Five Minutes Late (2 page)

“Maybe my dad has heard something,” said Tony.

A few minutes later, Cedric drove under the wrought iron arches of his farm and down the long driveway lined with palm trees on both sides—queen palms his grandfather planted over fifty years ago. The classic white farmhouse with the wraparound porch, complete with rockers, always brought back wonderful memories of Cedric and his grandfather rocking and talking after dinner, as they watched the sunset.

Cedric spotted Tony’s dad in the field inspecting the garlic. “He never stops working.”

“Never.”

Antonio climbed the tractor and drove to the main house to meet them. Cedric pulled in behind Antonio’s old Chevy pickup and opened his door. Tofu leaped from the car and sprinted toward the chickens, sending them skittering off in different directions. Cedric laughed as he approached Antonio.

“Buenos días, Cedric,” said Antonio, smiling as he hugged Cedric

“Buenos días, Antonio.” Cedric smiled back, admiring the silver-haired man with tanned, wrinkled skin weathered by four decades of hard work under the hot Gilroy sun.

Antonio turned to Tony. “Buenos días, hijo.” He kissed his son on the cheek.

“Good morning.”

Antonio shook his finger at Tony. “You’re losing your Spanish.”

“No, señor.”

Cedric put his hand on Antonio’s shoulder. “Do you know what’s going on with Papa George’s old property? It looks like the Abbotts are gone.”

Antonio shrugged. “I saw him and his wife a couple of weeks ago at the Farmers’ Association meeting and they didn’t mention anything.”

“It almost looks as though they cleared the land to sell it.”

“Let me text him and see.”

Cedric laughed and eyed Antonio’s phone.

“What? You think I’m too old to text?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You don’t think I’m hip, that’s it. Well, I’ll have you know that I was thinking of getting an Xbox.”

Cedric blinked a couple of times. “Really?”

Laughter erupted from Antonio. “No. Not really.”

They laughed and headed inside for the meeting—more like a great meal, with a side of chitchat. It was held in the kitchen, at the large solid oak farmhouse dining table that seated ten. They would discuss the latest news in the world of garlic, farming, the weather, this year’s crop, and any issues with the equipment, but it wouldn’t last long. Sooner or later—usually sooner—Ana would change topics to Cedric’s nonexistent love life.

Cedric entered the kitchen with Tony and Antonio and smiled as he stared at the back of Ana’s head, her black hair up in a bun.
 

She placed a bowl in the sink, wiped her hands on her rose-print apron, and turned around. “Buenos días, hijo.”
 

Cedric loved it when she called him son. “Buenos días,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. He was sure the lines he saw around her eyes weren’t from aging, but from all of the smiles she shared with him over the years.

Tony kissed his mom. “Hola, mamá.”

“Hola, hijo.” She spooned chilaquiles onto the plates and gestured to the chairs. “Sit down and eat.”

The men obeyed orders, grabbed the forks, and put them to work.

Ana sat and turned to Cedric. “Have you found yourself a good woman yet?

Right on cue.

“It’s been exactly one week since the last time you asked me that.” He took a bite of food and moaned.
 

“And what’s your answer this week?”

“Yes.” Three heads turned in his direction. The chewing stopped as Ana, Antonio, and Tony waited for Cedric to continue. “And I’m in love.”

Tony pointed his fork at Cedric. “Bullshit. I would have heard about it.”

“You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to.”

“Okay, what’s her name then?”

Cedric grinned. “Martha Stewart.”

Laughter filled the kitchen as the eating continued.

“Well, if that’s the case, I’m in love with her too,” said Tony.

“Me too!” said Antonio, promptly smacked on the arm by Ana.

Ana wiped her mouth and tapped her fingers on the table. “I’m still waiting for a real answer.”

Cedric finished chewing and set his fork down. “No, I don’t have a good woman. But if it makes you feel better, I don’t have a bad woman either.”

“You’re going to meet someone soon, I know it.” Ana rubbed Cedric’s arm. “She’ll show up when you least expect it, you need to be open to it.”

“I think I’ll just place an advertisement on a billboard. Wanted: Woman who cooks as well as Ana Garcia and is just as pretty.”

Antonio let out a hearty laugh. “Impossible!”
 

Ana kissed Cedric on the forehead. “Gracias, hijo.”

There was a noise at the front door.

Tony pointed. “That must be her, Cedric, your new love.”

“Right,” said Cedric.

Ana laughed as she got up and walked to the door. A few seconds later, Tofu sprinted into the kitchen and screeched to a halt in front of the cupboard below the sink.
 

“Arf! Arf, arf, arf.”

Ana opened the cupboard and pulled out a plastic container filled with rawhide treats.

“Someone is spoiled,” said Cedric.

Antonio’s phone beeped and he grabbed it from the table as Cedric watched with anticipation, hoping it was from Mr. Abbott.

Antonio read the text. “You were right.”

Cedric’s eyes opened wide. “About the property?”

“The Abbotts lost the property after five years of unpaid taxes. They moved to Oregon just last week.”

Cedric sat up in his chair and leaned forward. “Please tell me I have a chance to buy the place.”

Antonio scrolled down on his phone. “He says the Tax Collector is going to sell it at auction, so yes, it looks like you have a chance.”

“Good.” Cedric flopped back in his chair and smiled. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Antonio smiled. “You’ll have a lot of competition for that land.”

“True. But all I need is a chance.”

“How much do you think it’ll go for?” asked Tony.

Cedric shrugged. “Hard to say, I’m guessing two to three million. I’ll pay whatever they want. My promise to my mom is the most important thing in the world to me.”

Ana smiled. “This is wonderful.”

Cedric nodded. It was more than wonderful.
 

He couldn’t help but wonder how much better it would be with a woman in his life.

On second thought, he needed to scratch that thought from his brain.

The last thing he wanted was his success marred by another tragedy.

Chapter Two

Ellie Fontaine beamed with satisfaction as she helped the eighty-year old man download his first audiobook—just one of the many things she enjoyed doing as a librarian at the Willow Glen Library. She loved helping people and felt she played a part in making the world a smarter place.
 

The old man put in his earbuds and kissed Ellie’s hand. “Thank you, dear.”

Ellie smiled again. “My pleasure.” She watched him walk away, wishing the man was fifty years younger. They sure don’t make men like that anymore.
 

“My, my, my,” said Julio Cruz, Ellie’s coworker.

Ellie rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t say it.”

Julio ignored her. “A bottle of wine for you, a bottle of Viagra and a pacemaker for him, and you’ll be ready for a nice little chitty chitty bang bang.”

Ellie held up her hand. “Stop. You know I’m visual.”

“Is Julio torturing you again?” asked Peggy, smiling and setting down a stack of pamphlets and manuscripts on the service desk counter. Peggy Fleming was the Library Branch Manager and one of the most positive people Ellie knew.

Ellie gestured to Julio. “He’s suggesting I get drunk and make it with an eighty-year old man on Viagra.”

Peggy smiled. “Sounds like a lovely evening.”

Julio stuck out his tongue and displayed his I-told-you-so smile.

Ellie sorted through the pamphlets. “Call me picky, but I prefer a man born after the Jimmy Carter Administration.”

Peggy laughed. “By the way, we need to talk. I have some news from the hiring committee.”

Ellie clasped her hands together and let out a deep breath. “Okay.”

She was finally going to find out if she got the promotion.

“Just give me a minute. There seems to be a life-threatening situation at the vending machine.”

Julio looked toward the machine. “Out of Coke again?”

Peggy shrugged and smiled as she went to help.

Julio turned to Ellie and grabbed her hands. “
You
are going to get the job!”

Ellie hoped so. When Peggy announced her retirement a few months back, she encouraged Ellie to apply for her position and said she would do everything in her power to make sure she got the job. Ellie loved being a librarian, but felt she could contribute even more as Branch Manager.

She looked over toward Peggy. “She would have said something, don’t you think?”

“Not in front of me. She knows I would have screamed and she probably didn’t want me scaring everyone in the building.” Julio hugged Ellie. “You’re going to get it and you deserve it.”

Ellie smiled. “Sure you don’t wanna get married?”

“You know Hugo wouldn’t like that. Besides … you’re going to find your own man. Maybe tonight’s your night.”

“We shall see.”

Ellie could always hope. Tonight was the first of three dates lined up this week from the dating website.

Peggy returned from the vending machine. “Crisis averted, just a stuck dollar bill. Okay, let’s talk.”

 
Julio squeezed Ellie’s hand and mouthed “good luck” to her. She followed Peggy back to the staff office.
 

Good news. Good news. Good news.

When the door closed behind them, Peggy turned around. “Okay, here’s the latest. You and the other final candidate, Margaret Rossewood, both have the same amount of experience as librarians and your references are practically carbon copies. We’ve been at a standstill in the hiring process. Since the vote is deadlocked and neither side is willing to budge, the board has agreed to settle it in an unorthodox way.”

“Mud wrestling?”

Peggy laughed. “Keep up that sense of humor, you’re going to need it.”

“Oh God, what is it?”

“The person who raises the most money for the fundraiser will be the next Branch Manager.”

Pickles!

Ellie hated asking people for money, even if it was for a good cause.
 

And this was
definitely
a good cause.
 

“I have to beg for money,” Ellie muttered.

Peggy nodded. “If you want the job.”

The library had a recent break-in and the thieves targeted the children’s area, stealing one of the largest and most valuable collections of picture books in the state and vandalizing hundreds of other books. Eight computers were stolen as well. The fundraiser was to replace the books and computers and repair the damage. Ellie was heartbroken after the crime occurred. Still …

“Can I sell a kidney instead?”

Peggy laughed. “Good one.”

“I’m not joking.”

Peggy threw her palms in the air. “That’s what they came up with and I couldn’t think of a better way to handle it.” She squeezed Ellie’s arm. “You can do it, Ellie. Nobody works harder than you and I’ve always pictured you in my position.”

Ellie had been picturing herself in the position too. One thing was for sure, she was going to have to step out of her comfort zone if she wanted a shot at it now.

She left the staff office and found Julio on a stepladder, pinning up artwork from Willow Glen Elementary School on the wall. She stood there, deep in thought.

Julio glanced down at her. “You need to turn that frown upside down.”

Ellie forced a smile, shrugged, and told Julio about her conversation with Peggy.

Julio climbed down and put his arm around her. “Then I guess we need to get you some money!”

“Maybe we can just shake that tree and money will rain down over us.”

Julio stared through the window at the giant oak tree in the courtyard and his eyes lit up. “Money doesn’t grow on trees. It grows
underneath
them.”

“This would not be the first time you’ve lost me.”

“I just read a story about a library in the Midwest that ran a brick fundraising campaign. They sold bricks that circled the base of a tree at their library, and people who donated had their name and message engraved on the bricks. A hundred dollars for a brick, and get this, they raised over ten thousand dollars!”

“Seriously?”

Julio nodded. “They even found a local contractor to donate the bricks and the labor to install them.”

Ellie stared at the oak tree in the courtyard and smiled. “That’s a wonderful idea.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t hugged me yet.” He tapped his toes. “I’m waiting.”

Ellie lunged forward and hugged Julio. “Thank you. I’ll need to get approval, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem. This is good. Great, actually.”

She finished up her workday and stopped by Nothing Bundt Cakes to pick up a treat for her grandpa Frank. He loved the cinnamon swirl cake with the frosted petals on top, and she never got tired of surprising him with one.

*****

Grandpa Frank swung open the door and smiled. He wore his usual outfit—a plaid shirt with khaki pants and a cardigan sweater. Ellie loved his solid white head of hair; it was elegant.
 

“My princess,” he said. “What a surprise to—” His gaze dropped to the bag she was holding down by her side. “What do you have there?”

Ellie smiled as they walked to the kitchen. “You know exactly what I have. That’s why you’re drooling.”

They both laughed as Ellie pulled a plate from the cupboard. She took the cake from the plastic container, placed it on the plate, and grabbed a fork from the drawer.

“You’re not going to have some?”

“I have a date.”

“I can save half for you, just in case you don’t make it to the main course like the other dates.”

“Maybe tonight will be different. I have a new dating system in place.”

They sat at the kitchen table and Grandpa Frank didn’t waste time, diving into his favorite treat. The pastry was disappearing right before her eyes. He nodded as he chewed. “The best.” Finally coming up for air, he asked, “A man you met online?”