The Ride of Her Life (20 page)

“Nothing.” Her cheeks flushed hot. She couldn’t exactly tell him where the handprints were located.

He frowned. “Do I need to add anything else?”

“Three eggs and a little of the melted butter in that tin on the stove.”

“I don’t suppose you know how much ‘a little’ is.”

Lilly shrugged. “Enough to butter a dozen biscuits? Let me show you.”

“No.” Nick retrieved the tin can and held it in his hand. “I can do this. Tell me how much.”

“I tip the can five times.” She moved off her stool to supervise the mixing. “Then you need to beat the whole mixture until it’s smooth. Not too long or they’ll get tough, but long enough so there aren’t any lumps of flour.”

He looked down at her and chuckled. “You know, you make building a roller coaster seem simple.”

“We could trade jobs for a day if you like.”

Before he could answer, the back door swung open. Like a whirlwind, Eugenia flew inside with her hat askew and her face flushed. “I’m ever so sorry. I missed the streetcar and had to catch another ride.” She plucked a leaf from her hair. “Mr. Billett, the milkman, spotted me and let me ride with him.”

Lilly turned her attention to Eugenia and smiled. “Please make every effort to be on time, especially now when we have so much to catch up on.”

Tears filled the girl’s eyes. “I know, and I am truly, abundantly sorry. Here you are at the crack of dawn, and I’m sleeping the morning away. Maybe I should move in with you so I can get here on time to help you.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Nick quirked a grin that Lilly would have happily slapped off his handsome face. How could he encourage Eugenia, even in jest?

“While it is kind of you to offer, Eugenia, it won’t be necessary.” She looked at Nick. “Nick, we’ll discuss this more later. When we’re alone.”

Nick grinned again. “Is that a promise?”

Lilly’s cheeks flamed. What was she going to do with him?

The next half hour was a flurry of activity. Eugenia poured the pancakes, and Nick had never seen such an assortment of shapes and sizes. Still, they’d be edible since he’d made them under Lilly’s tutelage, and for that he was glad.

Lilly layered slabs of ham in a skillet, made coffee, and set the table all without a hiccup. By the time Eugenia had created a lopsided stack of pancakes, the ham was heated. Nick scooped up Eugenia’s creations and carried them to the men’s table, and Lilly followed with the plate of ham.

The comments began as soon as Lilly returned to the kitchen. Lanky Milt displayed his pancake. “What continent do you think this looks like?”

“China.” Archie cocked his head to the side. “No, maybe Africa. No, how about Argentina.”

“Argentina isn’t a continent.” Frank Ward grabbed another three pancakes for his plate.

“Look at this one.” Always the comedian, Forest held up a clown-shaped flapjack beside his face. “Who do you think is more handsome?”

The comments went on for several minutes between the crew members. Would they survive Eugenia’s cooking? What if Lilly planned to have her cook more often now? Maybe they could hint enough that she’d curtail that idea. Thankfully, Lilly and Eugenia were in the kitchen and couldn’t hear their jesting.

Finally, he’d had enough. He hit the end of his knife on the table to get their attention. “I don’t want to hear another word about Eugenia’s cooking. She and Lilly will do their best. In fact”—he speared a piece of ham—“I think they are going to need some extra help today because of yesterday’s fire. Percy, I’m going to assign you to help out at mealtime. The kitchen ceiling needs to be painted, and they may need some help scrubbing the pan after that burnt chicken.”

Percy gaped at Nick. “Me? Why me?”

“First of all, you’re the youngest man here, so they all have more seniority on the job. Second, you’re good at following directions and pitching in wherever necessary.” Nick took a swig of coffee. “That’s exactly the kind of help Mrs. Hart needs.”

“But Mrs. Hart is a she.”

“Observant lad, aren’t ya?” Sean teased.

Percy’s cheeks grew cherry red. “But it’s women’s work to make pancakes.”

Nick chuckled. “Well, not all the time. I made the ones you’re eating. Eugenia only poured them on the griddle. Besides, you’re still working for me, and I’m having you help out here for just one day. That won’t be a problem, will it?”

“No, sir.” Percy dropped his gaze to his syrup-drenched pancakes and shoved a bite around on his plate.

Forest elbowed him in the side. “And I bet you’ll look good in an apron.”

The whole crew roared with laughter. Nick glared at them and prayed he hadn’t made a mistake concerning assigning the boy to the kitchen.

21

Lilly plopped a cabbage on the counter. “This vegetable is your best friend.”

Eugenia lifted her eyebrows. “A cabbage? I might be desperate for companionship, but not that desperate.”

Laughing, Lilly snagged a knife from the drawer. “You’re gonna make something the men will love, and it’s easy.”

“Easy for you, maybe impossible for me.”

“Once they taste your corned beef and cabbage, you’ll be listening to their praises.”

“If you say so.” Eugenia walked to the pantry shelf and returned with a jar of preserved corn.

Lilly chopped the cabbage in half. “What is that for?”

“Corned beef.”

“Oh, Eugenia.” Lilly shook her head and stifled a giggle. “You don’t need corn for this.”

“Then why do they call it ‘corned’ beef?”

“I have no idea.” Lilly shrugged, chuckling. “Why don’t you get the two beef briskets out? I’ve been brining them for over a week now. They’re in a crock in the icebox on the bottom shelf.”

After locating the crock, Eugenia set it on the counter. “What’s floating in this?”

“Different spices I used in the brine.” Lilly used her knife to point to the large pot hanging on a hook. “Get that down, then rinse the beef and set it in the pot.”

Eugenia complied. “Now what?”

Lilly wiped her hands on her apron. “Now you are really gonna cook. Get the tin that says Allspice and the one that says Bay Leaves.”

“You’re going to let me put the spices in?”

“It’s now or never.”

Once they had the corned beef and cabbage on the stove and simmering, Lilly ventured outside to find Levi.

He sat on his haunches, studying something in the grassy area.

“Levi, honey, let’s go for a walk.”

“Mama, come see this.”

Lilly smoothed the front of her dress. “If we hurry, we can see how Mr. Nick is coming along with the supplies they delivered yesterday.”

“Oh, all right.” Levi sighed and stood. He walked backward, apparently not wanting to take his eyes off his animal friend. Finally, he turned and skipped to her.

Lilly hugged him. “What was in there?”

“A giant black kitty. It was acting silly.” Levi held out his hands about a foot and a half apart. “It was this big and had a white stripe too.” With his hand, he drew an imaginary stripe from his head to his bottom.

She gasped. A familiar stench made her scrunch her nose.

“Here he comes.” Levi pointed toward the bush.

“Levi, get inside now!”

“But—”

She pushed him toward the door as a skunk emerged from the bushes and turned toward her. Before she could raise its ire, she slipped inside the door to the diner behind her son and thanked God for sparing them both.

“Miss Lilly, I thought you were going for a walk.” Eugenia set down the plate she was drying.

“There is a skunk outside. I think it’s best if we all stay in here for a while. It’s rare for a skunk to come out in the daylight.”

“But, Mama, he was funny. He walked real silly. All wobbly-like.” Levi demonstrated the uneven gait as he crossed the room, then pressed his nose to the front window of the diner. “See?”

Lilly joined her son and witnessed the skunk’s strange behavior for herself. She glanced at Eugenia, but the girl gave no indication she understood that this most likely meant the animal was diseased with rabies or distemper. They needed to get someone to come take care of it before anyone was hurt. She didn’t want to risk leaving to do that, but what if Nick or one of his men happened upon it and was bitten?

Sinking into a chair, Lilly sighed. This was ridiculous. They were being held hostage by a skunk. What else could she do? If she found Nick, he might be able to take care of the skunk, but what did he know about rabid animals? Besides, he needed every minute to work on the roller coaster if it was going to be done in time for the grand opening.

Lilly stood and placed a hand on the door. Nick wasn’t the only man around. What about Mr. Tallman at the zoo? He understood animals, he was within running distance, and he’d know what to do.

Eugenia touched Lilly’s arm. “Where are you going?”

“To find Mr. Tallman.”

“Miss Lilly, you mustn’t go out there. What if you get sprayed?”

Levi whirled around. “I’ll go, Mama. I’m the fastest, and Stinky knows me.”

“Stinky?” Lilly shook her head. “Please, honey, don’t get attached to him. And I need you to stay in here and keep Eugenia company.” She patted Eugenia’s hand. “I’ll run to the zoo, but if I see the skunk, I won’t move a muscle. I’ll be fine.”

“I should go.” Eugenia straightened her shoulders. “After yesterday’s fire—”

“Yesterday wasn’t all your fault. I should’ve been watching, and I should’ve told you not to use water on a grease fire.”

“Still, let me go get Mr. Tallman. You’ll do a better job keeping Levi from going outside. With my luck, I’d sneeze and he’d be out the door.” Eugenia glanced at Levi, whose eyes were fixed on his mother. “Right, Levi?”

He gave them an impish grin.

Eugenia had a point, and they didn’t have a lot of time to waste. Nick and his men would be arriving within the hour. “Oh, all right. Run like the dickens, but remember what I said to do if you see the skunk?”

“Freeze in place.”

“Exactly.”

Levi crossed his heart. “And I’ll keep an eye on Stinky for you.”

“Thanks, Levi.” Eugenia fastened her linen cape about her neck.

Easing the door open, Lilly said a prayer as Eugenia slipped outside. From the window, Lilly could see the skunk hadn’t noticed their movement. She exhaled slowly, releasing the breath she’d been holding.

So far, so good.

“Let’s go over this one more time.” Nick placed a finger on the drawing in front of him. “If you’re going to build roller coasters, you need to know the proper names.”

“Why?” Percy’s voice cracked, betraying his young age. “The other fellas won’t let me do anything but haul boards and nails.”

Nick glanced at Percy, whose yellow hair stuck from beneath his wide-brimmed hat like a scarecrow. He had a soft place in his heart for the boy. When he’d first found Percy, he was stealing raw potatoes from a store. After learning he had no family, Nick guessed the hunger in the young man’s eyes matched the hunger in his belly and had secured a job for him, much like Sean had done for Nick years ago. “You’re paying your dues, Percy. They’ll let you do more when they feel you’ve earned it. Now, let’s see if you can remember the parts of the trestle bent.”

Percy sighed. “A bent has vertical posts. We’re setting our vertical posts in concrete.”

“Good.” Nick pointed to the horizontal boards set at intervals on the bent. “And what are these called?”

“Those are sills, and this one at the top is called the cap. It’s the largest and bears the most weight. It’s supported by the rest of the trestle bent.”

Nick nodded in approval. “I’m impressed, Percy. So what are these diagonal boards?”

“Braces?”

“Yes, but what kind?”

“Does it make a difference?”

“Not if you’re always going to be hauling boards.” Nick drew his finger along the diagonal line. “It’s a sway brace. So after the bents are up, what do you connect them with?”

Percy glanced at the other workers who’d already erected two trestle bents and were crisscrossing boards between them. “Extra sway braces?”

Nick nodded. “They make the trestle more stable. We add additional braces where necessary. You’re a fast learner, Percy. Keep up the hard work.” He pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. “Now, you’d better hustle on over to the diner to help Mrs. Hart and Miss Eugenia.”