Wanted: The Perfect Mom

The refrigerator pump kicked on. A batch of ice crashed down into the ice machine. Holly looked from one man to the other. A current sizzled between them.

Holly wasn’t sure what was going on, but she couldn’t let it continue. “Do you want a cup of coffee to go, Mac?”

Her father finally released Mac’s hand and, without a word, wandered over to the alcove.

Mac watched him go, and then lowered his voice. “No more coffee today, thanks, but before I go I wanted to mention something. Remember the day you ran into me coming out of The Cookie Jar?”

Holly’s eyes narrowed. “Are you referring to the day you tripped over the flowerpot?”

Mac threw a half grin her direction before continuing. “Anyway, the day we ran into each other, Sue asked me to come in because she thought she was missing some things.”

Her arms erupted in goose bumps. Sue couldn’t afford to miss anything. If Sue went out of business, Holly might, too. “Missing what things?”

Mac glanced toward the pastry case. “Well, she thought somebody was taking baked goods.”

Holly followed his gaze. She suddenly realized nobody was taking inventory of her own baked goods. She could be missing food and not even know. “Is she missing anything else?”

“She left her change at the store a couple nights last week and took the cash upstairs. When she came down in the morning the drawer was cleaned out. I looked around but saw no sign of a break-in.” He slid his empty cup across the counter. “Have you noticed anything missing?”

Holly motioned toward the cup. “My mug inventory is dwindling. But they’re not stolen, they’re kind of borrowed long-term. When the store is crowded, people take their coffee out on the porch and then keep right on going.”

“I’m sure they’ll all plead innocent. You should charge them for the cup when they buy coffee.” Mac chuckled. “Maybe Sue put the change somewhere and then forgot. She hasn’t been herself since, well, you know.” He glanced toward the alcove where her father could be seen looking out the window. “I wanted to give you a heads-up about the possible thefts.”

She set her cup next to his. Mac caught her arm. Her skin tingled where his warm hand wrapped around her forearm. Looking up, she saw concern in his eyes.

“Just be careful, okay? I got notice this morning someone robbed the bank’s branch office in Shadow Falls. That’s fifty miles from here but still, who knows what’s going on? The culprit might be one person, or a gang.”

Holly licked her dry lips and said, “Don’t worry, Chief, I can take care of myself.” She pulled out of his grasp and rounded the counter. Pausing across from him, she reached for the empty cups.

Mac wrapped his fingers around her wrists. “I’m sure you can, but all the same, I’ll have Moose Williams stop by every once in a while, just to see what’s going on.”

The touch of his warm hand sent tingles up her arm and managed to scramble the neurons in her brain. She met his gaze and, like one of her many tumbles from the back of her horse, found herself unable to breathe.

Between Mac’s touch and her father’s unexpected appearance, Holly’s brain seemed to be misfiring. Her father chose that moment to return. His gaze lighted on Mac’s hands circling her wrists. Holly pulled her hands back across the counter. “Would you look at that? I forgot to uncover the pastries.”

“Thanks for the coffee, Holly. I’ll see you around.”

Mac disappeared through the door with a jingle. Silence returned to the coffee shop. Fritz strolled around the tables, walked past the shelves of books and then returned to the counter. “I can’t believe what people pay for a cup of coffee these days.”

“What was that about?” Holly tossed the wrappings in the garbage.

“What do you mean?”

“That thing with Mac. You looked like two big dogs, sizing each other up.”

Her father chuckled. “Ask him.” He studied the menu board. “I remember when coffee was a quarter.”

Holly took a deep breath. Looking down at the embroidered flower on her apron, she let out the air slowly. “Well, you’re in luck. You get the family discount.”

Her father shot her a look. “Discount? I figured I’d get coffee for free.” He finally smiled.

Holly reached for a ceramic mug and then hesitated. “Did you want your coffee to go?” Although her father’s first visit to her new coffee shop was a momentous occasion, she couldn’t imagine he actually planned to hold a conversation.

“Well, I do have a project back at the house.” He glanced at the pastries in the case. “Oh, what the heck. I can spare a couple minutes. Go ahead. I’ll take one of those bear claws, too. Sue is quite the baker. She’s probably half the reason you get people in here, just for her baked goods.”

Holly shook her head. She didn’t bother to remind her father that if people wanted the baked goods they could walk down the boardwalk, buy a box and take them home. The Wildflower provided a destination with ambience. She set the cup on the counter, then retrieved a bear claw from the case.

Carrying her father’s order to the low table, she set down the coffee and pastry and sat, waiting for her father to finish his inspection.

Her dad settled into the chair opposite and picked up his cup. He sipped, set down the cup and forked off a bite of the breakfast treat.

“Do you like the coffee?” Holly had spent days finding the perfect blend for her signature coffee, with just the right amount of acidity and strength. She was proud of her creation.

Fritz held the cup under his nose and sniffed. “Strong.”

Holly pursed her lips, biting back the immediate retort that came to mind in favor of a more diplomatic answer. “The proper terminology is bold.”

“If you say so.” Fritz stared out the front window. “I still can’t believe people in this town will pay the kind of money you’re asking, especially when so many are out of work.”

“Thanks for the encouragement, Dad.”

He finally looked directly at her. “Encouragement has nothing to do with it. You either make it or you don’t. You have to understand business.”

“You don’t have a business degree. Sonny and Thomas don’t have degrees.” Leaning forward, Holly propped her elbows on her knees and clenched her hands into fists. It took everything she had not to blow up at the man. “Are you afraid I won’t pay you back at the end of the year?”

Fritz set down the cup with a clatter. “I have to stop at the hardware store.” He wrapped the half-eaten pastry in a napkin and shoved the package into his shirt pocket. “Thanks for the coffee.”

And ten minutes after he showed up at her shop for the first time, Holly’s father disappeared out the door.

Holly dropped her head in her hands. What happened to the father she knew and when had he become so darn difficult?

* * *

BEFORE LONG, MAC was stopping at The Wildflower every morning for a cup of Holly’s special blend. The caffeine helped him function and he was supporting a local business. Right?

He didn’t know if his simple apology would be enough, but her animosity had lessened. So he arrived promptly at seven, got a mug of coffee and chatted with whoever was working. Sometimes her mother, sometimes Louise and sometimes Carolyn stood behind the counter while Holly busied herself in the kitchen or storeroom. On Saturday mornings, Holly would sit with him and share a coffee and the local news. Then he would grab a coffee to go and continue about his day.

The Friday before Memorial Day weekend, Mac paid for his coffee and ran into Chris Hoffman on his way out the door.

Chris slapped his shoulder. “Hey, man, long time no see.” Tall, thin, with stylishly cut jet-black hair, the thirty-year-old turned as many heads now as he did in high school.

“Look at you,” Mac said, “you’re the poster boy pilot.” He gripped Chris’s outstretched hand. “Where have you been, Chris? Or should I say, where haven’t you been?”

“Flying right seat with the big boys. I just got back from LA.” Chris laughed as he shut the door and looked around the shop. “I’m on a ten-day break and I thought I’d check out baby sister’s business venture.” He turned at the sound of the kitchen door banging open. “There she is—the family entrepreneur.”

Holly paused when she caught sight of Mac and Chris. Just a few days ago she would have been irritated at the sight, remembering how often Mac had inserted himself between her and her closest brother. But since Mac’s disclosure, she’d started to let go of that old hurt.

“Hey, bro, welcome home.” She shot a look at Mac. “Good morning, Chief McAndrews.”