Home to Whiskey Creek (Whiskey Creek #4)(34)
Author: Brenda Novak

“Addy?” her grandmother called when she didn’t respond.

With a final deep breath, she managed to find her voice. “The run was…great. It—it’s a beautiful fall morning.”

“Good. So—” she made her way into the hall “—will you feel well enough to go with me tonight?”

Telling herself to relax, that there’d been no reason to overreact, Addy moved away from the door. “Go where?”

“To the big game!”

Of course. It was Homecoming at the high school.

Addy had seen the announcement on the marquee outside Eureka High this morning when she went running but had thought nothing of it. “Don’t tell me you still go.”

Gran inched closer. “I certainly do. I always sell my baked goods at a booth next to the snack bar and donate the proceeds to the athletic program. You know that.”

Addy put her laptop and other belongings on the closest chair so she could steady Gran when she let go of her walker to sit down. The last thing either one of them needed was for Gran to fall. Addy feared the day something like that happened. She’d heard a broken hip could be the beginning of the end for the elderly and, as much as she wanted to leave Whiskey Creek, she didn’t want it to be because she’d had to say a permanent goodbye to Gran. “You mean…Darlene isn’t doing it for you?”

“Heavens, no! She’s short-staffed at the restaurant. Anyway, I like doing this myself.” She winked. “It’s good advertising for the restaurant.”

The restaurant didn’t need to advertise. Everyone in town knew it was there, and most frequented it. Addy guessed this was about Gran. She’d had to give up working on a daily basis, but she wasn’t about to sacrifice the other things she’d always done for the community.

“You must’ve had help the past few years….”

“I pay some of the young girls from church—they’re, oh, ten or twelve—to carry things in and out and help me wait on customers. I’ve got two sisters whose parents will be bringing them to the game—Misty and Savannah Busath. But I could use you, too, if you’re ready to be out.”

Oh, boy. Addy could bump into just about anybody at the game, including the four men she most wanted to avoid. Kevin was the coach, so he’d definitely be there. At least he’d be on the field, away from her. And she’d face the same possibility when she started at Just Like Mom’s on Monday. She had to get past her fear, make herself comfortable in Whiskey Creek, or she wouldn’t be any good to Gran during the next few months.

That had been her thinking before she’d headed to the track this morning, and that was her thinking now, even after coming face-to-face with Kevin. Seeing him shouldn’t have been as traumatic as it was, she told herself.

“Why haven’t you mentioned the game before?” she asked Gran.

“What with all the excitement, I forgot. And then I didn’t want to make you feel pressured to go out if you weren’t ready. But you’re bouncing back quicker than I thought you would. I certainly never expected you to go running.”

Addy worked out almost every day. That was how she dealt with stress. But Gran wouldn’t understand. Gran was from a different generation, had never been to a gym or a track. “Of course I’ll help. What time do you need to be there?”

“Game starts at six, so we should leave here no later than five. We’ve got to go by the restaurant to get the food. Darlene said she’d have the van loaded.”

“Do we already have a sign or a list of the items we’ll be selling with the prices?”

“Of course. That’ll be in the van, too. I had Darlene add lemon bars this year. They can be messy, but they’re delicious.”

“All your recipes are delicious.”

She smiled but that smile soon faded and a hint of sadness entered her eyes. “Have you heard from your mother since you’ve been here, honey?”

Addy hadn’t heard a word. But she was used to Helen’s long silences. She’d learned years ago not to count on her mother for any emotional support. Helen only called when she got into a fight with her current husband and wanted a place to stay, or needed to borrow money. Under those circumstances, Addy almost preferred no communication. It was less upsetting. “Not yet. But I’m sure she’s fine. She always manages to get by.”

“What did I do to make her turn out the way she did?” Gran asked. “I tried to be a good mother.”

Addy knelt in front of her and took hold of her gnarled hands. “You were a good mother to both of us, Gran. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. But we all have our choices to make.”

Tilting her head to one side, she gazed into Addy’s face. “I can’t believe you’re back. I’m so happy.”

The guilt Addy had carried since she left felt like an anvil on her chest. She should’ve visited before, should’ve returned again and again, instead of making Gran come all the way to Davis. If only Gran knew the emotional turmoil and fear she had to cope with in order to be here. But Addy couldn’t tell her and hoped she would never have to know.

Standing, she gently encouraged Gran to do the same. “Let’s go into the bathroom and curl your hair. You want to look your best for tonight, don’t you?”

“Oh, I’m too old to look very good,” she said with a self-deprecating chuckle, but Addy could tell she was excited by the prospect. She loved having her hair done.

“What are you talking about?” she said. “You’re the most beautiful woman I know.”

12

The game was packed. Friday-night football was a big deal in Whiskey Creek, especially this year. After a decade of losing seasons, they finally had another good team.

Addy had done what she could to conceal her black eye and bruises with makeup, but they still elicited comments from almost every customer. She told herself that would end once the whole town had a chance to express their surprise and dismay, but repeating the details of her abduction, and insisting she didn’t know who was responsible, grew old quickly—mainly because everyone told her that Shania couldn’t provide an alibi for Aaron. Shania wasn’t saying she hadn’t been with him, but she wasn’t committing to any particular hours on any particular night.

Addy wondered if Chief Stacy was going to arrest him. She hoped not. There was no forensic proof.

After the first hour, Gran told her she should take a break and go watch the game for a bit, but Addy wasn’t about to leave the booth. Savannah and Misty Busath were smart girls, plenty capable of handling any business that came their way while she was gone, but circulating would only make her more vulnerable to the curious.