The Bad Boy of Butterfly Harbor(24)
“Depends.” Paige dumped the dishpan in the kitchen and tugged a towel through the string of her apron. “Did I pass?”
“Let’s talk first. Simon?”
“We’re cool, Mom.” Simon had one of his notebooks open and was explaining his drawings and stories to a rapt Charlie.
“For that alone I owe you.” Holly shrugged. “He’s a bit of a loner.” While the fact Simon didn’t have any real friends had made moving him to another school for the upcoming year easier for both of them, his lack of socialization never sat well. Not that she’d had much to say about it. Simon had always preferred his own company, especially after Gray died.
“No one’s ever lonely around Charlie.” Paige sent her daughter such a look of affection Holly felt her own heart twist. “Best thing I ever did. Balances out the mistakes.”
“Eat, girl.” Ursula banged her spatula on the pick-up bell. “Before you fall over. You, too.” She set a hot turkey sandwich—Holly’s favorite menu item—on the table beside Paige’s burger. “I’ll watch the tables.”
Holly interpreted Ursula’s unusual offer as “sit, talk, hire the girl.”
“So.” Holly dug into her dinner to silence her rumbling stomach and nearly passed out from the swooning explosions of thick gravy and perfect butter-roasted turkey. “Sometimes I forget how good a cook she really is. How long are you in town for?”
Paige ducked her head, squeezed ketchup on her burger. “For a while. I was hoping Charlie might go to school here this year. It all depends.”
“On what?” Holly wasn’t stupid, and living with Simon had taught her how to ferret out secrets and lies faster than any detector on the market.
“Those mistakes I was talking about,” Paige said. “Big ones. I’m hoping Charlie won’t have to pay for them.”
An image of Luke’s face drifted through her mind. Mistakes were her theme of the week. But moving past mistakes meant forgiveness. Was that even possible after all this time? Still, she had to admit, the anger normally accompanying thoughts of bad-boy Luke had subsided into a slow, steady bubble topped off with a dash of...interest.
Holly paused. Interest? Holly scrubbed her hand along the side of her neck and winced. She had to be losing it for her thoughts to turn in that direction.
“I’ve always been a bit of a flit-around,” Paige continued as if she didn’t notice Holly’s discomfort. “Moving from town to town. It was how I was raised, but Charlie’s getting older. I’d like her to have a sense of home.”
Desperate to get her mind off Luke, Holly asked, “How’d you find Butterfly Harbor?”
“I didn’t.” Paige shrugged, picked up her burger and bit into it. “Oh, my.” She rolled her eyes as she chewed and swallowed. “Pay me in burgers for the rest of my life. What the heck is in this thing?”
“Ursula’s secret recipe. What do you mean you didn’t find it?”
“Charlie. We’ve been driving cross-country for the past few weeks. Started in Ohio. She’s always had this fascination with butterflies, ever since she was born. She read online there’s going to be a new butterfly sanctuary being built here. When your kid utters the word paradise the second you cross the city limits, it’s hard to say no.” Paige smirked in a way Holly totally understood. “I’d like to make a go of it here. My schedule is flexible for working, so long as I can keep an eye on Charlie.”
“Can I hire Charlie to keep an eye on Simon?” Holly loved the sound of the little-girl giggles dancing through her diner. Maybe it was time to loosen those reins she had on her son. “You said you’re staying at the Chrysalis?”
“Until I can find someplace more permanent. It’s not cheap, but it’s nice and clean. Charlie likes it.”
“But it’s not a home.” Why had Ursula given her green beans? Holly flicked them to the side.
Paige stopped eating, looked out the window as the sun inched down into its bed for the night. “Charlie’s my home.”
Well, if that wasn’t the right answer, Holly didn’t know what was. “Welcome to Butterfly Harbor. And the diner.” Holly picked up her glass of iced tea and clinked it against Paige’s. “Now let’s talk salary.”
CHAPTER TEN
THERE WAS SOMETHING spiritually satisfying about the son of the town drunk pinning a sheriff’s badge to his chest.
Luke likened straightening the narrow tie down the front of his khaki uniform to doing a little jig on his father’s grave. All that was missing was a half-drunk bottle of whiskey and the snap of a leather strap.