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Hayley
Hayley knew her presence wouldn’t go unnoticed for long. Sumneyville was a small town. Everyone knew everyone else, which meant once word got out, it would spread quickly. In fact, Hayley was counting on it.
When the sun was sufficiently high in the sky, she put her plan into motion. She cruised Main Street and turned onto Fourth Street. The old Victorian looked just like she remembered. Two stories, with a wraparound porch overflowing with flowers in pots and boxes. A wooden sign identified the place as the Sumneyville Bed-and-Breakfast.
A plump woman popped up from behind a lush blue hydrangea bush as Hayley pulled up to the curb. Even with the floppy, oversize sun hat partially covering the woman’s face, Hayley would have recognized Martha McGillicuddy anywhere.
“Hayley? Hayley Freed?” Martha asked incredulously.
Hayley got out of the car. “Hi, Ms. McGillicuddy.”
Martha came out from behind the bush, her eyes wide. “I can’t believe it! Look at you, all grown up now!”
Hayley laughed softly. “It’s been a while.”
“I’ll say!” Martha looked toward Hayley’s vehicle, as if expecting to see someone else. “Are you alone?”
“Yes.”
Was it her imagination, or did Martha seem slightly disappointed?
“Goodness, where are my manners? Come in, come in! I’ll put on a fresh pot of coffee, and you can tell me what you’re doing back in town.”
“Coffee sounds wonderful, thank you.”
Martha beamed. She peeled off her gardening gloves and ushered Hayley inside, looking as if she’d just won the lottery.
Like Martha herself, the kitchen looked much the way Hayley remembered it. Painted wooden cabinets with old hardware, appliance models that had been discontinued years ago.
Hayley didn’t bother telling Martha not to fuss. It wouldn’t do any good. “Can I help?”
“No, please sit.” Martha waved her hand toward the wooden table. “This will just take a bit. You know how the old coffeemakers are. They’re temperamental and they take longer to brew, but the coffee is so much better, I think.”
“No worries. I’m not in any hurry.”
The percolator began doing its thing, filling the room with the rich aroma of roasted beans.
“Would you like a slice of coffee cake? It’s fresh.”
“I’d love one, thanks.”
An invitation. An offer of coffee and food to be accepted. An exchange of polite banter. Hayley was familiar with the game. There were rules to be followed, and basic common courtesy was a requirement before they got to the good stuff.
Martha pulled two small plates from the cupboard, and then lifted the heavy dome of glass and sliced two pieces. The aroma of sugar, cake, and peaches joined that of the coffee, sending Hayley back to another time.
“It smells delicious.”
“It is. Normally, I make my own, you know, but I was at the Peach Mill yesterday, and it called to me.”
“The Peach Mill?” Hayley asked, unfamiliar with the name.
“Tina Obermacher’s place. You remember Tina. Her family used to own Obermacher Farms. She opened up a new place and—”
“Wait. Used to own Obermacher Farms?”
“Before that billionaire came in and bought up the land to keep it from being sold to that mobster developer. Oh dear! I don’t suppose you know about any of that, do you?”
Hayley didn’t correct her. The truth was, she knew quite a bit about Luther Renninger and his partners in crime. Obermacher Farms had come up several times since their once-substantial assets had been keeping Luther’s schemes afloat. Additionally, the eldest Obermacher sibling, Gunther, had been in tight with Luther. After Luther’s disappearance, Gunther had fled to Vegas and was under the watchful eyes of someone else these days.
For her purposes, it was more beneficial to keep the sharing to a minimum and let Martha fill her in.
“I’m sure there’s a lot I don’t know.”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d kept in touch with anyone.” Martha got two forks from the drawer, then brought the plates over to the table, and looked at Hayley expectantly.
Hayley shook her head, amused by the obvious fishing expedition. She’d expected no less. “Not really.”
“Ah, I see. I suppose you had your reasons.”
“I did.”
Martha continued to bustle around, going to another cupboard to grab coffee mugs and spoons. She poured fresh cream into a tiny porcelain pitcher, hand-painted with delicate flowers, then placed it on a tray with its matching sugar bowl.
Coffee with Martha was an event. Most people didn’t go to the effort anymore, but this was Sumneyville.
Martha poured the brewed coffee into a carafe and brought the tray to the table, finally sitting down herself. She poured a cup for Hayley and one for herself.
“You left so suddenly,” Martha said, adding sugar and cream to her coffee.
“I did,” Hayley agreed.
“There was a lot of speculation.”
“I imagine there was.”
Hayley waited patiently, knowing there would be more.
“There were some who believed you left because you were ... in the family way.”
Hayley kept her expression neutral. At least she now knew who Martha had expected to see in her vehicle when she arrived. “Is that what you believed?”
Martha’s cheeks grew bright pink. “There were rumors, you know. About you and the Winston boy.” When Hayley’s silence continued, Martha asked, “Have you seen him? Does he know you’re back?”
“No one does, besides you.”
The sheer elation in Martha’s face was tangible. She was ground zero, and she knew it. Hayley had been torn about who to visit first—Martha or Mona Delvecchio. Both were at the top of the Sumneyville gossip chain, but Hayley had always liked Martha better than Mona. Martha at least tried to observe social niceties. Mona was a bitch and a hypocrite.
Hayley was about to make Martha’s day even more exciting. “So, you’ve turned the place into a bed-and-breakfast, huh? How’s that working for you?”
“Good, I suppose. I don’t get guests often, but it’s nice when I do. Where are you staying? With your brother?”
Hayley allowed a wry smile to curl her lips at the thought. Daryl wouldn’t want that any more than she did. “No. I’ll probably head over to Mel’s after this and get a room.”
Martha looked horrified by the idea. “Mel’s? Why would you do that? You can stay here!”
Hayley shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to put you in an awkward position. Like I said, no one knows I’m in town yet, including my brother, and honestly, I don’t know how he’s going to react when he finds out.”
Which will probably be the moment I leave the room, Hayley thought.
Martha’s eyes widened as she imagined the juicy possibilities and the notoriety they would bring. Everyone would be flocking to her for the latest updates.
“Nonsense! I won’t take no for an answer. You’ll have the entire second floor to yourself, plus breakfast every morning.”
Hayley appeared to consider it. “In that case, I’d love to—on one condition.”
“What condition?”
“You let me pay your standard rate.”
Martha frowned and shook her head. “I can’t do that. I’ve known you since you were a little girl.”
“Sorry, that’s nonnegotiable. If you won’t let me pay, I can’t stay.”
Martha’s frown deepened, but she finally relented. Having Hayley around was too good of an opportunity for the older woman to resist.
The first step completed, Hayley complimented Martha on the coffee and cake and thanked her for both, and then she said, “If you don’t mind, it’s been a long drive. I’d like to freshen up before I make my grand reappearance.”
“Of course, dear. Of course. You go right ahead. Take all the time you need. We’ll catch up more later.”
Hayley retrieved her bags from the car and then went up the stairs, pausing when she reached the top. She could hear Martha in the kitchen, talking excitedly to someone in low tones.
Hayley smiled and slipped into the bedroom that would be hers for the foreseeable future.
So far, so good.