The Ride of Her Life (6 page)

Lilly opened the door and told Levi to go to the bottom of the stairs and wait for her. “Levi will be fine. He’s a little boy, and he’s only acting accordingly. There’s plenty of time for him to learn to be as stuffy as you. However, I do appreciate your concern, and I know you love him in your own way. But I beg you to understand—he’s my son, and I will raise him the way I see fit.”

Claude pinned her with his penetrating gaze. “We do understand what you want, but that is clearly not what is best for him. Therefore, we will press forward in our efforts to gain custody of Levi because it’s in the child’s best interest—unless, of course, you relent in allowing us to send him to the boarding school.”

“Would that be in Levi’s best interest or yours?” She scalded her father-in-law with a final glare and marched down the stairs. With her heart thundering in her chest, she grabbed Levi’s hand and hurried toward the gate. Why had she ever thought she could reach the two of them?

Now things were worse than ever.

If Lilly and Levi didn’t hurry, the roller coaster crew would have no hot coffee for lunch. The ham sandwiches they’d handle fine, but not having coffee would make them gripe for sure. As soon as the streetcar arrived at Lake Manawa, Lilly hurried her son off, and the two of them made their way toward the Midway.

“Look, Mama.” Levi pointed to the fence housing the Manawa zoo. Although there were no elephants or tigers, the zoo had enough species that the children loved it. “Can we go see the alligator?”

“Not today, sweetheart. We don’t have time.” She pulled him along.

“But, Mama, you never have time.”

“I know, but right now, we really have to hurry.”

“Please—”

“Levi, hush now. You don’t want to miss seeing Mr. Nick, do you?” She shouldn’t use the man as a reward, but sometimes a mother had to do whatever it took.

“Can I show him my picture?”

“Yes, and you can even show him your new crayons.”

As soon as they reached the lunch counter, Lilly snagged her apron from the hook. She’d hoped there would be time to return to the cabin to change out of her good dress, but she didn’t dare. After stoking the fire, she put the coffeepot over the cookstove’s firebox and helped Levi set the silverware in their places on the table. When he’d finished, she dismissed him to go check on Mr. Wiggles and Flower with a warning to stay within sight of the lunch counter.

Since the men didn’t have breakfast on Wednesdays at the lunch counter, she knew they’d be extra hungry. She cut thick slices of ham and laid it on the crusty bread. Soon she had the serving tray filled, along with two bowls each of preserved peaches and coleslaw.

After mixing the freshly ground coffee with two eggs and some water in a bowl like her mother always did, she poured the egg/coffee mixture into the boiling water in the enameled coffeepot. She took a deep breath. In two to three minutes it would be done. She’d made it.

She gasped. Dessert! How had she forgotten? Of course the men had come to expect something sweet with their meals. She glanced around the room. No leftover cookies or cakes. No pies or pastries. These men ate everything.

Her gaze fell to the milk can that had been delivered in her absence, and she got an idea. She could cook some pudding. She wouldn’t be able to chill it in the icebox, but they could enjoy it warm all the same.

Before she forgot the coffee, she removed the pot from the heat and poured a cup of cold water in it to settle the grounds. She set it on the back corner to keep it warm.

The back door to the kitchen opened. Lilly didn’t look up from measuring milk into a pot. “Levi, go wash before lunch.”

A man cleared his throat.

She turned. “Mr. Thorton, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” She smiled at the young woman beside him. Her strawberry-blonde hair seemed to have a mind of its own, and her bright pink dress didn’t match the peach-colored hat on her head in the least. A smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks brought a whimsical quality to the girl Lilly guessed to be in her late teens. Lilly nodded and swished the spoon around the bowl. “Hello.”

“Mrs. Hart, this is my niece Eugenia. My sister’s daughter. She’s going to be your new assistant. Eugenia, Mrs. Hart.”

Lilly dropped her long-handled spoon in the milk, then fished it back out with another spoon. “An assistant?”

“I know this lunch counter is going to be too much for you to handle alone once the season starts, and as I told you, I plan to add two to three more workers by then.”

“That’s mighty thoughtful of you, Mr. Thorton, but it’s still early May, and I’m doing fine by myself.”

“Yes, you certainly are, but Eugenia’s mother and I were talking, and we both thought she might need some extra instruction.”

Lilly glanced at the girl, who stood staring wide-eyed around the kitchen. “Let me guess, she doesn’t cook a lick.”

Mr. Thorton seemed to take an interest in his pocket watch. “If anyone can teach her, I’m sure you can.”

“But, Mr. Thorton—”

“I have to meet an old friend. You two can work out the details of Eugenia’s duties.” He kissed his niece’s cheek. “Eugenia, you listen to Mrs. Hart and do exactly what she says.”

“I will, Uncle Clyde.” She wiggled her fingers at him as he departed.

Lilly took a deep breath and looked at Eugenia’s hopeful face. She smiled again. It would be nice to have some company. “Have you ever worked in a kitchen, Eugenia?”

The girl shook her head. “I’m not sure I’ve even been in one, ma’am, except when I snuck cookies, but I’ve been reading up on cooking. I’ve learned a lot.”

Reading had its place in the world. Folks could learn a lot from books, but Lilly doubted cooking was one of them. “The men will be in soon, but I want to get this pudding done. Since you’ve been reading, have you learned how to separate eggs?”

A smile blossomed across Eugenia’s face. “Of course. I can do that.”

“Good. We’ll need twelve eggs separated. The eggs are over there.” Lilly pointed to the Hoosier cabinet with a crate on top of the porcelain counter. Then, humming to herself, she returned to stirring her scalding milk. Yes, this could work out fine.

“I’m done, Miss Lilly,” Eugenia said.

“Already?” Lilly poured the sugar into the pan and turned. On the surface of the cabinet, Eugenia had certainly separated eggs—five brown ones on the right, seven white ones on the left.

Lilly shook her head. Now she didn’t have one child to raise, she had two.

The bell jingled above the door, announcing the arrival of the roller coaster crew. Did she dare use Eugenia to serve? Maybe she could do something simple. “Eugenia, why don’t you pour coffee for the men while I bring out their food? The pot is on the stove.”

The girl bounced away, the silly peach flowers on her hat bobbing as she walked. Lilly grabbed the tray of sandwiches, removed the towel from the top, and carried it through the doorway. The men grinned when she approached.

“I’m as hungry as a horse, Mrs. Hart.” The worker she’d learned was Percy Leonard wrapped his fingers around a thick sandwich. He was the youngest but also had the biggest appetite. Tall and thin, Percy made her wonder where the young man put all the food he consumed. “Those doughnuts you left us were delicious, but they didn’t stick to my ribs long enough.”

“We’re lucky she did that.” Nick Perrin took his own sandwich from the tray. “My agreement was there’d be no breakfast on Wednesdays. Mrs. Hart deserves a morning off.”

“But we can’t make it without breakfast,” the worker with the broadest girth whined.

“Frank, I don’t think you need to worry about fainting dead away.”

Eugenia approached with the coffeepot in hand. Thank the Lord she had the good sense to use a towel over the handle to protect her hand.

She reached for Sean McGready’s coffee cup and smiled. “Maybe I can make you all breakfast on Wednesdays.”

Lilly offered the tray of sandwiches to Mr. McGready. He selected one and set it on his plate. “I don’t think you’re ready for that yet, Eugenia,” Lilly said.

The girl jerked when Lilly spoke and spilled coffee on Mr. McGready’s sandwich. Eugenia grabbed for it, and the top slice of bread fell onto the floor. She quickly scooped it up and started to replace it on the sandwich.

“Stop!” Lilly ordered as she picked up Mr. McGready’s plate. “Let me go get you some fresh bread on this. Then I’ll be back to fill your cups. Eugenia, come with me.”

“Does this mean I can’t make the men breakfast?” Eugenia’s lower lip protruded.

Lilly rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. This was going to be a long, long summer.

Sweet, rich, and creamy, the pudding slid over Nick’s tongue. Mrs. Hart could cook better than any woman he’d ever met. They were blessed to have her cooking for them, but he worried they were overworking her. At least it seemed she had some help now.

He grinned. Would that girl be considered a help? From the little he’d seen, he wondered.

He pushed back from the table. “Well, fellows, guess it’s time to get back to work.”

The others grumbled but followed suit. A tug on his tan work pants made him look down. “Hello, Levi. Where have you been hiding?”

“I was eating my lunch in the kitchen.”

“With your mama?”

He shook his head. “She gave hers to the new girl.”

Nick glanced over the lunch counter into the kitchen and caught a glimpse of Mrs. Hart sitting on a stool, nursing a cup of coffee. The new girl, Eugenia, had a sandwich in hand. Concern made his gut twinge. Had he seen Levi’s mother eat anything in the last week?

“Mr. Nick, can I still go see the stuff you’re building?”

“If your mother says yes, I’ll be glad to take you. Why don’t you go ask her while I wait?”

Levi rushed into the kitchen, and Nick remained even though the other workmen filed out. They knew what to do without him. He laughed when Levi dragged his mother around to the front of the lunch counter.

She’d removed her apron, revealing a pleated rose-colored dress with lace placed in the most attractive places. Not the usual costume of a lady doing kitchen work. Must be one from her days in the rich in-laws’ house. He bristled. How could they turn their backs on the widow of their son? And why hadn’t her husband provided for her?

“Tell her you said I could go, Mr. Nick.”

Nick laughed and tapped Levi’s nose. “I said if your mother said yes, you could go.”

“Do you, Mama? Do you?”

“Levi, Mr. Perrin is a busy man.” She pushed a chestnut curl away from her temple.

“I do have some time to spare this afternoon, and it would be my pleasure to show Mr. Levi the progress we’re making on the roller coaster. That is, if you can spare his assistance here.”

“Please, Mama?”

“Levi, you could pester a magpie to death.” Mrs. Hart rolled her eyes. “If Mr. Perrin is sure it isn’t too much of a bother. Just be back by supper time.”

“Will do.” Nick tipped his hat and placed a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “Good day, Mrs. Hart.”

“Thank you, Mr. Perrin.”

She smiled. Pure sunshine, once again, and it warmed him more than he expected.

6

Why hadn’t Nick Perrin returned with her son?

Lilly quickly gathered the last of the workmen’s dinner plates and carried them to the kitchen, dropping them so hard into the washbasin the suds splashed onto her apron.

“Would you like me to wash those while you go fetch your boy?” Eugenia brought in the coffee cups.

Lilly started to decline but reconsidered. Washing dishes had nothing to do with cooking, so surely Eugenia could master the task. After untying her apron strings, Lilly slung the piece of clothing on a peg by the kitchen door. “Thank you. If you’ll wash them and let them air-dry, I’ll put them away in their places when I get back.”

“You don’t need to do that. I’ll put them away too. Don’t worry about a thing.”

But no one could take care of the worries growing inside Lilly. What if Levi was lost or injured? Her stomach rolled and churned more than Lake Manawa on a windy day, but Sean McGready had said Nick told him to let her know they’d be along shortly. Why had Mr. Perrin not returned with Levi for supper?