The Good Wife(70)
A family of hope.
A family of love.
Sarah knocked away another tear. “Aren’t you supposed to be playing right now? Don’t you have a game?”
“No.”
She folded her legs and sat cross-legged on the bed. “Rain-out?”
“Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“I’ve been released.”
Sarah jerked, as if slapped. “What?”
“Tampa Bay let me go.”
“Oh my God.”
“At my request.”
“Boone!”
“It’s okay. It’s good. This is a good thing. I can’t spend the rest of the season sitting on a bench.”
“But, Boone—”
“It’s fine, babe. It is. Arnie has said there are some teams interested in me. He’s hoping to get me picked up somewhere soon.”
“And if not?”
“Then I guess we pack our things and move to New Orleans.”
Eleven
Lauren was at work on Friday when she got the call that Lisa had gone into labor. She had prepared her staff for the news, warning them that when the contractions began, she would be jumping into her car and racing to Napa join her.
So when Matthieu called, Lauren practically ran from the restaurant, an overnight bag already packed and waiting in the trunk of the car, and drove north fast, arriving at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in sixty-five minutes. She parked and rushed up to the maternity ward only to discover that her sister was in the process of being sent home.
“False labor,” Lisa said, looking miserable and disappointed in the wheelchair she’d been provided. Her hands and ankles were swollen, her face puffy, her belly huge. “But it didn’t feel false.”
Lauren bent down to give her a swift hug. “It’s okay. It happens. And watch, you’ll get home, get comfortable, get all engrossed in a show, and then wham, the real contractions will begin.”
“I’m ready,” Lisa groaned. “I feel like I’m about to pop. I don’t even walk anymore. I just waddle.” She caught Lauren’s hand. “So sorry I dragged you all this way for nothing. Will you still come up for the real thing?”
“I’m staying the night,” Lauren answered, squeezing her sister’s fingers.
“You are?”
“Because I think you’re having that baby tonight.”
Lisa brightened. “You do?”
“Yep. Just call it a woman’s intuition, but I believe your little one is coming sooner than you think.”
* * *
Lauren stopped by the Bakery & Café after leaving the hospital and greeted the staff she’d known forever, smiling politely at the new faces that had been hired since she’d left.
It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, and even though it was almost two, the restaurant was packed with a late lunch crowd.
Nice, she thought, walking among the tables and checking on meals and the service and saying hello to the Napa residents she recognized, many of them people who’d been customers in the original location.
Lauren ended up lingering for nearly two hours, even filling in at the hostess stand so the young hostess, who was attending college part-time, could leave early in order to write a paper that was due the next day.
Lauren had never spent a lot of time out front in this new spot. She’d always been more comfortable in the back, in the kitchen, baking or handling things behind the scenes, so it was interesting to be working in the sun-drenched restaurant with the marble floor, its black, white, and red color scheme softened by an abundance of topiaries and potted citrus trees.
It was pretty. Inviting. With a distinctive European flair.
It suited Napa, with its focus on good food and wine.
She understood why the business was flourishing. It wasn’t just that the location—the lobby of a historic bank building—was unique, or the food superb, or the service personal and first rate. Although it was all of that, too, there was more to the restaurant’s success. Summer Bakery & Café was succeeding because Lisa had been pouring her heart and soul into it.
She hadn’t just been showing up, putting in the hours. She’d been vigilant about maintaining high standards, and you could feel her love and devotion in all of the details.
The restaurant’s interior and exterior were spotless. There was a lightness and freshness to the halls, the bathrooms, even the back entrance. The restaurant, now a year old, still gleamed and sparkled as if brand-new.
No wonder Lisa was tired. This was a big restaurant. They had three times as many tables here as they did at Grandma’s house, and now they were expanding, adding a patio service for summer.
Amazing.
Lauren stayed until four when Kip, the evening manager arrived; she talked to him for a bit, getting his point of view, very happy to hear that he was so happy with how everything was going, and then said good-bye and headed home.