London Harmony: The Pike (9 page)

We pulled up to their house, Mr. Lance's contractor's truck was gone, as a carpenter, he worked seven days a week sometimes.  Mrs. Lance worked as an accountant out of their house.  We parked in front of the garage and hopped out.  She was all grins as I started wringing my hands.

I really liked Mrs. Lance.  She treated me almost like my mother did, but she was still relatively new to me so I still had a measure of anxiety around her, and especially around her husband.

We stepped into the little entry hall, and Ash pulled the rope on the tiny bell by that door then pulled me into the living room.  The bell was something Mr. Lance had set up when she was young.  Since she couldn't call out to her mother that when she arrived home on the school bus, it served the same purpose.

We hadn't made it five steps when Mrs. Lance stuck her smiling face out of the door at the end of the hall, her office.  She came quickly down the hall to engulf Ash in a tight hug. “Hi girls!  What a pleasant surprise.”

She released her daughter and then I squeaked as she engulfed me in a matching hug.  Causing me to blush and hide behind Ashley's shoulder when she released me.  She asked, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”  She dragged us toward the kitchen where the tantalizing aroma of fresh coffee was coming from.

She kept an eye on Ashley as she started pouring three cups of coffee, a habit of a lifetime with a daughter with no voice.

Ash teased, “Well, Itsy kept badgering me to visit.  Since we have a job in town this morning, I thought this would get her to shut up about it.”

I put my forehead on her shoulder, blushing as I lightly slapped her back.  Mrs. Lance chuckled as she brought the coffee to the breakfast bar on the counter that we girls were standing by.  “Well, at least one of my daughters has good sense.”

I blushed again as we all slid into seats to enjoy our coffee and conversation.

Mrs. Lance makes me call her mom, and always teases that I'm her 'other' daughter, her 'good' daughter.  It always makes me blush.  Especially when I think about how much deeper I seem to fall in love with her daughter every day, it may actually happen one day.  Hey, a girl can dream can't she.

We sat and caught up until eleven.  Then Ashley signed in resignation to her mother, “We'll have to get going.  I want to get into the Pike before lunch rush.  Itsy doesn't do well in crowds.”

She nodded in resignation.  “Well at least spend a day with your father and me on one of your days off.  We miss you two around here.”  I smiled at her for including me again.

She had confided in me one day that she never thought her girl would ever find someone who made her heart skip a beat.  She was so excited about the news that Ashley was bringing her girlfriend home from New York with her last summer.  She didn't seem to have a problem at all that her daughter was gay.  She had suspected.  Mr. Lance was shocked, but he got over it fast, and he really tries, and I like the man.

It was similar in my house.  My mother was over the moon that I had somehow come out of my shell enough to connect with someone, she didn't care if it were a boy, a girl, or an alien from Sigma Prime.  Dad seemed to digest it slower, but not in an adverse way.  He admits that he was worried that with my anxiety and mini panic attacks, that I'd never find someone who made me happy.  So he is genuinely thankful to Ash for looking past my neurosis.

Ash's mother walked us to the door and gave us each a hug.  “Don't be strangers.  You make sure Ash behaves and visits more often, Leigh.”

I nodded and said, “Yes Mrs... ummm... mom.”

She grinned like a Cheshire cat, and it was easy to see where my Amber got such an expressive face.  She looked like an older version of my girl with frosted streaks of grey highlighting her brunette hair.  It boded well for my girl when she turned forty, good genes.

Before I knew it, we were back in Gerty and headed toward the Market.

A few minutes later we were driving through Pike Place and parked at one of the few spots on the road by the market entrance, by the big sign.  This was a genuine miracle since all of the tourists swarmed the market just after the opening bell.  So we didn't have to pay an arm and a leg at the parking garage.

Ash shouldered her jury rig kit and stuffed the smaller parts into it.  Then both of us lifted the motor and headed to the Pike.  Dwayne made it look so light, but it had to weigh fifty pounds.  I grinned and said offhandedly as we walked through the crowd, me bobbing around to avoid coming into contact with anyone.  “Any suggestions on what movie we should watch tonight at the cabin?  I was thinking some sort of romance.  Oh!  With sparkly vampires.  Any input?  No?  Great, Twilight it is.”

As she shook her head, she was adamantly mouthing, “No, no, no.”  She scrunched up her nose at my toothy grin, then stuck her tongue out at my rare opportunity to take advantage when her hands were full.  Oooo she mouthed something unladylike as she smiled and I chuckled in victory.

We got to the door of the Pike and Zoey saw us. She smiled as she rushed over to hold it open for us.  “Hi, ladies.”

I blushed, and Ash wiggled her eyebrows at her.  Then Zoey scowled at the motor and said, “That looks heavy.”

I nodded, and she chirped over her shoulder, “Let me get the kitchen door.”  The place was already crowded.  It looked busier than normal.

She hustled over and opened the swinging door as we lugged our load through, passing the twins who were stocking the front display cases and waving at us.  We sat the motor down on the ground beside the Kok Stjarna and relaxed.  My arms felt like spaghetti and Ash signed, “Next time, we use a hand truck.”  She pointed at the red hand truck by the boxes of product in the corner.

I squinted at her accusingly, and she chuffed out some laughter and signed, “Don't complain, you took advantage of it for your own nefarious purposes just now.”

I blushed and looked down as Zoey chuckled at our banter and asked Ash as she grinned at me,  “And what did our intrepid Leigh do?”

I grinned at my hands as I wrung them and said, “We're watching Twilight tonight.”  Then I signed “Ha.” to my girl.

Zoey almost giggled at that but was able to turn it into a chuckle instead as she signed, “I thought you hated that series, Ash.”

Amber squinted one eye at me accusingly, her hands a blur of motion, “The little minx proclaimed it when we were carrying the motor so I couldn't protest.”  I looked down bashfully and grinned.

Zoey rolled her eyes and bumped shoulders with Ash and said, “Just suck it up, Buttercup.  She's too cute to argue with.”

My gal just nodded seriously as she signed in resignation, a smile threatening at the corners of her lips, “There is that.”  Then she added the question of, “I take it Kenzie is keeping the Pike open?”

I saw both sorrow and the extreme joy and excitement warring around in her eyes as the redhead shook her head and shared, “McKenzie made me controlling partner!”  She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice or hands from bleeding through.

Then she seemed to bounce on her toes as she added, “So the first order of business is to make the chief cook and bottlewasher's job easier by getting that Swedish beast fixed.”

Ash gave her a quick hug and signed, “Congrats...”  Then added with a somber face more slowly, “It is good to know the Pike will still have a Mrs. Z.”  I blinked.  I hadn't thought of that. Zoey would carry on the Z tradition.  It was a sad but hopeful thought.  I saw the same realization pass through Zoey's eyes.

She reached over and laid her hand on Ashley's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze before turning to look at the kitchen.  She changed the subject. “Well I'll let you girls get to it.  We are simply swamped and the the ovens are working overtime.  And June said she'd visit before she went down to Vancouver to visit the folks.”

The twins came into the back back as Ash unplugged the beast and began taking off the access covers.  I have never felt my anxiety kick in around children, and I loved that I could feel normal around them.  They were endlessly fascinated with what Ash was doing and asked a million questions I couldn't answer.  I loved that the twins signed so I didn't have to butcher the tech speak my tinkering pixie shot at them.

She kept tossing me parts, signing, “Crap.”  or “Junk.” or “Keep.”  I made two piles feeling mostly useless.  I was the trash sorter and tool wrangler.

When Ashley started fashioning some sort of motor mounting adapter with short pieces of L-shaped metal with holes drilled in it at even intervals, Max coaxed me into helping her bring the items that Zoey started pulling out of the ovens to the front cases.  The whole place smelled of that heavenly aroma of fresh baked bread.  The most tempting of calling cards for the tourists arriving at the Market.

I had to grin as she spoke about a kid in her sixth-grade class, Gregory.  I hid a smile as I realized she was starting to notice boys.  Sharing her mother's looks, she was going to be a heart-breaker when she got older.  And I was proud of her for some reason, since she was so outgoing and didn't suffer from the anxiety that almost crippled me back in grade school.  If it hadn't been for my best friend, Katy, I wouldn't have survived.

The tone of the crowd growing for the lunch rush sent a shiver down my spine, and I wanted to retreat back into the kitchen as Teddy hopped out to the tables to bus them for people waiting for a seat.

A flour covered Zoey stepped out of the kitchen and saw my panic and her brow creased with concern.  Max came to my rescue by whispering,  “Go.  Get thee to the back maiden, I shall hold the wolves at bay.”

I gave her a grateful look then furrowed my brow as I almost ran to the kitchen.  That sounded familiar, I think it was a line from a movie.  I grinned and shook my head, even the kids nowadays are more cultured than me.  I gave her another smile as I slipped through the door to relative safety.

I worked at calming my breathing, telling myself to calm down, they were just people.  Ashley glanced up, and everything just melted away as I looked into her amber eyes.  She and I were all there was in the world, and my anxiety just faded like a fog being driven back by the sun.  She mouthed, “Hi.”

My cheeks heated as I ground my heel on the floor as I looked down and replied, “Hi.”

She signed, “Thought you might be back when things picked up out there.”  She stepped close and signed, “They are just people, Itsy.”  I nodded as she hugged me.  I heated up and melted in her arms as I nodded into her shoulder.

She held me at arm's length to look in my eyes to make sure I was ok.  I nodded again, and she grinned, wiggling her eyebrows and signing, “Good, I got my helper back just in time.  We have to pull the old motor so I can attach my adapter.”  I nodded and looked at the little cage she had built that reminded me of the antique Erector Set toys my father had tucked away in the closet.

With some coaxing, we were able to get the old motor, which was much heavier, out of the unit.  I asked about that, and she signed, “The newer motors are much more efficient and have fewer windings and don't have this cast iron casing.”

Then I resumed my role of tool wrangler as she installed her adapter, explaining between steps.  The new motor was not as long, and the mounting holes on the body were in different locations, not to mention it was configured for horizontal mounting and not vertical.

Zoey was in and out of the kitchen like a woman on a mission.  I couldn't believe how much work she was doing, and I realized that the smaller backup mixer was always in motion, whipping batters or kneading bread dough and I saw how important the one we were working on was to the bakery slash cafe.

I asked Ash, “Doesn't she ever slow down?  How did Mrs. Z do this on her own for all these years?”

She paused to watch a minute then relayed, “Don't you see it?  She excels under pressure.  She doesn't look harried at all, in fact, she hasn't stopped smiling all morning.  She enjoys this, and that's what makes her a perfect fit for the Pike.  Mrs. Z saw this and so did McKenzie.  The torch has been passed.”

I took a moment to watch the red-headed whirling dervish.  Then squinted and tried to listen as she moved past us with some of those heavenly fresh baked bread bowls full of eggs, and ham bakes which were a signature of the bakery.  Was she mumbling a zooming sound as she went?  I had to smile.

After a bit, we heard some squealing from the twins from up front, and we exchanged grins.  Their cousin June must have arrived.

My girl finally pulled back, hands covered in grease from the old motor and a cute smudge of it on her left cheek.  She sighed and shrugged pointing at the new motor, sighing over dramatically then placing the back of her hand on her forehead as she tipped her head back, “The moment of truth.”

I giggled. “Yes Scarlett O'Hara.”

She wiggled her eyebrows again, and we hoisted the new motor into her cage.  I grunted and pushed as she signed with one hand, “Good, hold it there.”

She went to work bolting it to her Frankenstein creation.  Prompting, “Push back farther.”  Or, “Hold it right here.”  Then a minute later, and with only a small amount of signed cuss words and barked knuckles, it was held firmly in place.

I sat on my butt and sighed in relief.  Then she mounted the pulley and tensioned the belt before starting to work on her controller.  I had to laugh at my girl when she put the biggest bit she had into her cordless drill and tilted her head back to chuff out her maniacal mad scientist laugh as she pulled the trigger a couple times, making the drill whir.

It was a joy to watch her work.  I really think that this is her true passion.  She was one of the most creative people at the Academy when it came to audio and video production, but she never seemed to light up like this when she worked on her school projects.

She enlarged a hole in the main case where she had gutted the old controls.  Then a  minute later she was attaching the rheostat.  When she was done mounting it, the large dial hid away the other couple holes where the old controls had been.  It looked like it was meant to be that way.

Then she went about cutting wires and attaching them to the other gadgets we picked up at Gilbert's.  Some she attached with little connectors and some she got her soldering iron out for.  It was early afternoon when she finally stepped back and grinned.

Zoey had been in and out of the kitchen as she served customers between visiting with her cousin.  There was a lull that was ominous.  I knew it was just the Market catching its breath for a couple hours before the dinner rush began.  She came back to check on some croissants she had baking when she paused.  Noticing Ash's relaxed posture as she cleaned her hands with a shop rag.

Ash signed to us, “Here goes.”

She plugged the heavy cord into the receptacle and hit the green button.  There was a click and the feeling of the machine energizing.  I know we couldn't really feel it, but the atmosphere of anticipation made it seem like it.  She pre-emptively signed, “Taa-daa”  As she turned the dial, making a prompting motion at the giant mixer blade.  Then she squished her mouth to one side of her face as the blades spun backward.  She turned the dial back, and they slowed and turned the other way, just more slowly.  Zoey started laughing at her expression as Ash signed, “Well, poo.”

I realized what was going on, and I covered my mouth so I wouldn't laugh at my girlfriend, but my titters were making it through.  She must have wired something backward. She hit the red stop button and unplugged it, signing, “I got this.  Just a sec.”

She took to wires off the terminals on the rheostat and swapped them, tightening them down again then plugged it back in as Zoey slid the divine smelling creations from the oven.

Ash made another grand gesture and signed, “Taa-daa.” She hit the green button then turned the dial, watching the motor turn the right direction at a high speed, then she dialed it back and made it reverse.

She hit the red button and took a bow.  She looked up from her bow and signed, “Well?”

Zoey chuckled and clapped and said, “Bravo.  My hero.”

I grinned and said under my breath without signing, “Way to go Wrong Way Lance.”

This got both women chuckling as I heated up and looked down self consciously as I grinned. 

Ash relayed that we just needed to put all the covers back on and clean up our mess, and we'd get out of her hair.  Zoey said with a sigh of relief, “Thank you so much, Ash, you really are my hero.”

My girl gave her a sly smile and signed, “Remember that when you get my bill.”

Zoey barked out a surprised burst of laughter then disappeared through the door with her latest creations, shaking her head in amusement.

I was smiling, thoroughly entertained by the two women when I froze.  Two amber pools, so deep I'll never be able to find the bottom, focused on me.  She signed with a seductive look on her face, “I told Bobbie we needed the whole day off.  What am I to do with you the rest of the day?”

Oh dear lord.  I swallowed as I started breathing faster and started wringing my hands then signed without looking up at her, “I can think of a couple things.”  She was right in front of me, moving my chin up gently with a finger until I was looking into her eyes again.  I was a goner as I smiled bashfully at her.  She nodded with a little smirk on her face then kissed me so gently it felt like butterfly wings brushing my lips.