It wasn't until I got home and sat on the couch with Jack on my lap, telling me happily about his day, that it all finally hit me. Jack hopped off my lap to start a coloring page on the coffee table, and the tears started flowing. Mom walked out from the kitchen with a glass of iced tea and found me silently sobbing. I hadn't told her anything about the day yet, only that it had been a long one.
"Ray, what on earth?" She rushed to my side, set the tea down and sat next to me. She dropped her arm around me. "What's going on? I have some good news to share, but I want to hear about what has you in such a state first."
I wiped hastily at my tears. "No. Let's hear the good news first. I'm still processing what happened today, and I'm afraid it will come out as hysteria." I sniffled and took a deep breath. "What's the good news?" She pulled her arm away, and I scooted back to face her. She immediately reached up and wiped my cheek. She was holding back a smile that wanted badly to break free.
"You sure you don't want to talk first?" she asked.
"Mom, what is it? You look as if you're going to burst."
"All right. Well, Misty called. She wants to retire from the fabric shop. Her hands are so gnarled with arthritis," she started and waved off that tangent. "Anyhow, she said she'd only feel comfortable retiring if she had a responsible general manager who knows the shop and the fabric business. She asked me to do it, Ray!" The last words shot out like confetti from a canon. "It comes with benefits and a great salary. And the hours line up perfectly with Jack's day care hours."
"Mom, that's amazing!" I threw my arms around her, and we hugged and both cried. It seemed as if some of our financial woes were over. Jack saw us hugging and climbed up to join in. He never needed a reason for hugging. He also bored of it quickly.
"Mommy, do you want to color with me?"
I combed his hair back with my fingers. "In a minute, I just need to talk to Nonna for a second." He sat back down to his artwork.
"What on earth happened today? This isn't still about Evan and his offer, is it? We can take care of ourselves now, Ray. The house is beautiful, but I don't want to see you live a loveless life like I did. You need someone in your life who makes you happy."
My mind went immediately to Ronan. I wondered then if the tears were more because of my broken heart than the terrible scare in the diner. A little of both probably. It really had been a turmoil-filled afternoon. In that second, I decided not to tell her the whole story about the men who tried to rob the diner. It would only freak her out and cause her unnecessary worry. I'd talked to Carol, and she told me she'd have the security cameras she'd been thinking about installed right away. I was sure it was just a one-time event, but security cameras were a good idea.
"I guess I'm just tired, Mom. I didn't mean to worry you. I was basically running the diner on my own today, and I'm exhausted." I took her hand. "And I think Evan's pressure toaccept his offer has been taking up far too much of my thoughts and time. I'm going to let him know it won't happen. The house is nice, but my independence and freedom are more important."
Jack interrupted. He held up a coloring page with a triceratops in the middle. He wasn't exactly coloring in the lines yet, but he was getting close. "Look! I'm going to save this one for my friend Ronan."
Mom looked over at me. "Your time together was short, but I have to say I've never seen you happier than when you were with Ronan. And Jack, who can't remember to bring his coat home from day care, has not forgotten his friend."
"I'm sure Ronan has moved on. It's all right. All I need is you two, and I'm perfectly happy." I hugged her again. "I'm so happy about your job, Mom. I think you needed this, too."
"I really did, Ray. I'm excited to start."
thirty-two
. . .
Ronan
Doris had a chocolate donut waiting for me when I arrived. She told me a hero always deserved a donut. I saved it for lunch because all I'd brought was a few granola bars and a bag of chips. Colin had been out of town, and I hadn't bothered to fill the fridge. I was still catching up after being off for three weeks, so I was living cheaply. Doris told me I'd start framing next week, and I'd get a pay raise to go along with more responsibility.
I sat on the tailgate of one of the work trucks and ate a granola bar. A few of the workers had returned, but we were still behind. They were bummed to find that the diner was closed for the day. Rachel had mentioned that the cook had gone home sick, so it made sense they were closed. I'd thought about Rachel all night and how badly I'd screwed up the whole damn thing.
The granola bar wasn't nearly as tasty as the donut looked. I put the bar down and picked up the donut.
"No dessert before your sandwich," a soft voice said.
I looked back over my shoulder. Rachel held out a ham sandwich. "Not as good as Hank's, but it's better than working all day on the nutrients a donut has to offer."
I smiled and took the sandwich. "Do donuts actually have nutrients?"
"Don't know much about that kind of science but my guess would be no."
I took a bite of the sandwich. "Hmm, way better than a stale granola bar. I'd say it was better than a chocolate donut, too, but we both know that would be a big fat lie." I looked up at her. Her golden hair fluttered in the breeze, and her brown eyes looked as dark as chocolate. "You had the day off, but you came here to deliver a sandwich?" I asked.
"Well, I was directed—or, I should say, commanded—to deliver this as well." She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. She unfolded it and held up a triceratops coloring page. Her smile appeared and instantly wrapped itself around my soul. "Jack still asks about you."
"Cool kid. Tell him I will put this on my wall." I took the coloring page.
Rachel took a deep breath, shoved her hands shyly into her coat pockets and shrugged. "Well, enjoy the sandwich. Oh, and Carol said you get free lunch for a week after you saved me and retrieved the cash."