Secret Santa (12 page)

Will looked so eager that Kenna couldn't
refuse. Besides, now that she had worked herself up when she was
scanning the crowd, she thought some company for a while longer
would be a good distraction. "That would be lovely," Kenna said as
she and Will locked eyes. He smiled at her, showing the dimple in
this cheek. Then he gently placed his hand at the small of her back
and applied slight pressure to move her in the direction of the
car.

‘Car’ wouldn't be the proper term for the
vehicle she approached. It was shiny and new with a huge metal
grill. As she looked at the Ford F-250 truck, she was very glad she
had decided on pants. She wasn't entirely sure how she could
gracefully climb into the truck if she had worn a skirt.

Will's hand dropped from the small of her
back and reached around her to open the door. He held out his hand
and helped her in the cab just as if she were getting into a
carriage in Regency England, a smile tugging on her lips at the
thought. She took in the clean interior with lots of knobs and the
soft leather seats. She was surprised to find the luxury of the
interior was almost equal to that of her BMW. It just all appeared
larger, especially the man who climbed in with the natural grace of
getting in and out of a pickup for his whole life. She certainly
didn't have anything like him in her BMW.

Will started the truck, angled out of the
barn area and headed toward Keeneston Road. Will turned and asked
her, "What is your career plan here? I thought I should warn you
that the mayor’s nephew, Wayne Givens, is being pushed to take the
spot. He’s sitting for the bar for the third time next month. Are
you signed up to take the bar exam?"

"Yes, I signed up before I came down, with
the hopes of getting the job and needing to pass the Kentucky
portion. Luckily, I don't have to take both parts again as I
already passed the federal section when I took the exam three years
ago now. I'll have a lot of studying to do, but first I have to get
the job." She turned her head and focused out the window.

"And, if you don't get it?" he asked
softly.

"Well, if I don't get it, then I'll start
looking at other states. Probably move out West some place." She
opened her mouth, wanting to say more, but then closed it. They sat
in companionable silence for another couple of minutes until they
arrived downtown.

"We're going to the Blossom Cafe," Will said
as he pointed to the cafe across the street from the old
courthouse. Standing beside the courthouse was an old church, both
had historical markers. As Kenna waited for Will to come around to
open her door, she saw both were built in the late seventeen
hundreds. It looked like the stained glass rose window over the
massive wood double doors of the church was original. The
four-story courthouse was built with Kentucky limestone and framed
by massive white pillars along the street side, main entrance. A
single massive chandelier hung directly over the front doors,
casting a warm glow over the entrance way. Two statues stood out
front, a white marble statue of Lady Justice astride a massive
horse and a monument to the local heroes listed as POW and MIA from
foreign wars. It was entirely different from the imposing Greek
Parthenon-like courthouse in New York. The

courthouse seemed welcoming instead of
intimidating. Flowers and plants surrounded it, compared to the
concrete jungle of the big city. She was still staring at the
courthouse when Will opened the door and took her hand. His hand
was warm and slightly callused from the work on the farm. His grip
was gentle, yet full of contained power. Will helped her down from
the truck and moved her hand to the crook of his arm as he escorted
her across the street to the Blossom Cafe.

Blossom Cafe stood on Main Street in a
historical building, three stories high with tall, arching windows
painted off white. Beneath each window was a box filled with
flowers, potted plants, and small trees with twinkling lights. The
whole first floor was open to Main Street by giant plate glass
windows. Inside was awash in light. Booths with tablecloths covered
in glass and tables with mismatched chairs gave the cafe a clean,
down-home feel.

Will opened the front door and ushered Kenna
in. An elderly lady looked up from where she was chatting at a
table and waved. Will waved back and pointed Kenna to an open booth
in the back. As they walked past the packed tables, talk of the
patrons quieted and then grew even louder as soon as Kenna and Will
sat down. An elderly woman bustled over. Eyes twinkling and note
pad at the ready, she stopped in front of the table. Her feet,
encased in bright white orthopedic shoes, were practically dancing
with excitement. She was small, barely over five feet, but she had
the look of strength about her. Kenna was pretty sure if Miss Daisy
were walking the streets of New York, a mugger would think she was
easy pickings only to be thumped by a purse and grabbed by the ear
for a lecture.

"Miss Daisy, you ready to take me up on my
offer of a date yet?" Will asked, giving Miss Daisy a wink.

She blushed and smacked his hand with her
small note pad. "William Ashton, you devil. If I was only thirty
years younger.... But, look at you with your bad manners. Bless
your heart. If I didn't know your mama raised you better, I'd think
you were a total failure of a gentleman for not introducing me to
your lady friend." Miss Daisy looked pointedly at Kenna, and she
thought Miss Daisy said the words 'lady friend' a little
strangely.

"McKenna Mason, this young lady is Miss
Daisy Mae Rose. One of her sisters is Miss Lily Rae, your
landlord," Will smiled at her and then nodded his head toward the
back of the cafe, "and her other sister is Miss Violet Fae Rose,
but she's usually in the back, riding hard on the cooks."

"That she is. And you dear, you just call me
Daisy Mae. So, you’re staying with Lily Rae. Well, I'm sure she'll
feed you fine, but you just come on down here anytime you want to
eat. Most of the time, we supply some of the food to Lily Rae
anyway." Miss Daisy turned to Will, "You know Violet Fae will be
out to see you as soon as I put in the order. Do you both know what
do you want to drink?"

Will looked up at Kenna and signaled her to
go ahead with her order, "This raspberry ice tea looks great. I'll
have some of that," Kenna said.

"Sweet tea for me. Thanks, Miss Daisy," Will
said with a genuine smile for her.

Daisy Mae turned to Kenna, "It was real nice
to meet you dear, and I’ll be out in just a jiffy with your drinks.
Specials are on the board." With a wave, she walked to the back
with their drink orders. Kenna noticed her stopping at every table
on the way. Some quick glances darted her way while others openly
stared.

The bell over the door tinkled, and the
gazes of the patrons shifted from her to the person coming into the
cafe. Will leaned forward and explained to Kenna that the man was
Mr. Wolfe. He was a kind of legend in the town and the main source
of the Keeneston grapevine. It amused her to see him greet a
majority of the people there. John turned his attention to the
table where Will and McKenna sat. He began to wind his way through
the tables. He shook hands and nodded his head in greeting all the
way to the back.

"Uh-oh, here comes trouble," Will said as he
stood up from the table to shake Mr. Wolfe's hand. "John, good to
see you again." Will turned to Kenna. “This beautiful lady is
McKenna Mason. Kenna, this is John Wolfe.”

"I see you wasted no time is welcoming this
beautiful young lady to our town. I hope he's treating you well,
Miss Mason."

"He sure is, Mr. Wolfe." Kenna said.

"Little lady, you can call me John. I heard
a rumor you were in town to interview for the assistant D.A. job.
Good luck with that. I saw Tom this afternoon and told him I hoped
he’d give you lots of consideration. It wouldn't hurt to have a
pretty thing like you to counter his bad looks either!" John
guffawed.

Kenna felt her cheeks start to blush but was
more amazed he knew why she was there, not to mention his remarks
about her being pretty didn't seem to stem from sexism but from
gentlemanly manner. "How on earth did you know I was interviewing
for the job? Mr. Burns said the application process was
confidential and I haven't told anyone but Will and his father?"
Kenna asked.

Will's smile grew and he shook his head in
slight bafflement. "We don't know how he does it, but John always
finds everything out. He has for as long as I've known him. The
prevailing town theory is he bugged the whole city. Either that or
he has a magic crystal ball. We can't decide and John has never
revealed his sources."

Miss Daisy appeared behind John carrying
their drinks, "What's this I hear? John, did you say McKenna is
here to apply for the assistant D.A. job?"

Kenna cringed. Miss Daisy had not only asked
her question loudly, she did it in such a way that her voice
projected through the whole cafe. Kenna saw another white head of
hair pop out the back servers’ window and figured that was Miss
Violet. All conversation had stopped, and the only noise was chair
legs scrapping the floor as the patrons angled toward her awaiting
an answer.

"You better just come clean with the group,"
Will said.

His smile was starting to irritate her. He
wasn't the least bit surprised or embarrassed that half the town
was blatantly staring and patiently waiting for her to answer.

"Um," she cleared her throat and then
decided if this was turning into a sudden cross-examination, then
she better act like the accomplished attorney she was. She scooted
to the end of the booth and stood up. Her hands were sweaty and she
felt slightly confused by the attention. She put on her best lawyer
face, which consisted of softening her face and attaching a small,
polite smile. She clasped her hands in front of her and spoke in
her courtroom voice, "Yes, I've come from New York to apply for the
assistant D.A. job. Will has been showing me around this lovely
town that I hope will soon be home." She gave one more smile and
went to sit down.

"Excuse me, Miss, but what does a big shot,
city lawyer know about Keeneston? Why did you leave? You weren't
busted in one of those sex-for-hire stings that brought down the
governor up there were you?" asked a man who looked to be one
hundred years old.

Kenna froze. She wasn't completely prepared
to tell them why she had left. She couldn't just announce to a
group of people that she fled for her life and hoped to hide out
here until she could figure out what to do. Stick to the truth, she
thought. It makes the lies easier to remember later. She placed her
lawyer face back on and even managed a little laugh, "No, no. No
sex scandals, I'm sorry. But if you really want, you can walk me
home tonight and we can start our own rumors," she joked and then
threw in a wink. The place erupted into laughter, but she knew it
wouldn't placate them. So she added, "I was just tired of the long
hours, the lack of appreciation for my work, and I was firmly stuck
in the litigation department. I wanted a change. My nana was great
friends with Mrs. Ashton, Will's Grandmother, so I thought this
would be a great place to be able to make a home. So far it has
exceeded expectations. Are there any more questions?" Kenna looked
around, hoping there were no more to come but saw a hand raised
toward the front. A group of teenagers wearing letter jackets were
all pushing the leader to his feet.

The pimply, but surprisingly tall, muscled
young man stood up, "Umm, I was… I mean, we were wondering if
you’re single or if you're married to some fella’?" His face
flushed red and even the tips of his ears appeared to be
burning.

Kenna was shocked by the personal question
and thought everyone else would be. But as she looked around,
clearly everyone was very interested in her answer. "No, I'm not
and have never been married," she said in a slightly shell-shocked
voice.

She saw another young man stand up, "Are you
dating Coach?"

Now she was just confused. Apparently the
group was more interested in her personal life than her
professional one. She had been expecting questions about her
beliefs in capital punishment or stiff jail terms, not if she was
romantically involved with someone. "Who is Coach?" she asked the
young man.

"He is," the boy pointed to Will.

Will raised his hand, "Guilty. I help coach
the Keeneston High School football team."

Kenna's mouth was frozen in an “O” shape and
she turned back to the boy, "Well, in that case, no. We're not
dating. Actually, today is the first time I've seen him since I was
twelve." Some of the younger men in the cafe were smiling and
trying to grab her attention. She couldn't believe this. Pretty
soon she might be auctioned off for dates.

She almost groaned aloud when she saw yet
another hand rise. This one belonged to a middle-aged soccer mom.
She was sitting at a table with her husband and two boys dressed in
some sort of sports uniform. Kenna gave a slight nod to acknowledge
the mother.

The mom put down her hand and stood up,
nodding hello’s to some people in the crowd, "Where are your people
from?" she asked and continued to stand.

Somewhat perplexed at the question, Kenna
answered. "Well, I was born in Liverpool, New York. It's just
outside Syracuse. My parents met at Syracuse University and we
moved to New York City when I was ten." Kenna smiled at the soccer
mom to indicate she was done and waiting for Part Two. This was
starting to turn into a toughest interview she had ever had. She
glanced quickly at Will and smothered her irritation at the fact he
was lounging in the booth with a huge Cheshire cat grin on his
face. At least one of them found this amusing.

"What do your parents think of you moving so
far away? Are they considering moving closer as well?" The soccer
mom sat down, indicating the end of her line of questioning.