First and Again (10 page)

Chapter Ten

The next day in Celia’s shop, Bridget stared at her reflection as she sat in the chair in front of the mirror. Her hair had been washed and now hung in wet waves, sticking to the plastic cape slung around her shoulders. She glanced at her sister, who looked positively giddy at the prospect of getting her hands on her hair.

“Be gentle with me.”

Celia laughed and snapped her scissors. “I’ve got you right where I want you, sweetie.”

For the next fifteen minutes she watched nervously as chunks of her hair flew to the floor. At last Celia stood back and admired her handiwork.

“Yes, that should do nicely. Now to mix the color.”

She donned rubber gloves and a cape and began combining chemicals in a bowl.

“You look more like a mad scientist than a hairdresser,” Bridget said grumpily. “I expect you to break into a crazy laugh any second.”

“Quit complaining. When I finish with you you’re going to be even more gorgeous than you already are.”

“Please,” she snorted. “You’d have to be some kind of magician to make me gorgeous.”

Celia stopped mixing and set her bowl on the counter, her gaze meeting Bridget’s in the mirror. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You really don’t know how beautiful you are.”

“You know damn well that you and Mavis got all the looks in the family.” She lifted a strand of hair that was beginning to curl tightly as it dried. “I got the Brillo pad hair and the flat chest.”

“Oh, Bridge.” Celia put her arm around her shoulder. “Look at those cheekbones. And the deep blue of your eyes. And that skin. You’ve always had the most beautiful porcelain skin. Your freckles are adorable. You are an incredibly beautiful woman.”

She looked into the mirror, trying to see herself through Celia’s eyes. She did have good skin. It was her best feature and she was careful to look after it. Maybe she wasn’t so bad. But beautiful? Ben had never thought so.

Did Jack think she was beautiful? She pushed the ridiculous speculation from her mind.

“Uncle Frank used to say I looked like my dad,” she said quietly.

“You do,” Celia agreed. “At least the hair. When I think of him, I remember that crazy, curly red hair.”

“I hardly remember what he looked like anymore.” The thought that she would forget her father’s face made her sad. “I don’t even have a picture of him.”

“I have a couple of pictures. I’ll give you one.”

“Do you ever think of him?”

Celia picked up her bowl and started mixing again. “Sometimes, but I have to admit, not very often.”

“He’s been dead a long time, but I still think about him a lot. Do you ever wonder what things would have been like if Mom hadn’t taken us away?”

She took her time answering and Bridget held her breath.

“You were so young when Mom and Dad split up. I guess you don’t remember how it was.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know they fought a lot. I remember sneaking out of my bed when I’d hear him come home late at night. I’d hide at the top of the stairs and listen to them argue.”

“What did they argue about?”

“Mostly about him coming home late.” She paused in her stirring and met Bridget’s eyes in the mirror again. “They fought about money too. I think he had a hard time keeping a job.”

The news was a shock to Bridget. Why would her father have such a hard time holding on to a job? But it explained why her mother needed to work to support them. “I understand now why Mom came to Paradise to work with Uncle Frank. But I don’t understand why she wouldn’t let Dad see us. Expect for those teddy bears he sent us shortly after we moved, she wouldn’t even let us have any gifts from him. It wasn’t fair.”

Celia began applying the color to her hair, placing small pieces of foil around the colored strands.

“Maybe there weren’t any other gifts from Dad. Maybe there was nothing to give.”

She met her sister’s eyes in the mirror. “No, I don’t believe that. He loved us. He would have come to see us, or at least sent us something. He would have kept in touch.”

Celia sighed. “That’s all I know, Bridge. You should probably talk to Mom about this.”

She said nothing more and Bridget got the impression the subject was closed. Her sister worked in silence for several minutes before she spoke again.

“Last night on the phone you sounded a little frazzled. What was it you wanted to talk about?”

She was glad to talk about something other than old family heartaches. She filled Celia in on the new requirements of Jack’s guests.

“Thirteen people for lunch, dinner and breakfast! I can’t pull it off alone. Do you know anyone who might be able to help me?”

“What about Mom or Gavin’s mom Jane? I’m sure either one would give you a hand.”

“Mom is busy in the bar on Saturday nights and I hate to make Jane work so hard for so long. I’m sure Jack wouldn’t appreciate it either. Neither Mom nor Jane is young anymore.”

“True,” Celia agreed. “What about a high school kid?”

“I was thinking about asking Megan and Mike and Rebecca to help serve dinner, but I was hoping for someone with a little more maturity to assist with prep work in the kitchen, someone I don’t have to closely supervise. I’m going to be too busy.”

Celia pulled off her gloves. “There. You’re finished. I’ll set the timer for fifteen minutes and then we’ll rinse.”

She looked in the mirror. Rows of foil lined her head. “I look like a cross between the Bride of Frankenstein and Rosy the Robot. Any minute now I’m going to start picking up radio signals from outer space.”

Celia laughed. “You want some coffee while we’re waiting?”

“Sure.”

Celia brought her a cup of coffee and pulled up a chair to sit next to her. “If you don’t feel comfortable asking Jane or Mom, and you’d like someone a little more mature than a high school kid, there’s only one person I can think of who might be able to help you.”

She sat up a little straighter. “Who?”

“Tina Wilson.”

She nearly fell out of her chair. “Are you kidding me? There’s no way I’m going to work with Tina. In fact, she’s the last person on earth I’d work with.”

“Tina has food experience,” Celia argued. “She worked at the Harvest Moon for several years and she organizes the community Fall Supper every year. I think she’s even taken some of those safe food handling courses.”

“Bully for her. We’d be at each other’s throats by the end of the first hour.”

“She’s a hard worker.”

“She’s a pain in the ass.”

Celia frowned. “You said you wanted someone more responsible than a high school kid.”

“Megan and Rebecca are more grown-up than Tina,” Bridget pouted.

“Now who’s being immature?”

Celia was right. She wasn’t exactly being rational about this. She was letting her feelings for Tina, most that went all the way back to high school, get in the way of her work. She couldn’t let that happen. But she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

“I thought she was applying for a job in the city.”

“Apparently she didn’t get it. I know she’s getting a little desperate.”

“Celia, you do realize that I can’t pay her, don’t you? It’s not like I’m getting paid myself.”

“I know. I’m hoping maybe it will boost her confidence if you ask her. She’s been turned down for jobs so many times that she’s ready to give up.”

“You really don’t know anyone else who could help me?”

“You mean someone who will work for nothing?” She pretended to think about it. “No, strangely, not a lot people spring to mind.”

As much as she hated to admit it, her sister was right. Even if she could think of someone who might be available, they would expect to be paid. Tina probably would too. There was no guarantee she’d be even remotely interested. But she had to try. Jack’s dinner had to be perfect.

Why was his dinner so important to her? What she’d told him about his luncheon being her opportunity to conquer her fears was true. She wouldn’t let anxiety rule the rest of her life.

She remembered the way he’d kissed her last night, the way he’d reacted. He’d
wanted
her. In the biblical sense. No one had wanted her that way in a very long time. Long before their divorce, Ben had ceased to be interested. She hadn’t felt mildly attractive, let alone beautiful, for years.

Last night Jack had made her feel like a beautiful, desirable woman. Was the passion that flared so brightly between them simply a moment in time, never to repeated, or was there something more?

She thought about talking to Celia about him, but she wasn’t sure what her feelings were. Celia would probably just warn her off again. She tucked last night away to savor on her own at another time.

She’d actually given him a hard-on!
I
am woman.
Hear me roar
.

“What are you grinning about?” Celia asked.

“Just thinking of ways to torment Tina in the kitchen,” she lied. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

Celia smiled. “Good. Now, let’s take the foil out of your hair and disconnect you from interstellar radio broadcasts. And then I will make you beautiful.”

Bridget raised an eyebrow. “Good luck with that.”

* * *

Jack rode Angel hard. By the time they got back to the barn, both man and horse had worked up a sweat. But no matter how fast he rode he couldn’t outrun his thoughts.

He lifted the saddle from Angel’s back, and after putting it back in its spot in the tack room, gave his horse a vigorous rubdown. The steady glide of the brush over his horse’s sleek coat served to calm his frayed nerves.

Damn it, he had no business kissing Bridget last night.

He knew she likely wouldn’t stay, and he’d told himself to keep his distance. Why hadn’t he listened to his own advice?

He’d always thought her beautiful, and the passing of time had only made her more attractive in his eyes. Her pale skin invited him to touch, and her full, lush mouth begged to be kissed. He simply couldn’t summon the will to resist her.

That’s crap
,
Davison.
She wasn’t some kind of magical siren luring him into danger. He’d known what he was doing when he kissed her. He’d wanted to do it. Given the chance he’d kiss her again.

Despite every warning he’d issued to himself, he wanted her. And judging by her reaction to his kiss, she wanted him too. They weren’t kids anymore. If they indulged in a brief affair while she was in town, they were mature enough to handle the consequences. As long as they kept things on a strictly physical level, why shouldn’t they enjoy each other?

He finished brushing and gave Angel’s flank an affectionate slap. Now that he’d made his decision he felt calmer, more in control. He could hardly wait to see Bridget again.

He ignored the little voice in his head that told him he was playing with fire.

* * *

The next morning Bridget phoned Tina and asked her to meet her at the bar. If Tina was curious she didn’t let on. She agreed to come without asking what it was about. Bridget wondered if Celia had tipped her off, perhaps encouraging her to take the job, even though no money was involved.

When she arrived, Bridget poured coffee for them both and led her into the restaurant. She closed the door so they wouldn’t be disturbed. It was bad enough that George and Don and the other old boys had seen them go into the restaurant and were likely already creating gossip about their meeting.

“You’re probably wondering why I asked you to come—”

“I know why you called me,” Tina said, “and I’m sorry. Shawna was completely responsible for the fight.”

“Fight? What fight? What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you ask me here to talk about the fight our daughters got into yesterday?”

“No!” She was shocked. Rebecca hadn’t mentioned a thing and the school hadn’t called either. Her heart sank. She’d thought Rebecca was starting to fit in at Paradise high school. “What happened?”

“Apparently Shawna started mouthing off to Rebecca, teasing her about her hair, her height and so on.”

“Wow, I just had a flash of déjà vu,” Bridget said. “Like mother, like daughter.”

Tina had the grace to look chagrined. “Sadly, yes, it does sound familiar. When Rebecca didn’t respond to the taunts, Shawna made some cracks about you. That’s when Rebecca pushed her. Shawna twisted her ankle.”

“Oh my God! Rebecca’s responsible for hurting your daughter?”

“The push would have amounted to nothing but Shawna slipped and fell. It was a totally fluke thing.”

“I’m so sorry, Tina. I can’t believe Rebecca would hurt your daughter like that. Why didn’t the school call me?”

“Shawna didn’t tell any of the teachers. She knew it was her fault. She said some nasty things to Rebecca and she got what she deserved. Rebecca told her how sorry she was about pushing her and Shawna didn’t want her to get into trouble.”

“Why is she so upset with Rebecca?”

Tina sighed. “Shawna and Megan have been best friends since kindergarten. When Rebecca moved here Megan started spending more time with her, and Shawna was jealous.”

“Megan and Rebecca are making up for lost time,” Bridget said. “They’ve never had a chance to be cousins before.”

“I know, but all Shawna saw was that she was losing her best friend. And so she lashed out.” Tina picked up her coffee cup and took a sip, averting her gaze. “It’s my fault too. I’ve been so upset about being unemployed that I haven’t paid attention to her the way I should have. And I may have said one or two unkind things about you that she overheard.”

Bridget folded her arms across her chest. “Wow, there’s a shocker.”

She stared at her, doing her best to intimidate her. Tina stared back. Finally she spoke.

“Are we going to do this all day, or just until one of us blinks?”

A grin escaped Bridget’s lips. “Maybe. How come when the two of us get together we act the same way we did when we were fifteen?”

“I dunno. I think it’s a case of arrested development.” She picked up her coffee cup once more, then set it down a moment later and pointed to the new oven.

“Is that new? Does that mean you and Mavis are planning to reopen the restaurant? Is that why you called me, to offer me a job?”