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“What’s that supposed to mean?” She tried to remain focused on his words and not the deep rumble of his voice, or the dimples that had appeared in his cheeks when he grinned at her.
“It means that your dad wouldn’t have stayed with her for long even if he hadn’t run into my aunt. There would’ve beensomeoneelse. He wasn’t fulfilled in the relationship.”
“You’re saying I should be mad at my mother instead of my father?” she demanded.
“Not exactly. Just reminding you of the whole situation. Your father should’ve stood up to my aunt and delivered for you. There’s no doubt about that. But he’d just been through a divorce, and I think he didn’t want to risk another one.”
“Forgive me if I’m not feeling too sorry for him, either.”
“I’m not done. Then there’s Lynn. She probably deserves the most blame. After not meaning nearly enough to her first husband, she demanded her next one sacrifice too much to prove his devotion and loyalty. She was determined to have her life just the wayshewanted it at last and wouldn’t compromise by including a child who wasn’t her own. Or,” he added, “wasn’t connected to her by blood.”
She stared at him, stunned. She’d never expected Hendrix to share his thoughts on the matter, let alone have him lay it all out so neatly for her. But in her view, he deserved some of the blame, too. He could’ve made things easier, could’ve reached out and tried to help bridge the gap—and yet he never did. Not even when he grew older and probably understood how unfair the situation had been to her. And he certainly hadn’t been happy when she moved to town. “I don’t rememberyouoffering me any kindness,” she said.
Her comeback caused him to sober and straighten.
“Or is thatmyfault?” she continued. “I’m justthatunlikable?”
The compassion that filled his blue eyes embarrassed her. She’d used a snarky tone, but she knew he’d felt the pain underlying her words. “You’re not unlikable at all, Ellen,” he said gently. “I should have done more. I’m sorry I didn’t.”
Before she could recover from the shock of his response, Leo spoke as if he was so disappointed he could hardly bear it. “No one’s coming in! How am I supposed to work if we don’t have any customers?”
Ellen could tell Hendrix had said his piece and wanted to leave—get away so they could both escape the awkward strain of being near each other. But he didn’t go; he stepped up to the counter. “You don’t need any other customers, bud,” he said. “You haven’t served me.”
Immediately brightening, Leo hurried around the counter, and Ellen had to respect Hendrix for always going out of his way to make his cousin happy. Whether she liked it or not, that said something very flattering about him.
“What do you want?” Leo asked. “I’ll get you whatever you ask me for.”
Ellen would’ve smiled. Leo was so easy to please. But she was too torn. Did she owe Hendrix her forgiveness? Would she become the jerk in this situation if she couldn’t or wouldn’t offer it?
She almost wished hehadn’ttaken responsibility for his part in the situation and apologized, because now she had to decide how to react. Forgiving him would mean letting go of the resentment she’d held for so long. But how could she ever get beyond the jealousy that’d caused the resentment? Forget that her father had preferred him to her?
And still did...
Hendrix pointed at one of the cakes under the glass. “I’ll have the carrot,” he told his cousin.
Leo wrinkled his nose. “That has raisins in it.”
Hendrix laughed. “Well, I wasn’t planning on sharing it with you. You can’t eat while you’re working, Leo.”
“Can’t you just give me a bite?”
“No, because it’s not professional.”
Leo gazed longingly at all the other cakes and pies. “What if I’m not working? Can I have my own cake then?”
“We didn’t come here to eat,” Hendrix reminded him. “And you know you’d just beg to go back to work as soon as you finished your cake.”
Leo gave him an impish smile. “Yeah,” he agreed as if Hendrix had caught him. “I want to work for Ellen.”
“I’m happy to hear that,” Ellen said and handed Leo a plate and the cake server. “Do you think you can get your cousin’s cake while I ring him up?”
“Of course I can,” he said, but Ellen watched him out of the corner of her eye while she accepted Hendrix’s debit card. She was afraid Leo might accidentally dump the entire cake on the floor when he removed it from the display case. But he moved very slowly, trying to be extra careful, and managed to get it onto the counter without mishap. Since all their cakes and pies were scored, he had a guide for where to cut, which he followed fairly well. The only thing he did wrong was use his hand to slide Hendrix’s cake off the server and onto the plate—and then he licked his fingers.
“Yum. The frosting issogood,” he said, completely unaware that he shouldn’t have touched the food. “Isn’t it good, Hendrix?”
“I’m about to find out,” he replied.
Ellen let the finger-lick go. She figured she’d just warn Leo when the next customer came in. He’d be more likely to remember if she told him at the moment he needed to know.
