Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Foster returned home the next morning to find his father awake, dressed, and frying eggs in the kitchen.

“Look who decided to come home,” Leo said with a smirk. “Do you want some coffee?”

“Yes, please.” Foster flopped down into a kitchen chair and threw his jacket over the seat beside him.

Leo brought a steaming cup of black coffee over to him in a “Dad” mug so old, he remembered giving it to him for Father’s Day as a child. “Thanks, Dad.”

“You look like you didn’t sleep a wink last night.”

Foster ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. “Not much. Maybe two or three hours. Then her alarm went off and she had to go to work. I’ve never been happier not to work a 9-to-5 schedule in my life.”

Leo flipped over the eggs in the skillet and turned off the eye of the stove. “I’m going to presume when you say ‘her’ that you mean Miss Jordan.”

Taking a sip of his coffee, Foster groaned in pleasure and nodded. “I was with Alice, yes.”

“My reflex is to chastise you for staying out all night. Then I remember you’re not sixteen anymore.” Leo slid the eggs onto two plates where toast and bacon were waiting, and then carried them over to the table.

Foster looked down at the unexpected gift. “Thanks, Dad. It’s been a long time since you’ve made me breakfast.”

“Well,” Leo said as he scooted up to the table, “when I woke up alone, I figured you’d have a good reason for being out all night. I hoped it was something good, not a car accident or something, but either way I knew you’d show up in sorry shape. And I was right.”

Foster tried to dismiss his father’s ability to always know what he was up to before he even knew himself. “I’m sorry for staying out all night. That wasn’t my intention. It wasn’t even a possibility when I went out for a walk last night. Then I ran into Alice in the square and plans... changed.”

Leo chuckled and took a sip of his own coffee. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Sheriff Todd on you. I can’t think of two other people in this town who deserve to have some fun more than you and Miss Jordan. Besides, I was so worn out from decorating the house that I slept like a rock in my chair. There were no alcohol-fueled hijinks going on around here to concern you.”

Foster eyed his father across the table. It had only been a few days since his father had been made his charge, but he hadn’t been any trouble yet. There was no alcohol left in the house for an easy fix. Then again, he hadn’t been left alone for long, either. Booze could always be found if he wanted it badly enough.

“Are you telling the truth, Dad?”

“Yes,” he grumbled. “I can assure you that even if I wanted to go back to my old habits, I couldn’t. My buddy Ned told me that Sheriff Todd went all around town and had me blacklisted. He talked to Emmett at Woody’s Bar, Lydia at Whittaker’s, Arthur Jackson at the gas station, and the managers of both the Piggly Wiggly and the ABC store. Apparently, he threatened to have their liquor licenses pulled if anyone sold alcohol to me.”

Foster had lived in Rosewood long enough as a kid to not be surprised by the way small towns handled problems, but he was still impressed by how far Sheriff Todd would go to save Dad from himself. “I don’t think he can really do that. They aren’t breaking any laws selling to an adult.”

Leo shrugged. “They don’t know what he can and can’t do. It’s fine, though. I wouldn’t put any of them in a bad position like that. I’d drive outside of town if necessary.”

“Dad!” Foster chastised.

“I’m kidding!” he said. “Your car has me blocked in the driveway anyhow.”

“Well, I shouldn’t be leaving you alone whether you’re behaving or not. You’re my responsibility. As far as Alice is concerned, I’m just going to have to...” he fell silent because he didn’t know the answer. The thought of not spending another night with her in his arms was physically painful. But he’d taken an unnecessary risk last night. Just because his dad had behaved this time didn’t mean he would be an angel the next twenty-six days.

At some point, temptation would arise and if he wasn’t there, it could get the best of his dad. It was the time of year for parties with eggnog, holiday rum punch, and hot toddies. Just one wouldn’t hurt, after all, the well-meaning would say and thrust one into his hands. But as much as his dad loved Christmas, it was a hard time for him, too. Leo would drown his pain in glasses of holiday cheer, while Foster just pretended it wasn’t Christmas at all.

“Have her come over here,” Leo said matter-of-factly.

“Here?”

“Well, would you rather not see her? Or have me sitting beside you on every date? Just have her come here. I’ll stay out from underfoot.”

“I don’t know, Dad. That’s weird.”

“All I have to do is leave out my hearing aids and you two can scream the walls down.”

“Ugh, Dad.”

Leo chuckled. “You’re a grown man, not a teen sneaking your girlfriend in the window. Just think about it.”

Before Foster could, there was a knock at the front door. Leo got up and went to answer it while Foster shoveled his breakfast into his mouth before it got any colder.

“Hey Walter, come on in.”

Foster looked up to find a tall, thin man that looked to be in his sixties or so, standing beside his dad. He was wearing a black suit, a starched white shirt and his hair was slicked back as though brushing the long strands backward would cover the bald spot on his crown. He had no idea who the man was, or why he was so dressed up at this hour, but he hadn’t had enough sleep for deductive thought.

“Foster, this is Walter Hancock. He owns the funeral home up the street.”

It was an odd person to pay a visit before nine in the morning, but it explained the suit and the air of consolation about the man. “Nice to meet you.”

“You want some coffee, Walter?”

“Always.” The older man sat down in the empty chair at the table.

“Are you making some kind of pre-need funeral arrangements, Dad?”

Leo gave a short chuckle and handed a mug over to Walter. “Have I ever thought that far ahead in my whole life?” He sat down and gestured to Walter. “He’s visiting because it turns out we both have a problem with the bottle. But he’s actually kicked it.”

Walter proudly produced a coin from his suitcoat pocket declaring he’d been sober for fifteen years. “After I heard about what happened at the football game, I reached out to your father and encouraged him to look into attending some meetings with me.”

“He’s going to be my sponsor,” Leo declared proudly. “And as luck would have it, tomorrow night is my first meeting in Asheville. Walter is going to drive us.”

Foster was surprised, but pleased by his father’s initiative. He hadn’t even suggested anything like a step program for fear he’d reject it right off. “I think that’s great, Dad. And I’m glad you have someone to go with you.”

Leo nodded and then gave his son a conspiratorial grin. “It also means you have the evening off if you’d like to take Miss Jordan out to dinner or something nice without me tagging along.”

“After the meeting,” Walter added, “I thought we’d go to Ellen’s Diner for something to eat, and I’m happy to hang around the house until you get back. I know he’s not supposed to be by himself right now and it’s my job as his sponsor to help him stay on the straight and narrow one day at a time.”

“That would be great,” Foster said. “I’ll have to see if she’s available, but either way, I appreciate the thought. And I appreciate you trying to help, Mr. Hancock.”

“We all go by our first names in the program, Foster. You can just call me Walter.”

Once their coffee was finished, Leo and Foster walked Walter out so he could head over and open up the funeral home offices for the day. Foster was about to come back inside when he noticed Alice nearly skipping down the sidewalk. She had a freshly dry-cleaned Santa suit in a plastic bag draped over her arm and a satisfied grin on her face.

Foster hoped he was responsible for a little of that. But unlike him in last night’s clothes and in desperate need of a shower, a shave, and a nap, she looked as pulled together as usual.

“Good morning,” he said from the porch as she came near.

Alice stopped and climbed the few steps to give him a kiss. “Good morning.”

“You’re awfully chipper for someone who barely slept last night.”

“It’s chemically induced. I just pounded a double espresso at the coffee shop before I picked this up,” she said, gesturing to the suit. “But I also got some very good news.”

“What’s that?”

“I have a Santa for the parade. After you left this morning, I turned my work phone back on and I had a message from Gloria Everett, the high school principal. Her husband, Red, is going to volunteer to fill the boots for the parade. It’s such a relief. I’m on my way to take the suit to her at the school right now.”

“Oh, well, that is great news. We should celebrate.”

Alice arched a suspicious eyebrow at him. “I don’t have the energy for any more celebration right now.”

“I meant dinner,” Foster clarified. “I just found out that my dad is going to be going to his first alcoholics meeting tomorrow night, and he’ll be in trustworthy hands. He suggested I take the opportunity to take you out to dinner and, if you’re available, I’d like to do just that.”

Alice picked up her phone and scanned it briefly, scrolling with her thumb. “Would seven work for you?”

He nodded. “I’ll get reservations at Whittaker’s, if that sounds all right. I’ll pick you up. And if you’d like, you could stay here overnight.”

“I don’t know, Foster. I can’t pull another all-nighter, as much as I enjoyed it.”

“I’m pleased that you think I can. We can both rest up tonight and I promise you will be fast asleep by midnight at the absolute latest. Probably sooner if we’ve had a lot of good food and wine.”

Alice sighed and considered his offer. Then she smiled. “I guess I’ll pack a little overnight bag to bring with me. I’ll see you tomorrow at seven,” she said, leaning in to give him another kiss. Then, she turned and continued down the street with her Santa costume over her arm.

There weren’t many dining options in Rosewood. And if you wanted something fancier than pizza or diner grub, there was only one choice: Whittaker’s. The Whittaker Family was another important family in town. They owned a big horse farm outside of town in addition to the restaurant. Their daughter Lydia Whittaker took over as the executive chef a few years back and from what Alice had heard, the food had never been better.

She arranged plenty of dinners there for Otto, but almost never went there herself. It was the place for schmoozing and canoodling, something she didn’t do either of. She also learned pretty quickly after coming into town that Lydia was someone to keep her distance from. She liked having things her way and would do whatever she could to get it—even going so far as to once set a firecracker off under a horse with pop star Ivy Hudson on its back.

It was the first parade Alice had coordinated after coming to Rosewood. She was hired because they were doing a bunch of fundraising after a damaging tornado hit the high school. Alice stepped up, taking the reins, and making the town events a success when it was all said and done. But she didn’t appreciate her star being nearly thrown from the saddle, nor did she like her attendees and participants nearly being trampled in the process. Especially since it was all over the affections of the local football coach, Blake Chamberlain. After that, Alice learned to keep her distance from—and her eye on—Lydia Whittaker.

The hostess seated them in a private booth, leaving them with the menu and the wine list. They selected a starter to share, she ordered a vodka martini, and Foster opted for an old fashioned.

After they received their drinks and ordered entrees, they were able to settle into their evening together and relax.

“So, since we’re celebrating tonight, I feel like I should propose a toast. To Santa!” Foster said.

“To Santa!” Alice couldn’t express how relieved she was to have that taken care of. Whether it was the magic ornament from Miss Tinsel, or more likely her badgering everyone in town until someone gave in, she didn’t care. She had a jolly butt in the seat and that was what mattered.

“I feel like our relationship has been sort of backward,” Foster said after taking a sip of his cocktail. “We went from the jail, to coffee, to bed, to a real first date tonight. It makes me feel like I know you so much better than I really do.”

Alice shrugged off his concerns. There wasn’t much about her worth knowing, in her opinion. “You’ve seen me naked. You know me well enough.”

“To a point. I know you’re dedicated to your job. I know you like peppermint mochas. I know you have a spot below your earlobe that makes you go crazy when I kiss it.”

“Foster,” Alice said, certain her face was blushing in the dim light.

“It’s lopsided. I feel like you know a lot about me. Tell me about your childhood.”

Alice fingered her martini glass, trying to find the right way to start the story. It wasn’t exactly a fun story, which is why maybe two people in the whole town knew anything about her life pre-Rosewood. “We’re supposed to be celebrating,” she pointed out.

“Is it that bad? Mother abandoning you on Christmas Day, bad?”

She sighed. It kind of was, but she knew about him, so it was only fair that she reciprocated. “Okay, but when I get done, we need to change to a totally different subject. I don’t want to drag it on when it’s supposed to be a nice date.”

“Fair,” Foster agreed.

“I was born on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. My family all lives in that general area, still. I am the oldest of three kids. I have two younger brothers—Steven and Caleb. My father was a city councilman when I was younger. He was always campaigning and out hosting city events. Shaking hands. We didn’t see him that much. My mother stayed home with us until my youngest brother was in first grade and then she went to work part-time as a receptionist at an attorney’s office near the elementary school.”

“My childhood was pretty normal, I guess. We spent a lot of time playing on the beach. Sometimes my dad would rent a cabin in the mountains in the summer and we’d go there to escape the heat for a week or two. My dad taught us to fish on a lake up there. That’s the kind of stuff I like to remember.”

Alice paused for a moment to take a big sip of her martini. “And then, when I was about eleven, my mom got diagnosed with late stage breast cancer. The next few years were filled with treatments and progress, followed by recurrence and disappointment until she finally passed away. I was fourteen-years-old.”

Foster reached a hand across the table to touch her arm. “I’m so sorry about your mother. You warned me this wasn’t a fun story. You don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to. I didn’t realize?—”

“No, it’s okay. That was the hard part. From there, we all coped differently with her absence. My dad threw himself into his work and I took over the household. I made sure my brothers were fed and had clean clothes to go to school. I cleaned the house and did the grocery shopping. All while maintaining my honor roll grades in high school.”

“That’s a lot for a kid to take on. Why didn’t your dad get some help?”

“He didn’t think we needed help because I handled everything so well and without complaint. I just took care of things. I didn’t want to let him down. Or my mom, although I know that sounds weird. Having my dad know he could depend on me made me feel good. Useful. I guess I liked being needed.”

“It’s a wonder I ever made it to Rosewood, really. I went to a local college and stayed at home to take care of the boys instead of going off somewhere the way I’d planned. I really didn’t even consider leaving until after Caleb went off to UNC.”

The waiter came to the table with a plate of large shrimp stuffed with cheesy grits, breaded and fried. Alice took the opportunity to take a break from her sad tale and eat a few bites. They were amazingly good, although she’d never tell Lydia as much.

“Anyway, once the house was empty, I realized I didn’t need to sit around there anymore. I moved to Rosewood and the family sort of dispersed from there. My dad ran for Congress and now he spends most of his time in D.C. My brothers have both gotten married and started their own families. And here I am. I went in search of someplace that needed me and found Rosewood. That is the story of how I got to be the neurotic Girl Friday of the Mayor’s Office.”

Foster sat back in his seat and nodded. “It certainly does explain a lot.”

“My therapist seemed to think so. I guess I’m just a needy mess.”

“No, no,” he said, reaching across to take her hand again. “That’s not what I meant. You learned to handle things early on and thrived on the praise of a job well done. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Unless I use that work as a sandy beach to bury my head like my ostrich father. To this day, I really don’t think he’s ever dealt with the loss of my mom. I don’t think he even dates. He’s just in a perpetual state of work. I’m not quite as bad as he is, but I could very easily allow myself to slide down that slippery slope.”

“I think you’re more self-aware than that.”

“Am I?” Sometimes she wasn’t so sure she wasn’t avoiding life just as much as he was.

“Well, you’re on a date here with me, with your work phone put aside and silenced. That’s something your father wouldn’t do. I know I’ve joked that you’re a distraction to help me pass the time here, but it’s more than that. More has changed for me in the last few days than in the last few years. And it can be more for you, too. So even if you have spent a while buried in the sand, you’re starting to dig your way out. Let me help.”

Alice looked down at Foster’s hand cradling hers and then up at his big, brown eyes as they focused intently on her. He was absolutely right. Everything had changed in the last few days for her too, and in ways she’d never expected when she hopped off the fire truck by the jail. She was not only putting work in its proper place, but she was thinking about her life outside of the office for once.

After running a household and essentially raising her younger brothers, a relationship with any kind of future potential hadn’t really been on her radar. She’d had enough of that for a while, especially after seeing her family’s dream disintegrate. And yet as she looked at Foster, she wanted nothing more than a future with him.

He’d offered to help her climb out of the sand. And she wanted to accept his help, but was it a limited time offer? Could she trust her heart to him and find herself alone on the beach when January rolled around?