Chef's Delight (Stories of Serendipity) (11 page)

Luke was pensive throughout the entire story.  “I’d think you were messing with me, except I’ve seen half that stuff myself.  I just thought it was creepy though, nothing to worry about.  It’s an old house, with a lot of history.”  He slapped himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand, getting up to go to the storage closet and rummage around.  “That reminds me.  I found something in the walls when I was putting in the insulation.  Up in the loft, there was a plank in the wall that was unattached.  That’s how I got access to the interior walls.  Somebody had left a book in there.  I didn’t look at it much, just determined it was some sort of diary or something.  But I put it in this closet for you to look at later.  Here it is.”  He emerged from the closet with a linen bound book in his hands.  He tossed it to Connor.

Connor turned it over in his hands, examining the plain, beige cover.  It may have been white at some point, but had yellowed with age.  Opening the book, he fingered the pages, noting the faded, yet still legible writing. 

“It is a diary.  From 1923-1926.  That’s what’s written on the front.  I wonder whose it is?”

“Yeah, me too.  It probably belonged to someone from the big house, though I can’t imagine why it’s hidden out here.  This was a pretty much an old barn back then.”

Connor was quiet, as he read the first few pages, of a young woman’s mundane life in Serendipity.  Looking up at his brother, he asked, “Would you do some research on this house?  You know how to look stuff up at the title office, you could find out who used to own this place, then go to the library and see if they have anything.”

“Yeah, sure.  I’m not doing anything else, except fixing up your girlfriend’s house for free.” 

At Connor’s blush, the younger brother could tell he’d struck a nerve.  “Tell me about you guys.  What exactly is going on?  Has she broken through your resolve?”

Luke was the only person who knew all there was to know about Brandy and her evil machinations.  Connor had told him everything, since Luke had taken it upon himself to set his big brother up with all sorts of women after the divorce.  As soon as Connor saw what Brandy was doing with his relationships, he asked Luke to stop, explaining why.

“Yeah, I guess.  She’s different, you know?  I really like her.  I tried not to, but…”  He shrugged.  “I’ve decided maybe enough time and distance have lapsed for Brandy to not mess with me now.  I don’t know, but I’m giving it a shot.”

“Well, good for you.  It’s been too long since you’ve had a little lovin’ in your life.”  He clapped Connor on the shoulder and went into the kitchenette.  Connor settled himself on the couch, and opened the diary to the first page.

I’m starting this diary to tell of things, which would send me straight to Hell if I spoke of them aloud.  People would think me evil, even though I have no control over these events of my life. 

Father is doing it again.  When he thinks I’ve gone to sleep, he comes to watch me.  Always watching.  It’s a sin to not honor thy father, but he terrifies me.  After the watching, he goes back to their room, and makes Mother cry.  I cannot honor him, when he does that.  And he does it every night, now.  I have to tell of it, but there is no one to tell.  So I’m writing it here, and hoping this will ease my guilty soul.  Because I know somehow, it is my fault.

The malice resonating from his being as he watches me sleep, terrifies me.  After a very long time of watching, he goes back to his bedroom and makes Mother scream in horrific pain.  I can’t imagine what he’s doing to her, but I’m glad it’s not me.  I know it is sinful, to be grateful for someone else’s pain.  I’m just so thankful that those screams aren’t mine.

I sense it’s my fault though, that he goes and hurts Mother.  Is there something I’m doing or not, that gives him the thoughts to go and make her scream like that?

Connor read with growing curiosity.  Was this the same woman who was antagonizing him?  Were there clues in this diary to help him get rid of her presence in his house?  He kept reading.

If I could only find a suitable husband, I could leave this oppressive home, and start my own family.  But Father won’t allow suitors to visit, and he rarely lets me go anywhere without him.  I am twenty-three-years old, and he does not seem to wish me married.  He controls my daily activities, allowing me away from the house only for church functions without a chaperone.  There are no eligible men at church, anymore.  I yearn for someone to rescue me from this oppressive existence, but I cannot seem to find anyone with the interest necessary to take me away from him.

Connor found himself feeling sorry for the woman.  According to the pages he’d read, she lived a sheltered life at home with her parents.  Granted, times were different, but he seemed to have the impression that the twenties was an era of freedom for women.  The suffrage movement, flappers, prohibition, speak-easies all came to mind when he thought of the period.    This woman seemed to be stuck in the Victorian era of male domination, and repression.

He grabbed a beer, and settled down for a day of reading.

Jessie needed her girlfriends today.  She called Summer, Kathy, and another friend, Alyssa and invited them over for drinks, snacks, and some much-needed girl time. Between Connor and Chad, she had too much to think about, and she needed her girls to get her mind off the men.

Kathy was the first to show, claiming she had a hot date that night she needed to get ready for.  Alyssa and Summer would be by later, after work.

When she saw the bandage on Jessie’s arm, and the bruises on her face, she freaked.

“Shit, Jessie.  What happened?”

Wanting to lead up to the weird stuff, Jessie didn’t answer directly.   “Have you run across any creepy stuff at the restaurant?”

“Are you kidding?  That whole place has a creepy vibe.  If I didn’t like Connor and Luke so much, I would have quit my first week.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing specific.  I just get a weird feeling, especially when I’m there alone.”  She looked at her friend quizzically.  “You didn’t answer my question.  What’s going on?”

Jessie took a deep breath.  “Before I tell you anything, you have to swear to keep an open mind.  I promise I’m not turning into Summer.”

“Okay…”

“Last night, a ghost stabbed me in the arm with a piece of mirror.”

Kathy’s gasped.  “What? That silver mirror?”

“Probably.  You know about the mirror?”  Jessie was surprised her friend wasn’t shipping her straight to the funny farm.

“Just that it’s always showing up around the kitchen. Connor is totally weirded out by it.  He has thrown it away at least twice that I know of, and put it in the carriage house a couple of times.  He thought I was leaving it around.  What ghost?”

“I don’t know.  It’s a woman.  I saw her in the mirror one night.”  She shook her head.  “It’s too weird.  I sound crazy.”

“Yeah, you do.  Did she beat you up, too?”  Kathy asked, looking at the bruises on her face.

“No, that was all Chad.  Let’s talk about something else.  Okay?”

Her eyebrows raised, but she must have noticed the look in Jessie’s eyes, because she said, “Alright.  Let’s talk about you and Connor.  Is there a budding relationship in the works?”  She nudged her friend with her elbow.

“I think so, yes.”

Kathy squealed with delight.  “Ooooh!  Do tell!”

Jessie winced.  “I’m not sure I should…”

“Oh come on.  That’s never stopped you before.”

“Well, I think this one is different, Kathy.  Connor is different from the other guys I’ve been with.”

“What do you mean?  Different how?”  Kathy quirked a well-manicured brow at her friend.

“Well, he’s insisting we get to know each other, and take things slowly.  I’m having a hard enough time with that.  It’s not my style, usually.”

“So you guys haven’t had sex?”  Both eyebrows raised in disbelief. 

Jessie shrugged.  “No.”

“Wow.”

“I know.”  And she did.  Relationships, taking it slow, and no sex were not in Jessie’s normal vocabulary.

Kathy opened her mouth, as if to say something, and thought better of it.  “Well, I’ll leave that alone, for now.” 

Jessie went into the kitchen to get the plate of fruit and cheese she’d put together, as well as a bottle of wine from the fridge.  “Who do you have a date with tonight?”

“Connor’s brother, Luke.”  Kathy said quietly.

“Seriously?  Is he as hot as Connor?”

“Yeah, in a different way.  He isn’t as massively huge as Connor is, and his hair is a little darker, but they definitely look like brothers.”  Kathy bit into a slice of peach she had spread cheese on.  “This is so yummy Jessie.  I wish everybody knew how good this stuff was.  You’d be rich.”

“That reminds me.  Connor wants me to do some sort of open house here, and invite the public.  Cheese tasting, wine pairing, appetizers with cheese, music, stuff like that.  You want to help me get ready?”

“You know I do.  What do you need?”

They spent the next hour making plans and dividing up jobs for Jessie, Summer, Kathy, and Alyssa.  Kathy agreed to get the recipes for the stuff Connor would make and make cards for the guests to take home to try.  She also volunteered to help Luke with repairs around the house, which needed to be done before she opened it up to the public.  Since she would be working at the restaurant the day of the event, so Connor could be there with her, she volunteered to do things behind the scenes to help Jessie prepare.

When Summer got there, they had a pretty extensive plan of action.  She informed them she was able to get Whiskey Myers to play. 

“The only thing is, they’re only available two weeks from Friday.  After that, they won’t be able to play for six months.  They’re fixing to start a pretty rigorous tour.”

“Well, that doesn’t give us much time.”  Jessie said, suddenly nervous, butterflies jumping to attention in her stomach.  She was getting ready to put her business on display for the community, and open herself up to criticism she wasn't sure she wanted.

“I know, which is why I stayed up late last night, finishing the flyers, and had copies made this morning.”  She passed out glossy, colorful pages to Kathy and Jessie.  “I’ve already started putting some around town today.  They’re hanging in windows downtown, and a lot of businesses agreed to put stacks of them by the registers.”  She said proudly.

“Wow.”  Jessie was impressed, even more so after looking at the flyer.  Summer was an artist.

A beautiful wheel of cheese dominated the page, and in a corner was a picture of Jessie holding a baby spotted goat, Domino, and in another corner was a publicity shot of the band.  Summer had titled the event “Eat and Greet.”  Underneath, was ‘Stillwell Dairy, producer of fine local chevre, invites you to come meet the owner, listen to local music, and sample products.’  Under that, was Jessie’s phone number, and directions to her farm.

Holding back tears of gratitude, Jessie sniffed.  “This looks great, Summer.”

“Thanks.”

A short, staccato triple-honk precluded Alyssa’s entrance into Jessie’s house.  They greeted each other with hugs and cheek kisses.  Alyssa was a school teacher, and they used to have Wednesday night karaoke sessions every two weeks.  But when she met her current husband,
Dalton, they had stopped.  Alyssa didn’t seem too eager to leave her hubby, and girls’ night just wasn’t the same with him there.  Jessie admitted to herself she liked Dalton, a lot.  She always had. Secretly, Jessie wished she and Connor could have a relationship like Dalton and Alyssa’s.  That was why she was trying so hard with him.

Alyssa was tall, though still a few inches shorted than Jessie, who was close to six feet tall.  She had long, blond hair that fell down her back in waves.  They were built similarly, but where Jessie was muscular planes, Alyssa was soft curves.  Compared to the two of them, Summer was an elf, at barely five feet tall, with short pink hair, which she was currently wearing in glittery barrettes, clipped above her ears.  Kathy was a vibrant red head, who stood at about five foot six, and had a body fit for a stripper pole--tiny waist, slim hips, and huge breasts, which she flaunted with low-cut, tight fitting blouses. 

Summer, Kathy, and Jessie had all gone to high school together, and Alyssa had come into the mix after college, when she moved here.  They rarely had an occasion anymore where they all four got to get together, so they relished each time.

Kathy was notorious for leaving town, either to follow a job opportunity, or a man, or both.  Her latest expedition to
Dallas to follow Don, a museum curator had ended in tears, and more information about the dinosaur exhibits from her docent job at the museum than anybody cared to remember.  In fact, she had missed all of Alyssa and Dalton’s whirlwind courtship and marriage. 

Now, she was back, and the girls were glad. 

Three bottles of wine, a bag of chips, and three bowls of some sort of sinful jalapeño cream cheese dip later, the girls were giggling uncontrollably at Jessie’s latest raunchy joke. 

A knock at the door interrupted them.