Hemlock Veils

“But…you didn’t live at the mansion with your father?”

He laughed, just a short burst, and his smile grew famously condescending. “And intrude on my father’s lifestyle?” He shook his head. “We weren’t to interfere, ever—especially in the summer months. Summer was his time, to fly in business clients and mistresses. Imagine what a damper that would put on things if my mother walked in on him and his harem. That would just be awkward, wouldn’t it?”

She looked down sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”

“Well, it’s no matter. I’d rather have boarded-up in a tiny shack with my mother than share a mansion with that man. He put us out like animals. Worse, in fact, since his dogs stayed with him. At least he allowed her to pick paint colors at the cottage, though. Red was her favorite.” He paused, and she dared to glance up at him, his temples pulsating from the clenching of his teeth. She actually felt true and genuine compassion toward him, for the first time. He didn’t notice her observance, though, since his eyes were suddenly distant again. “You know why I hate that house, Ms. Ashton?”

She didn’t answer.

“I have nothing but fond memories there, since my mother and I made a good team. The house always smelled of bread or cookies, of course. It was all she did, bake. But not just at the bakery. She did in the cottage, too, in that tiny kitchen. Always trying new recipes, or trying to perfect the ones she already had. There I lived by my mother’s rules, not my father’s. The kitchen was her playground, and that forest mine.”

His eyes met hers, the sadness in them startling. And in that moment she forgot about her question—about the way she found it strange that his mother baked at his grandmother’s shop.

“But to me,” he added, finally answering his question, “it’ll always be the dog house. It will always represent just how my father felt about us.”

They stood before the doors of the newly renamed Jean’s. And now, the name fit with the special fondness she felt for it. “Mr. Clayton…”

“Ms. Ashton, I want to make something clear. I didn’t tell you these things to get sympathy. It was a very long time ago and I’m certainly over it. This doesn’t change anything about the professional relationship we have, nor does it mean we can start sharing juicy secrets.” She narrowed her eyes, picturing ever so briefly the way it would feel to wring his neck. “I told you so you would get your curiosity out of the way and move on. I told you so you would know I don’t want to hear anything about that cottage again, do you understand?”

“I understand very clearly, Mr. Clayton.” He turned, walking toward the diner. “Mr. Clayton?” she said, making him turn back with that same expression that said he didn’t have time for her nonsense. “Will you come inside with me for just a minute?” He began to sigh. “It won’t be long, I promise. There’s something I want to show you.”

He shifted his jaw. She took his stillness as an answer, since he would be walking away if he’d refused. She put her key in the lock and jiggled it, but it didn’t give. It had stuck yesterday, too. Mr. Clayton moved behind her now, his sigh close to her hair. A sigh of impatience, probably. He reached around her and took the keys from her hand.

“There’s a trick to it,” he said, his voice surprisingly genuine and close to her ear. It gave her chills—good or bad, she didn’t know. She’d never known anyone to switch moods so quickly. Not even a high Willem.

He slid the key in then pulled it out, just slightly. “It catches.” He inserted it all the way again. “Here.” He brought her hand to the key, and this caught her off guard, his touching her. Instantly, her chest filled with a heat comparable to the one radiating from his hand—radiating from his entire body. “You can feel it, right…” He guided her hand, pulling the key back ever so slightly, and she felt the subtle click, almost indecipherable. “There,” he finished, then did it again. “That’s when you turn it.” He did, and the door successfully unlocked.

He seemed to forget he hated her in that moment, or perhaps he’d just forgotten it was her altogether, since he actually touched her without the slightest trace of abhorrence. She seemed to forget too, because the man who spoke so closely to her sounded nothing like the cold Mr. Clayton she knew. It was almost as though he’d forgotten who he was, dropping a life-long act. She twisted her neck and looked up at him, just to make sure he hadn’t been replaced by some imposter. He stared down on her, and it was beyond a

That was when he seemed to realize the same thing she had: that this was out of character and he was too close. He cleared his throat and backed away, ushering her inside. She walked right to the counter, wanting to get this over and done with so she could be alone and work through all the confusion with which Mr. Clayton’s presence filled her.

Antique frames, ivory in color with fancy vine trim, encased the eight-by-ten black-and-white photos. She’d found them yesterday when cleaning, in a box behind the counter, and hadn’t been able to make out a single face until she’d wiped away the thick layer of dust. There were three grayscale pictures in all: one of the bakery from the outside, a street view; one from the inside, every table full of happy customers in vintage clothing; and one of the dark-haired, elegant Jean and the little boy that was a spitting image of Mr. Clayton. Perhaps one day she may be lucky enough to see that boyish smile on Mr. Clayton himself, though she doubted it. She’d studied the pictures for unmeasured minutes the day before, absorbing the memories. This place was special. And now she knew it was special to him, too.

She handed him the first one and his eyes doubled in size. He stared at it, taking it as though it might harm him. “I found these last night. I thought maybe you’d like to have them.”

He met her eyes after studying the picture of his father and grandmother, his brows pulling together. “I don’t want them.” He handed it back. He seemed wounded. And again, even with how well she could read people, Mr. Clayton was impossible to understand. “They were left here for a reason.”

“Then…would you mind if I hung them up here?”

He walked to the door, but from over his shoulder said, “That would be fine, Ms. Ashton.”

Chapter 14

The moving van had arrived hours ago, making it two days later than she had expected; but the timing couldn’t have been better. She’d been busy with Jean’s the past two days, setting up supplies. Most of her time had been spent tinkering with the commercial burr grinder and two French presses, the top models for commercial use. She even owned a top-of-the-line, all-in-one espresso grinder/maker, along with all the syrups and nozzles. Cups, baking trays, new chairs, a cash register, etcetera. The shop was finally ready, and now she could focus on readying her home.

She had spent the past hour showing the movers where to place her belongings. She made sure they took extra care with her father’s cuckoo clock, the one she and Willem used to watch as kids—waiting to get surprised by the little bird that would pop out faithfully on the hour and give three bird calls. It hadn’t worked in years, but still she hung it. She would wait until the movers were gone to unroll her rugs, since they managed to walk the entire forest’s mud through her small living space. One of the rugs was an antique Persian carpet with red, black, blue, and gold designs, intricate and eye-catching; the other was a woven wool rug Mr. Vanderzee had bought her on his trip to China two years ago, the fibers fine and silky. They would both look spectacular in this place with rich hardwood floors.