A Roux of Revenge (3 page)

“You’re probably right.” Janie shrugged and flipped over the sign on the front door to read
OPEN
. “I just feel like I’ve seen him around a lot.” She turned away, heading for the kitchen to help Sage prepare for the morning rush.

The bell over the door jingled just as Lucky finished laying out the last of the napkins and silverware. Hank Northcross and
Barry Sanders, two of the Spoonful’s most loyal regulars, came in every morning. Retired gentlemen, they were often together and were usually the first customers of the day.

Hank was tall and thin. His sparse hair, completely gray, was cropped close to his head, and he wore pince-nez glasses that constantly slid down his long nose. Barry, much shorter and very plump, was fond of brightly colored
shirts that barely buttoned over his midsection. Today he was dressed in orange and black plaid in deference to the season.

“Morning, Lucky . . . you too Meg,” Barry called out. “Jack around?”

“He’ll be here shortly. He’s picking up some supplies in Lincoln Falls.”

“You still let the old man drive?” Hank asked in jest, but there was an undercurrent of worry to his question.

Lucky’s
grandfather had suffered from wartime flashbacks most of his life. When she had returned home months before, she had realized that Jack had other, more serious health problems. Fortunately these had since been alleviated by medical treatment, but Lucky still worried about him.

“Couldn’t stop him if I tried,” she answered. Jack was the only family she had now. He needed to feel useful, and
she needed his support. There was no doubt in her mind he was essential to the smooth running of the Spoonful.

Lucky approached the corner table where Hank and Barry held court. “Coffee?”

“Yes. Perfect,” Barry answered.

She retrieved cups and saucers from behind the counter and poured two cups for the men. She placed them on a tray with a pitcher of cream and a sugar bowl and carried
them to the corner table where Hank and Barry were already setting up a game of chess. “Don’t forget Jack’s pumpkin-carving contest. He’ll be disappointed if you don’t both contribute.”

“We haven’t forgotten,” Hank spoke. “Wait’ll you see mine. I’m quite sure I’ll win.”

“Not so fast, you old coot. I’m gonna beat the pants off you.” Barry looked up. “What do you have for specials today,
Lucky?”

“We have three new soups. Sage has a pumpkin rice with Persian spices, he tells me. I haven’t tried it yet myself, but it smells delicious. And a zucchini leek with potatoes, and a beet, mushroom and barley soup. I’ve tried that one, and I really love it.”

“Hmm. I’ll have to sample every one of those this week,” Barry said. “We’re going over to the Harvest Festival later. I want
to pick up some vegetables from the farmers’ market, but I’ll be sure to come back for lunch. Make sure you save me a bowl of that pumpkin soup today.”

“I will, and Jack should be back by then.” Lucky turned back to the counter. Janie was staring out the window again. Lucky walked closer and stood behind her. The same man stood under the awning across the street. He had disappeared for a short
while and now was back.

“You’re right. He does seem to be around a lot,” Lucky whispered.

Janie had lost her father quite suddenly only four months earlier, just as she was about to graduate from high school. Doug Leonard had been a kindly man who adored his only child. When he died of a massive coronary, Janie was at first inconsolable. Lucky felt a deep empathy for the girl, especially
since her own parents had also been taken in an equally sudden fashion. Given Janie’s youth, Lucky knew how much more difficult the loss must have been. Lucky tried to always do her best to look out for Janie and make sure she was on an even keel.

“I wonder who he is,” Lucky said.

Janie, a troubled look on her face, didn’t answer. She turned away from the window and hurried into the kitchen.

Chapter 3

A
MOVEMENT AT
the front door caught Lucky’s eye and the bell jingled as Elias entered. She smiled widely, her heart lifting. She was thankful she no longer blushed furiously when he walked
into a room. He had been her mad crush when she was younger and he, older and unattainable. They had reconnected when she had returned to Snowflake and had been seeing each other for the past several months. Elias stopped in for lunch as often as he could. Lucky was surprised to see him at the restaurant this early.

“Elias! You’re early for lunch.”

He smiled quickly and grasped her hand,
then followed her back to the counter. “I just wanted to catch you before it got too busy here.” He sat heavily on a stool. He seemed distracted.

“Everything all right?”

“Oh. Sure. I just thought I should tell you first. I’ve hired a new doctor. Well, it’s a trial period to see how it works out. But I thought you should know.”

Lucky was thrilled. “That’s wonderful!” She knew Elias
had been working far too many hours, seeing patients in town, and traveling to Lincoln Falls for his charges who were hospitalized. This would mean they’d have more time together, something they had been missing since Elias’s partner at the Clinic had left town.

Elias smiled but made no comment.

Lucky poured a cup of coffee for him. “Some breakfast?”

“No. No. I’m fine. I just wanted
to . . . uh . . .” He hesitated.

Lucky waited, but Elias seemed to be searching for words.

The bell over the door rang again. Marjorie and Cecily, two sisters who ran the Off Broadway ladies’ clothing store, bustled in.

“Yoo-hoo!” Cecily called out to everyone.

“Hey, Cecily . . . Marjorie . . .” Barry responded from the corner, his hand raised.

Lucky turned back to Elias. He
was standing. “Leaving so soon?” she asked.

“Uh, yes. I just wanted to stop in and tell you the news.”

Lucky looked at him carefully. He seemed uncomfortable. “Elias, is anything wrong?”

“Wrong? No, certainly not.” He smiled in the sisters’ direction as they took stools at the counter. “I just need to get back to the Clinic.”

“Okay. See you later,” Lucky replied uncertainly as
Elias waved and hurried through the front door.

“Hope we didn’t interrupt anything?” Marjorie raised her eyebrows.

Lucky shook her head. “No. Not at all. Elias just stopped by to let me know he’s hired a new doctor at the Clinic.”

“Well, that’s a good thing. That man has been working way too many hours since . . .” Marjorie trailed off. She didn’t need to explain what she meant. Everyone
in town knew Elias had lost his partner at the Clinic after the murder of a winter tourist—a woman who had been the doctor’s lover.

Lucky poured two cups of tea and carried them to the counter. The sisters’ croissants with butter and jam were ready and waiting on the hatch. Sage, working in the kitchen, had no need to ask their order. Lucky delivered the food to the counter. Everyone knew
that Elias was stretched thin. But that wasn’t why he seemed distracted this morning. Something else was on his mind. What was he about to tell her before the sisters’ arrival interrupted him?

Chapter 4

M
IRIAM
L
EONARD RINSED
her hands at the kitchen sink, washing off a sticky residue of flour. She dampened a sponge and carefully wiped down her workspace and countertop. All of the pies were
set out, ready to be baked. The oven was still warming. She had prepared an apple, a peach and a razzleberry pie—blueberries, raspberries and blackberries—Janie’s favorite. Miriam dried her hands on a dish towel as she headed to the front door. She had heard the clunk of the mailbox earlier when the post had been delivered, but she had been in the middle of rolling dough and didn’t want to stop.
Flipping the towel over her shoulder, she opened her front door. A willow wreath decorated with mini pumpkins rattled against the glass window.

She flipped open the lid of the metal mailbox and, reaching in, retrieved a few envelopes. She stepped back inside and pushed the front door shut with her shoulder and dropped the mail on the hallway table—more bills, she was certain. She turned away
to head back to the kitchen but hesitated. Something was different. She picked up the three envelopes—an electric bill, a statement from the dentist and a small blank parchment-like envelope. She turned it over. How did this arrive in her mailbox? It was completely blank. No address and no return address. She ran her fingers over the textured exterior and turned it over. Sealed. She pressed the
envelope lightly. Something was inside. She sliced through the top with a letter opener and shook the contents out on the tabletop. One small, delicate flower with petals of tender blue and a bright yellow center lay on the polished wood.

Miriam’s heart thumped a heavy beat. The blood drained from her face. The room spun around her. For a moment she thought she would faint. She pressed her
hand against the wall to maintain her equilibrium. The blossom was a true forget-me-not. It was him. It had to be. He was the only one who would know what this wildflower would mean to her. She shivered in spite of the warmth of the house. How had he found her? And why after all these years? It must be him. No one else could know that this was theirs—a flower that had once held such meaning for them
both.

Miriam dropped the dish towel on the table and, clinging to the banister, slowly climbed the stairs to her bedroom. With wooden steps she approached the bureau and opened a tapestry-covered jewelry box. Pushing a small button inside, she released a narrow compartment at its base and retrieved a yellowing photograph.

He sat in a meadow, sunlight brushing his hair, a half smile on
his face that she remembered still. The photo still evoked the same vivid memories. It was late summer. A warm and golden day. They had each slipped away from the campsite and met in the meadow. She had managed to put a picnic basket together, with bread, cheese and meat. Once they were sure they were safe from prying eyes, they made love in the tall grass and fell asleep in the sunlight. She knew,
even then, with a knowledge only the young sometimes have, this would be the happiest day of her life. She had loved him in a way she had never loved since. She had been so full of hope for all that life promised, never imagining her dreams would be torn from her.

She had secretly gazed at this photograph countless times. Now, with the distance of years, she recognized something poignant and
knowing in his face, as if he could foretell what was to come for both of them. The real future that would be—not the one they had planned. Her hands were shaking as she slipped the photo back into its secret compartment.

She feared what this message might mean. Why now? What did he want from her?

Chapter 5

L
UCKY
F
LIPPED OVER
the sign at the front door. The restaurant was closed. Janie had left for home, giving Meg a ride. Sage was still in the kitchen, organizing pots and pans for the
next day. Nate Edgerton sat at a table near the window with Jack. Lucky moved around the room, turning off all but one of the lamps, and then poured herself a cup of herbal tea. She joined the men at the table.