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  “How wonderful, we were just about to have breakfast too,” Esmeralda said, ignoring Maggie’s wide eyes and the slight shake of her head. “By the way, what are your children’s names?”

  Jill laughed, her precarious blonde mom bun bobbling around on her head so much that Maggie wondered if it was secured at all. She was trying to ignore the stains on the front of Jill’s “Mom Life” sweatshirt.

  “The oldest is Xavier, the twins are Zeke and Zeus, and the baby is the only girl. She’s named Quincy. Come on kids, lead the way to breakfast!”

  The boys ran off down the sidewalk. Esmeralda walked next to Jill, cooing to the baby and making small talk about being a mother with Jill. Maggie was left to tag along behind, wondering what had just happened. She had already eaten a fairly large breakfast, so she wasn’t sure why her mother thought they needed to eat more. All she knew was that the Syrup Pot Cafe was loud and not at all a relaxing way to spend her birthday morning.

  The ragtag crew made their way to the diner where a table for three adults, three booster chairs and a high chair was quickly wrangled together for them. Once the kids were sitting down, Esmeralda produced a set of coloring sheets and a few small boxes of crayons from somewhere in her cloak. The kids quickly settled down with their drawings and a cup of juice each.

  Maggie nervously glanced around the diner, noticing the staring eyes. She couldn’t tell if they were staring at the strange bunch of women and children or if they were judging her for being an unemployed, childless woman who lived with her eccentric mother. Her rational mind told her it was the first option, but the butterflies in her stomach and slightly elevated heart rate were trying to convince her that everyone thought of her as a loser.

  “Wow, this is amazing,” Jill said as she slumped back in her chair, her hands wrapped around her coffee mug. A few strands of blonde hair had come down out of her mom bun and Maggie noticed the bags under her eyes. Motherhood seemed so fulfilling and so overwhelming all at the same time. “How did you know they liked dinosaurs and cars so much? You produced those coloring pages like magic!”

  Esmeralda just winked at Jill over her coffee cup and Maggie shrugged. People were always commenting on how magical her mother was and all Maggie could do was agree. Esmeralda seemed to float through life knowing just what to say and carry with her to help most situations. Maggie had not inherited that skill. She seemed to bumble through life, always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  “You know it’s Maggie’s birthday today,” Esmeralda said slyly across the table to Jill.

  “No way,” Jill squealed. “We have to celebrate! Wait right here.”

  Before Maggie could stop her, Jill jumped out of her seat and ran to the long counter that ran across one end of the diner. As soon as Jill started to animatedly talk to the college-aged waitress, Maggie put her head in her hands. If this meant anyone was going to sing a song to her, she was probably going to cry. The thought of everyone staring at her made her want to melt into the floor. The only comforting fact was that their table made up almost half of the people in the diner that morning.

  A short time later when the waitress came with a tray of their food, Maggie didn’t have to guess which plate of pancakes was hers. Dan, the middle-aged cook, was trailing the waitress and holding a tray that contained exactly one plate with pancakes that had one flaming birthday candle stuck in the middle and complimentary chocolate chips sprinkled all over the top.

  As Dan put the plate in front of her with a grumbled ‘happy birthday,’ Esmeralda, Jill, and the kids launched into a very loud and off-key rendition of Happy Birthday that was just endearing enough to stop Maggie from hiding her face as they sang. Dan stood awkwardly next to the table, looking as though he had been forced to participate in the celebration.

  Jill started singing with gusto and Maggie took the chance to study her face in order to distract herself from the fact that everyone was staring at her. Jill had been an acquaintance in high school, always a bit too eager in any and all situations. Apparently, that hadn’t changed. Maggie couldn’t think of anyone else who would extend a breakfast invitation as readily to someone they had barely interacted with in the past decade. It made Maggie feel sad that she must be that lonely, even though Maggie realized in a brief moment of clarity that she might just be projecting her own insecurities onto Jill.

  The front door of the diner slammed open and Rodney came slinking in. Rodney was a greasy character who was always up to no good. His thin face had a tic that made him look rodentlike and his propensity to curl his upper lip did nothing to help that. If there was something that didn’t smell right in Grimwood Valley, Rodney was usually a part of it.

  “Good morning Syrup Pot,” Rodney announced, rubbing his hands together with glee. “I’ve come for some breakfast. I thought I oughta try the place before it becomes mine.”

  Rodney took a few steps into the eating area and looked at Dan with a sneer. Every once in a while he would run his hand over his slicked-back greasy hair, a sure sign he was nowhere near as confident as he sounded.

  Dan was still standing next to the birthday table although any happiness that the birthday song had brought had now been sucked out of the building. Maggie looked around the table, wondering if anyone else could feel it too. The children were still busy coloring, but their mother had her eyes focused on Rodney, her eyebrows scrunched so low that her eyes were almost closed. Esmeralda, on the other hand, was watching intently, her face neutral, almost as if she were taking notes.

  “Get out Rodney,” Dan said in a low growl. “We ain’t servin’ you no breakfast.”

  Dan was staring at Rodney, sounding calm and collected. But Maggie could tell that something was boiling just under the surface. A dark red hue was starting to spread up his thick neck toward his face and his large stomach was heaving with anger underneath the apron that was tied tight around him.

  “There’s no need to get upset,” Rodney smiled. He took a few more steps into the diner, confident even though he only came up to Dan’s shoulder. He had everyone’s attention now. “But you haven’t kept up your side of the bargain. This diner will be mine soon. Have you told your sister yet?”

  “Told his sister what?” Evelyn said, coming out of the kitchen. She stopped and put her hands on her hips, ready to face down whoever was causing trouble in her diner.

  Evelyn was a stern, no-nonsense woman. Unlike her giant brother, she was petite, so tiny that she was almost child-sized. Evelyn’s gray hair was always done up in tight curls, hair sprayed into a helmet-like structure on top of her head. It was offset by a delicate necklace with a charm which did not balance out the height of her hair. She usually had on some sort of sweatsuit that was carefully coordinated to make her look like she was about to go on a run before settling in to do some needlework. But Evelyn didn’t have time for handicrafts. She ran the diner with an iron fist along with the Ladies Circle at church, the Friends of the Library committee, and the Main Street Business Association. She was not someone to be messed with.

  Apparently, Rodney either didn’t know that or didn’t care. Maggie figured he was messing with Evelyn on purpose. Rodney had lived in Grimwood Valley his entire life and while he may have been a little busy with his schemes, he still would have realized that Evelyn was not to be toyed with.

  “I was just wondering if Dan had told you about the deal he struck up with me and a few other men in town,” Rodney said. “He really should tell you about it soon. I wouldn’t want it to come as a surprise when you have to hand over the deed to the diner to me.”

  Chapter Three

  Evelyn stalked across the diner until she was standing right in front of Rodney. She only came up to the middle of his chest, but somehow she still seemed to be the one who had an advantage in the situation. She poked her bony pointer finger into Rodney’s chest.

  “You get out of here,” Evelyn said. “I will not allow you to be in here causing trouble. Whatever Dan did, we will figure it out, but th
is diner will never be yours.”

  As she spoke, she poked his chest over and over, harder and harder, until she finished her speech. Rodney had been trying to back away from her and her finger, finally ending up back in the entryway. Evelyn took a step back from him and crossed her arms as Rodney ran his hand over his greasy hair again.

  “Well you better talk to him soon because time’s almost up,” Rodney said.

  He turned to walk out the door, but Jill suddenly exploded out of her chair. She stood up so fast that her chair started to tip over backward and Maggie had to catch it before it clattered onto the diner floor. As she righted it, Jill started to yell at the retreating intruder.

  “Everybody is tired of you and your schemes Rodney the Rat,” Jill yelled, her breathing uneven. “You think you have the upper hand with everyone, but really you’re just vermin, crawling around and creeping people out. Nobody respects you. We just put up with you.”

  Rodney stopped, his back toward the diner. He ran his hands over his hair one more time before he turned back around to face everyone. His smile was even wider than before, revealing a set of uneven, crooked teeth that all seemed to stick in different directions. His eyes glinted with the challenge.

  “Jill Whitney,” Rodney said.

  “That’s my maiden name,” Jill said dryly. She was fiddling with her diamond ring as she spoke. “I married Jake Dogwood right after high school.”

  “Oh I know who you married,” Rodney said his upper lip curling. “He’s another customer of mine.”

  Jill’s eyes widened in surprise and Maggie could feel her own heart racing as the pressure of the room seemed to push in on her. Rodney chuckled, obviously pleased at her reaction. He walked a few steps back into the diner, casually flicking his coat behind him and running his hands over his hair again.

  “Jake’s had some trouble in his past, but he’s better now,” Jill said, twirling the ring around even faster. “He’s at work right now, taking care of us and the kids. He’s a good man.”

  “Even a good man can have trouble with playing the odds sometimes,” Rodney said. “And Jake loves to play ‘em. He’s just not so good at winning ‘em.”

  Jill looked like she was about to explode. The baby was pulling on her shirt from where she sat in the high chair next to her, but Jill stayed focused on Rodney, her face pink from embarrassment. The worst part of dealing with Rodney seemed to be that he didn’t have to lie because he knew the sordid truth and he wasn’t afraid to expose it and use it as a weapon.

  Dan was still fuming as he stood next to the table, but he kept throwing furtive glances at his sister. Whatever he had done, it was something that he was dreading having to tell his sister about. Evelyn was ignoring her brother, focusing on throwing all of the negative energy she had toward Rodney instead. She was clenching her fists and Maggie was starting to worry that this time it would come to blows instead of finger pokes if Evelyn was given the chance.

  Esmeralda stood up slowly from her chair and everything seemed to calm immediately. It was almost like a sheet of tranquility was laid over top the diner. She looked at each person in turn, Dan, Evelyn, Jill, and Rodney. Each one seemed to calm down as she made eye contact. Then Esmeralda spoke.

  “I think we have had about enough this morning. Rodney, you will need to find breakfast somewhere else. Evelyn and Dan, you still have a diner to run. Jill, you have four children here who need their mother. Everyone else, get back to your breakfast. Whatever is going on can be solved some other time.”

  “I’ll leave, but I just have one more thing to say,” Rodney said. “I have dirt on most of the town and I’m getting to the point where I’m going to expose it. Mark my words, it will be big when it happens.”

  Rodney turned and pulled open the door, but Jill couldn’t help but get one more word in before he left. She seemed to summon up all of her courage and use it to shout after the Rat.

  “You do that and I’ll make sure it’ll be the last thing you ever do,” Jill yelled.

  “Yeah, and if she doesn’t, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you do,” Dan yelled.

  Rodney walked out the door and let it shut behind him. He turned and smoothed his hair one final time before giving a thumbs-up through the glass door. His smirk was infuriating and Maggie wasn’t even a part of the exchange. Since high school, Rodney had been the one selling test answers and cigarettes. As an adult, it seemed he had gotten into any sort of shady business that he thought he could make money at doing. If there was one thing positive to say about him, Rodney was consistent.

  Slowly, the sounds of low conversation and clinking silverware on plates started up again and the diner went back to normal. Evelyn grabbed Dan by the elbow and practically dragged the mountain of a man back to the kitchen where Maggie was sure they were having a not-so-nice conversation. Jill sat down and started doling out more food on each of her children’s plates, sinking back into her role as a mother.

  Esmeralda sank into her chair and picked up her coffee cup, slowly surveying the scene as she took a sip. Maggie couldn’t help but think that she was up to something. This happened every few weeks it seemed. Her mother would start to be very watchful, almost like she was studying everyone around her. Maggie had asked her about it once and Esmeralda had simply said she would understand when she was older, except she said it in a mysterious way that only made Maggie worry even more.

  The kids at the table launched into another rendition of the birthday song as Maggie picked at her pancakes. They had seemed like a great idea at first, but as she was eating she realized that she had already had breakfast and this was just dragging her down even more. Maggie kept picking at her food, though, because the fear of seeming ungrateful for her birthday, pancake surprise was even worse than her very full stomach.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Jill said. Her fork clattered down onto her plate. “I really should’ve just kept my mouth shut. But that Rodney thinks he is so great and all he does is skulk around town causing trouble. Everyone calls him Rodney the Rat because he’s ready to rat out anyone if it’ll serve him in some way.”

  Esmeralda grabbed Jill’s hand from across the table and gave it a squeeze. Maggie wondered whether she should do the same. She wanted to show that she also cared, but three people holding hands was a bit strange. She refrained from sticking her hand out, hoping Jill didn’t think she was being unkind. Her mind was put at ease when Jill took her hand back and took off her stained sweatshirt.

  “You’re a human with feelings and sometimes feelings get the best of us,” Esmeralda said. “Besides, you have that mama bear instinct and Rodney does seem to be a threat to the family. In fact, it seems he poses a very personal risk to the family.”

  Jill sighed and stared at her plate. The blonde bun on top of her head was sagging, looking even worse after pulling the sweatshirt over it. The baby next to her put her chubby hand on her mom’s back, wondering what was going on, but returning to her plate of food once Jill sat back up.

  “Jake just has a little bit of a gambling problem,” Jill whispered. “It isn’t major, but every time he’s gone straight and things are good, Rodney seems to find him and convinces him to just place a small bet and then it all goes downhill again. It’s gotten so bad that we may be foreclosed on.”

  “What’s foreclosed?” the preschooler asked.

  “It is none of your beeswax,” Jill snapped before taking a breath. “I’m sorry Xavier. I meant that it is something for adults to worry about, not kids.”

  Xavier shrugged and went back to his pancakes, which were infinitely more interesting than boring adult talk. The twin boys didn’t even look up from their plates, which they were racing to see who could scoop up all of the leftover syrup with a spoon first.

  “I’m so sorry,” Maggie said. “That sounds like a really tough situation.”

  “It’s even tougher because I’m home with the kids,” Jill said. Her eyes started to sparkle with tears. “Don’t get me wrong, I lov
e to be a stay at home mom, but I wish I could find a way to contribute financially so that things weren’t so tight. In fact, I just had a friend offer me a few hours of work tomorrow morning at the community gardens. All of their volunteers are elderly and they need someone younger to get the beds ready for winter. I wish I could do it because they’re willing to pay pretty well, but what am I supposed to do with the kids? I can’t afford a babysitter.”

  “Maggie, you’re free tomorrow,” Esmeralda said.

  Immediately, Maggie felt like time had stopped. What was her mother doing? Maggie knew nothing about children. In fact, she hadn’t even been a babysitter in high school. Maggie had steered herself around all instances of child-watching that had come her way. So why had her mother now thrown her into the line of fire? Maggie wanted to protest, but one look at Jill’s face told her that there was no going back now.

  Jill turned and grabbed her by the shoulders. Her face lit up and her smile was almost wider than seemed humanly possible. Maggie managed to eke out a small smile of her own, even though hers was nowhere as toothy as Jill’s was.

  “You’d do that for me?” Jill squealed. “Oh thank you! That will be so helpful. The kids are high energy but are generally good kids. If you come over tomorrow morning, I can give you the run-down of what they can and can’t do. Did you hear that kids? Auntie Maggie is going to come to take care of you tomorrow morning.”

  The kids looked up from their almost empty plates and gave Maggie a quizzical look as if they could sense that she was not good with children. Maggie gave them a weak smile and shoved a mouthful of pancake in her mouth.

  “What a thoughtful thing to agree to,” Esmeralda said.

  Maggie looked at her mother. Her eyes were twinkling mischievously that Maggie was always curious about. Ever since she was a child, things like this would happen and her mother seemed to be behind it. All Esmeralda had to do was make a slight suggestion and all of a sudden, Maggie’s life was headed in a different direction than she had carefully planned it to.