She knew exactly how he felt. “Some memories are like that. I have a few double-edged swords myself.” She spooned some soup into her mouth. Flavors exploded on her tongue. Chicken, veggies and… She closed her eyes to savor the heady taste. Sage? She opened her eyes. He was staring at her.
“What?” Heat suffused her face.
“You do love your food, don’t you?”
She could have taken his comment as a slur on her curves, but she sensed he hadn’t meant it that way. “I do. I love food. It’s always a full sensory experience. Taste, touch, smell. Sight. Even sound when it’s crunchy or slurpy.”
He swallowed hard and picked up his sandwich. He ate quickly, but neatly. His manners were impeccable, reminiscent of his middle-class background, rather than his current situation. It shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did.
They chatted amicably about food and favorite television chefs. Suddenly his eyes widened and darted back and forth.
“Look, don’t take this wrong, but you have to go. Now.”
His blatant rudeness startled her. “I beg your pardon?”
“My mother. She’s on her way in. She just spotted me. She doesn’t exactly have a soft spot for your family. She’ll never get over what happened and you don’t need to deal with her issues.”
“Over what she caused, you mean,” she responded trying to keep her temper in check. Iris Phillips had stumbled in their store, drunkenly taking out an entire display of Hummel figurines. Hailey didn’t begrudge his mother for the loss of inventory. What annoyed her was the false claim she was pushed and the subsequent lawsuit.
“Yes, over what she caused,” he agreed as his mother stormed up to the table, her heels pounding an uneven staccato beat on the tile flooring.
“Look at this. Isn’t this cozy.” She teetered on her ludicrous heels. “I never thought I’d see you fraternizing with the enemy. How dare you?” Her hands on her hips destabilized her. She pitched forward, threatening to topple onto the table.
Hailey leaped to her feet to grab her shoulders to steady her. “Careful, Mrs. Phillips. You don’t want to fall.
His mother pushed on Hailey’s chest, knocking her back into her chair. “Don’t you touch me. Ever. I’ve suffered enough at your family’s hands.”
Of all the ungrateful…Hailey gathered her things. “Thanks for a pleasant dinner,” she said sincerely. “See you around.”
“Hailey, wait,” Jesse called after her.
“Don’t you chase after that hussy,” his mother barked. “She’s no good.”
Hailey winced at the reprimand.
“She’s a nice woman, Mom. We shared a table. Nothing more.”
“She’s a Masters.” She spat the name as if that explained it all.
“She had no part in your accident, Mom. Come sit. I’ll get you some food.”
Hailey picked up the rest of her order, her face hot with embarrassment and indignation, and then fled the store, ignoring the compassionate looks from other diners.
Chapter Six
Five days later, Hailey managed to finalize a plan to revitalize Two Angels Gifts. Unfortunately, it wasn’t one her mother would agree to easily. It involved taking a risk. An enormous risk. She organized her papers into a step-by-step cohesive presentation for her mother.
She walked into the front of the store, just as Serena, last year’s Winter Carnival queen, and a former employee entered. Flakes of white snow glistened on her deep brown dreadlocks. “Don’t you just love this weather?” Serena exclaimed, her smile stretching ear to ear. “I swear I’ll never move back to Jamaica. I couldn’t live without snow.” Her laughter set the beads in her hair tinkling like Christmas bells.
“Serena, thanks for coming on such short notice.” Hailey embraced the ebony-skinned youth. “Mom and I have business in the office. I’d like you to watch the front like we talked about on the phone.”
“Happy to. I missed this place. If you ever need someone to fill in, I’m your girl.”
“What’s all this about?” Hailey’s mother stood, arms crossed, behind the register.
“I promised you a plan to save Two Angels Gifts and I have one. I need your undivided attention to explain it. I’m paying Serena out of my pocket.” With virtually the last of her cash. Thankfully, her condo had sold and because it was a cash sale, she’d have the funds in about ten days.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
