Home to Whiskey Creek (Whiskey Creek #4)(79)
Author: Brenda Novak

26

Addy didn’t have the heart to tell Gran about the state of her mother’s most recent marriage. She figured Gran would learn soon enough, if she hadn’t already guessed.

After a quick shower, she took Helen to the restaurant, where she tried to deal with the tension between her and Darlene by ignoring it, as she had before. She planned to pull Gran’s manager aside eventually, but she was looking for the right time, and that wasn’t easy to find with Helen around. Addy didn’t want Darlene to feel they were ganging up on her. She just wanted to have a quiet discussion and agree on some kind of compromise so they could continue working together—at least for the immediate future.

But it wasn’t long before Helen approached Addy, visibly upset. “What’s wrong with her?” Her mother jerked a thumb at an irritable Darlene, who stood at the other end of the breakfast bar, pouring coffee.

Addy had just rung up some customers. She waited until they were out the door before responding. “Maybe she’s having a bad day.”

“It’s more than that,” her mother complained. “She gives me a dirty look whenever we pass each other. She definitely doesn’t want me here.”

“It’s not just you,” Addy said. “She doesn’t want me here, either.”

“But she’s always liked you. You’ve worked with her before.”

“When I was a teenager! There’s a big difference between ordering me around and taking orders from me.”

“She thinks you shouldn’t have any say?”

Addy gazed over the tables that had customers. Thankfully, all seemed to be going well. “I guess. Although I’ve tried to make it clear that I’m stepping in for Gran. I have some ideas for modernizing the place and getting it running more efficiently.” She didn’t admit why—that it would make the restaurant more enticing to a buyer. “But she doesn’t want anything to change, and she’s let me know it.”

“Who does she think she is?”

“Mom—” Addy started, but it was too late. Helen was already marching over to Darlene.

“What’s your problem?” Helen’s voice seemed to echo through the whole dining area. It was between breakfast and lunch—not their busiest time—but Addy didn’t want a scene in the restaurant.

“Save it for later or go out back.” She hurried after her mother, but Helen didn’t stop, and if Darlene heard Addy, she was upset enough to ignore it. She’d been dying to air her discontent, and Helen had given her the perfect opportunity.

“My problem? What’s your problem?” she responded. “I’ve been here day in and day out for the better part of two decades. Where have you two been? In all that time, you’ve hardly stopped in long enough to eat. And Addy hasn’t walked through those doors since she graduated from high school. Now that she smells an inheritance, she wants to take charge?”

“You’re fired!” Helen snapped. “Do you hear? Grab your coat and get your ass moving!”

Darlene shoved the coffeepot back onto its burner. “You can’t fire me. Only Milly can do that. So we’ll just have to see what she says.”

The bell went off over the door. Addy glanced up to see Noah’s parents come in and felt a fresh burst of alarm. She didn’t want them to witness this….

“The mayor’s here,” she murmured, trying to get them to calm down.

Her words had no impact. Stiff and unyielding, her mother and the manager continued to glare at each other.

“You need to understand something,” Helen was saying. “If my mother has to choose between you and Addy, she’ll choose Addy.”

“I doubt it. She knows she can’t count on either one of you to stick around.”

Addy forgot about who might or might not overhear. “That’s out of line!”

Her mother pointed at the door. “Get out before I throw you out!”

Red-faced, eyes sparking, Darlene ran to collect her coat and left.

Adelaide exchanged a look with her mother, but they couldn’t discuss what had happened. The hostess was on break. Addy had to seat the Rackhams.

Pasting a courteous smile on her face, she approached them. “Welcome to Just Like Mom’s. Would you like a booth or a table?”

“Is it true?” Noah’s dad asked.

Addy was reaching for their menus but paused. She’d thought they might express some surprise about Darlene’s getting fired right in front of them, but… “Is what true?”

“That you’ll be leaving again in the near future?”

She remembered the many times she’d warned Noah that she’d take off at the first opportunity. “I’m not…I’m not sure of my plans.”

“Does our son know that?” Mrs. Rackham asked.

“Of course, but…Noah and I are just friends,” she mumbled, and waved at the closest booth. “Is this okay?”

“It’s fine.” Mayor Rackham took his wife’s coat and draped it over a nearby chair as they settled in. Addy handed them their menus and hurried to the kitchen, where she notified the waitress in charge of the corner section that she’d seated another table.

Her mother scooped her keys off the desk and tossed them to her. “You’d better get home. I bet Darlene’s gone to Mom’s. I’ll watch the restaurant.”

“I don’t want to put Gran in the middle of this,” she said.

Helen motioned to the door. “You no longer have a choice.”

* * *

Sure enough, Darlene’s Toyota was in front of Gran’s house. Parking on the street so she wouldn’t block Darlene in the drive, Addy marched inside.

Gran and Darlene were sitting in the living room. Darlene’s face was streaked with tears, leaving trails of mascara, but she held a cup of coffee, which suggested Gran had made an attempt to mollify her. Seeing that, Addy was afraid of what Darlene had said. She’d done her best to be kind. It wouldn’t be fair if she’d been represented in any other way, but she knew the nature of this type of dispute. Darlene’s perspective was probably far different, and in her distress she’d no doubt exaggerated.

“I’m sorry, Gran,” Addy said. “I didn’t want you to have to deal with this.”

“I know.” She gestured at a seat. “Why don’t you join us?”

“What’s been said so far?”