The Harvey Girl - Part 15
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It’s 1891, Willa Abbot has taken a waitress job at the respected Harvey House to look for her missing father. She doesn’t trust Fin Morgan, the helpful and flirty Pinkerton Man, but made an alliance with notorious con men Sullivan & Tuck. Biggest problem: nothing has gotten her closer to finding her father.
Oh, Willa! Who’s got your back?
“I’m a Confidence Man!”
I smiled, thinking it couldn’t have happened to a more competent woman.
Dori gawked at my greeting. I’d barely given her time to enter our room, having just finished a long shift. She was dressed in a starched-to-perfection Harvey Girl uniform. No small feat after a full day serving diners.
Fearing I’d shocked her, I tried to make light of my statement. After all, it was our first chance to talk, and I wanted to explain everything that had happened when I met with con men Sullivan & Tuck. “I know it sounds like I’ve fallen in with the worst kind of scoundrels, but they’ve accepted me. With their help, I’m sure to find my father.”
Unfortunately, my roommate disagreed. “You’re a con man? That’s almost humorous, as I’m losing all confidence in you,” Dori whined.
Her enthusiasm had sustained me through so much that I didn’t know what to say when faced with disapproval. It echoed in my ribcage like a trapped, hissing snake.
“Fin Morgan is downstairs,” Dori added, plowing right through my distress with another blow. She’d hung back after our shift, and now I knew why.
The unexpected announcement made my heart and stomach ache for entirely different reasons. Of course, the Pinkerton Man was expected back, but in his absence, I did not heed his wishes and continued to search for my father. Not that I had to justify myself, but Fin might feel differently.
“Will you come down, too?” I begged for Dori’s help. Men were a bit of a mystery to me, and she could be a buffer against uncomfortable questions.
“You need to do this alone,” Dori said. “He likes you. Don’t ruin it.”
For once, her good-natured meddling hit a nerve. “You put too much faith in Fin Morgan.”
“You put too much faith in your father,” Dori said with a sigh. Her eyes, however, never wavered from mine. “Forgive me, but your father’s actions—whether they are honorable or heartbreaking—are leading you down a dark path.”
A prickly sensation sizzled across my skin as if I’d been burned. It faded quickly. Emotions were like that, making themselves known one minute and hiding away the next. No matter my shock, I had to respect Dori’s opinion. She’d jumped right into my madness. I owned her.
“As you wish,” I replied, regretting my joke about the con men. It had fallen flat.
As I headed downstairs to face Fin, I tried thinking of something clever—some way to control our first exchange. A simple plan evolved: I’d just let him talk about the Spanish treasure. The sun was setting; it was near curfew. Mrs. Downs would probably come and run him off. Confident of my plan, I entered the small sitting room on the ground floor.
Fin waited inside. Alone. Slightly turned away from the door, he seemed to be studying the settee, perhaps lost in his own thoughts on how to handle me. I noticed the set of his jaw. Tight. Tense. I steeled myself; this could be trickier than I’d anticipated.
“Welcome back from your adventure,” I forced a smile. Being phony wasn’t in my nature, but desperate times. “You were away longer than expected.”
“Disappointed?” Fin did not return my warm greeting. “Alas, you did not disappoint me.”
Scrunching up my nose, my simple plan flew out the open window. It faced the street. We were as far as you could get from the train tracks, which wasn’t far at any Harvey House. “You must have had a trying search. You’ve lost all your good manners.”
“Forgive me.” He clipped off each word. “I’ve been overwhelmed by tales of your adventures. Tell me more about the new friends you’ve made in my absence.”
The intensity of his emotions radiated all around us—dizzying. I’d be stupid to get too close to him. Okay, I was stupid. I stepped toward Fin. He did, as well, squaring off for a battle.
“Friends is the wrong word,” I waffled, momentarily confused how to proceed.
“The Land Officer we met saw you with two known Confidence Men.” His head cocked to one side as if he couldn’t bring my face into focus. He was standing rather close.
The small size of the room added to the intoxication, amplifying the scent of him. Freshly shaven. He’d cleaned up before coming to see me. Of course, he wouldn’t have barged into the Harvey House restaurant during our busy hours. Making a scene wasn’t his style.
“How clever to utilize the local police for stealthy observations,” I said, hoping he understood sarcasm. By the instant frown on his full lips, he did. “Rather curious, indeed, to use them to watch me. What a waste.”
“I was worried.” Fin blinked, head tilting to the other side.
“Are you only here to express concern, or did you discover more about the Spanish treasure?” I asked, trying not to notice the intensity of his stare. It practically picked me off my feet.
His breathing quickened. “Don’t you want my help?”
“I want you.” The proximity of his body confused my mouth. Talking, even walking seemed impossible for a moment until I realized the implication of my words. “Your help, I mean. I want your help, of course, but I want my help, too.”
Only inches separated us. It would have been so easy to place a hand on his broad chest, but I caught myself, not knowing if I wanted to shove him away or tug his shirt to draw him closer. Both urges were hard to repress. I didn’t dare touch him when I had no idea which impulse would win. Instead, I stepped back, but he grasped my arms and pulled me within a breath of a kiss.
“Willa.”
My name sounded like an omission of defeat. His tone called to a part of me I hadn’t known existed. My hands moved to his chest, but something glittered in my peripheral vision. Just a tiny movement that played against the windowpane. A man stood outside the Harvey House, watching us from the sidewalk. A man I recognized—my father. And not one of the lookalikes. My real father.
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