“Margaret wanted me to tell you that she transferred your first payment into your account. She did it from her phone, which surprised the hell out of me. She must have your banking information.”
“She asked me for it last week.” Mabel slipped her cell out of her pocket as they strolled toward the Five and Dime. The light from the screen illuminated her face. “Wow, it’s all there. Five thousand dollars,” she breathed, staring at the screen.
He wanted to be happy for her, but a twist of trepidation tightened in his chest. Why did this make him so nervous? It wasn’t like he wanted her to be penniless, and she’d clearly earned her compensation. It had to be the encounter with the chefs. That had thrown him. He hadn’t expected it, and he did have his own baggage when it came to the city. He ignored the pang in his chest and focused on Mabel and her accomplishment. “You did it. You beat everyone’s expectations by a mile,” he said as they approached the window the shop used to sell ice cream after the store had closed.
She stared up at him. “We did it, Cal. You, me, and the entire town.”
Right there, in the middle of Main Street, his worries melted away. It was as if everything disappeared, and only the two of them existed. He wanted to kiss her—to take her into his arms and never let go. He gazed into the eyes of the woman who held his heart in her hands.
“What’ll it be?” a teenage girl called from the opening, bringing him back to reality.
Mabel leaned her elbows on the counter and peered at the tubs of ice cream. “He’ll have a scoop of Rocky Road, and I’ll have whatever your newest flavor is.”
Going all broody, he raised an eyebrow. “How do you know I still like Rocky Road?”
She mirrored his expression. “Do you?”
He chuckled, unable to keep a straight face. “Yes.”
“Score another win for Mabel Muldowney,” she said with a fist pump.
“That’ll be five dollars,” the teen said, handing over the cones.
Mabel took the ice cream, then gestured toward him with her head. “Mr. Moneybags is paying.”
Sweet Christ! This woman!
He took out his wallet, paid, then turned to find Mabel staring down Main Street, taking in the activity.
“What flavor did you end up with?” he asked as she handed him his cone.
She took a bite and hummed. “Something wonderful with strawberries and graham crackers,” she answered, then glanced down the street again as her expression grew somber. “I thought we could take a little walk. There’s somewhere I’d like to go.”
He nodded. He had a good idea of the destination she had in mind. “How about we make your stop first, then there’s someplace I’d like to take you to celebrate.”
She perked up as they started down the sidewalk. “Oh yeah?”
He took a bite of his ice cream as a trio of children ran past them. “Yep, even your father approves.”
“My father?” she echoed, her eyes going wide.
“He said that you deserved to have some fun tonight after working so hard today.”
“Did he? That’s awfully un-Elias Muldowney-like of him,” she answered through a bite of ice cream.
“I also think he might have a girlfriend. That might have something to do with it,” he added, suppressing a grin.
“Claudine?” she offered up.
“Yeah.”
Mabel sighed as she gestured for them to cross the street. “I’m happy for him. He’s been alone a long time.”
“I can’t figure out when it happened, and I live next door to him,” he replied as they passed the church. He was right on his hunch. She wanted to visit her brother.
“You’d be surprised how much a person can hide.” A thread of melancholy wove its way through her words.
She had to be talking about New York. He hadn’t pressed her on exactly what happened that made her hightail it home. But now wasn’t the time to open up that Pandora’s box.
She rested her hand on the gate that led to the Elverna Cemetery. “I haven’t been to see him yet,” she said, staring into the darkened churchyard.
“Do you want to go in?” he asked gently.
She reached for the M charm but stayed put. “It’s hard to believe he’s buried in there. Every time I leave my room, I half expect to see him open the door to his room and have the two of you barrel out and thunder down the steps.”
Cal swallowed past the lump in his throat. He missed those days, too.
“Jamie would be proud of you, Mabel. But you know that you could do no wrong in his eyes,” he said softly.
He wanted to say more—so much more. He wanted to tell her everything. He wanted her to know what he and Jamie had talked about the day her brother had died. One minute, his best friend had been there, and the next, he was gone. Cal stared ahead. The moon lit the gravestones in a hazy glow, and his gaze traveled from the ones with Muldowney etched into the stone to the two with Horner carved into the slabs of granite.
Maybe it was the right time to tell her.
“Mabel—” he began, but she cut him off.
“I didn’t think I could do it again,” she said, her voice barely a whisper as she stared at Jamie’s headstone.
“What do you mean?” he asked, pulling his gaze from the cemetery, but she shook her head.
She brushed a tear from her cheek. “We should be celebrating. You said you had somewhere you wanted to take me?”
There would be time to talk. But she was right. Tonight, they’d celebrate. He cupped her face in his hand. “Are you up for a little drive?”
She blinked back tears and smiled up at him. “I’d like that.”
Side by side, they finished their ice cream as they walked down the street to where he’d parked his truck. Lost in her thoughts, Mabel was quiet as they drove out of town. He continued on in the darkness, driving the old country roads and taking the familiar turns. The constancy and routine grounded him. It fed his soul and calmed his nerves. He could never imagine leaving Elverna—and something inside of him believed that Mabel was starting to feel that way, too.
“We’re almost there,” he said, squinting so he wouldn’t miss the turnoff.
She leaned forward and peered into the darkness. “And where would that be? I don’t see anything out here.”
He turned onto a dirt road and pulled over, hoping what he’d seen a few nights ago was still here.
“They switched fields,” he answered, purposefully being coy.
Mabel gasped. “Are you talking about cows? Please tell me that you didn’t bring me to go cow tipping?”
He laughed, cutting the ignition, then went around the truck to open her door. “Close your eyes.”
“If I hear one moo, Cal, you’re going to be in a world of trouble,” she chided as he helped her out.
“I’m ninety percent sure that we won’t run into any cows,” he teased.
She poked him in the chest. “Cal, I’m serious! These boots might look like regular old cowgirl boots, but I’ll have you know, they’re from SoHo.”
He raised her poking hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the center of her palm. “Who’s SoHo?” he asked. He couldn’t help himself. He knew damn well it was a neighborhood in New York City, but he loved this back and forth with her. And he’d clearly set her off. Even in darkness, he could feel her gaze bore into him.