Christmas in Good Hope (A Good Hope Novel Book 1) Read online

He’d flustered her, which amused him. Probably because he was feeling a bit flustered and unsure himself. “I know how hard you work and I don’t want to add to your overflowing plate.” Beck hesitated, recalling her propensity to agree to most requests. He didn’t want to take advantage of her. Yet he was aware of her fondness for Cory and Jackie.

  “Spit it out, Cross.”

  “It concerns Cory and Jackie.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Beck went on to explain about the call he’d received from the teacher. In the end, he didn’t need to ask. Before he could, Ami volunteered.

  “I’d love to make a special anniversary dinner for them. Maybe whip up a cheesecake for dessert. Cory told me at the last fundraiser that’s his favorite—and Jackie’s, too.”

  “Do you have time?”

  Ami ignored the question as if it were inconsequential. “I’m going to call Jackie right now and ask what meal they’d like served. Surprises are nice, but I want the dinner to be filled with their favorite dishes.”

  She actually sounded excited at the prospect of spending her free time creating a meal for a couple she only knew casually.

  The thought humbled him. Back in Georgia, Beck had known many who gave generously to charities but would never personally offer assistance. Before moving to Good Hope, before Ami, he had to admit he’d been one of them.

  “You’re a gem, Ami.”

  “Neighbors helping neighbors is the Good Hope way.” She spoke in a light tone, deflecting the praise. “Well, I’ll see you—”

  “Soon, darlin’. We’ll see each other very soon.”

  Smiling broadly, Beck pocketed the phone.

  Ami arrived promptly at five, but any talk of Dakota was put on hold when Tom burned his forearm badly enough to necessitate a trip to urgent care.

  Though the crowd wasn’t huge, it was still more than Tom’s assistant, a culinary student home for the holidays, could manage. Ami stepped in and took charge.

  That left Beck to greet Cory and Jackie when they arrived at six. He’d reserved one of the tables in a corner for them.

  Cory was younger than Beck had thought he’d be for a man with three children. If he was thirty-five, Beck would be surprised. The teacher wore a stocking cap, and when he took it off his sandy-brown hair stood straight up, short and fuzzy. His wife, a pretty strawberry blond with freckles, walked with an unsteady gait.

  Chatting amiably, Beck ushered them to their table. Cory pulled out the chair for his wife before Beck could, and she blushed prettily.

  “This feels like a real date.” Jackie reached across the table and squeezed her husband’s hand. “Thank you for planning such a wonderful evening.”

  Beck knew many of his former colleagues would consider a meal of chicken and dumplings served in a diner as slumming it. Of course, none of them had tasted Ami’s cooking.

  “Do you have any plans after you finish your meal?”

  “My parents are watching the children tonight.” Cory smiled at his wife. “Life has been so hectic, the thought of just going home and sitting in front of the fire sounds like heaven.”

  “I’m sure that must sound incredibly boring.” Jackie’s fingers tightened around her husband’s hand.

  Beck thought of last night. The fire. The wine. Ami. “I can’t think of anything better.”

  “Hey, you two.” Ami appeared tableside and bent over to give Jackie, then Cory, a hug. “Happy anniversary. How many years has it been?”

  “Ten.” Cory lifted Jackie’s hand to his lips and kissed it. “Ten amazing years.”

  “We’ve been blessed,” Jackie said.

  The comment stuck in Beck’s head as he and Ami headed back to the kitchen.

  “Did you hear Jackie say they’ve been blessed?” Beck asked when they were out of earshot.

  Ami’s lips lifted in a soft smile. “They are such a happy couple.”

  “He has leukemia,” Beck reminded her. “She has MS.”

  “And they’re about to lose their house.” Ami lifted a shoulder in a tiny shrug. “But they’re happy, Beck. They love each other and their kids. They have more friends than they can count. In all the ways that count, they’re very blessed.”

  Beck followed her into the kitchen, his mind reeling. “Are they really going to lose their home?”

  “Looks that way.” Ami kept her voice low so the staff couldn’t overhear. “They got behind when Cory was off work. I believe they only need three or four thousand dollars to get the loan up to date, but it might as well be a million. His paycheck barely covers their day-to-day needs.”

  Beck pondered what he’d been told while Ami returned to the stove. When Ami had learned chicken and dumplings was their favorite meal, she’d asked Beck if they could just make it the café’s evening special. Of course he’d said yes.

  It proved the right decision. The dish, coupled with green beans, coleslaw, and a yeast roll, had been flying out of the kitchen.

  As he watched Ami personally plate Cory and Jackie’s food on the china dishes she’d brought with her, Beck couldn’t stop thinking of the couple in the dining area.

  Once the server picked up the food and left the kitchen, he pulled Ami aside. “Couldn’t the Giving Tree help them out?”

  Ami shook her head. “There has been a lot of need in the community in recent months. There isn’t enough money left to fund a donation that large.”

  “Where do the donations come from?” Beck asked.

  “There’s an account at the BayShore Bank. People in the community donate to the fund. We also do fundraisers throughout the year.” She leaned back against the commercial refrigeration unit, her brow furrowed. “I wish there were something more we could do. Anyway, you should be set for the evening. The rush is over. The cheesecakes are in the refrigerator.”

  “Do you have to hurry off?”

  She winked. “I’m a busy gal this time of year.”

  Beck shoved his hands into his pockets. “What’s on your agenda for tonight?”

  “A hot date.”

  Beck froze. “Really?”

  “With paper and ribbon and tape. I’m headed over to your house to wrap gifts.” The dimple in her left cheek flashed. “I should be there most of the evening. If you see a light on in the back room when you finally head for home, please don’t call the sheriff.”

  As Beck’s body began to recover from the shock of her potential “hot date,” he glanced around the kitchen. Right now it was running like a well-oiled machine. It didn’t seem fair to have Ami in his home working while he was just standing around. “Need some help?”

  “I was hoping you’d offer.” She reached for her coat.

  Beck proved faster. He lifted it off the hook, then helped her on with it.

  “You’re quite the gentleman.”

  He shot her a sardonic grin. “Sometimes.”

  The flash in her eyes told him she was remembering bits of last night when he’d been not quite so gentlemanly.

  “Are you leaving now?” she asked. “Or coming later?”

  “Now,” Beck decided impulsively and grabbed his own coat. “Why should you have all the fun?”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Ami watched Beck efficiently wrap another package. She had expected to have to show him how to wrap, but to her surprise, he was quite proficient.

  They quickly settled into a routine, working side by side at the makeshift table in companionable silence. After several minutes she broached the subject that had momentarily slipped her mind. “Dakota is in trouble.”

  Beck paused, a striped red-and-silver bow in one hand. “What kind of trouble?”

  “Things have gotten worse at home.”

  Ami recounted what Dakota had told her. As she continued to explain, Beck’s eyes darkened. By the time she finished, his lips formed a hard line.

  She met his gaze. “Do you think she’s right? Can the sheriff really do nothing?”

  “I’m not sure how they handle such thing
s here, but back where I come from, they’d probably get the entire family together and gather all the facts.” Beck paused for a moment. “Has Clint ever done anything inappropriate?”

  “No.” Ami picked up another package and set it on the table. “That’s the blessing. So far, Dakota has made sure she’s never alone with him. But she’s convinced he’ll get to her sooner or later.”

  “Seeing the way he looks at her, coupled with what he said to his friend, I’d say she’s right to be worried.” Beck dropped the bow and rubbed his chin. “You mentioned she doesn’t want to stay with her aunt.”

  “She’d like to stay with Lindsay, and I know Lin would take her in, but Dakota is right. If Lindsay sides with her, Cassie will cut off all contact with her sister. Which leaves Cass and the boys at Clint’s mercy.”

  “Do you think the boys are in danger?”

  “According to Dakota, Clint pretty much ignores them.” Ami rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to ease the tension. “I suggested we see one of the attorneys in Sturgeon Bay about her becoming an emancipated minor. I called a couple of the family law offices there earlier today, but I can’t get an appointment at either firm until after the first of the year.”

  “She might not have that much time.” A muscle in his jaw jumped. “When Cassie has the baby, Dakota will be alone in the house with him.”

  “I think Dakota will run before that happens.”

  A startled look crossed Beck’s face. “Run away?”

  Ami unraveled a bow between her fingers. “She was close to doing that this morning.”

  “That would be disastrous.”

  “Perhaps you could speak with her about emancipation. Walk her through the steps to see if it’s even feasible.”

  A long silence filled the air. With each passing second, Ami’s hopes plummeted further.

  “I’d have to research state statutes.”

  Ami’s excitement must have shown, because he raised a hand and shot her a warning look.

  “Look. It can be difficult to get a judge to agree, especially if the mother is opposed.” That thoughtful look was back on his face. “Does Dakota have a job?”

  Ami shook her head.

  “The judge will want to know how she can support herself, where she would live. Those questions will need to be addressed.” Beck stared, unseeing, at the mass of paper and ribbon before him, and Ami could almost see the wheels turning. “I left the law behind when I moved here.”

  There was something in his voice that caused Ami, who’d been about to push harder, to hesitate. “If you don’t want to do it, I understand. I simply thought because she knows you and you’ve met Clint and because the other attorneys are busy and—”

  “Ami.” He offered a reassuring smile. “I’ll look into the emancipation possibility, but I believe there may be another solution. How close are you and Lindsay?”

  Ami’s heart tightened. “We were once best friends.”

  “Good.”

  She cocked her head. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’d like the four of us to get together and discuss all options.” His gaze met hers. “Could you arrange that?”

  “Absolutely.” Ami closed her eyes for a second as relief surged. “When would you like me to schedule this meeting?”

  “Tomorrow. As soon as Dakota gets out of school.”

  “Tomorrow is Friday.”

  “So?”

  She smiled at his blank look. “One of the Twelve Nights celebrations? Gingerbread house competition in the town hall?”

  “It will be crazy, but if what you’re saying is true, Dakota is running out of time.”

  “Where shall we meet?”

  “Have them come here. As early in the afternoon as they can make it.”

  “Aye, aye, sir.” Ami gave a mock salute and, for the first time since Dakota had appeared at her door, believed everything would work out . . . thanks to Beck.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The impromptu hug Lindsay gave Ami as she stepped across the threshold into Beck’s home startled him. When Ami had mentioned that she and Lindsay were no longer best friends, he’d jumped to the conclusion that the accident back in high school had severed their friendship. Based on his false assumption, he’d expected this meeting to be strained and awkward.

  “I didn’t realize the two of you were such good friends.” Beck kept his tone casual as he showed them to the parlor.

  “Oh, Ami and I have been friends since grade school.” Lindsay’s bright smile seemed to dim as she continued. “We haven’t seen each other as much in recent years. But that’s going to change.”

  She gave Ami’s arm a squeeze before taking a seat.

  Lindsay, a floral designer at the Enchanted Florist, bore a striking resemblance to her sister. Same honey-blond hair and gray-blue eyes. Same narrow face that was pretty rather than beautiful. Same whippet-thin body. Except a little younger and fresh and full of life, rather than beaten down and worn-out.

  While it was impossible not to notice the scar on Lindsay’s cheek, in Beck’s estimation it didn’t detract from her attractiveness.

  Dakota remained quiet and took a seat next to her aunt on the sectional, leaving Beck and Ami to sit in the two ornate—and very uncomfortable—Queen Victoria high-backed chairs. The furniture obtained from an antique store in Sturgeon Bay had been delivered on schedule. A lavish red-and-gold tapestry rug covered much of the scarred floor. A large, gilt-edged mirror graced the mantel, while pastoral scenes typical of the period hung on the wall, covering the worst of the peeling paper.

  Beck thought the scarlet velvet sectional was a bit ostentatious, as was the rosewood parlor armchair in gold satin floral. Still, the rich colors of the period furniture brought needed warmth to the old house.

  “I’m not sure why I’m even here.” Lindsay cast a quizzical glance at her niece. “Dakota just said it was important I come.”

  Ami decided to be blunt. “Dakota is concerned about Clint’s interest in her.”

  Lindsay froze for a second. Then her blue eyes flashed. She shifted her gaze to her niece. “If he’s touched you, I’m going to murder him.”

  “Chill, Aunt Lindsay,” Dakota said in a slightly bored tone, but the look in her eyes said she was pleased by her aunt’s passionate defense. “I’ve been able to keep my distance so far. But he’s starting to talk more about sex stuff. If I don’t get away, he’ll get me alone and . . .”

  There was no need to clarify what would happen; they all understood.

  Lindsay’s brow furrowed. “Have you told your mom? What does she say about his behavior?”

  “She laughs and acts as if it’s cute, as if he’s joking.”

  Lindsay closed her eyes for a second and swore under her breath.

  “Lindsay.” Ami’s soft-spoken words had the woman opening her eyes and shifting her attention. “Dakota came to me because she sees leaving Good Hope as her only option.”

  Lindsay whirled in her seat to face her niece. “Is that true?”

  “I can’t stay in the same house with him anymore.” Dakota’s lower lip trembled before she firmed it. “I’m afraid to fall asleep at night.”

  “Oh, baby.” Lindsay wrapped an arm around her niece’s shoulder. “You can come live with me.”

  “That’s what I suggested.” Ami’s gaze slid to Beck.

  Beck was glad to see Lindsay so supportive of her niece. For his plan to have any chance of success, it was essential she be willing to stand for the girl.

  “I can’t move in with you, Aunt Lindsay.” Dakota folded her hands in her lap, stared down at them for a long moment. With her hair pulled back and her face bare of any makeup, the girl looked even younger than seventeen. “I want to, but I can’t.”

  “Of course you can,” Lindsay protested. “There’s a futon in my living room with your name on it.”

  The girl shook her head. “Mom would be furious. You know how she can be.”

  “It’s true my sister
has a temper.” Lindsay blew out a breath. “Don’t you worry, I’ll handle her.”

  “Remember what happened with Grandma Anita? She’ll cut you out of her life if you get in her business. Then she’ll have no one. She’ll be at his mercy.”

  Lindsay’s face took on a mulish expression. “I guess that’s her choice.”

  “Mom needs you, Aunt Lindsay. You’re the only one she can count on. If she doesn’t have you or me, she won’t have anyone.”

  The look of indecision on Lindsay’s face told Beck that Dakota had raised a valid point. It was a good thing he had another option to offer.

  “Let’s talk possibilities.” Beck leaned forward. “I have concerns about pursuing emancipation. Frankly, I don’t believe it would be approved. Dakota doesn’t have a job, and with attending school, it would be difficult for her to support herself.”

  Dakota’s shoulders slumped. “I have to leave. That’s all there is to it.”

  “You’re not leaving,” Lindsay snapped. “That’s final.”

  “I think we all agree it’s important not to jump into any action without thinking it through fully.” Beck kept his voice calm and focused on Lindsay. “Here’s another option. We speak with your sister together. You bring up that Dakota wants to pursue emancipation. You’ve tried to talk her out of it, but she’s already enlisted my help and I’m ready to file the papers.”

  “File the papers?” Lindsay’s brow furrowed. “But you own a café.”

  “Beck is also an attorney,” Ami explained.

  Lindsay smiled apologetically. “Oh, I didn’t know.”

  Beck continued as if there’d been no interruption. “I’ll mention that such a petition will necessitate the involvement of social services. The caseworker will come out and look at a variety of things, including what support Cassie is getting from the state and the fact that Clint is in the home.”

  Dakota laughed. “She’ll be big-time pissed at you.”

  “Dakota. Watch your language.”

  The motherly censure in Lindsay’s no-nonsense tone had Beck smiling.

  “I’ll be the bad cop,” he told Dakota. “Your aunt will be the good one.”