“Oh! I thought—no, I guess we never did tell you. It’s all been such a blur. I’m sorry, Vivian. I know you have complicated feelings about Judd and his brewery, and for good reason.”
Vivian shook her head. “No, don’t worry about that. I did hear about Judd’s heart attack. I baked him a loaf of whole wheat bread and sent along a couple of meals right after it happened.”
Faith’s heart warmed to hear of Vivian’s generosity. She was proud of how kind-hearted her family members were, even to people who had treated them badly in the past. “That’s so good of you.”
“It’s what neighbors do.” Vivian smiled. “So, Ryan is taking over the brewery for his father? I’m shocked—I would have thought that Judd would have entrusted the brewery to one of his other sons. I know that he and Ryan often don’t see eye to eye.”
“I was shocked too—and honestly, Ryan still seems to be wrapping his head around the decision as well. But I know he can do it. He’s taken the lead at so many construction sites, I know he’ll be a good leader in his new role as well, once he getsused to all the ins and outs of running a brewery. It’s a lot for him to handle, which is why I’m acting as his secretary of sorts.” She smiled, feeling proud of what she was doing to help out the man she loved.
“Well, I think that’s wonderful.” Vivian beamed at her. “Ryan is lucky to have a supportive partner like you. Things seem to be moving along very nicely between the two of you.” Her eyes twinkled knowingly, as if she was secretly hinting about their relationship progressing to the next level.
“Things between us are amazing,” Faith said, unable to keep her tone from getting a little dreamy. “I love him more with every passing day, it feels like. I feel like I could trust him with anything, you know? And obviously he trusts me, letting me help him like this. It feels good to be able to depend on someone like that.”
Vivian’s smile faded slightly, and a sad look came into her eyes. “That’s the way it should be,” she said. “Trust is vital between two people in a relationship.”
Faith’s heart gave a pang as she thought about what Vivian was going through, finding out that Frank had tried to pay off his gambling debts but never told her about his secret stash of money in the attic. She reached out and touched Vivian’s hand. “How are you doing in light of—of the discovery regarding Frank?”
Vivian cleared her throat and managed a bigger smile. “I’m doing all right. It’s a lot to process, but I’m taking it one day at a time.” She changed the subject, gesturing to Faith’s laptop and notebook. “Let me know if there’s anything I can help with in regard to your new tasks for the brewery. I’d be happy to offer you assistance—I know that businesses changing hands can be tricky and overwhelming for everyone involved. And I know some tips and tricks about dealing with all the little details thatcome with running a restaurant. I’d be more than happy to give you my help whenever you need it.”
“Thanks, Vivian.” Faith smiled at her gratefully. “That’s so kind of you. So far, I’ve just been getting the easiest sort of tasks from Ryan, but I’ll let him know you offered to help out. I bet he’d be able to pass along some of the tougher work my way if he knew that I had you to guide me in case there’s something I don’t know how to tackle.”
“Sounds great.” Vivian smiled. “I never thought I’d be offering to help with the running of the McCormick Brewery, but I guess life is funny like that sometimes. Ryan feels like a part of the family now, and of course you know I’m always here to help you, Faith.”
“Right back at you.” Faith squeezed Vivian’s hand, wishing that she could take away some of the sadness Vivian had been feeling about Frank’s untrustworthiness. “Speaking of helping people, how’s Dean? Hazel told me he has plenty of food for now, but I’m going to make him a whole bunch of spaghetti and meatballs next week.”
“Perfect. Dean loves spaghetti and meatballs. And he’s doing pretty well, I think. It’s tough having surgery, even when it goes well. I know my Dean doesn’t like to sit around and wait for anything, but he’s hanging in there. I’m just praying that it all turns out the way we’re hoping, and that he feels better than ever by the time he and Noelle get married.”
“Oh, me too. And I think he will.” Faith smiled.
Vivian nodded, and the two women exchanged a look of hopefulness. Faith thought about how she’d known so many pessimistic people back in Boston—people who had acted as though if you weren’t being cynical, you were simply naïve. She felt grateful to have moved to a place where people knew that staying positive took both a great deal of strength and a great deal of courage, and that there was nothing naïve about it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Vivian wiped her hands on her short black waitressing apron and let out a sigh. It was another busy day at The Lighthouse Grill, and she could feel beads of perspiration at her hairline, threatening to run down her cheeks. Since she was the owner and manager, she worked as a kind of jack of all trades in the restaurant. Sometimes she ran drinks to the tables, sometimes she stepped in as a waitress when things were particularly hectic, sometimes she went around refilling all of the ketchup and mustard bottles, and sometimes she simply made her way around the bustling pub, greeting her customers and making sure their needs were met and that they felt at home.
She stepped inside the kitchen for a moment, grabbing a clean paper towel and mopping at the sweat on her face. She'd been working harder than usual that day. She had volunteered to take a couple of tables so that Alexis had the time to make a few phone calls for her jewelry business. She had also been unusually alert about keeping the restaurant clean, getting out the carpet sweeper or the dusting rags whenever she saw a dropped piece of food or a smear of grime. Ordinarily, she allowed the restaurant to look like a restaurant, not an exhibit inthe Museum of Cleanliness, but today she had been cleaning as if she wouldn't get a paycheck if she didn't.
She ducked inside the staff bathroom for a moment, checking her reflection in the mirror. She smoothed her hair down, making sure it didn't look too sweaty. Her eyes blinked back at her, intense and also a little sad.
She shook her head at herself. She knew why she'd been working so unusually hard that day. She always enjoyed a fast-paced environment and visiting with The Lighthouse Grill’s regular customers, but she had to admit to herself that she'd been choosing an unnecessary amount of work to tackle that day. She knew that her desire to keep moving had more to do with trying not to think about her predicament involving the money that Frank left her more than it had to do with anything else.
She blinked at her reflection, almost surprised by how much emotion there was in her eyes. She knew the whole situation had been bothering her, but she'd been running from thoughts about it for so long that she hadn't truly processed just how upset by it she was.
Come on, Vivian,she thought to herself with a sigh.There's no need to work yourself into a fatigue here. Besides, you can't escape thinking about it forever.
She left the bathroom, squaring her shoulders and telling herself that she was going to approach the remainder of her shift with more grace toward herself, keeping in mind the fact that she was only human, not a machine. She winced a little as she passed a picture of her and Frank that was hanging right outside the kitchen. She couldn’t help wishing that he’d been the man she thought he was all throughout their marriage.
She was making her way through the dining room, headed toward a table that needed to be cleared of its dishes, whenshe saw someone walk through the front doors of the pub. A moment later, her face broke into a joyful smile.
“Terrence!” She hurried across the restaurant to embrace him.
“Hi, sweetheart.” He gave her a big hug. “I thought I’d drop by and get a bite for lunch before my next health inspection.”
“So glad you did.” She remembered with amusement when he’d first showed up to The Lighthouse Grill to inspect them, and she’d found him unreasonably fussy and pompous. She knew that Terrence liked for things to be in order and perfectly up to code, and that was what made him such a great health inspector. He’d learned to give people a little more grace since they’d started dating, but she’d also come to value his particular ways. He had a moral code and an unwavering faithfulness to what was right that she valued a great deal, especially after everything that had happened with Frank. “If you want to sit at that little table by the window, I’ll be over with a cup of coffee in just a minute. Then I can take your order. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips and went to sit down at the table.
Vivian cleared the dirty table in just a minute and then washed her hands and got Terrence a cup of hot coffee. She’d known he would want coffee, because he always did and he loved the coffee at The Lighthouse Grill. He’d even been the one to help her pick out the brand.
