The Art of Starting Over

While the men fished, Darcy, Devorah, and Maren shopped. After buying more than they needed, they headed back to Crow’s and started cooking. Devy had never cooked with another woman before, let alone someone’s mother. Everything she knew how to make, she’d learned by following recipes or from the various cooking channels. Not having a mother growing up had been hard on Dev, and she was determined to make sure Maren learned everything.

Darcy took control in the kitchen. Handing out directions. Offering suggestions. And showing Maren what it would be like to have a grandmother around. Not that Darcy would ever be Maren’s grandmother, but the sentiment was there. A few times during the day, Devy stood back and watched Maren and Darcy work. It was like they’d known each other forever and not just for a few hours.

A nine-year-old could only take so much cooking and eventually disappeared into her room with her new bestie, Cordelia, leaving Darcy and Devorah in the kitchen. While Dev breaded a hot dog on a skewer, Darcy peeled potatoes for a salad.

“You know we could’ve bought everything premade and gone to the mall,” Darcy said.

She was right, but Dev needed this, and Maren needed to see what it would be like to have some type of family around. Even if nothing came of her and Hayden, Devorah knew in her heart that Darcy and Lee would always be a fixture in Maren’s life. That was a benefit of small-town living.

“I’ve never cooked with anyone before.”

“Not even your mother-in-law?”

Devy shook her head. “She likes to have things catered, and the few times we hosted holiday dinners, she sat in the other room. It’s always just been me in the kitchen.”

“Your mother loved to cook,” Darcy said. “The CC Club should’ve done a better job filling in for her after she passed, but your dad . . .” Darcy sighed. “He’s a stubborn old man who said you kids were just fine.”

“I’m not surprised. He’s very private.”

“Yes, he is. But that doesn’t excuse us from not stepping up and doing right by your mom. She was one of us. We owed it to her to make sure her children were taken care of.”

“I think I turned out okay.”

“You did, despite your father. I swear, that man.” Darcy shook her head. “If it wasn’t the sheriff’s department, nothing else mattered.”

Devy couldn’t disagree.

“This is nice,” Devorah said, moving the subject away from her dad. “Thank you for teaching Maren how to cook from scratch.”noveldrama

“It’s a grandmother’s job to teach. Where did you learn?” She motioned toward the batter coating Devorah’s hands.

“Betty Crocker. All the cooking shows. Chad isn’t big on mindless television, so I’d leave it on educational programming. Cooking is educational.”

“He’s a boob.”

Devorah laughed. “He certainly is.”

“Bea Sherman likes to gossip.”

Devy snorted. “You all like to gossip.”

“True,” Darcy said with a sigh. “Bea’s concerned for you, though. She said you haven’t filed your paperwork yet?”

Devorah stabbed another skewered hot dog into the batter. She let it drip and then put it into a pot with hot oil. The sizzling sound was a bit too satisfying for her as she pictured Chad’s face in the pot.

“I haven’t, because I’m nervous. I’m afraid Chad will do something rash, like try to take Maren away from me. He already wants us to move back to Chicago to make things easier for him, and he says Maren doesn’t like it here. I fear if I file the paperwork, he’ll come get her, and then what?”

“Your father will not let him take Maren away.”

“No, I’m sure he won’t.”

“Hayden won’t either,” Darcy said as she moved around the kitchen. “He likes you.”

“I like him too.”

“No, Devorah. My son likes you, and if you tell him I said as much, I’ll deny it.”

How could someone who liked to gossip deny the truth? Devorah laughed at her thoughts. She liked Hayden. More than she probably should for a woman going through the shitstorm she called her life. They both danced around their feelings for each other, although in the past couple of days, Hayden had been very brazen with his intent. The kiss in front of the Lazy Lamb and holding her hand during the baseball game. This was the Hayden she had longed to have back in high school. The one who wasn’t afraid to show people he was interested in her. His actions spoke louder than words, and Devorah found comfort in them.

She had also bonded with Conor from the moment they met. It was like he filled a void she didn’t know existed, and the thought of leaving him and returning to Chicago weighed heavily on her heart. Still, she had to do what was right for Maren.

“I enjoy spending time with Conor and Hayden,” she finally said. It was the truth. Both had come into her and Maren’s lives when they needed a friend, someone they could lean on. Lord knows, Devy had leaned on Hayden a lot already.

“Please don’t hurt my son or grandson,” Darcy said quietly.

“Wh-what?”

Darcy stood next to Devorah. “They’ve been through a lot. The fact that Hayden is putting himself out there with you speaks volumes. After Sofia died, I didn’t think he’d recover. And Conor. He’s young and has lost so much. You know what that’s like.”

“I do. Believe me when I tell you this, Darcy, Conor is a sweet boy, and as long as I’m in Oyster Bay, he can depend on me.”

Darcy smiled. “And Hayden?”

“Anything going on between Hayden and me needs to stay there.”

She sighed. “You’re right. I’m meddling. I just want what’s best for my boys.”

“I understand. I’m sure Crow’s on the boat saying the same thing to Hayden.”

“Lord, help my son,” Darcy said with laughter.

When the men returned, Crow fired up the grill, while Lee and Hayden gutted and fileted their catch. Conor wrinkled his nose at the smell and swore he’d never eat fish as long as he lived.

While Crow cooked, Devorah set the picnic table. Darcy took care of getting drinks for everyone. Maren brought her portable speaker outside for her and Conor to listen to. Hayden left, only to return right away with a plastic ball and bat.

“Do you want to play?” he asked Devy.

“I’m more of a spectator today,” she told him, still nursing a hangover. “I’ll be the media relations person and video all the bloopers.”

“Yes, because there will be many.”

Hayden, Maren, Conor, and Lee set up a baseball field in the backyard. Darcy joined Dev on the sidelines and rooted for only Conor and Maren. Each time Lee would come up to bat, Darcy would tease him relentlessly about being old and out of shape. He might have been older than everyone else, except Crow, but Lee McKenna was far from out of shape.

Every other play, Devorah would video the game and take photos. Other than looking at them, she had no idea what she’d do with them.

“Send those to me,” Darcy told her. “I’ll post them on social media.”

Devy grimaced.

“Social media isn’t evil, just some people who use it are.”

“I know. I actually miss watching all the dog videos.”

“So watch them. You know you can block her and block any hashtag she used.”

“How do you know this?”

“Tabitha. She may be in her sixties, but she’s a tech genius.”

“Tabitha . . .” Devorah sighed. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Of course. What’s up?” Darcy asked without taking her eyes off the game.

“She’s resharing all of those videos, and as long as she does, they’re never going to go away. I would like OB to be a safe place for Maren and me.”

Darcy looked at Devorah sharply with wide, almost angry eyes. “No!” she said, exaggerating the o. “Oh, hell no. This will not do. The CC Club protects our own, and you are one of us.” She took her phone out and typed rapidly on the keypad. “I told her she best knock it off, or else.”

Devorah wondered what the “or else” would be in this case. Would the Crafty Cathys kick her out of the club? Banish her from Oyster Bay?

If banishment was a thing, she wanted Chad gone forever. To never be allowed to cross the bridge into town. This wasn’t his home. It was hers.

Midway through the game, which didn’t have a score because no one wanted to keep one, Crow yelled that dinner was done. Devorah and Darcy brought the side dishes out and set them on the table, along with the corn dogs, which Dev had kept warm in the oven for the kids.

“You ladies were busy,” Lee said as he rubbed his belly. “Let’s see, we have potato salad, tossed salad. Is this dressing homemade?”

“Yes, Mr. Lee. I helped make it,” Maren said.

“None of that ‘Mr. Lee’ stuff,” he told her. “You can call me Lee or Grandpa. I answer to both.” He was close enough to touch the tip of her nose with his finger. She giggled.

Along with the salads, they had freshly baked rolls and green beans that had simmered on the stove all day in bacon and onions to go with the fish the guys had brought home.

“I’ve never been so hungry,” Crow said as he heaped food onto his plate.

“We never asked—who caught all the fish?”

“Mostly Grandpa and the sheriff,” Conor said as he bit into his corn dog. “I hooked one, but Dad had to help me reel it in.”

Devorah looked at Hayden. “Didn’t catch anything, huh?”

He shook his head slowly. “It’s a good thing my family likes to share. Otherwise, I’d go hungry.”

“I can’t even remember the last time I went fishing,” Devy said. “I must’ve been five or so.” Crow caught her gaze and frowned. She hadn’t meant to say anything to upset him, but that was the way he’d taken it. She couldn’t help the past, and neither could he. What was done was done.

“This is the best corn dog I have ever had,” Conor said as he reached for a second. “Where did you buy them?”

“My mom made them,” Maren said.

“Duh, but from what box?” Conor asked.

“No, sweetie. What Maren’s saying is, I made them. Except for the hot dog part. The rest I did by hand.”

“Wow, you can do that?”

Devorah nodded. Her heart warmed with Conor’s excitement. “I can show you someday.”

“That’d be cool. I don’t know how to cook.”

“My mom can teach you,” Maren told him. “We cook a lot of stuff. Don’t we, Mom?”

“We do.” Because there wasn’t anything else to really do, unless she had a meeting to go to. Sure, in Oyster Bay she had meetings to attend, but she also had a job. One that put money in her pocket that her former husband didn’t take from her.

After dinner, everyone helped clean up. Crow took over dish duty and sent the baseball team outside to finish their game. Once all the food had been divided up into containers, Darcy and Lee left. Devy put her lawn chair in the yard and watched her daughter.

Maren seemed happy. She laughed, engaged with Conor and Hayden, and even tried to play jokes on them. She didn’t seem depressed, nothing like Chad had indicated on the phone. Sure, Maren missed Chicago. Part of Devy did as well. They’d had a good life there until Chad started thinking with his man parts and not his brain. It wasn’t just an affair, though, at least not to Devorah. He’d ruined relationships. Maren had lost her best friend, her home, all her friends at school, and the life Chad and Devorah had worked hard for their daughter to have.

Maren hit the ball over the fence. Devorah would’ve thought they’d won the lottery by how loud and hard Hayden cheered. He picked her up and set her on his shoulder. With one arm in the air, he ran around the bases, declaring her the winner of the entire game.

“He’s good with her,” Crow said as he sat down. “Was Chad like this?”

Devy shook her head. “I’m sorry we didn’t visit more often.” The more she thought about it, the more she realized Chad had alienated her from her own family. She had depended solely on him and his family for everything.

“You’re here now.”

“I don’t want to go back to Chicago, Dad. I thought I’d hate being here, but I don’t. Despite everything, I had a good life. There are things I had that I want for Maren.”

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Crow said. “Let Theo take care of things for you. It’s why he gets paid the big bucks. It’s his job to protect you now, where I failed.”

“You didn’t fail.”

Crow looked at Devorah. “I most certainly did. I may have been here, but I wasn’t present in your life. There are things I could’ve done differently. I see that now.”

Devorah reached for his hand and held it. “I love you, Dad.”

Crow sniffled. “I love you too, Devorah.”

They sat there, watching Hayden and the kids play. The game had turned into a wrestling match, with Hayden getting pinned repeatedly. At one point, he looked at Devorah and smiled. Her heart skipped a beat and her body warmed.

She liked him. More than she would admit aloud, especially to him. It was as if hearing those words would change things between them.

Maybe it would.

Maybe it would be for the better.