“You were a bit hard on him, don’t you think?” I reach into the opened container which is still on the counter. The tomato smells nice. Not like a field tomato picked in sunny July, but it’s pretty good for one from a greenhouse in Canada. It’s a whole lot better than the imported ones we see in the winter, which are barely orange and have all the flavor of blotting paper.
I take this one to the sink and wash it, then bite it as Merrie did. It’s kind of good. Firm texture. Sweet taste. I nod at Merrieand she takes another one, joining me at the sink to wash and eat it.
“It’s not bad,” she says, considering it as she chews. “Another day in the sun would have made a big difference. They probably pick to allow for a little ripening in transit.” She takes another bite. “The sweetness would come up if I roasted it.”
“Then youwerehard on him.”
“It wasn’t about the tomatoes and you know it, Sylvia.”
“Go on, Merrie. Tell me what you really think.”
She smiles impishly. “I think more people should be compelled to reap what they have sown.”
“No!” I feign surprise and she pretends she’s going to throw the rest of her tomato at me, then we laugh, the way we always do.
She finishes the tomato and shakes her head. “I wish he hadn’t taken the rest. Now I want to roast up a batch in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, garlic and just a bit of brown sugar.” She gives me a look. “Or is that too Tuscan for you?”
I laugh, not just because I’m supposed to. She washes her hands and gets back to her prep, leaving me thinking about food with a lot more interest than just a few minutes ago.
It’s her gift.
Merrie abruptly turns back to give me a hard look. “Just think it through before you decide Sierra doesn’t need her dad. It’s not a choice to make on a whim or out of anger. It’s always been my conviction that parents come in teams for a reason.”
She waits until I nod agreement, then returns to dicing for hermise en place. I’m left to finish my tomato alone, one minute of peace before we get busy. Even the smell of it reminds me of Mike’s dad’s greenhouses, the humid heat of them in summertime, the pervasive smell of ripening tomatoesand plants in the sun. They have a distinct scent, tomato plants, and it’s one that reliably takes me back to that magical summer. It reminds me of secret meetings in the greenhouse, and stolen kisses that turned my knees to butter.
It’s not Mike, I tell myself fiercely. I’m over him and have been for a long time. I learned my lesson. It’s just having the attention of an attractive man. That’s all. I’ve been alone too long. It’s nothing more than that.
I do my best to believe it and even I’m not convinced.
I’m still setting tables when the polished SUV parks behind my Subaru. Rafe evidently intends to be first through the door for lunch before he heads back to Toronto. He’s tapping at the door a second later, peering through the glass in anticipation. I check my watch, then shout for Sierra.
Lunch is served.
5
MIKE
Luke and Sylvia’s child.
My worst suspicions were all true.
Sylvia was seeing Luke the same time as me. Shewassleeping with him. I thought I was being unfair, butit was all true. She must have spent that night with him, which I didn’t even believe when I made the accusation.
Sometimes, it bites the wall to have your worst fears proven right.
That prom night, I had plans. Romantic plans. But Sylvia kept wanting to leave the party. I accused her of preferring to be with Luke because I wanted her to argue with me. I wanted her to tell me that I was being stupidly jealous and wrong.
But instead, she left.
With him.
And now what? It’s been years. It should be ancient history. But Luke bought the diner and Sylvia came back to Empire to work in the restaurant there. Did she come back to be with him? They have a daughter. All the pieces fit together. I should be glad that Luke isacting like an adult.
But I’m not.
I’m devastated.
How can Sylvia still have the ability to rip out my guts and shred them right in front of me? I hope I don’t see Luke on Queen Street or we might have the fight we should have had years ago.
