Page 35

New York City

A FTER NEARLY FIVE HOURS ON the road due to heavy traffic, as well as some icy patches on the rural roads in Pennsylvania, Anthony drove down the alley behind his father’s restaurant.

He parked his vehicle in one of the spots reserved for employees.

Anthony wasn’t sure he was still an employee or that his dad would hire him back if he’d truly been replaced.

But he’d never have an answer to that question without going inside.

Anthony had to admit he was a bit nervous about seeing his folks again—especially Pop. In some ways, Anthony’s father reminded him of Mahlon Petersheim. They were both stubborn and opinionated and could be rather harsh when speaking to someone while offering their biased opinion.

“And both men seem to have it in for me,” Anthony muttered as he got out of his car and headed for the restaurant’s back entrance.

Anthony wasn’t perfect, but he wasn’t a bad guy either. He cared about people and liked to help solve their problems whenever he could. I’m also a pretty good cook , Anthony reminded himself. Too bad my dad’s never appreciated that fact.

When Anthony opened the door and stepped inside, he was greeted by the tantalizing aroma of savory pasta sauce and aromatic herbs.

Someone was in the kitchen, no doubt about it.

Anthony was eager to find out who and quickly headed in that direction.

Before he could get there, however, he was stopped short by his mother, who greeted him with a wide smile and open arms.

“Anthony, my dear boy, welcome back. We have missed you so much.”

We? As in you and Pop, or are you the only parent who has missed me? Anthony chose not to ask the question at the forefront of his mind. Instead, he accepted his mother’s embrace and patted her back a few times. “I’ve missed you too, Mom.”

“Why didn’t you let us know you were coming?” She looked up at him. “Was it supposed to be a surprise?”

“Not exactly, Mom, although I’m sure it is. Things got kind of crazy last night, and I was almost kicked out of the Petersheim home by Rosa’s father. Thankfully, I was granted the right to spend the night, but I left early this morning before anyone but Rosa was up.”

With a puzzled expression, Mom slanted her head to one side. “Who is Rosa? When we’ve talked on the phone, you never mentioned anyone by that name. Is Rosa one of Eileen’s relatives?”

Anthony shook his head. “Eileen and Rosa are one and the same. The waitress we knew went by Eileen, which is actually Rosa’s middle name. Oh, and her last name is not Peterson. It’s Petersheim.”

Mom’s fingers touched her parted lips. “Oh my. I had no idea.”

“Neither did I. It wasn’t until we were at her parents’ house in Belleville, Pennsylvania, that she sprung it on me.

But I don’t want to talk about that right now.

I’ll give you all the details this evening after the restaurant closes.

Right now, I need to talk to Pop and see if I still have a job. ”

Anthony turned toward the kitchen, but she caught hold of his arm. “Things have been really busy here, Anthony, and since we had no idea if or when you might return, your father had to hire another cook. His name is Billy Adams.”

Anthony frowned. “I figured he would need to hire someone part-time, but I didn’t think it would be to actually replace me.

” His shoulders lifted as he released a groan.

“I told you I’d be coming back, but things kept getting in the way, so I couldn’t give you or Pop an exact day or time that I would return to New York. ”

She reached up and patted both of his cheeks, the way she’d often done when Anthony was a child and she was trying to be supportive. “It’s okay, Son. You’re here now, and that’s what counts.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll let you get back to work now, and we can talk more when I return later on.

” Anthony gave his mother another hug and went quickly to the kitchen area, where he found Pop and a red-haired fellow with a face full of freckles.

Both men were cooking at their respective stoves.

The young man glanced at Anthony for a few seconds, but then he returned his focus to whatever he’d been stirring in a pot.

Anthony was tempted to introduce himself, but he wanted to speak to his dad first.

“ ’Bout time you showed up,” Pop said, barely looking at Anthony. He gestured to the fellow with red hair. “That’s my new chef. Since you didn’t come back when you were supposed to, I hired Billy Adams to take your place.”

“There were good reasons why it took me so long to return to New York.” Anthony felt his defenses rise. “It’s not like I stayed away on purpose, you know.” He moved closer to his father and lowered his voice to a near whisper. “Now that I’m here, I’d like my job back.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, as you can see, the position has already been filled.”

“How about I take over for you as head cook, and then you and Mom can take an extended vacation? You’ve talked about doing some traveling, right?”

Pop stared at Anthony with an emotionless expression. Then he muttered something Anthony couldn’t understand and turned back to his job at the stove.

Anthony figured this wasn’t a good time to take their conversation any further, so he forced a smile and said, “It’s good be back, Pop, but I’ll let you focus on your job right now, and we can talk more after the restaurant closes this evening.”

Pop shrugged and said in a monotone voice, “Suit yourself, but there really isn’t much to talk about.”

Oh yes there is, and I plan to do plenty of talking. Anthony whirled around and marched out of the kitchen. I just hope my stubborn father will listen to me.

When Anthony caught sight of his mother waiting on one of the tables, he waved at her and mouthed, “I’ll return in a few hours.”

She gave a nod and blew him a kiss.

Anthony went out the back door and climbed into his car. As soon as he got to his apartment he planned to call the Petersheims’ number and leave a message for Rosa, so she would at least know that he’d made it home safely.

Belleville

When Susan arrived home from work that afternoon, she went out to the phone shed to check for messages. She found one from Caroline, one of the young women who attended their church, inviting her to an ice-skating party. Disinterested, Susan simply deleted the message.

There weren’t any other messages, which meant Anthony hadn’t called Rosa. Good. If she’s worried about him and disappointed that he hasn’t called, that’s just too bad.

Shivering against the cold that had invaded the phone shed, Susan got up and left the small building. Whether she liked it or not, it was time to help Mom start supper.

Trudging up the path toward the house, Susan’s boots crunched in the snow.

Halfway there, her foot slipped on a patch of ice and she nearly lost her balance but caught herself in time.

“Stupid snow,” she muttered. “I hate winter and all the nasty cold weather it brings. I wish we lived someplace where it stayed warm all year.”

“Who ya talkin’ to, Sister?”

At the sound of her younger brother’s voice, Susan turned to the left and saw Alvin rolling a snowball, which would no doubt become a snowman once he had finished. “I was talking to myself. Is that okay with you?”

He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her with raised brows. “I don’t have a problem with it, but I think it’s kinda weird.”

“Don’t you ever talk to yourself?” Susan countered.

Alvin shrugged. “Sometimes, I guess, but not when other people are around, and I mostly do it in my kopp. ” He pointed to his head.

“I don’t normally talk to myself when others are around either,” she said, “but I didn’t know you were out here in the yard until you spoke to me.” Susan pointed to the lightweight jacket her brother wore. “Aren’t you feeling kelt ?”

Alvin gave a vigorous shake of his head. “Nope. I ain’t one bit cold.”

Susan shrugged, and when she started moving toward the house again, she called over her shoulder, “Better hurry and get your snowman made before Mom calls you in for nachtesse , because I doubt she’ll let you go out after it gets dark and the temperature drops even farther.”

“No need for you to worry about that. I’ll have this finished long before it’s time to eat supper.”

“Okay, little bruder, whatever you say.”

“I ain’t little,” Alvin hollered in response.

She chuckled and stepped onto the front porch. When Susan entered the house, she was surprised that there were none of the usual aromas coming from the kitchen. Instead, she found Mom, Rosa, and Tena in the living room, sitting near the fireplace, all holding teacups in their hands.

“What’s going on?” Susan asked. “I figured the three of you would have supper started by now.”

“Not tonight,” Mom responded. “We’ve been invited to eat at Norman and Salina’s home this evening.”

“Oh, I see.”

“You don’t sound too excited about the idea,” Tena commented. “Would you rather stay here by yourself and fix a cold sandwich to eat?”

Susan drew close to the fireplace, turning her back toward the flames. “No, I’ll join you. I’m just not looking forward to going outside in the cold again and riding in Dad’s drafty buggy. It’s chillier than the inside of the phone shed I just came from.”

“Were there any messages for me?” Rosa questioned. “Anthony said he would call when he got to New York to let me know that he’d arrived safely.” She glanced at the clock on the mantel. “Surely he must be back there by now.”

Susan shook her head. “Nope. There were no messages from anyone today.” She took pleasure in seeing the disappointed look on her sister’s face. Rosa deserves to be as miserable as I’ve been since she came home to spin her web of lies.

“It’s really strange that Anthony hasn’t called. He should have been home by now, and I can’t help but be worried about him.” Rosa grimaced as she clutched the neckline of her dress.

“Don’t you have Anthony’s cell number?” Mom asked.