Page 14 of Fourth Heartwarmers Trilogy
Once the sheriff was out of earshot, Noel added, “I promise, I’ll do everything I can to see that those scum brothers get what’s coming to them. As promised, I contacted Bill Harrison, the district attorney, and he’s agreed to look into things. Trust me, this guy’s a bulldog when it comes to finding evidence and truth in cases like corruption, drug trafficking and unlawful bullying tactics.”
“I hope so, Noel. I can’t take much more and neither can my ma.”
Chapter Eighteen
The next morning, Mary woke to make a huge breakfast for her guests. It had taken the combined efforts of her and Noel to talk the two into staying with her and letting the restaurant be guarded by the police department.
Since Noel had left really early, she alone visited with Maddy and a very uptight Rory. He left as soon as he’d eaten with the promise that he’d stay cool and just assess the damage with their insurance adjustor and not go off half-cocked, looking for trouble.
From what they’d witnessed the night before, the fire department had saved most of the building. There’d be smoke damage to the front, but the worst of the fire had struck in the kitchen area. And Maddy, trying to lighten the somberness of the situation, had made the comment that it had needed a good renovation. Now they’d be forced to upgrade their appliances and rearrange the space with better counters and cupboards. Though not amused at first, Rory had finally grinned. “Ma, yousure you didn’t set the fire just so you’d get the work done? You been talkin’ about fixin’ the place for years.”
Mary, letting go of those thoughts, fetched second cups of coffee and sat across from her friend. “You know how sorry I am about what happened last night, Maddy. And I hope you know that until they deem your place livable, you and Rory are welcome to stay here with me. As you can see, Aunt Max made a very comfortable home for herself at the top of this old house and there’s plenty of room.”
“Thank you, sweetie. You and Noel have been lifesavers to this old woman… you being so welcoming, and Noel calming my Rory from making a huge mistake last night. I’ll never be able to thank you enough. But I can’t sit around with nothing to do. Running a place like this must take a lot of work; keep me busy… let me help.”
“I know Sara will be happy with any assistance you can give her. Depending on the number of kids appearing at all hours of the day and night, we’re run off our feet. It’s the season. You know, Christmas should be such a happy time, but for some, it’s pure hell. We had a ten-year-old girl show up the other day, beaten and dirty. She’d escaped from a stepmother who hated her. She’s been our youngest so far, and her story breaks my heart. It took forever for her to share her father’s phone number. To make matters worse, when I called him, he didn’t want her back, said she just made trouble for them, fought with her stepsisters and wouldn’t listen to her new mother. The county could take over her care, he didn’t give a damn.” Tears in her eyes, she let Maddy take her hand and smooth her skin soothingly.
“How very sad. What did you do?”
“First, I called him an SOB and hung up. Then I went to Maisy and told her what he said. I can’t get the kids to trust me if I lie to them, and I’ve made it a habit never to do so. As hard as thetruth can be, how can they move on if they don’t accept the past and deal with their issues?”
“That’s a fact, even for us older gals.”
“Maisy came through like a trooper. Said she has an aunt living in the next state, her mother’s sister, who told her at her mom’s funeral that she’d look after her if things got too rough with her dad.”
“Did you get in touch with her aunt?”
“Yes, of course. We caught up with her on Skype; she seemed really nice. Wanted to know if she could come and pick Maisy up this weekend rather than letting the child go so far by bus on her own. Now, Maisy’s happily making her aunt a Christmas present with the jewelry beads we provide as a way for the girls to work together in a safe place and learn a new skill. Sara, one of my first girls, teaches the others.”
“I know Sara. She’s lovely, so soft spoken and gentle. What’s her story?”
“I really don’t know. I found her in the hallway one night back when I first opened, almost naked, scared, half frozen. She’s never told me what happened, and I’ve never forced her. She’s older than the others who show up but was desperately in need of help, which as you know is the name we chose for this House. She’s terrified of leaving, will seldom step out the door, and so we just let each day pass. She’s become a huge help with the others, has taken over a lot of the household chores, and I pay her a fairly inadequate wage, but it’s all she’ll accept. I’ve grown to love her dearly. And so do the others.”
“She’s come into the restaurant a time or two recently and seems like such a timid little thing, those big brown eyes always searching as if she’s terrified to be recognized. What kind of work does she do around here?”
“We have a big kitchen on the main floor where she’s a force to be reckoned with if the others leave a mess. And we share a lotof the day-to-day operations of the house, cleaning rooms and open spaces, watching the desk, taking calls. Heavens, there’s so much to do that we’re never idle. Often, she prepares food for our overnight runaways and makes sure they have a shoulder to cry on when life has beaten them too badly and they’ve given up. We work well together. She’s been a godsend.”
“I’m so glad you have help, Mary. This house, what you do here, it’s genuinely needed in today’s hard world.”
“It’s true. Over these past months, we’ve seen a lot of triumphs, but we’ve had downfalls too. Many times, it’s hit or miss as to whether we can make a difference. But we have to try.” Untrained in any formal way, Mary used kindness and friendship as her ideals and rules for the house. So far, they’ve worked well. The times she’d gotten taken advantage of - and that happened of course - were few and far between. She could be necessarily tough, and Sara always seemed to know when it was apparent that the victim would turn, even if Mary’s big heart left her blind.
Chapter Nineteen
Noel started off his new job showing deference to the younger man who’d been introduced as his boss. Though he’d taken an instant disliking to the fellow’s condescending attitude, he kept his mouth shut and followed orders.
Bald, bearded and bulky, the slobbish loudmouth barked his orders with no finesse and expected instant obedience.
The plant, filled with rows of boxes of various sizes, a wall of doors to loading platforms, rolled conveyor belts and the constant beeping of loaders, was a new environment for Noel. He had to fake his way through most of the jobs he’d been given, thanking the Gods that they were more laboring chores than anything that took necessary skills.
Another man, soft-spoken and friendly, eased his way up next to him and gave some advice. “Just ignore Bart’s attitude; the man’s got the personality of a mistreated Pitbull. Keep your head down, nose out of places it doesn’t belong and stay busy. You’ll do just fine. By the way, my name is Dale.”
“I’m Noel.” He shook hands with the friendly giant. “You got it. Can you tell me the places you mean so I don’t accidently stumble off limits? I need this job, and I’m willing to work hard, just don’t want to get into trouble.”
“I understand. I’d just started when everything went south and am one of the few they’ve kept on. So many others were let go after the bankruptcy. These guys are sketchy, man, but I keep my nose out of where it doesn’t belong and do my job.”
“Great, just tell me what to watch out for, and I’ll do the same.”
“Okay. You see that set of offices upstairs over my left shoulder as far as you’re concerned it’s a den of snipers and you don’t go there. And… there’s a dude who often shows up like he owns the joint, though I know he doesn’t actually work here. His name is Duggan Jones, and he’s dangerous. You don’t want to mess with him or his brother, Ralph. They creep me out, but they have pull… so you take their orders.”
