Chapter Nine

“I haven’t walked this much in a long time,” Ally said. She and Jake were now walking what was quickly becoming, for Ally, a familiar route between Charlie’s and Peggy’s. “I mean, people don’t walk much in L.A.” Ally looked over at him and wondered what was on his mind. What does he think of me? she thought. Really. And what do I think of him? I am officially fiancé free now, but do I really want an instant rebound? Especially one who thinks yoga is hooey and hates big cities. Be realistic, Allison. You and Jake grew up on different planets. It would never work.

It dawned on Ally that she and Tim had been coupled for so long, she’d forgotten what it felt like to be single. Suddenly Single, Ally thought. Isn’t that a sitcom?

As they passed Bethlehem Bank & Trust, Ally mentally reviewed the disastrous twenty-four hours she’d just lived through. She chewed on her lower lip, something she always did when deep in thought. She was a little startled when Jake spoke.

“I heard about the letter,” he said. “From your…fiancé. Ex-fiancé, I guess.”

“Wait,” Ally said. “How’d you…?” She smiled. “Your mom?”

Jake nodded. “She called as soon as you left the house. Said it was pretty brutal.”

Ally just looked straight ahead. “Yeah.” She puffed out a burst of white breath vapor into the cold air. “You know,” she said, “that letter would be hilarious if it wasn’t so pathetic—if it didn’t destroy my life.”

“So, do you think he was planning this all along?” Jake asked. Ally stopped and put a hand on his arm. She looked at him, her mind racing, dancing across the last few weeks and months, searching for clues to the Tim mystery puzzle. Finally, she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. When she opened them, Jake was watching her, a curious look on his handsome face.

“I think so,” she said. “Now, I remember…about three months ago, we had this anniversary dinner—to celebrate being in business together seven years.” Ally flashed back in her mind to the mid-September celebration. They were sitting at a romantic, candlelit table-for-two in the Belvedere Restaurant at The Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. She could see Tim’s face, hear his exact words.

“Honey, I’ve been thinking, and I think it’s time I took a little bit of the pressure off you. You’ve been doing so much for so long. I need to start doing my part. Why don’t you let me take over the financial end? I’ll pay the bills, the rent, payroll, all that sort of thing.”

Ally remembered being a little thrown off by the suggestion. It seemed so out of the blue. But then Tim reached across the table and took her hand, told her how much he loved her, and how he couldn’t wait to be her husband. So, she’d just smiled and said, “sounds good.”

Ally searched her mind further, trying to remember the first time she met Brooke. Yes, she thought, Brooke started coming to class late that summer, sometime in August. It all makes sense. Perfect sense. Ally continued walking with Jake, slowly shaking her head as all the mental puzzle pieces fell into pathetic place.

“You’re right, Jake. It was a conspiracy, and I can’t believe I fell for it.” Jake stopped, and Ally realized they were back outside Peggy’s. She’d scarcely been conscious of the distance, the cold, the swirling snow. A text came from her neighbor Connie. Ally stopped to read it.

Sorry, Ally. All of Tim’s things are gone. The safe was open. The jewels are still there, but the cash is missing.

Ally looked from the text to Jake. She ground her teeth, steaming in a mixture of rage and relief. The asshole had taken the cash but left the jewels. “I don’t know what to do,” she said. “But I have to get out of here. I have to get back to L.A. and do something. Anything. Can you help me? I need help.”

“Of course,” Jake said. “Whatever you need.” Ally felt a little bad for him. He was just trying to be a nice guy, and now he’d inherited her pitiful drama.

“I think I can get a flight from Denver,” Ally said. “Flights should be fine heading west. I know the airport’s going to be crazy, but it’s worth a try.” Jake nodded. “I just know I’m going to go stark raving mad if I stay here. If I get the flight, do you think you could drive me to the airport? I know it’s a long drive, but I’ll pay for gas, and—”

“No problem,” Jake said before she could finish her thought. “Just let me know when.”

…

“Ally, there you are!” Noel lit up when she saw Ally step into the kitchen. It was as if she hadn’t seen her in a week. Peggy was there, too, and there were baking supplies spread out all over the center island. “Peggy’s teaching me to make mincemeat pie,” Noel said. “Did you know there’s not actually meat in it?” Ally managed a half smile. It was December 21st, and day two of her crisis was starting out even worse than Day 1, and she could no longer fake a good mood.

“You could join us,” Peggy said. “We really are having a lot of fun.” The radio was playing Christmas tunes. In Ally’s moment of intense stress, the familiar songs sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Noel and Peggy were both decked out in bright and cheery Christmassy aprons. Boy, would I love to just chuck it all and join you, she thought.

“I can’t right now,” Ally said. “I have a little crisis at the office I need to figure out.”

“Is it related to the Tim letter?” Noel asked.

Ally sighed. “Sort of.” She really didn’t feel like rehashing all the pathetic details. “You guys go ahead. I need to make some calls.”

…

“Ms. Henderson, I’m afraid your card didn’t go through,” the airline ticket agent said over the phone. At least the woman’s voice was pleasant. “Do you have another card?” Ally stared at the credit card in her hand. It was a company card that said Yogi Village on it with Ally’s name underneath. She checked the expiration date. It wasn’t due to expire for another three years.

“Maybe I didn’t say the number right,” Ally said. She gave her the number again.

“Sorry,” the agent said. “It was rejected again.” Ally closed her eyes and tried to calm her thoughts. One of Tim’s “new responsibilities” was to pay the credit cards each month. Why is this happening to me? Ally thought. She looked at the ceiling. Did I piss somebody off up there?

“If you have another card…?” the airline employee repeated.

“I’m sorry, I don’t,” Ally said. “Thank you for your time.” Ally hung up before the ticket agent could say another word. She flung the credit card across the room at the dresser mirror. “You asshole!” she shouted so loudly she wondered if Noel and Peggy could hear her downstairs in the kitchen. She was trapped. She couldn’t even get a flight out.

She was stuck in Bethlehem.

“Are you kidding me?” Ally flopped back on the bed and started to cry. Her life had been flipped on its head, and she felt as helpless as a baby chick in a lion’s cage. She imagined Tim and Brooke sitting on some beach, sipping fruity drinks with mini-umbrellas. Brooke was in a string bikini, Tim in board shorts. They were holding hands, lounging side-by-side in bamboo beach chairs, looking out at the clear blue water, toes dug in the warm, white sand. She closed her eyes and could almost see them basking in the tropical sun.

Tim, baby, will you rub some lotion on my shoulders?

Of course, my Brooke-let. Do you feel at all guilty about what we did to Ally?

Not at all, lover. She’ll be fine.

“Uggggh!” Ally flipped over and slammed her fist into a pillow and watched Penelope Pinkenstein fall off the bed.

…

Jake loved the feel of an ax handle in his hand. He loved the motion of swinging it, bringing the blade down dead center in a chunk of log. He loved it when it ripped straight and true with just one swing. It was therapeutic, and pretty good exercise to boot. Chopping wood took his mind off things he didn’t want to think about. Christmas Eve was just days away. Christmas Eve. The night he proposed in the snow, the night he pledged his heart to the love of his life. Christmas Eve. It had always been his favorite night of the year, their favorite night. And now he dreaded that evening like no other. That’s when his memories of her were sharpest, when she came to him, and he relived her painful last moments again and again. If only he could erase December 24th from the calendar.

He had come home to help out when his dad got sick. It was only supposed to be temporary, then it was back to New York and business and lots of money and success. He was a Harvard grad, and that’s what Harvard grads do. That was the life he trained for, the life he thought was his to live. He never expected Charlie to die. He always thought his old man was indestructible.

After the funeral, he agreed to stay a little longer, long enough to get Charlie’s ready to sell. But Jake hadn’t counted on how much he loved working at the diner, how good it felt to continue his dad’s legacy. He hadn’t counted on reconnecting with Kate again. Yes, there was Kate. He had tried to convince himself that the love he had for her was a thing of the past, but when he saw her, when she took his hand and told him how sorry she was about his father, Jake knew. He knew how much he missed that touch, how much he missed her. He knew that his first love was alive and well and living in Bethlehem, and he needed her. He knew then he couldn’t leave her again. He knew that her small-town dreams would become his, for he never wanted to spend another day without Kate by his side.

When he lost Kate, Jake felt as if life had dealt him a blow so cruel that the bruise would never heal. He’d lost his dad and his love a year apart, and his dreams had been blown out like a candle. He decided then that he would live on his own the life he’d planned to live with Kate. He’d stay in Bethlehem and try to make her proud. He’d carry on her simple small-town dream. He felt he owed it to her.

And he was doing just that until the day fate threw him a curveball. The Blizzard Blast took a turn, socked in the eastern seaboard, and brought Ally to Bethlehem and into his life.

As Jake cut into the wood and tried to push the memories away, thoughts of Ally floated into his mind. He felt a little guilty. This was supposed to be his season of mourning. It felt somehow wrong to be thinking of another. She’s all wrong for you, he told himself. Big city and little town don’t mix. He turned his mind to more mundane matters. According to the weather guys, it was going to snow Christmas Eve and then temps would drop into the teens on Christmas Day. He figured he needed at least a half-cord of wood, split three ways between himself, his mother, and his sister to get through the holidays.

He heard her before he saw her.

“Now, that’s something you never see in L.A.” Jake had just split a log clean in two. He turned toward the voice and saw Ally. She looked cute in a lavender parka, a white beanie, and yoga pants. He took his ax and drove it into the chopping block, then peeled off his work gloves.

“I guess not,” he said. “How are you?”

Ally shrugged and moved closer to him. “About as bad as could be expected.”

“You get your plane ticket?” Jake asked.

“No. For some reason they won’t let you buy a ticket when you haven’t paid your credit card bill for three months. The airlines are so unreasonable.”

Jake shook his head. “That guy really screwed you over, huh?” He could see that Ally had been crying.

“So, I just came over to say thank you for offering to drive me. That was really gentlemanly of you. But, obviously, I won’t be needing the ride.”

“You’re welcome,” Jake said. “It’s too bad. I have a pretty amazing road trip mix.”

“Oh, yeah?” Ally said. “I’d like to hear that for myself someday.” Jake felt himself blush. Even in her crisis, she was still charming. “So, I just spoke to my mother.”

“And how’d that go?” Jake asked.

Ally launched into a play-by-play of the conversation with her mother, imitating her mother’s voice in a Julia Child falsetto, making Jake wonder if her mom really sounded like that.

Allison, I hate to say this, but I think we need to call off the wedding.

Do you really think so, Mom? How did you come to that conclusion?

Well, it appears Tim is gone for good.

I was being sarcastic, Mom. Of course we should call off the wedding. There’s no groom.

Well, Pastor Mike will be so upset. I’m not sure how to break it to him.

Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll tell him.

I think that would be best. By the way, the hotel called and said your check bounced, so they’ve canceled the reception.

Thanks, Mom. I guess that’s one less call I have to make.

Jake laughed. She was naturally funny, and he was impressed how she could turn something so tragic into a mini-stand-up routine.

“You probably think I’m weird, huh?” Ally asked.

“Not at all,” Jake said. “I think you’re kinda brave, actually.”

“Brave? Wow, I’ve felt quite a few things the past twenty-four hours, but brave is not one of them. If you’d have said lost and confused and desperate, I’d have said check…check…check, but brave is way down on the list.” She met his gaze and smiled at him. Lovely smile, he thought. Jake looked away. She’s going to read my mind.

“I can read your mind, you know,” Ally said. Jake felt his stomach clench. Maybe she really can.

“Okay,” he said, trying to sound as casual as possible. “What am I thinking right now?”

“You’re thinking you could use some help at Charlie’s again this evening.”

Jake laughed. “That is exactly what I was thinking.”

“So, how about me?” Ally asked. “Last night waiting tables was kinda fun, and I made nearly fifty bucks in tips. Plus, as you can see, I really need a job right now. Also, to be honest, I could also use the distraction.”

“Okay,” Jake said. “If that’s your idea of a fun time, then who am I to stand in your way?”

…

After leaving Jake, Ally went back across the street to Peggy’s, where she had a lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup with Peggy and Noel in the kitchen. Sitting at the table, laughing and sharing stories, Ally felt a strange sense of euphoria flow through her. What is that? she wondered. Maybe this is what it feels like when you figure there’s no way things can possibly get any worse. Maybe there’s some relief in reaching rock bottom. Noel informed her that Brian had called to announce that the airports would be closed at least another day. Ally had to think for a moment to even remember what day it was. She just shrugged at the news. She no longer planned on going to New York anyway. Why bother?

After lunch, Ally realized how exhausted she was from the stress and announced she was heading upstairs for a nap, while Noel and Peggy settled into the den for a game of pinochle. Ally did a quick check-in with Devyn, who had no updates other than to say some of the clients were getting wind that something was up. Ally told her to just stand by and keep to the regular schedule until she heard otherwise. She reassured her manager that everything would be okay. That as long as they had the studio, they were still in business, and that was the most important thing. Then, Ally hung up, stretched out on the bed, and was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

…

“Shoot! You’re kidding me.”

Ally had intended to sleep for twenty minutes tops, but, when Noel wiggled her toe and woke her up, it was just after four, and she’d been asleep for nearly two and a half hours. Remembering she had the Charlie’s Diner gig, she sprang out of bed and headed straight for the shower.

“Knock. Knock. Mind if I tinkle?” Behind the waffle shower curtain, Ally winced as she heard Noel come in the bathroom and plop down on the toilet.

“No problem,” Ally called out. She realized she hadn’t spent much time with Noel since they left the airport. Ally loved the feel of the warm water sluicing off her head to her neck and down her body. She closed her eyes and rolled her neck. She had to learn to relax again.

“Seeing Jake again tonight?” Noel called out.

Ally paused a moment before answering. “Depends on your definition of seeing. I will literally see him, but I’m not seeing him, if that’s what you mean. I’m helping out at the diner.”

“Oh, that’s all I meant,” Noel said. “He seems like a nice guy. Though still on the mend, I’ll bet.”

“The mend?” Ally asked from behind the curtain. Didn’t know he was broken.

“From his fiancée dying.” Ally was stunned. Fiancée? Dying? “Peggy said it happened on Christmas Eve. Three years ago, I think.”

“Oh,” Ally said, playing it cool. “I didn’t know about that.”

“Oh, yeah,” Noel said from the toilet. Ally could tell from her tone that her roomie enjoyed having a scoop on her. “Her name was Kate. I’m not exactly sure what happened. Peggy didn’t want to go there. They’d just gotten engaged the night she died, I think.”

Ally felt a lump in her throat. She’d been so caught up in her Tim crisis, she’d been so focused on herself, and yet here was Jake—her surprise new friend—hiding a pain she couldn’t even imagine. “That’s so, so sad,” Ally said.

“Yeah,” Noel said. “So sad.” Ally heard her flush the toilet. The shower flow slowed for a second and then went back to normal. “Well, too bad you won’t be around tonight, Ally. Peggy and I are doing a Gilmore Girls marathon.”

“Yeah,” Ally said. “Too bad.” She was distracted, couldn’t get her mind off what Noel had just told her about Jake and his fiancée.

After her shower, Ally threw on a dark gray turtleneck over a pair of jeans. She checked her look in the mirror, adjusted her hair, and put on a smidge of eyeliner. No wonder Jake seemed so stiff and distant at times, and particularly now, so close to Christmas. Who wouldn’t be?

…

“Amelia’s ten seconds out.”

Jake caught sight of Amelia through the frosted diner window. She was crossing the street, heading straight for Charlie’s. Robbie was busing a center table and immediately left his bus pan half full and bolted for the kitchen. Jake smiled and shook his head. He figured, if the boy could hold out another week or so, the pretty coed would be heading back to college, and he’d be home free. Jake glanced at the wall clock as Amelia jingled through the front door. It was quarter past five, and no Ally.

“Hello Mr. Nelson.”

“Hi Amelia. How’s the family?”

“Great, thanks. To-go order?”

“Got it right here.” Jake fetched her brown bagged takeout order from the pickup window.

“Robbie working today?” Amelia asked. Jake nodded. Boy, if you had a lick of sense you’d know this girl likes you.

“He’s on break,” Jake said.

“Oh, well please tell him I said hello.”

“Will do.” Jake heard a familiar voice say hello to Amelia on her way out and looked up to see Ally coming through the door. He felt a sudden surge of energy. She looked so sexy in that tight-fitting sweater.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “My short nap turned into a long one.”

“It’s fine,” Jake said. “Business hasn’t picked up quite yet.”

Jake was impressed by how Ally seemed to just meld into the life of a restaurant server without so much as a hitch in her gait. She was a natural at the diner, and she’d managed to charm both staff and customers. He even noticed that old George Brown, the crusty retired school teacher who, as far as Jake knew, hadn’t cracked a smile since his wife Betty died two years earlier, seemed to light up when Ally stopped at his table. Old George sat up a little straighter when Ally was on the job, and Jake couldn’t help but notice the old codger tipped her thirty percent, twice as much as he tipped Libby.

Jake also noted how quickly and easily Libby, Robbie, and Louie took to her. Libby was usually a bit territorial when it came to Charlie’s, but not with Ally. Maybe that’s the yoga working its magic, Jake thought. Is Ally doing some Jedi mind trick? He smiled at the thought as he rang up a bill at the register, and then realized Ally was looking at him.

“What are you smiling at?” she asked.

“Yes,” Libby said as she passed by on the way to put in an order, “do tell.”

“I’m not smiling about anything in particular,” Jake said. He felt his ears burn red.

“Then, that’s a little weird,” Ally said. “Right, Libby?” She winked at him and seemed to enjoy his embarrassment.

“I agree,” Libby said. “People that smile for no reason need to have their heads examined.”

“Are you two ganging up on me?” Jake asked. He was glad to see that Ally had relaxed a little bit. She no longer seemed as troubled as she was earlier. Maybe there’s something to that yoga stuff, Jake thought.

The dinner crowd was down slightly from the night before, but there were still customers waiting to be seated. Jake thought Ally seemed happy as she moved from table to table, refilling mugs of coffee and glasses of soda and water, taking and bringing orders, chatting and laughing and teasing customers. She made it look like she was born in a waitress apron.

“Sure you don’t want to stick around after the airports reopen?” Jake asked her as she brought a bill to the register to ring up. “I can always use a good waitress.”

“Don’t think I’m not tempted,” Ally said. “If only I could figure out a way to combine yoga and waiting tables, I’d be in heaven.” She winked at him as she handed him the order slip. “Or, as you refer to it—new-age hooey.”

…

“Libby, you mind locking up tonight?” Jake asked.

“No problem, boss.”

Ally checked the Santa clock on the wall and noticed it was just after ten. The last customer had just walked out, and she was thoroughly exhausted—but in a good way. Waiting tables at Charlie’s kept her from thinking of Tim and Brooke, her frozen credit card, and her canceled wedding. She didn’t have the luxury of worry or hand-wringing. Maybe her life was crumbling, but table four needs a refill. No time for shattered dreams. Mr. Davis needs ketchup and some more napkins. A troubled and uncertain future must move to the back burner because the toddler boy in the window booth just spilled a glass of chocolate milk.

Ally felt energized at Charlie’s, and, though the idea scared her a little, she knew a good part of that was Jake. She just loved being around him. He had a way that made her feel calm, as if, somehow, improbable as it seemed, everything would be all right. Yes, he could be a bit withdrawn, but at least she knew why. And his gentle way and easygoing manner had a calming effect on her, even making her forget—for a moment—that her life had hit the iceberg and was sinking fast.

As she wiped down tables near the end of her second diner shift, Ally thought about what Noel had told her about him, about how his fiancée had died. She watched him saying goodbye to a customer at the door and wondered what that must have felt like. When she’d first met him, Ally was certain Jake wasn’t her type. She smiled as she remembered the town mouse and country mouse story she’d read in grade school. It fit them perfectly.

She sighed as she flipped the wet dish rag over and again thought of his tragic loss. Would Jake ever be able to open his heart again?