The Calendar of New Beginnings (10 page)

Lucy’s beer went down the wrong pipe, and she coughed violently. “Oh, gross! Did you have to put that thought in my head?”

“When you’ve been married forty years, you can judge me for looking for a little marital spice wherever I can find it,” he said, reaching across the bar and pounding her back.
 

The whack of his hand inflamed her lingering soreness, and she made a sound of distress before she could stop herself.

His hand froze immediately, and his clever eyes narrowed. “Are you hurt, young lady?”

She continued to sputter, shaking her head.
Uh-oh.
But he came around the bar and planted himself down on the stool beside her as she coughed into a napkin.
 

“Don’t make me pull up your shirt in the back and embarrass us both,” he said, putting his hand on her knee.

He sounded way too much like Andy Hale, and she wasn’t sure how to deflect his concern.

“I’m fine,” she said, rubbing her chest. “You have a hand like a meat cleaver.”

“Bullshit. I know my daughter. You wouldn’t return to Dare Valley if something dire hadn’t happened.”

She clutched the beer in her hand. “I was burned out.”

“Don’t make me say bullshit again. You’ve been burned out before. Talk to me.”

Since she knew he would only press her until she caved, she decided to share a vague description of the events. “Fine. Something bad happened in a village where I was working, and I needed time to recover.”

His mouth pursed, and his ears turned red before her eyes—a sure sign he was more than upset. He was livid. “Recover from what?”

“I wasn’t beaten or raped,” she said, putting her hand on top of his. “But I was hurt, and I’m recovering. Please don’t make me talk about it more, and please don’t tell Mom.”

He pulled her close and hugged her, and for a moment, she let her arms curl around him.

“You worry me something fierce, young lady,” he said, his voice rough. “I remind myself you’re your own woman and always will be, but I love you, and your work in all those war zones takes a toll on those who love you too. I don’t say it to make you feel guilty. I only say it because…shit…it gives me some bad moments. Okay?”

“I know it does,” she said softly, helpless in the face of his show of emotion.

He let her go and picked up his beer, downing half the contents. “I can’t promise not to tell your mother.”

“But—”

“You know how this works, Luce,” he said, setting his beer back on the bar top with a clack. “She’s my partner, and you’re our kid. I don’t keep secrets from Ellie. Not even for you.”

No, he never had, and it was something she admired. Most of the time. “I was hoping for a reprieve this one time.”

“Not a chance, kid. But I will do my best to get her to give you some space. If you’ve come home to heal, we’ll do everything we can to support that. You have my word.”

“Oh, Daddy,” she said, feeling uncharacteristically teary-eyed.

“Don’t you dare make me cry, missy,” he said, swiping at his eyes. “But you have to promise to tell me if you need help with anything. I won’t accept anything but a resounding yes from you there.”

As a bargain, it was the best she could hope for. “I promise.”

“Good,” he said, cracking his neck and standing. “Now, how about some fish and chips?”

Lucy tapped her finger in time with the Irish music playing over the speakers to lighten the moment between them. She’d always known her dad worried about her, but he usually didn’t let her see it. “Sounds great.”

“This time home will be good for you, Luce. And the calendar will be a fun change.” He gave her a wink, shaking off his own emotions. “Then you can decide what the incredible Lucy O’Brien will do next. I can’t wait to see what that will be.”

She knew how much that cost him to say, fighting his worry and all, so she stood and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”

He gave her a butterfly kiss like he’d done when she was little. “I love you too, Lucy Lu.”

By the time happy hour officially rolled around, the noise level in the bar had risen to concert-level. Lucy found herself wedged against the bar while her dad built beers like a pro with Mike, his main bartender, and reconnected her with his local patrons. Of course, she’d seen many of them during her brief visits home, but those visits had typically been limited to a few days at a time, meaning there was usually only time to connect with family and close friends. It felt good to get reacquainted with a wider net of people. Some of them were long-time Dare Valley residents she had known since she was a little girl. A few of her dad’s friends chucked her under the chin, joking that maybe his hair would finally grow back now that she’d returned. Like she’d made it fall out in the first place.
 

She even chatted with a few people she’d grown up with. Patrick O’Shaughnessy, a fireman, still had a crooked smile and streaky blond hair. He was a couple years younger, but he’d lived on their block and played Ghosts in the Graveyard with her and the other neighborhood kids.
 

Her dad also introduced her to several newbies, who’d moved to Dare Valley from bigger cities, seeking more time with their families and less time commuting. She’d never remember everyone’s names, but it turned out they knew hers. According to the bar patrons, her dad talked about her frequently.
 

One of the newbies, a young doctor who knew her parents, explained that many of Dare Valley’s new arrivals worked in the town’s expanding medical industry. Dr. Jeff Geller was easy on the eyes, but his faux hawk—perfectly gelled to a point in the middle of his forehead—made her want to giggle. He’d signed up for a three-year stint at Dare Valley General to lower his student loan payments since it was technically still categorized as a rural hospital.
 

“Medical practices are popping up everywhere to support our patients,” he told her. “You heard General won an award for being a leading regional hospital, right?”

Lucy shook her head, keeping an eye out for Andy and Danny, who were due to arrive any moment now.
 

“No, I hadn’t heard that,” she said, soaking in the view of her dad building beers and laughing at something one of his regulars was going on about. She really had missed this place.
 

“Of course, there’s some like your pal, Dr. Andy Hale,” Jeff said, giving her a sly smile, “who left because of the insane hours in city hospitals.”

“How do you know Andy is my pal?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.

“Your mom talks about you,” Jeff said, making her frown.
 

Was her mom hoping to set her up with this cute, too-young doctor? Sure, her mom might want her to hook up with Andy, but Lucy wouldn’t put it past her to consider back-up options. When it came to getting grandchildren, Ellen O’Brien would pull out all the stops.

“What exactly did my mother say about me?” she asked.

“Besides the fact that you’re wicked smart, funny, and pretty?”

That line didn’t much surprise her. He’d been looking his fill as he sipped his Guinness, and in all honesty, Lucy had been enjoying his eyes on her. Sadly, it had been a while since she’d had a pleasant encounter with male admiration. The last one had been with two frisky chimpanzees in Uganda, who had pounded their massive chests upon seeing her. It had made her chortle to be the subject of that kind of male admiration.
 

“I’m all that and more,” she said, grabbing a handful of her dad’s spicy peanuts from the bowl on the bar. “What else did my mom say?”

He brushed closer, like he thought he was scoring points, which was sort of annoying. “Ellen said you have the biggest heart out there and that any man would be lucky to have you.”

Lucy tried to appreciate her mother’s compliments. She really did. “That’s nice of her.”

“I have a secret to tell you,” he murmured.
 

She edged back as his breath tickled her ear. She was almost afraid to ask. “What’s that?”
 

“April’s recruited me for the calendar. I have some ideas for you to consider.”

Great. Dr. Faux Hawk was part of the hot dog crew. “Oh, really?”

His head darted closer, making her think of pigeon feeding in a park. Any earlier excitement she’d felt faded.

“My mom died of breast cancer three years ago,” he said quietly.

Great. Just when she was about to kick him to the curb, he had to go all vulnerable on her. “I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged, straightening and giving her space again. “Shit happens. I’m just glad to be part of something that helps. Plus, it’ll be fun.”

Fun might be stretching it, but Jeff had driven home something important. Even though her mom and April had told her everyone doing the calendar had lost someone, Lucy hadn’t really registered what that meant. Sure, her mom and April might like to joke about cantaloupes, but there were plenty of deeper emotions behind this enterprise. Lucy knew all about joking up a storm to cover pain. Right then and there, she decided she was going to give everything she could to this calendar.

“I’m glad you’re on board, Jeff,” she told him with a smile.

Okay, so it sucked that her mother had obviously told everyone she’d agreed to do the calendar before bothering to tell Lucy there
was
a calendar.

“Me too,” he said, checking her out again.

She wanted to roll her eyes, but someone grabbed her hand just then, making her jump.

“Hi, Miss Lucy,” Danny called out, grinning up at her in his Star Wars shirt and jeans. Could he be any more adorable?
 

She let a smile spread across her face. “Hi there, Danny Hale. Wanna sit on the bar? My dad always let me when I was your age.”

A glance over her shoulder brought Andy into view. He was taller than most of Hairy’s patrons and looked well dressed in a dark blue button-down shirt and tan slacks—or at least that’s how she read the colors. Her friend had never much gone for the casual look of jeans and a T-shirt. She always looked like a slob next to him, and today she was no different in her worn jeans and ribbed green top.

“Can I, Dad?” Danny asked, and when he nodded, Lucy lifted the little boy up on the bar top.

“Hey, Andy,” she said to her friend, a little self-conscious of how Jeff was watching them.

“Hi. You planning on getting my kid to serve beers?” Andy asked, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.

She could feel everyone in the surrounding area watching them now, including her dad. “Not yet,” she answered. “I don’t corrupt minors.”
 

“Funny,” Andy said, keeping his cool despite all the eager eyes on them. “How’s it going, Jeff?”

“Pretty good, man,” Jeff responded, shaking his hand. “I’m going to play some pool. Wanna come, Lucy?”

He was sweet. But…he was testing out her feelings by asking her to accompany him. “I have to order my friend a drink.” She pointed to Danny. “It was good talking to you, Jeff. I’ll see you around.”

His eyes held hers for a tad longer than appropriate. “Sure. Come find me if you change your mind. See you later, Andy.”

Her friend waggled his eyebrows at her as Jeff walked off. “Some things never change.”

She socked him, and her dad, who was still watching them, laughed and turned away. “What
do
you mean?”

“You always stir up male interest wherever you go,” he said, shaking his head.

While it was true, she wasn’t in the mood to converse on the subject. “How would you know? I haven’t lived here in forever.”

He gave her a bland look.

“Can I help being friendly?” Since she wanted to consider that subject good and closed, she turned to Danny. “What would you like to drink, kiddo?”

When the boy opened his mouth, Andy said, “No soda today, Danny. You had your quota for the week at Mrs. O’Brien’s party last night.”

“But Dad!” Danny cried, swinging his little legs off the bar. “It’s a special drink if Ms. Lucy is paying.”

Her lips twitched, and Andy shot her a look.
 

“Not a word,” he told her.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she replied, chuckling under her breath.

Andy wouldn’t want her to tell Danny that once upon a time his dad had been her soda partner in crime. Her mom had rationed her intake as a kid since her father would give her endless soda whenever she visited the bar. Somehow, her mother had believed in the evils of excessive sugar in children before it became popular.
 

That hadn’t stopped Lucy. She’d found other ways to get her fix when she wasn’t at Hairy’s. Andy had let her steal cans from the Hale refrigerator on more than one occasion, and sometimes he’d even sneaked them into her house. She’d drunk soda in her bathroom and thrown the cans in her neighbor’s garbage on her way to school. As far as she knew, her mother was still none the wiser.

“Milk or orange juice today, Danny?” Andy asked, making his son frown.

“How about we try a new drink?” Lucy asked, making the kid perk right back up. “Milk
and
orange juice. Maybe it will taste like orange sherbet.”