expression.
Was his father a regular at the cafe? He must be. He suddenly
remembered Maura’s reaction the night before when he had suggested they meet
here for breakfast, her initial hesitation and then the too-quick agreement. She
must have expected Harry to show up eventually.
This was a damn setup. He should have known.
What happened to her? When they were wild teenagers in love,
Maura had been his anchor, the only bright spot in a world that had never been
all that great but had completely fallen apart after his mother’s suicide. It
was obvious that sweet and loving girl had disappeared twenty years ago.
“Low,” he murmured.
She sipped at her tea again and gave him an innocent look that
didn’t fool him for a second. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re a liar now too?”
Sage looked back and forth between the two of them, trying to
interpret the simmer of tension, but Maura quickly distracted her. “The
Christmas Eve ski is always fun. What else would you like to do this year?”
“I always love the wagon rides they have through Snowflake
Canyon to look at the lights.”
“We can add that to the schedule,” Maura assured her.
They talked about other traditions, leaving Jack to simmer in
his frustration. He had known he would eventually have to see his father. He
just hadn’t expected it to be twelve hours after he arrived in town.
Dermot must have remembered the vast rift between him and his
father. To Jack’s relief, he had seated Harry in an area of the restaurant that
angled away from them, out of sight of their booth. At least he wouldn’t have to
come face-to-face with the man. Even so, any culinary anticipation for the
cafe’s much-vaunted French toast had turned to ashes in his gut.
A bleached-blond college-age kid with the slouchy dress and
manner of a ski bum brought their food over a few moments later, three plates
brimming with golden French toast with little crackly pieces of sugar-coated
fried dough and sliced almonds on top.
“Hey, Sage, Maura. Stranger Dude. Dermot’s tied up in the
kitchen for a while,” he explained. “He asked me to take care of you. So if you
need anything else, give me a shout-out.”
“Thanks, Logan.”
“How’s school?” Sage asked.
“Good. I think I made the dean’s list. I had a killer final in
statistics, but I think I aced it. You?”
“Pretty good. Not dean’s-list good, but I was happy with it.
Did you have Professor Lee for stats? I’ve got him next semester.”
“He’s brutal, man.”
“Hey, I might need a ride back to Boulder after the break. When
are you taking off?”
“Haven’t thought that far in advance. My first class isn’t
until ten-thirty the Monday school starts, so I might get in a few runs as soon
as the lifts open before I head back.”
“I’ll text you after New Year’s to figure things out.”
“Okay. Like I said, if you need anything, let me know.”
The conversation between the young people gave Jack a chance to
regain his perspective. It wasn’t Maura’s fault Harry ate breakfast at the café.
He had sensed something off in her reaction when he’d made the suggestion to eat
here the night before and should have pursued it.
Besides, he was an adult. He could certainly spend a few
minutes in the same restaurant with the man he despised. Yes, it had been petty
of her to set him up like that, but if he were going to hold a grudge, he had
bigger grievances against her. As far as he could see, there was no reason to
let Harry ruin a perfectly delicious breakfast.
“So we talked about cross-country skiing and sleigh rides and
Christmas Eve candlelight skis. What else do I need to see in Hope’s Crossing
while I’m here?” he asked Sage.
She launched into a long list of her favorite things to do in
town. By the time she finished, even he was thinking
maybe Hope’s Crossing wasn’t the purgatory he remembered.
“Sounds like you two have plenty to keep you busy until
Was his father a regular at the cafe? He must be. He suddenly
remembered Maura’s reaction the night before when he had suggested they meet
here for breakfast, her initial hesitation and then the too-quick agreement. She
must have expected Harry to show up eventually.
This was a damn setup. He should have known.
What happened to her? When they were wild teenagers in love,
Maura had been his anchor, the only bright spot in a world that had never been
all that great but had completely fallen apart after his mother’s suicide. It
was obvious that sweet and loving girl had disappeared twenty years ago.
“Low,” he murmured.
She sipped at her tea again and gave him an innocent look that
didn’t fool him for a second. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re a liar now too?”
Sage looked back and forth between the two of them, trying to
interpret the simmer of tension, but Maura quickly distracted her. “The
Christmas Eve ski is always fun. What else would you like to do this year?”
“I always love the wagon rides they have through Snowflake
Canyon to look at the lights.”
“We can add that to the schedule,” Maura assured her.
They talked about other traditions, leaving Jack to simmer in
his frustration. He had known he would eventually have to see his father. He
just hadn’t expected it to be twelve hours after he arrived in town.
Dermot must have remembered the vast rift between him and his
father. To Jack’s relief, he had seated Harry in an area of the restaurant that
angled away from them, out of sight of their booth. At least he wouldn’t have to
come face-to-face with the man. Even so, any culinary anticipation for the
cafe’s much-vaunted French toast had turned to ashes in his gut.
A bleached-blond college-age kid with the slouchy dress and
manner of a ski bum brought their food over a few moments later, three plates
brimming with golden French toast with little crackly pieces of sugar-coated
fried dough and sliced almonds on top.
“Hey, Sage, Maura. Stranger Dude. Dermot’s tied up in the
kitchen for a while,” he explained. “He asked me to take care of you. So if you
need anything else, give me a shout-out.”
“Thanks, Logan.”
“How’s school?” Sage asked.
“Good. I think I made the dean’s list. I had a killer final in
statistics, but I think I aced it. You?”
“Pretty good. Not dean’s-list good, but I was happy with it.
Did you have Professor Lee for stats? I’ve got him next semester.”
“He’s brutal, man.”
“Hey, I might need a ride back to Boulder after the break. When
are you taking off?”
“Haven’t thought that far in advance. My first class isn’t
until ten-thirty the Monday school starts, so I might get in a few runs as soon
as the lifts open before I head back.”
“I’ll text you after New Year’s to figure things out.”
“Okay. Like I said, if you need anything, let me know.”
The conversation between the young people gave Jack a chance to
regain his perspective. It wasn’t Maura’s fault Harry ate breakfast at the café.
He had sensed something off in her reaction when he’d made the suggestion to eat
here the night before and should have pursued it.
Besides, he was an adult. He could certainly spend a few
minutes in the same restaurant with the man he despised. Yes, it had been petty
of her to set him up like that, but if he were going to hold a grudge, he had
bigger grievances against her. As far as he could see, there was no reason to
let Harry ruin a perfectly delicious breakfast.
“So we talked about cross-country skiing and sleigh rides and
Christmas Eve candlelight skis. What else do I need to see in Hope’s Crossing
while I’m here?” he asked Sage.
She launched into a long list of her favorite things to do in
town. By the time she finished, even he was thinking
maybe Hope’s Crossing wasn’t the purgatory he remembered.
“Sounds like you two have plenty to keep you busy until
Similar Books
