19.

G ARVEY

“Just let me look at you for a minute.” I took a sip of my coffee and then mirrored my mom’s posture with my elbows on the table and my chin in my hands. When she blinked, I blinked, and when she smiled, so did I. My mom laughed and said, “Well, I guess some things never change. Obviously, you’re still a shithead.”

I burst out laughing and said, “If anything, I’m probably worse now.”

“It’s so good to have you here with me, Garvey. I dreamed about this day. Of course, those dreams were accompanied by a million or so sleepless nights, but who’s counting, right?”

“I’ll never understand how you’ve kept such faith in me through all of this.”

“Because you’ll never be a mom. Someday, you’ll be a dad and might get it, but there’s something that makes a mom’s heart ache when their children are out of touch.”

“I’ve got some good news.”

“You’ve signed a long-term lease you can’t get out of, and you’re going to stay in Rojo for the next fifty years or so?” Mom asked.

“Not quite, but I did sign a contract.”

“What for?”

“You’re talking to the new substance abuse and reintegration counselor for The Duke Trust and Foundation.”

“Holy shit!”

“As for the long-term lease, I’m going to marry Zoey Duke, and I think that trumps a rental contract.”

“You asked Zoey to marry you?”

“Not yet, but I’m going to. I don’t want to rush her. She gets . . . obstinate when she’s pushed.”

Mom sputtered out a laugh and said, “I can’t imagine why you’d say such a thing.”

“She’s already moved me into her house, which I wasn’t expecting, and she went to bat for me to get this job. Knowing Zo, if I asked her to marry me right now, she’d think it was because I felt indebted to her. That wouldn’t be the case at all, but I know how she thinks and . . .” My father, who I thought was still napping in his recliner, burst out laughing. I turned my head and looked at him, waiting for his laughter to fade before I asked, “What’s so funny?”

“You know how she thinks,” Dad said before he chuckled again. “I’ve been married to your mother for eons and can’t even say that.”

“Eons?” Mom asked crankily.

“And every day has been better than the one before it.”

“He’s so full of shit,” Mom muttered. “Back to the proposal - it needs to come from the heart.”

“I’ll ask her when we’re both ready and not a minute before.”

“That translates to never,” my dad said as he pushed the footrest of his recliner down so he could stand up. As he walked toward us, he said, “There will always be something that comes up, whether it’s money or work or whatever. There’s never a perfect time, there’s just the right time. Neither of you will be perfectly ready at the same time, so you’ll have to just go with your gut and do it.”

“Not yet.”

“That’s up to you, but I have to say that I’m proud of you for realizing that it’s too soon. You’ve only been back a few weeks, and you are still getting to know each other again.” When I started to protest, he said, “I know you knew her back then, but you have to admit that you are very different people than you were before. Get to know the woman Zoey is now and fall in love with her all over again. Then ask her to spend the rest of your lives together. But don’t wait until the timing is perfect, or it will never happen.”

“That’s good advice,” Mom agreed.

“I’m always right.”

“Even a broken clock is right twice a day, so I wouldn’t get too cocky about it,” Mom teased.

Dad leaned down and kissed her cheek before he said, “That advice got me you, so I’d say I have some experience in the matter.”

Mom rolled her eyes but kissed him back before she asked, “When are you going to bring Zoey over for dinner? As a matter of fact, where is she now?”

“She’s at the courthouse again. They’re escorting a woman and her daughter to a trial that could take a few days.”

“I’ve seen them do that and think it’s wonderful. I can’t imagine how difficult that situation must be for the women who are trying to rebuild their lives after such trauma. Knowing that they have all of those women in their corner has to bolster them up, I’m sure.”

“I would imagine so. I know that Zoey’s a force to be reckoned with, even with her physical limitations, but if you put her in a group with the rest of those women, they’ve got the power to take over a small country.”

“A small one?” Dad grunted before he said, “The US government should watch out. If they set their minds to it, they could take over and set everything to rights within a week.”

“I don’t doubt it,” I agreed.

“When do you start your new position?” Mom asked.

“I’m starting today, as a matter of fact. I’ve got a meeting scheduled this evening, and as soon as I leave here, I’m going to start preparing for it.”

“And you’ll have them every day from now on?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ll need to get in the groove, but if that’s necessary, then, yes, I’ll do them every day.”

“What exactly do you have to do to get ready for a meeting?”

“Well, tonight is really all about getting to know the women in the program and talking to them about their needs and what they can expect from me. I’m going to make it really informal and bring some snacks and stuff for everyone to have while we get to know each other.”

“Snacks?”

“One thing about meetings is that it’s easier to think when there’s some coffee and sugar coursing through your veins, so I’m going to be brave and face my demons.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m going to see Janis for the snacks.”

“Good luck with that, son. I’m glad we got to reconnect before your untimely demise,” Dad said with a snort before he walked into the kitchen. “Before you leave, make sure you write down your last wishes and give us a list of who you want to serve as your pallbearers.”

Mom deadpanned, “As if Janis will leave enough of a body for us to bury.”

“That’s true,” Dad conceded as he pulled a mug out of the cabinet to pour himself some coffee. “I have a few questions before you go.”

“Hit me, and I’ll answer as best I can,” I assured him, wondering if we were about to get into more emotional and touchy territory.

He shocked me when he said, “What can we do to help get this thing going, and where do we sign up to volunteer?”

“You’d like to volunteer? With the plants or . . .”

“I’d like to volunteer with your meetings. I’ve been involved in organizing the Nar-Anon meetings for a while now and . . .”

“You have?”

“Of course. We’ve both been going to them since before you were arrested, and I’ve made some very good friends in that time.”

“I had no idea.”

“How would you? You’ve been gone!” Mom reminded me.

“The meetings have gotten us through some very tough times,” Dad explained. “I’m not sure how much help we’d be as far as the other side goes, but we may be able to give some insight into how to rebuild family structures while dealing with addiction or even just give some support to those who are in the process of trying.”

“That would be wonderful.”

◆◆◆

I pulled up in front of the bakery my mom had directed me to and laughed when I saw the cheerful and colorful signage on the door and windows. Somehow, I imagined that Janis Grissom would have her bakery decked out in skulls with crossbones, painted all black with blood red accents with spikes and an armed thug guarding a giant iron gate.

I shook my head as I got off the bike, laughing at the image of a bakery surrounded by a moat full of gators but knew that if her dad had his way, that’s exactly how it would be.

When I got closer, I saw that there was a line all the way back and held the door open for a woman who had her hands full before I squeezed inside to take my place at the back of the line. I looked around and saw that even though the atmosphere wasn’t nearly as dark as I imagined, it still had the chaotic vibe that reflected Janis’ energy.

The cafe tables and chairs were all mismatched and different colors. Somehow, they worked together, helped by the vases of flowers on each table next to the placard that listed the specials for the month.

The smell of coffee mingled with the scent of sugar permeated the place. My mouth watered when a man walked past me holding an iced donut with bacon sprinkled on top. It didn’t surprise me that Janis didn’t just work in the food service industry, she ruled it like the Queen she’d been raised to be. She was a great baker and probably a good cook to boot, considering her father was magic in the kitchen and known for his cooking skills.

Well, his cooking skills and his ruthless demeanor when you crossed him or someone he loved. Janis got that from him, too, apparently, because she’d been that way since we were children.

By the time I got to the front of the line, I was famished and had to resist the urge to buy at least one of every pastry and treat in the case. I was still trying to decide when it was my turn to order. I smiled at Janis when she narrowed her eyes and scowled at me.

“Is that any way to greet a customer in this fine establishment?” I asked.

“Garvey! I’m so glad you came to see me. I’ve got some special donuts in the back just for you, but you’ve got to promise to share them with your brother.”

“I’ll take some directly out of the case,” I said with a raised brow.

“But I’ve been saving the ones in the back just for you!”

Janis’ smile was bright and cheerful, but I knew her well enough to understand that it was completely fake. I wondered how in the world she could maintain it through an entire business day. She pleasantly greeted the customer behind me, giving me time to decide what I wanted to buy.

After she finished ringing up the customer, she called over one of her employees and said, “I’m going to take a quick break. Join me in the back?”

“I should probably . . .”

Janis gave me that terrifying smile again and said, “Come to the back with me.”

“Sure,” I said hesitantly as I walked toward the end of the counter. I looked over my shoulder to see if there might be some witnesses the cops could call on after I disappeared and was sad to see that they were all much too focused on their goodies to pay attention to my last minutes on earth.

I followed Janis through a set of swinging doors into the kitchen area and laughed when she sighed and reached up to rub her cheeks.

“Is it that painful?”

“One of my employees had to take her son to the doctor this morning, so I’ve been working the front. I don’t usually talk to customers unless it’s a special order, so I don't have to subject myself to so much pain and suffering.”

I laughed before I asked, “That bad, huh?”

“If one more person asks me a stupid question today, I’m going to stuff them in the oven like the witch from Hansel and Gretel.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t done that already.” When Janis smiled again, I burst out laughing and asked, “That oven’s not big enough for me, is it?”

“I could fit you and your brother in there. I’ve measured.”

“Well, on that note, I’m going to go back out there and pick out the things I want for this evening’s meeting before I get out of your hair so you can get back to schmoozing the customers while you plot their painful death.”

“It’s slowing down now. We’ve already gotten through the morning rush.”

“That’s not the morning rush?” I asked in shock.

“Not at all. Besides, I’ve got some stuff to do back here, and you can entertain me while I do it.” Janis raised her eyebrows before she added, “Unless you’re too afraid to stay and visit.”

“I’m not afraid,” I lied.

“Well, you’re clearly not the Garvey you used to be.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s something that’s been bothering me since the first day you were back when you let your brother beat your ass without even trying to defend yourself.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Zoey isn’t as scrappy as she used to be, and I want to make sure that you’re up to the task of helping her if she needs it. One of us tries to stick by her as much as we can, but there will be times when she needs help that we’re not around. I’m not sure you’ll be the help she needs.”

“What does that mean?”

“Did she tell you about the asshole at the courthouse?”

“No.What happened?”

“Apparently, she arrested this dickhead before her attack, and he’s still working his way through the court system and just happened to be there when we showed up to accompany our friend.”

I had already noticed that Zoey never called what she and the other women did “help.” She usually referred to it as accompanying or hanging out with the woman rather than escorting or aiding them in any way. I knew that probably had something to do with the way those words might make the woman in question feel powerless, and I appreciated the thought that must have gone into the way they talked about what they did.

“Did he threaten her?”

“I don’t think so. He cussed her out, but Zane stepped in before the lawyer dragged him away.”

“Good. Does Zane know who he . . .”

“That scum doesn’t matter. What matters is that Zoey had one of her spells when she moved too fast and wouldn’t have been able to defend herself if he had physically attacked her. Luckily, Zane was there and they were in a courthouse with plenty of other people around, but what would have happened if you had been there instead?”

“I’d have stepped up and taken care of business!”

“This new and improved version of Garvey remembers how to do that?”

“Do you think I’ve become a doormat in the time I was away? I’m pretty sure you don’t want to know what happens to men in prison when they can’t defend themselves.”

“I’d rather not, but I do want to know that you can take care of Zoey. If not, we need to figure out another way to make sure she’s safe, especially if she’s going to be running into scumbags who might try to make her pay for doing her job and getting their asses off the street.”

“I’m not going to defend myself when there’s someone who owes me an ass whippin’, Janis, but other than that, I’m going to come up swinging, okay?”

“Good. I just wanted to make sure.” Janis sighed before she said, “It’s not that I think you should beat on your chest and start punching people willy-nilly but . . .”

“You dream about doing that, don’t you?”

“So often, you can’t even imagine,” Janis said dreamily. She shook her head and said, “But that’s my nirvana, not yours.”

“I’m going to take care of her, Janis. I promise.”

“That leads me to my next question,” Janis said as she walked over to the oven and peeked through the window. She grabbed a potholder off the table behind her and then turned to take a pan of pastries out of the large oven, which I noticed would definitely be big enough to squeeze me and my brother into, and then set them on the counter before she turned to take the rest of the trays out too.

The smell of buttery croissants hit me, and my mouth watered so hard that I rubbed my face to make sure I wasn’t drooling. As if the pastry wasn’t the temperature of hot lava, Janis plucked one of the croissants off the pan and set it on a napkin before she slid it across the metal table toward me.

“If I wasn’t already in love with Zoey, I’d think about going after you,” I muttered as I pulled a flaky edge off the pastry. I put it in my mouth, temperature be damned, and moaned as it seemed to melt in my mouth. After a few minutes of bliss, I opened my eyes and said, “I can see why there’s a line out the door even when you’re supposedly not busy.”

“I like to bake,” Janis said with a shrug. “Now, on to my next question.”

“What’s that?” I asked as I tore another chunk off the croissant.

“Are you going to stick around, or are you going to break her heart again?”

“I’m going to stick around and do everything in my power to mend what I broke in the first place. I want to stand by her side for the rest of my life, proving to her that I’m worthy of every scrap of love she gives me.”

“Good. If that’s the case, then I won’t have to kill you.”

“You’d do it, I’m sure.”

Janis smiled again, and this time it wasn’t fake at all. She winked at me before she said, “And I wouldn’t even think twice.”

“I don’t doubt that at all.”

“If you follow through with that, then I won’t stuff you into the oven with your brother.”

“But you’re still planning on putting him in there, aren’t you?”

“The first chance I get.”