Recap of Chapter 28: After limping home to the safety of his lakeside cabin, Martin first called his friend, Fred, to talk it all out. On his prompting, he then called Penny to try to make it up to her for coming to town and not seeing her. Reconnecting with Fred reminded Martin of all they’d been through over the years.
With the holidays right around the corner, Penny was too busy at the restaurant to make plans for Christmas. She told her dad as much when he invited her up to his cabin. Snow on the lake, hot toddies by the fire, grilled catch of the day amidst all that peace and tranquility—as tempting as that sounded, she knew she couldn’t get away. And he knew it too. Still, he had to try.
“Did he really want to know what happened after that boozy night in the bar?”
No, it would be busy up until the last minute on Christmas Eve and then she could snuggle up with her cat in her cozy apartment, sip Irish coffee, and watch the black water of the creek roll under the ice. She knew she wouldn’t have plans with Matthew. He was traveling to upstate New York to visit his family. She was invited—practically begged to come—but she couldn’t get away. That’s the rub with having a restaurant. It’s supposed to be a festive destination for the town—a place of respite from busy schedules during the holidays. And that’s exactly what she wanted the Lucky Penny to be. This was, after all, her second chance at happiness. The least she could do was give it her all. Her dad understood, and so did Matthew, eventually. So, she strung lights and garland, altered the menu to include items that reminded people of Christmas, and enjoyed every ooh and aah from appreciative customers. People had begun using it as a meeting place—a stop-in and regroup destination with a mini charcuterie board and a glass of wine. With her clever Afternoon Snack menu, parents were coming with their kids after school to share a big-as-your-head cinnamon roll and some hot cocoa. With all that and her expanded to-go menu, it was becoming the place that had something for everyone, and she was proud of what she had accomplished. And to think that a year ago she was panicked over word getting out about her past and what it would mean. Turned out, that whole mess didn’t put a dent in her business or reputation. She could thank her dad, Matthew and Chloe for that. Without their support, she might have thrown in the towel.
Martin was facing a Christmas alone in his cabin. At least he had Barney to keep him company. With Penny tied up with the restaurant, he knew she couldn’t get away. She invited him to come around, soak up the energy of the hectic season and help her out, but he did that last year. Besides, he’d had enough traveling for a while. He wanted to stick close to home. He began to wonder what Fred was up to and picked up the phone.
“Twice in one month? You must be desperate,” Fred said, laughing as he picked up. “Too much peace and quiet over there?” And they fell into the old banter as if no time had passed. When they got around to sharing their plans for the holidays, they decided that they were too pathetic curmudgeons and made the arrangement to spend Christmas together. Fred would come to Martin’s cabin for a peaceful Christmas away from the city.
A week later, Martin met Fred at the airport with Barney in tow. They stopped at the fish market and the grocery store and headed to the cabin on the lake. Fred brought some Black Label and after he’d dragged his suitcase upstairs, they enjoyed a taste by the fire with a view of the lake.
“This is the life, isn’t it?” Fred remarked, looking out over the water. “I’ll bet it’s gorgeous in the summer.” They talked easily about retired life, the ups and downs—boredom being the worst. Fred never had children, and his wife had died a few years back, so they were just a couple retired, widowed guys. Too old to be saddled with hungry ambition and too young to be satisfied sitting around wearing cardigans and playing chess at the park. They had a lot in common. The biggest commonality being that they both loved Penny as their own.
When the conversation rolled over to her, and after all her accomplishments had been paraded out and bragged on, they looked back. “That was some ugly business back then,” Martin remarked, and they both knew what he was talking about. “I never thought it would get so complicated.”
Fred tipped the bottle in each of their glasses. “That it was.”
“We never really talked about it—you know, the details of how it all went down.”
Fred stood at the window, his gaze on the water. “Do we need to now?”
“Well, we don’t need to, but I’ve always wondered. You said you’d take care of it, and I put it in your hands. I was relieved to know it would be handled. Of course, we never suspected it to blow back on Penny.”
“That was unfortunate. Luckily, she managed to get out of that okay.” He sat down and eyed Martin. “You really want to know what happened back then—all the gritty details? You know, once it’s said out loud, we can’t take the words back. And knowing changes things.”
Martin looked at the fire as it flickered in the glow of his amber drink. “Yeah. Maybe it’s time. I have always wondered. It went from a simple conversation between friends in a bar to a whole other animal. I am curious how it all got so… messy.”
“You mean the girl.”
“Yeah, that. And, the whole scene. I saw the photos. It was grisly.”
The suspense of the unspoken filled the room as each sipped. Both men knew they were on the precipice of something big. After all these years, knowing would change things. Fred was right, the spoken words could not be taken back. It’s like that saying, ‘You can’t un-ring a bell.’ The fire crackled and Martin rose to poke at the coals and add another log. Should he let the whole thing drop or say something to reverse the conversation? A simple ‘Just kidding, I don’t want to know’ and it would go back in the box, so to speak. Did he really want to know what happened after that boozy night in the bar?
He could picture that night as if it happened yesterday. They met there after a hard day at work. A few too many drinks and some angry words were spoken about Penny’s husband—the bastard. It was Fred who told him that he was stepping out on her. He’d seen it with his own eyes. It was humiliating and wrong—a sweet girl like Penny deserved so much more. As the empty bottles stacked up, the injustice of the situation became intolerable. It didn’t matter that she’d already divorced him. Good riddance wasn’t good enough. They were hungry for revenge. That’s when the conversation got serious. They got a bottle of Jack and took it to a quiet booth in the back.
A drink in his hand, Fred’s eyes were red, his hair a mess. He pounded his finger on the table. “Here’s the deal, Martin. You know, in my line of work, I know people. I know people who can make this whole problem go away.”
