Maybe he could manage to do the right thing, which was what he should have done four years ago. For so long Braden had been running away from his culpability. Perhaps by assisting Piper he could find a way to make things better for her.
* * *
The next morning a group of local bird-watchers managed to bring a smile to Piper’s face. Although there were still many vacant seats at the diner, the Snow Birds gathered at the Snowy Owl a few times a week to enjoy breakfast before they set out on their bird-watching adventures. Seeing such loyal customers frequent the diner caused a small amount of hope to blossom inside her. Despite all the goodwill flowing in the air from the group, she still felt hurt at Braden’s refusal of her request for help.
Perhaps she had always looked at him with rose-colored glasses, but for their entire lives it had always been Braden who’d rushed to her defense, whether from childhood slights or the times she’d been singled out for being brown skinned with a white mother. He had never failed her. She couldn’t understand why he refused to help her now. What had she done to push him away? She’d racked her brain on countless occasions, always coming up empty. Perhaps he had simply outgrown her. The very thought of it made her chest tighten.
She lay in bed at night asking herself that niggling question, along with a bigger one.
Why had God forsaken her? She had been praying for relief from this nightmare for months. As a woman of faith she had a hard time dealing with the concept of God hearing her prayers but not answering them. Her mother was fond of saying God didn’t always answer your prayers in the way you imagined He would, but He still listened. Piper hoped He continued to listen to her. She needed Him more than ever.
And still she was no closer to a solution than before. Time was ticking away with Christmas right around the corner. She let out a sigh. Piper hadn’t even decorated the diner with the usual holiday trimmings. Tears pricked at her eyes as she scanned the place. As a child, one of her favorite things had been to come to the diner at Christmastime so she could help her parents put up the tree and decorate the front windows. There had been ornaments and tinsel and holly. The Snowy Owl had always overflowed with holiday cheer!
Her parents had always made a romantic show of kissing under the mistletoe. While Hank had groaned, she’d loved every moment of it. Knowing her parents were a true love match had been her foundation in a sometimes shaky world. Although she loved her hometown and its residents, being biracial hadn’t always been easy. There had always been a few people here and there who hadn’t been accepting of her parents’ union or of her. At times it had threatened to break her spirit. But having Hank as an older brother and Braden as a best friend had been the best protection of all from ignorant mindsets.
“Good morning, everyone!” Beulah North, matriarch of the North family, came bustling through the doors of the diner with greetings rolling off her tongue. Dressed in her signature pearls and a navy blue cape-style coat, she carried herself with an elegance that Piper admired. She looked down at her own pink-and-white uniform with her name boldly etched in black above her heart. Piper wouldn’t be winning any fashion contests anytime soon. Most days she barely looked at herself in the mirror or did much to her hair other than wash and go or pull it up in a simple ponytail. As it was, she barely wore lip balm.
Perhaps she could get some pointers from the grande dame of Owl Creek. Piper had to smile at the trendy pair of Lovely boots Beulah was wearing as she strode toward the counter. There was something almost regal about the woman.
“Hey, Beulah. You’re looking stunning today. What’s the special occasion?” she asked in a teasing voice, knowing her friend dressed this way each and every day.
“No occasion, my dear. I just like to look nice for Jennings,” she said, referencing her husband. “You know we’re going to be celebrating our sixtieth wedding anniversary soon.”
Piper grinned. “That’s wonderful. You two are definitely something to aspire to.”
“Thank you, my dear. What a wonderful compliment,” Beulah said, beaming. “I was wondering if you’d like to partner with North Star Chocolates this year for the annual Christmas walkabout. We can do chocolates and pizza or something along those lines. It’s such a lovely way to ring in the holiday and thank all of our customers for being so loyal.”
Piper had almost forgotten about the local tradition in Owl Creek where most of the local businesses got together to spread holiday cheer. All of the townsfolk walked throughout the downtown area and were able to sample goodies, win prizes and walk away with gift bags filled with holiday loot. During the event, all of Main Street was lit up with festive lights in celebration of Christmas. Ever since she was a child, Piper had enjoyed this special town activity. And the Snowy Owl had always participated, with her dad dressed up as Santa and handing out toys to every kid in town.
She hated to commit to Beulah when so much uncertainty was circulating around her business. But how could she say no to the kindhearted matriarch? It was tradition. “It sounds good, Beulah, although I might toy around with the pizza this year. I’ve been trying to add things to the menu. I might offer a reindeer pizza.”
“Smart thinking, young lady,” she said, patting Piper on the shoulder. “From what I can see, you’ve done a great job of making this place your own. Jack is a hard act to follow. I’ve never seen a man with such a zest for life.” She let out a sigh. “I still can’t believe he’s not here with us.”
Although she wanted to experience nothing but joy when her father’s name was mentioned, Piper still felt so much angst. The loss seemed so fresh. And unresolved. Unanswered questions still lingered. What had caused him to veer off the trail and crash? He had always been such a careful driver, and there hadn’t been a lot of ice on the trails that particular day. It still baffled her.
People always talked about moving on and the stages of grief, but for Piper it felt as if no time at all had gone by. The last four years were just a blur and it seemed almost like yesterday when Jack had been here with them, spreading his warmth and kindness throughout Owl Creek.
“Thanks, Beulah. It’s time for me to take some risks with the menu so people don’t get bored with the fare. Also, I can’t make too many changes, or I could alienate the regulars.” It was such a fine balance, Piper realized. In order to increase business, she needed to jazz up the place and offer something different, but what would happen if the regular customers didn’t like the alterations? In the past few years she’d slashed prices, reworked the entire menu and hosted karaoke nights. Nothing had worked to increase the diner’s profit. She admired her father so much for running the diner so successfully for such a long time even though he’d faced some financial challenges in the last few years.
“No risks, no reward,” Beulah said pointedly. “Now, if you could package up a few slices of the gooseberry pie, I would be mighty obliged. It’s a favorite of Jennings and mine.” She winked at Piper. “With my sweet tooth, I consider myself an expert. So keep them coming.”
“Aww. That’s nice of you to say. I wish I had time just to bake pies.” She warmed at the compliment regarding her baking. It was a hobby for her, and over time she’d discovered her pies were a crowd favorite at the diner. Although she loved coming up with new recipes, she simply didn’t have the luxury of doing it on a reg
ular basis. And she couldn’t afford to take her eyes off the prize right now. She needed to focus on the diner itself and trying to save the family business before the bottom fell out.
Piper busied herself packaging up the gooseberry pie slices for Beulah. All of a sudden the sounds of her favorite holiday tune—Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song”—came blasting from the jukebox. It was a sentimental song for her because her father had also loved it. When she glanced over toward the jukebox, she saw Braden standing there gazing across the diner at her. She felt a pang in her heart at the sight of him. What was he doing here? He was the last person she’d expected to see after last night’s uncomfortable conversation.
She handed the pie box to Beulah and watched as Braden made his way over toward them. Her hands felt moist at the sight of him. Since when had his presence made her nervous? Would they ever get back to that place in time when everything had been pure ease between them?
“Fancy meeting you here,” Beulah said as Braden leaned down to place a kiss on his grandmother’s temple. “I’m not sure if it’s possible, but you seem even more handsome than when you left town.”
Braden chuckled. It brightened his features and drew attention to his straight white teeth and strong jawline. It was nice to see him so lighthearted. Lately he’d been way too serious. Some might even call it somber. “Grandma, you’re way too kind,” he drawled.
“I speak the truth. Now that I have my pie, I’m going to run. I’ll see you two later,” Beulah said, giving a little wave before walking away with a spring in her step.
“What brings you here?” Piper asked Braden, trying to sound casual. He didn’t need to know she was still fuming about last night. She was doing her very best to play it off.
“Can we talk for a moment? In private?” he asked, shifting from one foot to the other.
