A Love So Sweet for Tru Read online

  Rachel brought in the printout of the route and handed it to Charlie. “You have a call. It’s your brother,” Rachel said pleasantly. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”

  “Thanks, Rachel,” Charlie smiled, trying to hide his surprise.

  He did have a brother, but getting a call from him was extremely rare. In fact, they hadn’t spoken in a year. The last time he’d seen Eddie had been five years ago when their grandfather passed away. He was in for the funeral and left again immediately after it ended. There was no bad blood or ill will between them, they just didn’t speak. There was really no need to. They had nothing in common and led completely different lives. At least that was how he saw it. He wasn’t sure exactly what type of life his brother led, but he’d be utterly shocked if he also ran a produce business. Farming had never been something Eddie had ever had an interest in and he made it clear he never intended to stay after he graduated. He left immediately after and hadn’t been home since, except for an occasional visit and the funeral. If he was calling, chances were that the call had a purpose and it wasn’t simply to chit chat.

  “Hi, Eddie,” Charlie said evenly when he picked up the phone.

  “Charlie? I wasn’t sure I’d get you. It’s been a while. How are you?” Eddie asked happily.

  “It’s been about a year. I’m fine. You?” Charlie asked.

  “Good, good. Listen, I don’t want to bother you, I know you have a lot to do, but I wanted to tell you I’m coming into town this weekend. I wanted to see you and catch up.”

  “Yeah, sure. That’d be great. I don’t really have any plans this weekend, so just go ahead and give me a call when you get here. Where are you staying?”

  “I’m not sure. I figured I’d get a motel room somewhere once I got there and then I could look for something more permanent,” Eddie said.

  “More permanent? How long are you planning on staying?”

  “I’m moving back home. I know that may surprise you.”

  Charlie paused for a moment before speaking. “You could say that.” Surprise was much too mild of a term to cover the astonishment that he was feeling at that moment. If Eddie was coming back to stay, there had to be a reason. He couldn’t imagine anyone less likely to be homesick than his little brother. “What day are you coming in?”

  “I’ll be there early Sunday. I’ll give you a call once I’m settled,” Eddie said.

  “Why don’t you just stay at the house? It’s your home, too. No sense in getting a motel room if you’re staying a while. You can crash there for as long as you want.” Charlie lived at the home in which they had grown up with their grandfather. The room Eddie had left behind all those years ago wasn’t being used for anything and still looked pretty much the same as he had left it.

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose,” Eddie said, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

  “Of course, I’m sure.” They may not have been the closest in recent years, but he was still family and he was going to welcome him home. He just couldn’t shake a feeling that there was more to Eddie’s story, though, and that diminished his excitement a little. Rachel popped her head into his office and Charlie held up a finger to let her know he would be a minute more. “Listen, I’ve got a small crisis at work and have to cut this call short. I’ll see you at the house on Sunday?”

  “I’ll be there,” Eddie said.

  Charlie hung up his phone and stared at it. He tried to let the news that his brother was coming back to town sink in completely. He wasn’t sure how he felt about him returning, but if it was a chance for them to get to know one another again, it might not be such a bad thing. The only trouble was that he doubted that his brother’s intentions for returning were that simple. Eddie had always been the free spirit in the family and he never did anything ordinary. Charlie placed his cell phone in his pocket, picked up the route information, and went to Rachel’s desk.

  “Call me if there are any issues around here. I have no idea what time I’ll be back so if I’m not here when you leave, just lock up,” Charlie said.

  “Okay. The guys at the dock are ready for you. They thought you were going to just put the orders on the other drivers so they pulled the produce off the truck, but they have it all loaded back up,” Rachel said and smiled. “Good luck out there.”

  “Thanks, I have a feeling I’ll need all the luck I can get. I’m not really cut out for this,” Charlie said miserably.

  “You don’t have the build for it. Of course, you don’t really have the build for sitting behind a desk, either,” Rachel said and stared up at him intently. “You are much too muscular to be hidden away like you are.”

  “I just meant I’m no good at it,” Charlie said ignoring Rachel’s comments. He wondered if Rachel had intended to come across so forwardly. She had never spoken to him that way before, so he would just allow it to pass. If it continued, he’d probably have to address it. There was no place in his business for that kind of thing and he wouldn’t put up with it from any of his employees.

  Charlie headed out to the loading dock and spotted the delivery truck he’d be manning for the day. He was grateful at that moment that Bobby was the most senior delivery person and therefore he’d be using the newest truck they had. The older ones were fine, but they had quirks that Charlie wasn’t familiar with and navigating tight spots was difficult enough for him. He would’ve preferred just throwing everything in the bed of his own truck like he had back when he started, but times were different. He nodded to the loading dock employees and jumped up into the seat. Pictures of Bobby and his wife adorned the dashboard which made Charlie smile. Bobby was smitten with his wife from the moment they’d met and he knew that his happiness would only grow as his family did. It was a nice thought and he hoped one day he’d be able to experience the same kind of joy he was sure that Bobby was feeling right now. He checked the delivery route again. His first stop was the Murphy Inn and the grocery store in Spruce Valley. The grocery store wouldn’t be too much of an issue, but the cook at the Murphy Inn was always extremely particular. He decided to get the grocery store out of the way first. He knew he was already running behind and the grocery store would take longer. He wasn’t avoiding the Inn, he just needed a little time to ease into the delivery stuff again. The Murphys were one of his first customers and he appreciated their business so he’d always given in to the demands of the cook there. He just wasn’t in much of a mood for it today. He had enough on his plate as it was. He had a truck to maneuver, a route to deliver, and a brother to figure out, and none of it would be easy. If he had a choice, though, he’d take the route delivery over trying to figure out his brother any day of the week. There was no telling what his brother’s arrival would bring and he could only hope he was prepared.

  Chapter Three

  “How am I supposed to get the salads done if Bobby is late?” Tru called out in frustration to no one in particular.

  “We’ll manage, honey. He’s not usually running behind. I hope everything is alright. I know he and his wife are expecting any day,” Thelma said. “Just work on the desserts. I’m sure he’ll be here soon and we can catch up later.”

  Tru had woken up in a horrible mood for no reason that she could define. She spilled coffee on herself and had to change, she woke up a bit later than she would have liked, and for some reason, it took her twice as long to get to the Inn this morning. It was just one of those days Tru wished she could start over and do again correctly. Now, no matter what happened, Tru couldn’t seem to get back into a decent mood. She looked up at the clock over the kitchen door. They weren’t running too far behind, but there was a process in place for a reason. They didn’t do dessert first because salads were the very first thing they served, not the last. If the salads didn’t get out in time, the rest of the meal would be thrown off and in turn, the wedding wouldn’t go as smoothly. Working there gave Tru much more insight into how much organizing and detail went into a wedding to make sure it went as planned. If the peop
le getting married weren’t happy, it mattered. Not only for the Murphy Inn; a reputation for poor service was one thing, but it was the happy couple’s big day and they had to be happy. That was always put first above everything else when they prepared for the event. It was a small touch that they decided to make, but it meant a lot to the people who were getting married. That was something Annie would make sure was of the utmost importance at every event. Tru also knew that Annie would be around soon to check on everything and she would hate to have to tell her they were running behind. Tru pulled a large bowl from the rack over the kitchen island. If she had to start the dessert, she might as well get to it. The cake was always the main dessert for a wedding, but they usually made a batch of cookies or brownies for people to snack on throughout the evening. If there was one thing they were becoming known for, it was making sure no one ever left an event at the Murphy Inn and Farm hungry.

  “Have you seen the cocoa?” Tru asked, scanning the countertop. “I swear I put it out this morning.” Tru walked over to the pantry and rifled through the ingredients. “How are we out of cocoa?”

  “You tell me. Aren’t you in charge of the ordering, honey?” Thelma said as she whisked the sauce on the stove.

  “Well, this is just perfect! First, we don’t have salads and now we won’t even have desserts!” Tru complained. “I’ll have to get to the store. I can’t believe I missed that. I could have sworn I saw it earlier.”

  Thelma turned off the burner and set the saucepan on a cooling rack. “These things happen. There’s no reason to work yourself up into a tizzy,” Thelma said and undid her apron. “I’ll run to the store. You stay here and work on the meal. I could use a break from all the belly-aching you’ve been doing today.”

  “I just hate rushing around when it doesn’t have to be that way. Mistakes happen when you try to rush things,” Tru said defensively.

  “We won’t rush, just keep working until I get back. It’ll all work out just fine, you’ll see,” Thelma said confidently. “I’ll be back soon. I’m sure by then the delivery will have gotten here and we’ll be back on track in no time.” Thelma smiled and walked out of the kitchen.

  Tru wished she had Thelma’s outlook, but today she couldn’t seem to snap herself out of her funk. If things had been going a bit easier, she knew she’d have been able to adjust her mood more effectively. Thelma was right, she was being a bit of a whiner today and she hated to be that way.

  A knock on the back door made Tru whip around to see who was there. She got closer to the door and didn’t recognize the person. She opened it halfway to see a person wearing jeans and a yellow, buttoned-down shirt. He was holding a clipboard and toting a dolly behind him loaded with produce.

  “Can I help you?” Tru asked.

  “I have a delivery here,” the man said, handing Tru the clipboard.

  Bobby, their regular person, had mentioned that a temp would be taking over soon, but it wasn’t the same person who had followed him around for the past few weeks. She wasn’t too sad by that fact. This delivery person was much better to look at and she could get used to that. He was tall with dark hair and dark eyes, the kind of looks that Tru found extremely handsome. She opened the door fully to allow him to enter.

  “You weren’t the guy Bobby had in here last time. What is your name?”

  “Charlie. He wasn’t available,” he said quickly.

  “Did Bobby’s wife have the baby?” Tru asked.

  “This morning,” Charlie said and continued to walk towards the middle of the room. “Where do you want this stuff?”

  “The cooler,” Tru motioned to the cooler door. It wouldn’t have bothered her so much that the person wasn’t chatty, but he wasn’t even friendly. She would have been willing to cut him a bit of slack if there was even a tiny amount of remorse that he’d messed up her process. “You’re late.”

  “Yeah, hectic day,” Charlie said dismissively.

  “And now you’ve made our day hectic.” Tru looked over the produce before Charlie began to unload. “Hold up there a minute.” She looked at the invoice again. She was sure tomatoes had been ordered, but there were none that she could see in the delivery. “Where are the tomatoes?”

  Charlie looked at the dolly and picked up the top crates to check. “I guess they aren’t here.”

  “You guess they aren’t here? Do you have them?” Tru asked angrily.

  “No.”

  “Do you happen to know where they might be?” Tru asked.

  Charlie sighed loudly. “Either at the grocery store or back at the dock.”

  “Well, that’s extremely helpful.” Tru wasn’t usually one to shoot the messenger, but the delivery person had already given her enough grief.

  She went to the counter where her purse was and dug into the pocket to find her phone. She dialed the number for the grocery store and asked to speak to the manager.

  “Dave, do you happen to have extra tomatoes today? We didn’t get ours and the delivery guy thinks you might have gotten them,” she said loudly so that the delivery person could hear and would understand her frustration, but when she looked over at Charlie, he had already begun to unload the produce that he did have into the cooler and didn’t seem bothered.

  She ended her call with Dave and walked into the cooler where Charlie was busy at work. “They don’t have them either,” Tru said.

  “Then they are at the dock.” He stopped what he was doing and turned towards her. “Look, I’m sorry. I’ll get them out to you next time.”

  “Next time will be too late. We need them for tonight and tomorrow. You were late and we’re already behind.”

  “If you need them today, why didn’t you order them earlier in the week? I’m not saying it isn’t a mistake and I’m not telling you how to do your job, it just seems like it could have been avoided,” Charlie said evenly.

  Tru’s bad mood went into overdrive. “Excuse me! Did you just say that you aren’t telling me how to do my job?” Tru yelled back at him, her anger rising. “We get two deliveries from your company a week, on Tuesday and Friday. It used to be more, but the routes were cut back to two days from three and we need fresh produce to serve for the events, not wilted lettuce. I understand you aren’t in charge and you don’t make the rules, but we plan just fine. Your failure to be here and get our delivery right does not allow you to tell me that your mistake is my error. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” Charlie said quietly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just having a bad day.”

  “Well, I am too, and you’re making it worse,” Tru said with irritation. “I’ve worked it out with Dave at the grocery store and he’s going to front me the tomatoes that you didn’t deliver, which is less than what we ordered, but we’ll have to make do. Our head cook was on her way to the store anyway, so she can get them. You need to get on the phone with whomever you need to call and work it out so that someone delivers to the grocery store again immediately.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Charlie said quietly and walked out of the cooler.

  Tru stared after him. She was surprised that he had acted so quickly given his current track record. She didn’t appreciate being called ma’am, but at least he was finally doing something. Charlie walked out the back door. Getting the order from the grocery store wasn’t ideal, but at least they’d be able to assemble something that resembled a salad for the event tonight.

  Tru went over to the stove, hoping to pick up where Thelma had left off. Thelma had finished one of the sauces for the pasta station and she could handle getting the other two ready by the time Thelma returned. She walked over to the kitchen island to grab a saucepan but heard the kitchen door from the dining room open from behind her. She spun around to see Annie on her cell phone leading her two kids through the door. Tru could see that the oldest, Michael, was pulling on his mother’s arm as Annie tried to help Susie balance. She was still a little wobbly since she had just begun walking. Seeing Annie’s predicament, she left the h
unt for the pan behind and walked over to Michael. Tru scooped him into her arms and took Susie’s hand and led her to the kitchen island.

  “What seems to be the problem today, Michael Murphy?” Tru asked the toddler.

  “Mommy said we could go play outside, but she got a phone call,” Michael huffed.

  “I’m sure you can go out after. You know, if you let your mom finish her call without bothering her, she’ll get done faster,” Tru laughed.

  She put Michael down on a chair at the island and picked up Susie. Tru went to the cabinet by the kitchen door and produced a small tub of children’s toys. She brought it over to the island and let Michael choose his favorite. Since Annie had to sometimes spend time there when planning an event, Tru always made sure there was something for the kids to do so they wouldn’t get bored. Tru adored Annie’s children and always enjoyed their visits to the kitchen. Michael busied himself with a toy truck and Tru played peek-a-boo with Susie until Annie finished.

  “Thank you, Tru,” Annie said putting her phone in her pocket. “I knew better than to answer my phone right now, but I’ve been waiting for that call.”

  “It’s not a problem at all,” Tru smiled.

  “Where’s Thelma?” Annie asked.

  “She had to run to the grocery store. Apparently, I didn’t realize we were out of cocoa,” Tru said miserably.

  “You mean the cocoa that is right over there by the mixer?” Annie asked pointing at the cocoa and smiled.