closing.
The longer Karen stayed away, the more angry I became. She was being childish and petty, and she’d chosen to deliberately misunderstand what I’d said. Even if she walked through the door that minute and begged me to forgive her, I wasn’t sure I would.
I made about twenty calls before I managed to convince my cousin Bea to help out for a few hours. She had a few things to say about the late notice, and she demanded an exorbitant hourly wage, but beggars can’t be choosers. Bea is the oldest daughter of my father’s oldest brother, a force to be reckoned with under any circumstances. She’s organized and punctual. She’s also tall, slim, a natural blonde, and . . . well, bossy.
She showed up a few minutes before eleven and promptly took over. “So what’s going on with Karen?” she demanded as she slipped a gold-edged Divinity apron over her clothes. “Where is she?”
I’d managed to evade the question over the telephone, but it was a whole lot harder with Bea standing less than two feet away. “She’s tied up this morning,” I lied. “Something came up with one of the kids.”
Bea stared me down. “Really? I just saw the kids. They all looked fine, but Karen wasn’t with them.”
“Oh?” I tossed off a casual shrug and turned away. “Well, maybe I misunderstood then.”
“Sergio says she never came home last night.”
“He did?”
“Apparently, she accused him of cheating on her and took off in a huff. And she’d been drinking.”
Like I said, news travels fast in Paradise. I was too curious to resist. “What else did he say?”
“Only that she was staying here with you until she pulled her head out. So where is she?”
“Upstairs, sleeping it off. I was hoping Sergio wouldn’t have to find out.”
Bea laughed and set to work straightening the display of old-fashioned favorites we order from a supplier on the East Coast. Necco Wafers, Big Cherry, Zotz, Lemon Heads, Chick-O-Stick, Dots, and Crows, a dozen old-fashioned candy bars all crowded together on a glass table with retro lunch boxes from the fifties and sixties. It was a fun display, and one that garnered a lot of attention from our customers.
“Listen,” Bea said as she pushed, pulled, prodded, and dusted, “Karen gets emotional. Sergio knows that. This isn’t the first time she’s come unglued, and it won’t be the last.”
“So Sergio’s not worried?”
Bea shook her head. “She’ll stay away for a day or two, then she’ll wander on home and act as if nothing ever happened. It’s what she does to assert her independence.”
I had a hard time believing that, but I was hardly an expert on my family and their habits. “Does she always accuse Sergio of cheating on her?”
The little half smile on Bea’s face slipped. “No. That’s new.” She finished with the retro table and moved to the next display without missing a beat. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, though. I keep saying she should just tell Sergio she needs time away when the kids and the house start to feel like too much, but I don’t think she even realizes what’s happening until it’s too late.”
“We’re talking about the same Karen?” The woman Bea described wasn’t the cousin I knew, but then, neither was the Karen who’d calmly threatened to commit murder.
“They have their system,” Bea said, “and I guess it works for them. Who’s to say?”
Not me, that’s for sure. “What does Sergio do when she comes back?”
Bea picked pieces of taffy from the wrong baskets and put them where they belonged. “I don’t know. Probably nothing.” She stepped back to survey her handiwork, then shot a look at me. “What’s wrong?”
Too late, I realized I’d been scowling. It didn’t take a genius to see that Bea was familiar with the routine at Divinity, and I wondered if she was harboring bad feelings toward me. But I had deliveries to make, a room to set up, and contestants scheduled to arrive in less than
The longer Karen stayed away, the more angry I became. She was being childish and petty, and she’d chosen to deliberately misunderstand what I’d said. Even if she walked through the door that minute and begged me to forgive her, I wasn’t sure I would.
I made about twenty calls before I managed to convince my cousin Bea to help out for a few hours. She had a few things to say about the late notice, and she demanded an exorbitant hourly wage, but beggars can’t be choosers. Bea is the oldest daughter of my father’s oldest brother, a force to be reckoned with under any circumstances. She’s organized and punctual. She’s also tall, slim, a natural blonde, and . . . well, bossy.
She showed up a few minutes before eleven and promptly took over. “So what’s going on with Karen?” she demanded as she slipped a gold-edged Divinity apron over her clothes. “Where is she?”
I’d managed to evade the question over the telephone, but it was a whole lot harder with Bea standing less than two feet away. “She’s tied up this morning,” I lied. “Something came up with one of the kids.”
Bea stared me down. “Really? I just saw the kids. They all looked fine, but Karen wasn’t with them.”
“Oh?” I tossed off a casual shrug and turned away. “Well, maybe I misunderstood then.”
“Sergio says she never came home last night.”
“He did?”
“Apparently, she accused him of cheating on her and took off in a huff. And she’d been drinking.”
Like I said, news travels fast in Paradise. I was too curious to resist. “What else did he say?”
“Only that she was staying here with you until she pulled her head out. So where is she?”
“Upstairs, sleeping it off. I was hoping Sergio wouldn’t have to find out.”
Bea laughed and set to work straightening the display of old-fashioned favorites we order from a supplier on the East Coast. Necco Wafers, Big Cherry, Zotz, Lemon Heads, Chick-O-Stick, Dots, and Crows, a dozen old-fashioned candy bars all crowded together on a glass table with retro lunch boxes from the fifties and sixties. It was a fun display, and one that garnered a lot of attention from our customers.
“Listen,” Bea said as she pushed, pulled, prodded, and dusted, “Karen gets emotional. Sergio knows that. This isn’t the first time she’s come unglued, and it won’t be the last.”
“So Sergio’s not worried?”
Bea shook her head. “She’ll stay away for a day or two, then she’ll wander on home and act as if nothing ever happened. It’s what she does to assert her independence.”
I had a hard time believing that, but I was hardly an expert on my family and their habits. “Does she always accuse Sergio of cheating on her?”
The little half smile on Bea’s face slipped. “No. That’s new.” She finished with the retro table and moved to the next display without missing a beat. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, though. I keep saying she should just tell Sergio she needs time away when the kids and the house start to feel like too much, but I don’t think she even realizes what’s happening until it’s too late.”
“We’re talking about the same Karen?” The woman Bea described wasn’t the cousin I knew, but then, neither was the Karen who’d calmly threatened to commit murder.
“They have their system,” Bea said, “and I guess it works for them. Who’s to say?”
Not me, that’s for sure. “What does Sergio do when she comes back?”
Bea picked pieces of taffy from the wrong baskets and put them where they belonged. “I don’t know. Probably nothing.” She stepped back to survey her handiwork, then shot a look at me. “What’s wrong?”
Too late, I realized I’d been scowling. It didn’t take a genius to see that Bea was familiar with the routine at Divinity, and I wondered if she was harboring bad feelings toward me. But I had deliveries to make, a room to set up, and contestants scheduled to arrive in less than
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