Second Chance Cafe (5 page)

“Wait! Do you want me to drive over with you or anything?” He looked poised to get up and was already pulling his wallet out to pay for brunch.

She shook her head. “No, that’s okay. We could be waiting for hours.”

“I don’t mind.”

“It’s a family thing. Mandy would kill me if I introduced you to her ten minutes after she’s just given birth. I’ll text you to let you know how it’s going.”

“Oh. Okay, sure. Of course. Keep me posted.”

“I will.” Isabella paused at the dejected look on Ethan’s face. “You know, even if I’m not crazy about restaurant life, that’s your choice to make. We’ll talk soon, Ethan. I promise.”

“I’ll be waiting, Isa.”

* * *

Ethan sat alone in the booth, watching out the window as Isabella ran to her car and sped out of the parking lot. He tried to reason with himself, to talk himself out of feeling hurt by Isa’s words.

It’s a family thing.

That’s your choice to make.

Both comments hit that place in Ethan that always seemed open to being wounded. The inference that he was outside, that his decisions were his alone to make—in short, that he was alone.

Ethan bowed his head at the table.

God, you know that I wish I had a family—parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, people to care about me and bother me and share life with me. That I don’t like being alone. That I want someone else to have an opinion about my decisions.

He sipped his coffee, wishing that Isa had let him go to the hospital with her. Wishing that she’d inundate him with questions about his idea of buying a restaurant—or even argue and rant against it. Something. Anything.

It’s my decision.

She’d made that clear.

Ethan looked around the café. He could envision the way he would run it. He’d make it a fun place to stop in for breakfast or lunch. Maybe he’d decorate with firefighter memorabilia. He’d create new sandwiches and soups to serve—and chocolate-stuffed croissants for breakfast, of course. He started picturing the revised menu.

I could include my grilled tomato, chicken and cheese sandwich. And that seafood bisque I made last winter that the guys at the station raved about. Maybe my meat-loaf sandwich. Definitely my pulled-pork sandwiches with homemade coleslaw. My cherry-and-cream-cheese Danishes. My peach-cobbler muffins. I need to work on perfecting my corn chowder recipe.

His mind raced with possibilities. As Isa had described it, the little place did look dreary. But Ethan saw potential. He saw a warm café, brimming with people, with food, friends and life. The truth was that he’d already made inquiries at the bank. He knew he could most likely secure a loan.

He slowly stood up and made his way to the back where Mick kept his office. He tapped on the door.

“Come in!”

Ethan poked his head in. “Mick, can we talk?”

Mick’s eyes lit up with hope as he sat in the most cluttered office that Ethan had ever seen.

“I hope you’re here to tell me I’ll be going to Alaska soon.”

Ethan took a deep breath. He made his decision.

“Tell Miss Kay to start packing.”

Chapter 5

I
sabella jogged down the hospital corridor toward Mandy’s room. She knocked and pushed open the door. Leo stood in front of the television flipping through channels, and Mandy lay in the hospital bed munching on ice chips.

“What’s going on here?” Isabella put her hands on her hips. “I thought we were having a baby!”

Leo chuckled. “The contractions have slowed. They’re talking about giving her Pitocin to move things along.”

Isabella moved to Mandy’s side and squeezed her hand. “Hey, sis. How are you?”

Mandy bit her lip.

Afraid,
Isabella thought to herself.

“I’m not sure whether I want things to hurry up or slow down.”

Isabella perched herself on the side of the bed. “You want things to hurry up, Mandy. Trust me. Can’t you just imagine that little Romano in your arms?”

Mandy smiled at that, though the nervousness didn’t leave her eyes. “I am anxious to hold him. I wonder if he has hair.”

Isabella laughed. “Look at your husband. There’s a good chance.” Both girls looked at Leo’s full head of jet-black hair and giggled together.

“My parents are on their way from Evergreen,” Mandy commented.

“Want me to make sure they stay in the waiting room?” Isabella whispered, knowing Mandy’s mother’s tendency to want to take control.

Before Mandy could answer, she scrunched her eyes closed and groaned. Leo was back by her side in a flash.

“Contraction?” he asked, and Mandy grunted a yes, not opening her eyes.

“Almost over, Mandy,” Isa said, watching the monitor. “Baby Romano will be here before you know it.”

* * *

Four hours later Isa held her new nephew, Antonio Gabriel Romano, in her arms. At eight pounds and nine ounces with a headful of black hair, Antonio had stolen his aunt’s heart. Isa rocked him in her arms. The recovery room was full. Mandy’s parents and brother and sister-in-law hovered around Isa as she held the baby, and Isa’s own mother stood fussing over Mandy, with Leo next to her, beaming like the proud papa he was. Reluctantly, Isa handed baby Tony to Mandy’s mother. Her phone buzzed and she stepped outside to the hallway to answer it.

“Hi, Ethan!”

“Are you an auntie?”

Isa smiled, leaning back against the wall. “Yes. We say
la zia
for
aunt
in Italian. Tony is gorgeous. Mandy was incredible. She was afraid at first, but she ended up having to help calm Leo down. He nearly fainted.”

Ethan laughed. “Were you in the room with them?”

“Yes. Leo was so jittery when it was time to push that Mandy insisted I stay for support in case we lost him.”

“Will you be staying all night?”

“No.” Isabella yawned. “Leo’s staying with Mandy. I’m going home to sleep until my shift at ten. I’ll come back tomorrow. I can’t believe I’m an aunt!”

“Was that the first birth you’ve attended?” Ethan asked.

“My fifth. I have a lot of cousins, Ethan. Plus I assisted on a delivery in the E.R. during my first year as a nurse. What about you? Have you ever had to deliver a baby? I’ve heard of firefighters having to do that during emergencies.”

“No, thankfully. I’d be terrified. The only time I want to be involved in a birth is when my own baby is being born.”

Isa didn’t answer for a moment, her pulse leaping at the direction of the conversation.

“Do labor and delivery frighten you at all?” Ethan asked. Through the door, Isa could hear Tony cry and an immediate chorus of concerned voices. She smiled at the sound.

“No,” she answered. “The prize at the end is worth it.”

The door cracked open and her mother motioned for her to come back. “I have to go, Ethan. Call me tomorrow.”

“I will.”

Isa hung up the phone, but she couldn’t quite get Ethan’s words out of her head. The reality that he wanted children hovered in her thoughts.

He didn’t say
if.
He said
when.
He wants kids. Good to know.

* * *

The next morning, Isa planned to leave the E.R. at 6:00 a.m. and make her way up to the fourth level of the hospital. She wouldn’t deny that she’d taken every one of her breaks up in the maternity ward overnight. It was convenient working just an elevator ride away from her new nephew. After the exhaustion of giving birth, Mandy had chosen for Tony to sleep in the nursery, waking up every few hours to nurse. Isabella had been thrilled to be so near the new baby.

She knew she’d need to head home for sleep soon or she would collapse from exhaustion, but she wanted just one more snuggle with Tony. She grabbed a cup of coffee from the staff room and her purse.

“You know that’s not going to be strong enough, Isa.”

Isabella swirled around.

“Ethan! How did you get in here?”

He grinned and leaned against the doorframe. “Maggie.”

“How did you bribe her?” Isa asked, eyeing the paper bag in his arms. He laughed.

“Breakfast. Listen, I don’t want to hold you up. I figured you were going up to the maternity ward. I thought I’d bring breakfast for your family.”

“You brought breakfast for Leo and Mandy, too?” Isa asked, her heart softening.

“Yeah, well, cooking is my outlet for boredom. You know I’m used to working nights.”

“I know,” Isa said, moving forward and peeking in the bag. The smell of bacon made her stomach growl. “Are those homemade biscuits? You’re spoiling me,” she commented.

“I’m trying. And of course they are. It’s my first attempt to impress your family. So you’ve got homemade biscuits layered with maple bacon, melted cheddar cheese and butter-fried eggs.”

“Mmmm. It smells great, Ethan.” Isa took the bag from his arms. “So do you want to come up with me?”

He paused and Isa thought he looked stunned by the invitation. “I do, but it’s early and they might be sleeping.”

She nodded. “Thank you for breakfast, Ethan. You certainly know the way to a girl’s heart. This was really thoughtful.” They were quiet for a moment, with the smells of warm, buttery biscuits and maple bacon floating between them.

“Did you decide what to do about the café?” Isa made herself ask.

He looked down at his shoes. “Sort of.”

“You’re buying it, aren’t you?” Isa said, hoping she was able to mask the disappointment she felt. But one look at Ethan told her it had registered.

“I want to, Isabella,” he answered in a quiet voice. “Could we get together soon to talk about it?”

She clutched the paper bag. “We don’t have to talk about it, Ethan. It’s your decision.”

She saw annoyance flicker across his eyes. “I know that. But I’d like to explain some things to you.”

She didn’t mind the tension in his tone. If anything, the slight change intrigued Isabella. She nodded. “Okay. The next few days are really hectic for me, Ethan. And I want to be available to help Mandy and Leo as much as possible. So how about dinner Friday night?”

She almost laughed at how quickly the annoyance in his eyes was replaced with astonishment.

“Seriously? I’m graduating from the breakfast-and-lunch-date circuit?”

“It’s on a trial basis, tough guy. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” he said with a chuckle. “Friday. Let me know how breakfast tastes, okay?”

“Oh, I will,” Isabella said playfully, smiling as he walked away.

She headed up to Mandy’s room, pleased to find everyone awake. Mandy sat on the bed nursing Tony while Leo worked on his laptop. He jumped up at the smell of breakfast sandwiches, digging into the bag while Isabella relayed the story of Ethan bringing made-from-scratch biscuits.

“No one told me that your fireman can cook!” Mandy said as she lifted Tony to her shoulder and gently patted him on the back.

“He’s not my fireman. But yes, he’s got skills.”

Leo took a giant bite of a sandwich and closed his eyes. “I have to agree,” he said after swallowing. “That’s delicious.”

“Really?” Mandy raised an eyebrow. Isa knew that as a respected food critic and writer for
Denver Lifestyle Magazine,
Mandy held very high standards for food.

“As good as Myra’s Coffee House, Mandy,” Leo assured her.

“Here, hand over Tony so you can eat,” Isa insisted. She took her nephew and Leo handed Mandy a sandwich.

Isa walked with Tony over to the window, where she could see a light rain beginning to fall. The feeling of such a tiny baby in her arms filled her with contentment.

“Well?” she asked once Mandy had eaten half her sandwich.

“In my professional opinion? We’ve got a perfectly light, buttery, flaky biscuit that crumbles like I like them to. Strong melted cheddar and absolutely delicious maple bacon, just crispy enough to add crunch but still with plenty of flavor. But it’s the fried egg that brings this all together into one wonderful breakfast sandwich. This guy should be in the food business.”

Isabella sighed. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

Chapter 6

L
ate Friday afternoon Ethan looked at the faded sign of O’Brien’s. Despite the affection Company 51 had for the old café, he could readily admit the place needed some work.

“You just bought yourself a café!” Caleb said with a fist pump in the air. The two men stood across the street from the building, taking in the sight of Ethan’s newest purchase.

“I must be crazy. What was I thinking?” Ethan felt nauseated. Caleb howled with laughter.

“You were thinking you needed something to do until you’re back at the fire station, and this is it. Maybe it will take off and you’ll be a rich man.”

Ethan gave Caleb a doubtful look. “Most likely I’ll be a very poor man.”

“Hey, think positively! You prayed about this, right?”

Ethan nodded. “Yes. But it was a fast decision. And you know I’m still new to this. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to know that God was for it or not.”

“You mean He didn’t send you an email?” Caleb gasped, and Ethan rolled his eyes.

“No. Like you’ve told me before, I prayed and tried to listen for that still, small voice in my heart.”

“And you felt good about moving forward with the purchase?”

“At the time. Right now I’m feeling massive amounts of anxiety.”

“Totally normal. Let’s go inside, man. Mick’s last day is today, right?”

“No, he’s going to train me for two weeks. I’ve got so much to learn—buying the food, payroll, maintenance, overhead, marketing. I wish I’d paid more attention to the business classes I took back in college. I know it will take more than two weeks for me to learn the business, but I’m going to give it my best shot and learn as much as I can. I’m starting from scratch and it could be a disaster.”

“It’s going to be fine. You can do this. So should we go in?”

“Nah, I can’t right now. I’m meeting Isabella for dinner later and I don’t want to be late.”

“Dinner? Really? Finally?” Caleb said in mock amazement.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I don’t think I’ve ever pursued a woman like this before. I’m cooking for her, Caleb.”

Caleb grinned. “The girl has you wrapped around her finger.”

Ethan shrugged. “You’ve met her. She’s worth the effort.”

“Agreed. Did you tell her you signed the papers on O’Brien’s this afternoon?”

“It’s not really O’Brien’s anymore. I’m changing the name,” Ethan told him. “And no, I haven’t told her. She’s not a big fan of restaurant ownership. I’m a little worried she’ll back off if I tell her that I bought a café.”

“Tell her. You never know—maybe she’ll have some good advice for you.”

“I have a feeling her advice would be for me to run as fast as I can in the opposite direction from the café.”

“Which isn’t very fast these days. How’s your back?”

“Well, I had the X-ray at nine this morning and my doctor said that I can begin therapy next Monday. That’s a step in the right direction. Finally! I’m so sick of wearing this back brace.” Ethan refrained from going into detail about how the thought of therapy made him anxious and he still felt pain at times.

“Good news! I’m praying for you, buddy. Hang in there. I better get back to the station. And you know all of 51 is behind you with this café. It’s going to be great.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Ethan climbed up in his truck, as usual wincing from the soreness in his back, and headed closer to downtown to meet Isabella at a Brazilian steak house for dinner. Isabella’s choice. They sat in a booth near the front window and chatted about Ethan beginning physical therapy and Isa’s family’s adoration for new baby Tony. While their waiter shaved delicate, flavorful pieces of meat onto their plates, Isa gushed about how fun it was to have a new baby in the family, and Ethan gathered up the courage to tell her about the café.

“You’re just now telling me you bought the café?” she said in disbelief once he admitted that he’d signed the papers and O’Brien’s now belonged to him.

“I wasn’t sure I could get the loan. I didn’t want to tell you until I knew I was going to do this. And honestly, I thought it would take longer for the loan to go through and everything. Everything just fell into place and happened really quickly.”

“I see.”

Ethan hated that Isabella could be so hard to read. He had no idea of what she was thinking. Was she angry? Frustrated? Planning her exit strategy from his life?

“Tell me why you want to own a café,” she said finally.

He breathed relief. That he could do. For the next half hour, he told her all about his experience at the diner and his vision for the café.

“Owning my own restaurant was a dream I had when I was younger. Then I threw myself into being a firefighter and thought that the time had passed for the possibility that I might run my own restaurant. And I was okay with that, really. Being a firefighter is such a part of who I am. It was easy to give up on the idea of owning a restaurant. But now…I sort of feel like this is my second chance at that dream.

“I’m not giving up on being a firefighter, Isa. It’s only breakfast and lunch. I’m still planning to go back to Company 51. I’m not sure what my schedule will look like, but I’ll hire some help at the café. And the fact that it’s next door to the firehouse is obviously convenient for me. Mick’s going to take two weeks to train me in running the café, the bookkeeping and the purchasing. I’m realizing how much there is to learn,” he concluded. “I plan to serve
pain au chocolat,
by the way.”

“Well, that’s something,” Isabella teased. Ethan loved the way she looked whenever she teased him. The light in her eyes and the good-natured ease in her manner—definitely two of Isabella’s best qualities.

Ethan took in every aspect of her as she talked. Her mannerisms, the way she shook back her thick, wavy hair, the way she always seemed to wear dangly earrings and how great they looked on her. He wondered if she felt the attraction as strongly as he did. With every moment, every word spoken, Ethan felt more drawn to her.

She’s like a light. And I just keep wanting to be as close to her as possible. I’m not sure she even realizes it.

“Leo makes this cherry cassata torte—it’s incredible. You should try it.”

“I was wondering…” Ethan broached the subject warily. “Any chance I could meet this brother you talk about all the time? I know Leo and Mandy are preoccupied with the baby right now. But whenever it’s a good time, I’d like to meet them.”

Ethan found it to be a good sign that Isabella just looked at him in that thoughtful way she did sometimes, when he knew she was contemplating what he’d just said.

“So you really want to meet my family?”

“More than you know,” Ethan answered.

“And you think you’re ready for the Romanos?”

“Absolutely.”

“You haven’t said much about your family, Ethan,” Isabella said, curiosity in her voice.

I suppose I can’t expect her to give me her history if I won’t share mine.

Ethan folded his hands on the table. “I’ve mentioned before that my parents both died when I was in college. I was a late child. My parents spent much of their early married life trying to get pregnant with no luck. It wasn’t until several years after they’d given up that I came along. My mom was forty-five.”

“You were a late blessing,” Isabella surmised.

“That’s a nice way to say it, Isabella. Thank you. I was definitely a surprise. My father died of a heart attack my first year of college. He and I were never very close, though. He worked a lot running a construction company. My mom died of cancer two years after that. Neither of my parents had siblings. And I never knew my grandparents.”

“No cousins? No aunts and uncles? No, I guess not if your parents were only children.”

Ethan shook his head. Isabella’s expression communicated clearly her sadness for him but Ethan just shrugged.

“It was okay. And now—God helps fill the void. I only wish I’d discovered my faith earlier. It’s made all the difference. Especially now.”

Isabella’s gaze drifted toward the window and the busy street in front of the restaurant.

“But I did always wish I had siblings,” Ethan continued, not wanting to press her on the subject of faith.

“Is that why you became a firefighter?” Isabella rested her chin on the palms of her hands.

“One of the reasons, I suppose. The camaraderie definitely appealed to me. I also really like the hats.”

Isabella laughed and Ethan grinned along with her.

“Was your mother a good cook?” Isabella asked.

Ethan paused while their waiter refilled their glasses of water.

“Not really. She didn’t cook much. I grew up eating a lot of frozen dinners.” He laughed at Isa’s look of consternation. “Not everyone grew up with the famous Gabriel Romano cooking for them, you know.”

“So how did you fall in love with cooking?” Isa wondered.

“In high school my best friend lived down the street from me. His mother was a terrific cook. I spent a lot of evenings at their house. She cooked a lot of all-American meals. You know, meat loaf, cheeseburgers, pot roast and potatoes, chicken casserole. I realized that there was more to life than frozen Stroganoff.”

Isa gave him a small smile of understanding. She was quiet and Ethan waited for her to speak.

“I have a big family, Ethan,” Isabella said after a moment, her voice pensive. Ethan leaned closer with the anticipation that she wanted to share more with him. “My family means everything to me. We’re close. There’s drama. Everyone has an opinion about everything—but we’re all there for each other. I would like you to meet them, but I’m afraid you’ll be overwhelmed by the chaos that inevitably comes with my family get-togethers.”

Ethan grinned. “Are you kidding? I like chaos. I need more chaos in my life.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“Absolutely.”

“In that case, Ethan Carter, you’re invited to the Romano family dinner Monday night.”

* * *

“Can José make it to family dinner, too?” Isabella asked Maggie. Isabella stood with her clipboard while Maggie sat on a stool, carefully giving a twelve-year-old stitches for a minor skateboard accident.

“Are you kidding? Dinner with your family? He wouldn’t miss it. I stopped cooking the moment I found out I was pregnant. He’ll be salivating at the thought of a home-cooked meal. And Fireman Ethan is coming, too, huh? This should be fun.”

“Pishposh,” Isa said, pretending to brush off her friend’s comments. Maggie took a breath and sat back for a moment.

“Mags, everything okay?” Isa instantly asked.

“Isa, I’m seven months pregnant. At any given moment I’m having heartburn, being kicked from the inside or needing to empty my bladder.” She glanced up from her stitching. “I’m fine.”

Isa nodded. “But you’re on your feet so much. You need to go straight home and sleep until late afternoon,” she instructed.

“You don’t have to tell me twice. That’s my plan. You need to, as well. Those dark circles under your eyes need some attention.”

Isa stretched and twisted back and forth to loosen her stiff muscles. “True. I’ll see you both tonight at my parents’ house around seven, okay?”

“We’ll be there. But I’m not offering to bring anything. I’m pregnant, remember?”

Isa grinned. “There will be enough food for an army. I told my mother I’m bringing a date. Trust me, she’s going all out. It’s her way of trying to help her poor single daughter catch a husband. I didn’t offer to bring anything, either.”

Maggie laughed. “I love your family. See you tonight, Isa.”

* * *

Ethan stood nervously outside the Romano family home, holding a bouquet of flowers for Isa’s mother, the hostess of the evening. The door opened and Isa stood in front of him. She cocked her head to the side.

“Are those for me?”

“Only if you’ll share them with your mother,” he answered. Isa smiled as though she’d expected his answer.

“She’ll love you forever,” Isa said.

“That’s what I’m hoping.” Ethan stepped inside. The house was loud. He came to a stop in the foyer, absorbing the sounds and smells of a house so filled with life. He could hear music playing in the distance and raised voices speaking in both Italian and English. The house smelled of chicken, tomatoes, garlic, onion and olive oil. Children raced past Ethan and clambered up the stairs, yelling about who would get to play video games first.

“How was therapy this morning?” Isa asked.

Ethan shrugged. “It went fairly well. I’ll be going twice a week or more for a while.”

The visit had consisted of his therapist, Isaac, doing an evaluation and discussing the plan for Ethan’s therapy treatment. Ethan had liked both Isaac and Keira, the physical-therapist assistant. So he at least felt positive about working with them for the next several weeks. Ethan didn’t mention to Isa that he’d experienced some pain in the initial biomechanics and muscle-strength testing, which Isaac had noted and which had discouraged Ethan.

He slowly followed Isa down the hallway. The far side of the kitchen had large windows that flanked French doors. The doors opened to a huge deck where a group of people mingled, some sitting at an outdoor table. A woman who Ethan assumed was Isa’s sister-in-law sat on a swing, a swaddled baby in her arms. Another pregnant woman joined her on the swing.

“Maggie?” Ethan said in surprise. Isa nodded.

“She and her husband, José, have sort of joined our family. Maggie’s family lives way out on the East Coast. She moved out here years ago to go to college and then met and fell in love with José. The Romanos have made her an honorary member,” Isabella told him, and then introduced him to her mother, who smiled with pleasure when she accepted the flowers.

He was introduced to so many people that Ethan knew he’d never be able to remember them all. But one person in particular, Ethan knew he’d remember. Gabriel Romano sat in an easy chair placed in the kitchen just for him. Having met people with Parkinson’s before, Ethan wasn’t at all alarmed or uncomfortable with the way Gabriel shook almost constantly. Ethan took Gabriel’s hand gently in his own, noticing how attentive Isabella was to her father.

“Isa! Isa!”