SEALED with a Kiss (Midnight Delta #4) (6 page)

Playing
Call of Duty
wasn’t her idea of a fun night, but she appreciated the fact both Mason and Billy always invited her to join their game.  These days what was really taking up a lot of her bandwidth was figuring out how to market the pies outside of the diner.  Currently four different gourmet shops in San Clemente had asked her to bake product for them. 

She wanted to do it, she had to figure out how to keep up the quality, and not sacrifice her home life.  That meant she was currently looking at more resumes from Craig’s list while listening to Mason and Billy.

“One of the guys I served with was an emancipated minor, it was a hard road.  Rebecca has guts.”  She heard Mason say.  Sophia stopped scrolling through the listings and started to pay attention to what was being said in the living room.

“How old was he?”

“I’m not sure.”

“She says she wants to graduate from high school early and get a scholarship.  I know her foster home isn’t good.  It isn’t like being with the Bards,” Billy said.

“It doesn’t sound like you’re mad at her for turning you down.”

“No, she’s too good of a friend.  I’m bummed.  But...well...it didn’t feel like she was rejecting me.  I kind of thought she wanted to go with me.  I know it’s probably wishful thinking on my part.  I’m probably being stupid.”

“Billy, I’ve known you for two years now. You’re not stupid.”

The doorbell rang.

“I’ve got it,” Sophia called out as she grabbed her purse.

She checked the peephole before opening the door to the pizza delivery boy.  She brought in the food to the dining room.

“Thanks, sis,” Billy exclaimed as he put down his controller.  Mason gave her a warm smile, and came to the kitchen to help her get the plates and napkins.

“So that’s what’s been going on, it’s a girl, huh?”

“Isn’t it always?” Mason asked as he stroked her hair.

“No,” she replied.  “Fifty percent of the time, it’s a boy.”  He laughed.

“You heard?” Billy said as he came into the kitchen, and opened up the fridge.  Sophia looked at her handsome young brother and gave him an encouraging smile.

“Yeah, I did.  You okay with that?”

“I guess so.  I got shot down.  It was bound to happen, right?”

“Not in my book.  I thought you were going to always have girls say yes, and be married by the time you were fifteen.”  He gave her a grin.

“You’d like Rebecca.”

“Is this the girl from social studies?”

“Yep.”

“Didn’t you guys get an A?  I like her already.”  The three of them sat down at the dining room table.

“She’s nice, Soph.  Real nice.  You
would
like her.”

Sophia looked at Billy in surprise. 

“Billy, if you liked her enough to ask her out, I have no doubt in my mind I would like her.”

Billy smiled in relief. 

It suddenly hit Sophia how much of a stand-in she was for a mom.  He really wanted her to like the girl he would bring home one day.  She would always have to treat this with the care and dignity it deserved.

“Even though she’s not going to go to the dance with me, I want to make sure she knows there are no hard feelings.  I had asked if she had wanted to help out at the food pantry tomorrow and she had said yes.  So we’re still going to do that.  Jack is going to pick us up.”

“Would it be awkward if I was there too?  Frannie had asked me if I could do some baking tomorrow at the pantry.  She said there was a school carnival going on, and more people were going to need to pick up things at the pantry than normal.”  Sophia crossed her fingers underneath the table.

“No, it’s cool.  Like I said, you’ll really like her.  After all, she got me an A in social studies.”

****

M
ason had insisted on joining her saying he could help out with the pies.  Bless his heart, he was good at many things, but baking wasn’t one of them.  As soon as they got to the food bank she suggested he help Tony and he jumped at the chance.

Even though Jack had picked up Billy before Mason and she had left that morning, they still weren’t there.  It was odd since Rebecca only lived five miles from the school.

Finally a grim faced Jack, a shaken Billy, and Rebecca showed up. 

“Please don’t be mad, Mr. Preston,” Rebecca said.

“What?” Jack turned to the girl.  “Honey I’m mad, but not at you, you know that don’t you?”

She shook her head.

Billy stood beside her, and she took a step closer to him. 

“I’m mad because they didn’t provide you with a key and you spent the night outside on the porch.”

“But you said I should have called someone—the police.  So you’re mad at how I handled it.”

“No, he’s not.  He’s like Drake.  He has a code.  He’s being protective.  Now he’s going to go ballistic on their asses.”  Billy smiled at her, she bumped her hand against his, and he grasped it.  She held on. 

“Rebecca, I’m so sorry I said that.  I wasn’t thinking,” Jack’s voice was extremely gentle.  “I should have realized how I would have come across to you.  Thank you for being brave enough to speak up.”

She looked at Billy for confirmation.  He nodded.

She smiled at Jack.  “I’m sorry for misunderstanding.”

“There is absolutely nothing for you to be sorry about, it was on me.  I was angry, but I should have made it perfectly clear it was at your foster parents for not taking care of you properly.”

“It’s no big deal.  What’s really important is they had the younger kids with them.”

Sophia stepped forward. 

“Hi Rebecca, I’m Sophia, Billy’s sister.  I have to say you’re being very generous to the people who left you outside all night.”

“They probably meant to leave a key under the mat.”  It was clear she was covering for them.  Mason stepped up beside her.  Rebecca’s eyes got wide. 

“Let me introduce you,” Sophia said.  “This is Mason Gault, he works with Jack.  He’s basically Billy’s older brother.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Rebecca.” Mason smiled.

“Drake told me about you.  He said you would be mad at him if he didn’t follow the SEAL code.”

“What code is that?” Mason asked with an easy going grin.

“That you have to take care of women and children who are in trouble,” Rebecca answered.

“He’s right.  If he doesn’t follow it, he’d be in trouble.”

“I thought he might be kidding.”

“Oh no, it’s real.”  Jack shared a smile with Mason.

“Rebecca, there’s a place for you to wash up above the diner a couple of blocks away if you want,” Sophia offered.

“There’s no need,” Billy said.  “Jack got her into the house.  She was able to shower and change clothes.”

“Good man, Preston,” Mason said.

“Rebecca, why don’t you come with me?  I need some help getting started on the pies I need to bake.  The guys can start unloading the trucks and stocking the shelves.  Do you bake?”

“A little.”

“That’s great.  Frannie and I can use all the help we can get.  And not from Mason,” Sophia teased.

Rebecca looked at Billy for confirmation.

“It’s true, she needs help and Mase sucks.” 

“Okay.”

“You’ll love Frannie,” Billy assured her.

****

T
he three of them sat down and stared at the row of pies that lined the counter.  Frannie looked at Sophia, then Rebecca, and back to Sophia.

“Oh my God, this is déjà vu all over again,” Frannie said to Sophia.

“What?” Rebecca looked from one woman to the other.

“The similarity between you two girls.”

“Us?” Rebecca said in shock.

“Oh yeah.  It’s like I’m looking at Sophia from two years ago.”

“I don’t understand,” Rebecca said.  “She’s so much older than I am.”  Frannie shouted with laughter. 

“You’re right.  She’s ancient.”

Sophia scowled.

“What could we possibly have in common?”

“What do you say, Sophia?  Can I tell her your story?  I think this little girlie is in dire need of some of the same help you needed back then.”

“I think you’re right, Frannie.  Let’s go outside where the guys won’t overhear us.”

They went out the front door since the guys were in the back unloading and putting the boxes and cartons away.

Frannie took a deep breath.  “It’s times like this I sure could use a cigarette.”

“Well I’m glad you don’t smoke anymore,” Sophia said.  “I want you around for a good long time.”

“Look, Rebecca, I’m a bit of a buttinski,” Frannie said.  Sophia laughed.

“Actually she is a big one, and I thank God for it.”

“This one came into the pantry thin as a rail.  She needed food for her mama.  All of the money was going to her mama’s medicine.” 

“She was trying to figure out where she was going to live after her mother died.”

“Probably a shelter,” Sophia interjected.

Rebecca stared in shock.

“Things weren’t going well but then she got a job at the diner.  Shirley gave her the apartment above it to stay.” 

“I don’t understand?  Why are you telling me all of this?”

“I’m getting there, girlie,” Frannie said, taking another deep breath.

“This one,” she said pointing to Sophia.  “Well she meets Mason, and she decides she can’t go out on a date with him because she doesn’t have anything to wear.  Sound familiar?”

This time it was Rebecca who took in a deep breath.

“How did you know?”

“Your clothes don’t fit.  Same as Sophia.  You’re looking at Billy like the sun rises and sets on him same as Sophia did with Mason.  It was easy enough to figure out.  I’m taking you shopping.”

“I can’t let you buy me clothes,” Rebecca protested.

“It’s the consignment store.  It’s good quality and used.  And you don’t have a choice.”

Rebecca’s eyes welled up.

“And you can’t cry.  I’m a buttinski.”

“She is.  I told you.  A big one.”  Sophia nodded.

“Why are you doing this?  Are you just doing this for Billy?”

“No honey, I’m doing this for you.  Just like I did it for Sophia.  I was your age once too.  I didn’t have a lot.  Mrs. Woloceck helped me and I expect one day you do this for some other girl.  We help others.  It’s what we women do.”

“As for me, I’ve got something else in mind,” Sophia said.

“What?” Rebecca asked.

“I’ve been scouring Craig’s List for someone to help part time at the diner on the weekends.  You can ask Billy.  You proved you know your way around the kitchen.  I need a helper with a good work ethic who can help me with the pies.  It’ll cut my prep time in half and give me more time at home with Mason.  Want the job?”

“Are you two for real?”

“We’ve been in your too tight shoes, honey.  Say yes.” Frannie laughed.

“I really want to go to the dance.”

“We know.  Now say yes and go back inside.  The store doesn’t open for another hour.”

“Yes!”

****

B
illy Anderson

Billy stood beside Drake as he and they all looked at the pies lined up on the counter. 

“It’s time to move this show over to the diner,” Mason said decisively.

“Now you’re talking sense,” Tony said.  Frannie eyed him, and his shoulders drooped.  “You go on ahead.”

Sophia laughed.  “We’ll be back with cinnamon rolls for you, I promise.  Plus an egg white omelet.”

“Egg white,” he whined.

“You like her egg white omelets, she seasons them up real good.  Now quit your bitching.”  Jack and Billy laughed.  Again Rebecca moved closer to him.  It felt good that when she was uncomfortable or unsure she came to him for moral support. 

“They don’t mean anything by it,” he whispered to her.  “They’re always like this.”

“Are you sure?”

“Watch.”

“Oh yeah, she puts the peppers and onions in with the Monterey jack cheese.  I love those omelets.”  Tony nodded. 

Frannie rolled her eyes, muttered something about men, and started to walk away.

“Now beautiful, don’t go away in a huff.  I just forgot.  I love you women looking out after me, I really do.”  Frannie looked back over her shoulder and smiled.

“I want you around for a long time, old man.”  He went over and gave her a kiss on her temple.

“And I want as many years with you as I can get, Francesca.”

Billy looked over at Rebecca and saw her wearing the identical sentimental smile as Sophia.

Mason put his arm around Sophia.  “Time to go to the diner.  I’m in desperate need of food.”

“Good call, Mase,” Jack said.  “Who wants to drive with me?”

“We’ll walk,” Billy said.  “If it’s okay with you, Rebecca.  It’s only a couple of blocks.”

“That would be really good,” Rebecca said.  “I wanted to talk to you about something anyway.”  Billy looked at her sideways.  He hoped it wasn’t anything bad.  He was worried about what was going on at her foster home.  If it was something bad he would convince her to tell Sophia and Mason.  They could help.

“Rebecca, I’ll be by the diner in an hour, don’t forget,” Frannie said.

“I won’t,” Rebecca said with a big smile.

Billy looked from one to the other.

“What’s that all about?” he asked Rebecca.

“It’s what I need to talk to you about.  Let’s go.”

They walked out into the beautiful Southern California morning sunlight.

“It’s just up the street about three blocks,” he said as he guided her to the left.  As they passed the first building, they caught sight of the ocean and they stopped to stare. 

Billy looked at the curve of her face as the wind blew her long brown hair.  God, she was pretty, and he could tell she had no idea.

“I really like your family.”

“Mase and Sophia are great.”

“I mean all of them.  They
all
are your family.” 

She was right.  They might not be family through blood or marriage, but they were family.  Billy laughed.

“That finally explains Drake.  Everybody is supposed to have one crazy uncle.”

“Don’t you mean the uncle everybody loves?  Then there’s Frannie, who is the fairy godmother.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if you still want me to, I can go to the dance with you...if you want.”  She bit her lip, her eyes hesitant.