Page 25 of A Family Affair: The Plan
Why would Nate Desantro think she had an ulterior motive? The man was obviously not very trusting. People said he was a benchmark of integrity and honor and once you had his respect, you had it forever. Hope was pretty certain she didnothave that respect, but maybe she could earn it. Maybe Mimi could offer advice on how to do that. Hope contemplated this possibility as she enjoyed a stack of blueberry pancakes and the best coffee she’d tasted in years when a young woman stopped at her booth.
“I’m Lily.” Her blue eyes turned bright beneath thick glasses, a wide smile spreading across her lips. “You’re Hope Newland, the new lady in town. And you’re staying at the Heart Sent.”
“Yes, I am.” Lily Desantro certainly knew about Hope.
“And you’re talking to people in town, trying to find out about Magdalena because you want to build other bed-and-breakfast places like the Heart Sent, but you also want people in those towns to be like the ones in Magdalena.”
“Uh…that’s correct.”
“I know.” Lily slid into the booth across from Hope, eyed the stack of blueberry pancakes.
“Would you like something to eat?”
The tiniest nod before she said, “I’m hungry, but Mom said I have to pay because I have a job and it’s not right to expect everybody else to—” she lifted her hands and made air quotes “‘—pick up the tab.’”
Hope didn’t know what to think of Lily. She’d never had occasion to interact with anyone who had Down syndrome, but this young woman was not what she’d expected. People said she could get to the bottom of anything with her honest words and curious questions, but they’d always added a smile and some even laughed before adding,Just be glad you’re not her person of interest. If you are, she’ll home in on you and won’t stop until she has all of her questions answered and figures out what she wants to know.Hope forced a smile, gestured toward herpancakes. “What if someone asked you to have breakfast with them? Would you still have to pay?”
Lily rubbed her jaw, scrunched her nose, as she contemplated the question. “You mean like an invitation?” When Hope nodded, the young woman tilted her head to the side, her black hair settling around her shoulders. “If it’s an invitation, then I’m allowed to accept if I want to. That’s what my mom says. If I’m inviting myself, then that doesn’t count, and I have to pay. Hmm. Are you inviting me to eat with you? Because if you do, then I don’t have to pay and I can order blueberry pancakesandbacon. I usually have enough money for the pancakes but…”
Talk about honesty. More people should be like Lily. “I’m asking you to have breakfast with me, Lily. My treat.”
“Okay then. Thank you! You are so kind.” Lily raised her hand and motioned to the waitress. “Phyllis is a really nice lady. She’s married to Lester and he’s a private investigator. He has an accent because he’s from Texas.” She leaned forward, placed her hands on the table, and said in a loud whisper, “He wears a cowboy hat and cowboy boots. Uncle Harry says he’s the ‘real deal’.”
Lester Conroy? She’d heard of him but hadn’t met him yet. She did know Phyllis from the visits to the diner and she’d had a few conversations with her, but the woman had been stingy with her answers as she snapped her gum and eyed Hope as if not one-hundred percent certain of her motives.
“Well, well.” Phyllis approached the booth, pointed her pen at Lily. “I see you’ve conned another breakfast out of an unsuspecting person.” The woman hid a smile, shook her head until her bun flopped. “You should be in sales.”
“No, no I didn’t, Phyllis. I just met, Hope, and we were talking about blueberry pancakes and I told her if I had any I had to pay unless?—”
Phyllis’s laughter burst through Lily’s explanation. “I know, I know. If someone invites you to breakfast then that’s an invitation, and that means they’re going to pay.” She tapped the pen against her chin, studied Lily Desantro. “Did I get that right?”
A double nod as those blue eyes grew wide. “That’sexactlyright. Do you know Hope? She’s visiting and staying at the Heart Sent. Mimi’s teaching her how to make buttermilk biscuits and chicken with gravy.”
“Is that so?” Phyllis slid Hope a look, raised a brow and darn if she didn’t snap her gum three times.
Hope shrugged. “I haven’t spent much time in the kitchen in quite a few years, but with Mimi’s encouragement, I’m finding my way around it again.” What harm could there be to admit the rest? “And I’m really enjoying it. The sweetness of the cinnamon rolls, the breads, the lasagna.”
“Those are some of Sam’s favorites.” Lily grinned, added more information. “But Mrs. Harrington said there isn’t much he doesn’t love and wouldn’t call his favorites, especially home cooked. Mrs. Harrington also said he’s been very happy and smiling lately, and that is curious to her.”
Why had her voice taken on a sing-song quality? Hope shifted in her seat, cleared her throat, and couldn’t manage more than “Huh.”
“Now isn’t that just interesting?” Phyllis planted a fist on her hip, stared at Hope. “Sam Harrington sure is a looker, with a voice that could melt an ice cube. I wonder why he’s been so happy lately?”
“Pop says it’s because of Hope.” Lily darted a glance at Hope. “Pop says stranger things have happened and you just never know when destiny will come calling. He says he thinks that destiny is calling and?—”
“That’s enough, Lily. Don’t scare our guest away.” Phyllis tapped her chin with her pen. “Now let me guess what you want today. A stack of blueberry pancakes and since this is an invitation, you’d like a side of bacon. Water to drink?”
“That’s right! Thank you, Phyllis, and thank you, Hope.”
Hope wished she could pay for Lily’s breakfast and wriggle out of the invitation, but something told her that Lily Desantro was on a mission and it was about a lot more than pancakes and bacon. The best she could do right now was stay ahead of Lily’s questions, and not offer too much about her interactions with Sam.
Once Phyllis left to place the order, Lily leaned back in the booth, tilted her head to one side. “So, who do you want to know about? I know everybody.”
When a person made a comment like that, it usually meant they didnotknow everybody but Hope bet Lily did. “Well, can you tell me what makes this town so special?”
Lily’s eyes grew wide, her voice soft. “It’s the people. They’re very kind, and they want to help each other. If somebody’s sad or having a hard time, like when Ben Reed fell off a ladder while he was taking Christmas decorations down from the attic and couldn’t get around for a long time… People wanted to help him and Gina and their family.” Her brows pulled together, a frown inched across her face. “But there was some other stuff with a therapist lady who wanted Ben for her husband, but he was already married and Gina said she couldn’t have him. No way.” Before Hope could process those words, Lily said, “And of course, you must know about Nick and Delilah.”Tsk tskand a loud sigh. “They used to be married, did you know that?”
When Hope shook her head, Lily continued, “They were. They were so, so, so in love. And then, something happened and they weren’t. But Nick came to Magdalena and started working at O’Reilly’s Bar and Grille, which was Delilah’s father’s place…And then Delilah lost her job because she said something she should not have to the lady about her husband’s girlfriend, I think. How could he have a girlfriend if he’s married?” A shrug and a shake of her head. “Uncle Harry said strange things happen and you just have to make sure you’re not part of the strange. He says a lot of odd things, but that’s just Uncle Harry. And if you haven’t met Cash and Tess Casherdon yet?” Her voice turned as soft as pulled taffy, and she placed a hand over her heart. “They’re one of my very favorite couples. Cash is so handsome. You’ll know who he is when you see him. He and Tess were meant to be, but then something horrible happened right before they got married.”
