Taken by Surprise

Chapter 9

"That apron looks real good on you, honey," Rona teased, "but don't let Bob know you stole one of his."

Jessie laughed and looked down at herself. She needed to get some aprons that fit her better, but she'd been so busy she just hadn't had time. This one nearly swallowed her up, but at least it covered her clothes. She always tried to remember to take it off before she went out front to wait on customers. The one time she forgot, her crew and some of her customers had a good laugh at her expense, a laugh that broke the ice all around.

"I'm thinking of embroidering my name and some pink flowers on it." She grinned. "Think Bob would appreciate that?"

Alton laughed, a booming sound. "I'd pay to see it, I'll tell you."

Jessie grinned. If anyone had told her three weeks ago she'd be settled into a small town in West Texas owning a place like Delfina's Diner and actually enjoying it, she would have told them to see a shrink. Yet here she was, feeling unexpectedly comfortable and happy in an environment that three weeks ago was like a foreign country to her. Go figure.

She was stunned to discover she had an instant love for both the house and Fort Mavis, not to mention the diner. That was one of the last things she'd expected. But things seemed to be working out better than she expected at the restaurant. She could see herself making a home here, becoming a part of the community.

After their initial skepticism, her employees appeared to be accepting her. Diane had been the hardest to win over, for whatever reason, but even she gave Jessie grudging smiles and explained some of their systems to her. She'd included them when she drew up her supply orders, too, which she knew had made them feel good.

She knew everyone was worried she'd want to come in and do a complete overhaul, but the place did a great business. She'd looked at the records in the computer and was astonished at the numbers. Even more shocked at the amount of money in the business checking account. As she became more comfortable with the situation, she could begin to make some improvements, but only with the input of the employees. She needed them to make this work.

Even the patrons of the restaurant were getting used to her, now that she didn't seem to be "putting on airs," as Rona said, or have plans to sell the place. The regulars greeted her by name when they came in, often engaging her in conversation. They were, of course, curious to know the fate of the restaurant and smiled when she assured them it would stay open, with her at the helm.

She enjoyed chatting with them, and was pleased to see how many of them were regulars. Working as a chef, she seldom got to mix with the customers. The restaurant owner had always done that. But here, in this environment, she was finding new opportunities to mingle with customers.

So what if her fifteen-year plan had her living in an upscale condo in Houston and running her own trendy little café? Instead, here she was, fitting into a lifestyle she never would have imagined for herself. She visited the stores on Main Street, shopping the local merchants and introducing herself. A situation that at first blush looked like just a lifeline in her desperate situation was turning out to be a blessing. She wondered if this had been her destiny all along, a place she hadn't even known existed before she received that unexpected letter.

It was time to cut her ties with Houston. The company that owned her apartment building had texted her several times, reminding her of the deadline. Fine. Tomorrow she would research some moving companies in Houston and arrange to take three days off to go back, close up her apartment, and take care of her stuff. Much as she hated to admit it, the crew was more than capable of running things without her. When she returned, she'd be a permanent resident of Fort Mavis, ready to move ahead with some changes to Delfina's Diner.

If only she could find the letter from Delfina the attorney had mentioned. She'd looked every place in the house, found a lot of personal papers she would take her time going through, but no letter to her. Maybe Marshall Wohl's genealogy search would turn up something. She sure hoped so. The details of the relationship were becoming more and more important to her.

"Your rolls sure are a big hit," Alton said. "Good thing you made up several trays full. I can't get them in the oven fast enough."

"I might even have another recipe or two up my sleeve," she joked.

The rolls were the first thing she'd edged onto the menu, and she had done it as tactfully as possible. She had several other recipes she wanted to introduce, but she was testing the water, trying not to stomp on their pride in the meals.

"I think you must have chased the law away," Rona said as she clipped new orders to the wheel. "He hasn't been in since that first day and he used to come in here all the time."

"Maybe he's decided he's too good for us," Alton called from the grill. "That's okay. We'll take Jessie any day."

She had expected to work a long time for acceptance by her staff and was pleased it happened so quickly.

But Jack? That was another story. Rona was right. Since that first day, he hadn't been back.

When she'd bumped into him a few times in a couple of the stores they'd been coldly polite to each other. And sometimes, when she looked out her window at night, she would see him drive slowly by in his cruiser. At those times, she wanted to curl up and cry.

Realizing how much she'd hurt him made her heartsick and she knew he was still so angry with her. If she had it to do over, she'd think it through and realize she could have both him and her restaurant in her future. How stupid she'd been, and she was suffering for it now. If only she could figure out some way to repair the damage she'd done to their relationship.

Lynne Robbins, however, was in several times. Jessie was sure the woman was waiting for her to make a mistake, to screw up in some way. That way she could get her hands on the restaurant and keep her away from Jack. She was curious as to what he'd told the woman about them.

"You gonna stand there all day daydreaming?" Rona nudged her. "Marshall Wohl came in and he's asking for you."

"For me?" She wondered what on earth he wanted. They had pretty much concluded their business.

"Uh huh. He's in the booth way to the right."

She stared to remove her apron, then decided to leave it on. What the hell. It was who she was now. Instead she grabbed a coffee carafe and a clean mug.

"Hello, Jessie." He smiled at her when she approached

"Nice to see you, Mr. Wohl." She filled the mug and slid it toward him. "Rona said you were asking for me?"

"I was." He looked uncomfortable. "And apologize in advance for this."

"Is something wrong?" No, please don't let there be a problem here. Please don't let him have made some kind of mistake and he really meant to contact another Jessie Coford.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Jessie." He cleared his throat, "And I beg your pardon for it. And for this."

He pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to her.

Jessie frowned. "For me?"

"Yes. This is the missing envelope. It seems Delfina came into the office about a week before she passed and left this with my secretary. Unfortunately I had someone filling in at the time. She had no idea it might be significant and just tossed it in a drawer."

"And you found it today?"

"She called this morning, very embarrassed. Said she'd just remembered this and told me where it was." He sighed. "Good help is so hard to find sometimes."