Shadows from the Grave (16 page)

“But I want it now,” Beth pouted. She leaned into Ethan’s chest, and he chuckled, his arm going around her to draw her closer.

“We’re hoping to get started Monday, Tuesday at the latest, at least on the clearing of the site,” Travis answered. “The project should go pretty quickly once we get the rubble out of the way.”

“That’s good to hear,” Annie commented as she and Chase joined the group. Chase held out a chair for her and, after she was seated, slid into the booth next to Lauren. “I’m going absolutely stir crazy, not working.” She turned to Lauren. “I’ve been meaning to ask you if you need help, now that you’re getting ready to go on leave.”

Lauren placed her hands on her very pregnant belly and laughed. “I can always use help, but wouldn’t you rather take these few weeks and use them as an unexpected vacation?”

Annie shrugged. “I’m used to working sixty-hour weeks. I could help you out here or at home, and still have time left over to sit on the couch and eat bonbons. I’m familiar with the café, so it would be one less thing you would have to worry about.”

Travis was the only one at the table who was surprised when Lauren teared up. Several hands reached out with napkins, and she gave a watery chuckle as she accepted them. She smiled at Travis’s concern. “I’ve been something of a watering pot during this pregnancy,” she explained.

Chase smiled and put his arm around her for a hug. “And we’ve all gotten used to the waterworks,” he said. “Once you have this baby and go back to being your unflappable self, we’ll all be lost. Imagine the napkins you’ll save, though.”

Lauren poked him in the ribs. “Hush. Be nice to the pregnant lady.” Chase just grinned at her. Lauren cleared her throat, her face turning pensive. “Actually, I have a little announcement to make.”

“Oh, God. You’re having twins,” Beth said, clapping her hands. When Lauren just looked at her with bemusement, she calmed down. “Sorry. Okay, no twins. I’ll be quiet now.”

“No, no twins. Everyone here knows what happened last year, and the impact it had on my life. Since I became pregnant, I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching, and I’ve made an important decision. I’m going to take on two partners here at the café.” Lauren’s pronouncement was met with stunned silence all around. “Oh, come on. It can’t be that surprising, you guys.”

“Well, yeah, it kind of is,” Annie said. “You aren’t leaving The Brown Bag entirely, are you?”

Lauren shook her head. “No, but I’m definitely taking a step back. I want to be able to be at home most of the time with Ava and the baby and, thank God, Charlie and I are able to do that now, especially after Charity’s gift. I’ve found someone who is as interested in the baking as I am, and I have Janet here who wants to manage the business aspect. I’m leaping at the chance.”

Ethan nodded. “That makes perfect sense,” he said. “So who’s this new baking partner, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Lauren adjusted her position on the bench with a grimace. “Wow, this little one can kick.” She rubbed her side. “Kathryn Owen is my other new partner. She moved to Leroy about a year ago, and let me tell you, she can bake like nobody’s business.”

“Kathryn? She’s Gordon’s friend,” Beth exclaimed. “She’s nice.”

“She is nice,” Chase agreed. “And you’re right, she
can
bake. Her chocolate cake? Oh, man.” He scowled as Beth wadded up a napkin and threw it at him.

“How do you know what kind of cake she bakes?” she demanded.

Chase rolled his eyes. “Jump to conclusions much?” When Beth reached for another napkin, Ethan grabbed her hand and held it. Beth turned to him, a scowl identical to Chase’s on her face.

Before Beth could say anything more, Annie’s laughter distracted her. “I’d think you boys would know better than to tease Beth like that by now, especially you, Chase,” she said. Her face was full of mischief as she waited for his response. He just crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his fingers on his arm.

“That’s right,” Lauren said from his other side. She turned to Travis and explained, “Ethan and Chase had a little—let’s say,
dust up
—a few months ago. After it was over, Chase got in Beth’s way, and she broke his nose.” Travis’s eyebrows shot up, and he looked to Chase for confirmation. Chase sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

Clearly enjoying Chase’s discomfort, Annie propped her chin on her hand. “Hmmm. You should have seen the black eyes he had from it. They lasted for two weeks. So please, sir, do tell us how you learned about Kathryn’s baking skills?”

Chase casually placed his arm along the back of the booth, effectively putting it around Annie. “Since you were there, why don’t you enlighten everyone?” he asked, his tone suggestive. He and Annie exchanged a long, heated look that had everyone at the table hiding grins.

Ethan broke the spell when he stood up. “As much as I would love to sit here and listen to that explanation, I happen to know a certain blonde journalist who has the afternoon off, and her husband isn’t home.” He tugged at the end of Beth’s hair. “Why don’t we head to your house, see what kind of trouble we can get into, blondie?”

Chase groaned and covered his eyes. “Make them stop,” he begged. “They’re constantly sneaking here and there,
getting into trouble
. She’s my sister, dude. It’s just weird.” He lowered his hands and saw that Ethan was grinning at him. He realized he’d been played by an expert. Chase narrowed his gaze at his friend.

“Maybe you need to be getting into some trouble yourself, Chase. You’re awfully grumpy lately. Annie, can’t you help him out?” Ethan asked. As Chase shot him a murderous look, his grin widened, and he laughed.

“Say, Beth. Did Ethan ever tell you how he got that scar on the inside of his left knee?” Chase asked. Ethan’s grin vanished.

“Chase, you promised…” Ethan started, but Chase just shrugged and spread his hands in a ‘what do you want me to say’ gesture.

Beth’s fascinated gaze turned from her brother to her husband. “I thought you caught it on a barbed wire fence.”

Ethan shot Chase a glare that promised retaliation in the very near future, but answered, “I did.”

Chase’s smiled widened into a grin. “Yeah, he did. But what you don’t know is that he was buck-naked when it happened. He’d been skinny dipping out at his parents’ farm with a girl, who shall remain unnamed, and they got locked inside a gated area. His dad didn’t know he was in there,” Chase explained. “James locked the gate, and Ethan had to climb over the fence and walk back to the house to get the key. You were lucky your knee was all you cut.”

“How old were you?” Annie asked. “And who was the girl?”

“Never you mind who the girl was,” Ethan said, exasperated. “I was about seventeen, I guess. Young and stupid. It was a lifetime ago.”

Lauren was trying hard to hide her laughter as she exchanged a conspiratorial glance with Beth and Annie. “Why couldn’t you just get dressed before starting on your hike? Didn’t you have your clothes?”

Ethan sighed and rubbed his forehead. “No, I didn’t. Someone had snuck in and stole them while we were swimming. When I made it back to the house, they were folded on the porch. Any idea who that might have been?” He looked at Chase suspiciously.

“Nope, brother, not a clue,” Chase replied. “I’ve never known who did that.”

With a secretive smile, Beth spoke up. “Swimming. Now I find that very interesting, because that sure isn’t what it looked like to me.” She watched Ethan’s face; her smile grew as understanding dawned.

“You were out there that day?” he asked, completely taken aback. To Chase’s amusement, Ethan’s cheeks flushed as he realized what his wife had likely seen.

Beth stood and grabbed her bag. “Honey, who did you think stole your clothes?” she asked, kissing him on the cheek. “I’ll see you at home.” She waved at everyone else and headed out the side door, leaving Ethan standing there with his jaw on the floor.

He watched her go, and then turned back to Chase. “You—she—damn it, Chase!” he sputtered. “Beth saw me all those years ago with… never mind who. And I have to go home now and explain. Damn it!” He ran a hand through his hair.

“Look, I know you’ve blamed me all these years,” Chase said, smiling at Ethan’s discomfort. “I thought it was Jason. He had a crush on you-know-who, and he wasn’t too happy that she liked you instead of him. Even if she was too old for him. At least you know now. I’d bet, though, that Jason’s the one who let it slip you would be out there that day.” His expression turning rueful, he shook his head. “I wouldn’t advise going home empty-handed, or you’ll probably find yourself sleeping on the couch tonight.”

Before Ethan could respond, Annie broke in with a laugh. “Ethan, Beth told Lauren and me about that years ago. Don’t let this troublemaker scare you. I don’t think it’s as big a deal to your wife as you think.”

“Annie’s right, Ethan,” Lauren said. “I do agree with Chase about not going home empty-handed, though.”

Ethan thanked the women. “Travis, I’m sure you’re learning more about our crazy little family than you’d bargained for,” he said. “My apologies.”

“Oh, I’m enjoying this immensely,” Travis said, laughing. “I don’t have siblings, so I didn’t get to experience anything like this growing up.”

“In that case, glad to be of service. You, though,” Ethan told Chase with a look that promised retribution. “I owe you one.
And
your brother, come to think of it.”

Chase shrugged. “I’m not scared.” The two men exchanged a look, and Ethan laughed, a relaxed chuckle, new since his marriage to Beth.

“See you all later,” Ethan said.

“I need to be on my way, too,” Chase said. Annie scooted out of the booth, and he stood up beside her. “If I don’t get back to work, Nellia’s going to have a search party out looking for me. I’ll call you later,” he told Annie.

“Actually, I’ll walk with you, if you don’t mind. I’m parked near your office.” They said their goodbyes and left, leaving Lauren and Travis alone at the table.

“You’ve lost weight,” she remarked. “You were pretty lean to begin with, Travis. Are you okay?”

He moved his shoulders restlessly and sat back. “It’s been a long year. A hard year. I’m better now, but I’ve been struggling somewhat with everything. Losing Margie for good… it’s left a few scars.”

Lauren understood. “I know exactly what you mean.” She placed her hand on his arm with a comforting squeeze before moving it back to cover the baby bump protectively. “I keep thinking, especially now, that if she had only come to me and told me who she was, we could have shared this pregnancy. God, that sounds so maudlin,” Lauren said, wiping her eyes. “But it’s true. It’s hard to reconcile that, even as happy as I am.”

Travis studied her. “And you are happy, aren’t you?”

“I am, more than I ever thought I would or could be,” she confirmed.

“So married life agrees with you, then?”

Lauren nodded. “Oh, yes. Travis, it’s so far beyond what I thought it would be, based on my first marriage. Charlie is just… he’s everything. We have Ava, and now this one.” She rubbed her abdomen. “There just aren’t words.”

“How does your daughter feel about the new baby?” he asked. “Do you know what it’s going to be?”

“We do know, but we aren’t telling anyone,” she said, smiling secretively. “Ava is ecstatic about her new sibling. She can’t decide if she wants a brother more or a sister, though. It’s so sweet to watch her go back and forth.” Travis laughed, and they chatted for a little while longer, catching up with each other’s lives.

Finally, Travis stood. “I hate to go, but I’d better head back home. I have more work than can be accomplished by one person, it feels like.” Lauren stood as well, and when Travis saw just how large her belly was, his eyes widened. “When are you due, again?”

“Four more weeks,” she said, correctly interpreting his expression. “Believe me, I’ll be surprised if I make it two more.” She sighed and reached out to hug him. “I’ll probably see you here and there over the next few weeks, but if I don’t, promise you’ll take care of yourself?”

Travis hugged her back. “Oh, I’ll be fine. I’m tougher than I look.”

As Lauren watched him leave The Brown Bag, she wondered how tough he really was. She knew that losing Margie had hurt him much more deeply than he let on. It was such a deep hurt, Lauren wondered if he would ever be able to recover from it.