AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you agree with Addie’s assessment, Caleb?” Sebastian asked with a raised brow.
On Addie’s behalf, Caleb hated the skeptical tone of his voice. Why was he asking him rather than listening to his own daughter?
“Your daughter is a great addition to the bistro,” Caleb answered in a smooth voice.
Sebastian nodded. “That’s good to know.”
Caleb excused himself a few moments later, allowing Addie and Sebastian to have some private time. He hoped he’d imagined the chasm between father and daughter. Addie was the type of person who deserved to be loved wholly and completely. Unconditionally.
A half hour later, Addie showed up in the kitchen as he was making a list of items they needed to stock up on for the kitchen.
“Daddy just left,” she announced. “I’m so thrilled he stopped by. His schedule doesn’t lend itself to being spontaneous.”
“He really wants you to do well, doesn’t he?” Caleb asked.
“Yes. Success is everything to him,” Addie said in a soft voice. “Sometimes it seems like it’s the only thing that matters to him.”
“I’m sure you mean more to him than success,” Caleb said. “You’re his daughter.”
Addie let out a scoffing sound. “I don’t know about that. Don’t get me wrong. I know he loves me, but we’re not as close as we used to be. I think he’s still reeling from Tabitha’s death. He hasn’t gotten over it.” She let out a sigh. “I know it’s something we’ll never fully rebound from, but I know Tabitha would want us to live and love and be happy. When we were little my father used to take us to Pelican Bay Harbor every Saturday morning. He would wake us up early and get us dressed in completely opposite outfits. You see, he didn’t believe in twins dressing alike. He thought each of us deserved to be seen as separate individuals.” She let out a chuckle. “He always said that God made two unique masterpieces and he intended to treat us as such. So I would be wearing orange and pink while Tab was wearing blue and white. My hair was styled in braids while hers were in two ponytails. It was really something!”
The joy in Addie’s voice was evident as she took a trip down memory lane. The father she was telling him about seemed radically different than the one Caleb had just observed. Perhaps grief had changed him. Caleb didn’t want to judge the man. Life placed heavy burdens on people’s backs. Losing a daughter would surely have created scars on Sebastian’s heart.
Caleb didn’t have a hard time imagining a pint-sized version of Addie. An image of her as a child flashed into his mind. He let out an easy chuckle.
“That’s really sweet. I like how you were allowed to be your own person.”
A hint of a smile hovered around her lips. “We were. And we both enjoyed our roles. Tab was bolder. I was more creative and intuitive.” She ducked her head. “I miss her, Caleb. It’s not a stabbing, piercing pain anymore, but I miss her.” Her voice was clogged with emotion. “Sometimes when I see something funny, I pick up my phone to call her. Then it hits me like a bolt of lightning. She’s not going to answer. She’s gone.”
“Addie,” Caleb said, his heart constricting at the devastation etched on her face and the sight of tears flowing down her face. She made a few sniffling sounds. Something inside him cracked wide open at her vulnerability. He reached out and wiped away a stray tear with his fingertip. “It’s okay to cry. You miss her. But she’s with God now. My mom always told me there are no tears in Heaven.”
Addie smiled at him through her tears. “You’re right, Caleb. Tabitha is with the Lord now. She’s not suffering anymore. She’s not afraid. And I know with all my heart and soul that she’s bossing everyone around up there.” She giggled. The sound of it sounded like music to Caleb’s ears. Seeing Addie happy caused a tightening sensation in his gut. They were now standing so close to one another that Caleb could see the wetness on her lashes from her tears.
Suddenly, Paolo entered the kitchen, breaking up the tender moment. Caleb locked eyes with him. He couldn’t ignore the knowing look in his friend’s eyes. Caleb took a step away from Addie. He knew Paolo was getting the wrong idea about his relationship with Addie. That couldn’t happen in such a tight workplace. Things at the Blue Bayou needed to be one hundred percent professional. He wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize the Blue Bayou. He’d worked way too hard to allow such a thing to happen.
**
For the remainder of the day and evening, Addie worked tirelessly at the Blue Bayou. She was so busy she’d forgotten to stop for lunch. Every day she was learning more about running the bistro, as well as making suggestions for ways to improve it. The bistro was now open for both lunch and dinner four days of the week. On Saturday it was open only for brunch and Sunday it was closed unless there was a special event. She and Caleb had even discussed experimenting with breakfast a few days of the week, although they both acknowledged the need to hire more staff in order to make it happen.
For the most part, Caleb seemed to appreciate her ideas. She couldn’t figure out why he’d retreated from her today. He was no longer making eye contact with her or talking to her in anything other than a perfunctory manner. Had she done something to alienate him? She wondered. Perhaps her father’s visit had turned him off. She bit her lip. Maybe it felt as if the bistro was no longer his own. She had to admit, her father was a larger than life figure. He intimidated a lot of people, including herself. Maybe Caleb wasn’t happy that they had horned into his bistro.
Addie frowned. She wasn’t even certain how her father had obtained part of Caleb’s establishment. Maybe she should find out, although Caleb might think she was a total novice if he discovered how little she knew about her father’s business or the reasons why he had handed her a partnership in the Blue Bayou. Why hadn’t she asked her father more questions? She let out a sigh. Still, after all this time, she was walking on eggshells around him.
At the moment she almost felt as if she was doing the very same thing with Caleb. Perhaps he was simply worried about Heath. She shouldn’t make it all about herself, but he was giving her a funny feeling. If it wasn’t something she had said or done, why wasn’t he able to look her in the eyes? Maybe he had felt uncomfortable seeing her crying. That made her sad since it was rare when she let her guard down with people.
By the time they were closing up the bistro, Addie had summoned the courage to clear the air with Caleb. She waited until they were all alone to broach the subject.
“Did I do something to upset you?” She blurted out the question before she lost her nerve.
Caleb’s expression was one of confusion. “No, of course not. Why do you ask?”
She met his gaze head-on, refusing to feel silly for asking. Addie knew she hadn’t been imagining things. “Ever since we talked earlier you’ve been distant. I’m sorry if my emotion made you feel uncomfortable.”
Caleb quirked his mouth. “No! Please…that’s not it.”
Addie held her hand up in the air. “Aha. So there is something.”
Caleb shifted from one foot to the other. He couldn’t seem to stop fidgeting.
