“Your vibe, always taking care of everybody. That’s all.”
“It’s my job,” I muttered.
“You’re not a cop,” she pointed out.
“No, but Rex asked me to stop by and check on the place, like I told you last night,” I returned just as pointedly.
“I can’t wait to meet her. Can I go over after school today?”
“I don’t know. She might not want surprise guests.”
Allie sighed heavily. She’d perfected the art of sighing. As of late, every sigh was imbued with shades of meaning, all of which I was supposed to intuit even if she didn’t elaborate.
“We’re her neighbors. She’ll feel all alone and unwelcome. Plus, you went by acting like you were a cop,” she added.
“I made sure to tell her I was not a cop and explained that Rex asked me to stop by and check on the place.” I felt more defensive than I wanted to. Lately, my daughter had the unique ability to elicit a sense of defensiveness over the most minor things.
“I’ll take you over there this weekend. How’s that?”
Allie bounced her heels on the floorboard. “That’d be great.”
I turned onto Main Street, watching as golden leaves scudded across the road in front of us. We were headed into autumn, and the leaves were starting to fall from the birch and cottonwood trees. Most of the forests around Willow Brook were evergreen, but there were clusters of birch and cottonwood.
We drove past Willow Brook Fire & Rescue, and the parking lot was noticeably full. Rex was probably having a meeting over on the police side, or one of the other crews was having a staff meeting. The sign for Firehouse Café appeared ahead, its bright red lettering announcing the town’s favorite—and only—coffee shop. Other places served coffee, but it wasn’t the main draw. I couldn’t imagine anyone even trying to compete with Firehouse Café.
Moments later, I’d parked, and Allie was already hurrying out of the truck. “We don’t have time to hang out,” I called as I caught up to her.
“I know, Dad. My first class starts in twenty minutes. That gives us ten minutes here, five minutes to the school, and five minutes for me to get in the building and to class. Plenty of time.” She tapped her watch for emphasis.
Chuckling, I followed her in the café. The scents of fresh coffee and baked goods filled my senses. Allie skipped to the line and tapped the shoulder of a man waiting.
He glanced back, a smile cracking open on his face. “Well, hey, Allie.” Beck’s eyes lifted to mine. “Good to see you, Graham. How’re you two doing this morning?”
“I’m getting a cranberry orange scone before school,” Allie whispered conspiratorially.
Beck nodded solemnly. “Good call. You should get two and sneak one into class.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, dude.”
Beck flashed a grin. “Sorry. I always snuck food in school. You did too.”
I sighed. “I know. I just don’t want her to get in trouble the way I did. She’s a straight-A student.”
“Fair enough. Don’t do what your dad and I did,” Beck added, pulling one of Allie’s curls and letting it go with a bounce.
He was next in line, and Allie prodded him in the back when the couple in front of him stepped out of the way. “Hurry up. I have a time limit, or I’ll be late for school.”
“Go ahead. I can wait.” Beck gestured for us to step in front of him.
“You don’t mind?” I asked.
“Nah.” He shook his head quickly.
“I’ll cover your coffee then. You getting a shot in the dark?”
Beck nodded.
“Did you do that just so Dad would buy your coffee?” Allie asked pointedly.
Beck threw his head back with a laugh. “Nah, I’m not that slick. Honestly, I just wanted you to make it to school on time. I can be chatty. Janet knows that.”
Janet smiled amongst the three of us. “That I do,” she agreed. “What’ll it be?”
“Can I get two cranberry orange scones and—” Allie began.
“No coffee,” I cut in.
Janet chuckled. “You’re too young for coffee, dear.”
Allie groaned.
“Hot chocolate is what you want, right?” I pressed.
Allie brightened instantly with an enthusiastic nod. I ordered Beck’s and my coffee, and we stepped out of the way to wait while Janet prepped everything. “Heard you have a new neighbor,” she commented.
“We do. It’s Harold’s granddaughter. Do you know her?”
“I met her this morning. She’s right over there.” Janet pointed toward the windows to the side of the café.
All three of us swiveled to look where she pointed. Madison sat at a table. Sunshine was falling through the window, creating shimmery glints of gold amidst her dark locks. She was stunning.
Allie swung to me, her eyes wide. “Can I go meet her?”
“You can’t be late for school,” I warned.
“I won’t.” Allie didn’t wait before she skipped across the café as Janet chuckled.
“You can be grateful your teenager isn’t sullen and hates to talk to adults,” she offered encouragingly.
I’d known Janet for as long as I could remember. Growing up in Willow Brook, I had memories of my parents bringing me here when she owned the place with her late husband. He passed away after an accident on an icy highway, and she carried on with her warm smile, her kind brown eyes, and her familiar dark hair streaked with silver that she almost always wore in a braid. She felt like a grandmother to me.
“I know I’m lucky,” I replied. “She’s a good kid.” My eyes flicked to Beck. “Can you grab our stuff when it’s ready?”
He nodded. “You got it. I’ll bring it over.”
Crossing the small café, I tried to ignore the subtle buzz of electricity that set to thrumming in my body. When I stopped by the table, I caught the tail end of my daughter’s comment.
“I live next door with my dad. He’s the one who pretended to be a cop and showed up asking who you were,” Allie explained.
Stopping beside the table, I glanced at Allie and shrugged. “I stopped by because Rex asked me to. Did you introduce yourself?”
“Of course, I might have forgotten to tell you my name, though. I’m Allie, Allie Holden. This is my dad. He’s a hotshot firefighter. He’s nice, although he probably seemed a little bossy when he acted like you were a criminal.”
Madison’s eyes swung to mine. I felt a little jolt, as if a tiny bolt of lightning struck me, when her pretty green eyes collided with mine. Her face was fresh and pink-cheeked. She had this sultry, wholesome vibe that confused me. She was almost too pretty for it.
I tried to tell myself I needed to give her more of a chance. It’s just she reminded me too much of Allie’s mother, who was long gone. She’d been mostly absent from Allie’s life since a month after she was born.
“Hi, Graham,” Madison said, dipping her head.
“Do you go by Madison or Maddie?” Allie interjected.
Madison’s lips twitched at the corners. “Both, so take your pick.”