your truck.”

“Oh, man, I’m sorry,” he said. “This is really terrible. I drove through the night last night, and all day. I must have nodded off.”

“It’ll drop well below freezing tonight,” she said.

“I know it, miss. I’m grateful to you for waking me up. This really isn’t like me.”

“Are you all right?”

He took a moment to answer. “You know what? I could say I’m fine, but I already feel foolish. First, I made you spill coffee on me. Now I’m asleep in your parking lot. I know this doesn’t seem normal.”

“It’s a bit weird,” Elle said, “but I don’t mind. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’ve got a lot on my mind. I’ll have to find somewhere to stay.”

“There’s a motel on the way into town.”

“I remember that,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll have vacancies.”

“I hope so,” Elle said. “I’m not sure there’s any place else you could stay.”

“There’s the hotel,” he said, looking down toward the gated entrance to the luxury ski resort at the end of the street. The flames of its lamps glowed in the darkness. They gave the whole town a sort of old world, European feel.

“I hear that place is pretty expensive,” Elle said.

The man nodded. “Can I ask you one more thing?” he said.

Elle looked at him. For a second she allowed herself to imagine he was going to ask if he could come back to her place and stay with her. It was just a fantasy, a brief one, but she pictured herself sitting in front of her fire, this man’s strong arms wrapped around her protectively.

“Do you know where the funeral home is?”

She blinked. “The funeral home?”

He nodded.

Suddenly, it all started to make sense to her. He wasn’t a freak. He was
grieving
. He’d just found out someone had died. That’s why he’d returned to his hometown.

“I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I’m new here.”

“It’s okay,” he said, and turned the ignition on the truck. “Thanks for your time, and sorry for weirding you out today. I’m not usually like this.”

He pulled out of the lot and drove off slowly up the street. She was surprised to see that he was headed for the luxury hotel. She watched his taillights as they receded into the darkness. His truck would look strangely out of place in the courtyard in front of the hotel with all the luxury vehicles. She supposed a guy like him was used to looking out of place.

Chapter 9

Elle

W
HEN ELLE GOT HOME, KELLY
was waiting for her in the little stairway that led up to the apartment.

“What is it?” Elle said, worried that something had happened.

“I realized I hadn’t taken you out for a celebratory drink,” Kelly said.

“A drink?”

“Come on. Just a quick one. The bar’s right around the corner. After a shift like the one you just pulled, you deserve a nice cold beer.”

Elle smiled. It was true. If anyone deserved a drink, they did.

“Isn’t it kind of late?” Elle said.

Kelly scoffed. “We can handle it, can’t we? Besides, Gracie’s babysitting for me tonight.”

“You have a kid?” Elle said, surprised that she hadn’t guessed it. She was usually able to detect when a woman was a mother, even if she didn’t mention it.

“Almost,” Kelly said. “I’m a big sister. I look after my kid brother, Lucas. He’s eleven. Our parents died a few years back, and well, I’ve been looking out for him ever since.”

“By yourself?” Elle said, reappraising her new friend.

“Almost,” Kelly said. “If it hadn’t been for Gracie helping us out, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Elle reached out and patted Kelly on the back. She meant it as a sign of respect. For some reason, she’d assumed Kelly was just another happy-go-lucky girl, she certainly seemed that way. But hearing that she’d lost her parents at a young age and was raising her little brother gave her a heightened level of respect for her new friend.

A few minutes later they were sitting on large, leather upholstered stools by a beautiful oak bar. They were in the town’s most popular bar. It was a quiet night but the place still had a nice atmosphere, Elle thought. A big fire roared in the fireplace, warming up the place. A few customers were scattered around, drinking beers and talking among themselves.

“What can I get you, Kelly?” the bartender said.

“Elle, this is Harry, the best bartender in the Rocky Mountains. Harry, this is Elle, the second best waitress in the Rocky Mountains.”

Elle laughed. “Pleased to meet you, Harry.”

“You too, Elle. What brings you to our little patch of the world?”

Elle thought about what to say, but Kelly answered for her. “She’s working with me and Gracie.”

“I see,” Harry said.

Kelly ordered a couple of beers and Harry brought them over.

“So,” Elle said as she took a sip of her drink, “did you and Grace see the pickup in the parking lot when you left?”

“I didn’t notice one,” Kelly said. “Maybe Grace saw it, why?”

“It was the guy?”

“What guy?”

“The guy I spilled coffee on.”

“He was waiting for you in the parking lot?”

“No, he wasn’t waiting for me.”

“Then what?”

“He’d fallen asleep in his truck.”

“What? In this cold? I knew he was crazy.”

“He’s not crazy.”

“He’s pretty weird, Elle.”

“He’s got to go to a funeral. He’s grieving.”

“He told you that?”

“He asked me if I knew where the funeral home was.”

The bartender was cleaning some glasses and had overheard the girls’ conversation. He spoke up.

“Someone asked you for the funeral home?”

“Yeah,” Kelly answered. “A weird guy came into the diner today and made a scene.”

“The funeral home here in Stone Peak?” Harry said, looking at Elle.

“Yes,” Elle said.

“Did he happen to tell you his name?”

“No,” Elle said, looking at the bartender curiously. “Why?”

“What did he look like?” Harry continued.

“Tall,” Elle said.

“Muscular, tattoos,” Kelly added.

“What age was he?”

“I’d say about thirty,” Elle said.

Harry did a little quick arithmetic, then shook his head. “Holy hell,” he said.

“What is it, Harry?” Kelly said.

“He came back for him.”

“What?” Elle said. “Who came back? And for who?”

“It’s a long story,” Harry said, “but the son of a bitch came back. I’ll be damned.”

“What’s a long story?” Elle said.

“You don’t want me to go over it.”

“Of course we do,” Kelly said.

“You sure? It’s not a nice story.”

“Tell us,” both girls insisted.

“All right,” Harry said, “but you’re going to need something stronger than beer.” He poured them each a shot of Jameson’s whiskey, and a shot for himself, and the three of them knocked them back.

“All right, listen closely, I’m only going to say this once,” Harry said. “The man at the funeral home right now was the meanest son of a bitch that ever lived in this town. I mean, I don’t like to talk ill of the dead, but this guy, Abraham Snow was his name, he was a real piece of work. He was always a son of a bitch, but it really began to show itself after he got married. He married a sweet, local girl. I knew her well. He was lucky to have her but the son of a bitch never knew it. He never appreciated her. In fact, he wasn’t opposed to roughing her up every now and then. Back then it wasn’t the same as now. He could get away with it back then, especially because his wife was too afraid to go to the police about it. Anyway, one thing led to another and she got pregnant. The pregnancy didn’t go too great. He didn’t let up on the violence. He didn’t get her the medicine she needed. He even refused to get her the right food and nutrition and everything. Basically, he was just too mean to look after her.”

“So what happened?” Elle said.

“Well, it came time for her to give birth. It wasn’t going to be an easy birth, the complications during the pregnancy made sure of that, but to make matters worse, Abraham refused to bring her to the hospital when she went into labor. He was afraid of the hospital bill, and he was too cheap to do what was required.”

“That’s evil.”

“Yeah, I agree. I mean, apparently she’d been begging him to take her to the hospital but he wouldn’t do it. According to the report that came out afterwards, she’d been lying in a pool of her own blood for twelve hours before he made the compromise of calling his wife’s sister. When the sister got there she knew she was too late. The mother was already dead.”

“That’s awful,” Kelly said.

“And what about the baby?” Elle said.

She looked at Kelly. Kelly was as wrapt in the story as she was, although she’d heard some of the details before. She still wasn’t sure though why Harry was telling it now.