Dad and Reg were also both shirtless and I winced at all the gray hairs that straggled from their saggy flesh.
At least the two shirtless women were wearing pants. The only thing Reg had on was a pair of white boxer shorts. Even his feet were bare.
“What are you doing?” I asked Dad.
He glanced up from his cards. “Strip poker. And I’m winning.”
“If you’re winning, why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”
“At least I still have my socks. Reg is moments away from having to show us his religion. And Martha is about to have to make an important choice. Bra or pants, Martha? I have a very good hand.”
“Dad, may I have a word in private?”
He frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“Like I said, I need to talk in private.”
He put his cards down. “Excuse me, Reg. Ladies. And if you don’t mind, please wait until I get back before taking off any more clothes.”
He wheeled away from the table, leading me toward a quiet corner of the room where there was a chair for me to sit in. On the way, he paused to say a word or two to everyone he passed, and they all seemed to brighten when he spoke to them.
If I got the chance to put a new kitchen into his apartment, I’d love seeing him turn it into a social hub with great food and conversation.
Shame it wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
Sitting down, I braced myself for Dad’s reaction to the bad news I had to tell him.
“Last night, the café was vandalized.” I got right to the point. “Someone put a hose through the window.”
“What?” Dad looked as horrified as I’d expected. “Why would anyone do that? Was there much damage?”
I nodded. “The flood damaged some walls. Mack’s Place will have to stay closed for a while.”
He ran a hand over his face. The fluorescent lights highlighted every one of his wrinkles and made his wispy gray hair seem even thinner.
For a moment, my heart didn’t just break because of the pain in his eyes, but because my full-of-life father looked old and frail. He’d always been big and strong, almost bear-like. Even when he lost his leg, he never acted like he was sick. In my mind, he’d always been all but invincible.
“Can you have the damage repaired?” he asked.
“I’m talking with the insurance company, but I’m not sure how long it’ll take.” I reached for his hand. “I’ll stay to organize the repairs, then I’m going to Chicago to see if I can get another job at the Tribune. Even if I have to take my old boss coffee and cake every day, and wear him down until he creates a position for me.”
“What about Kade? Won’t he help you reopen the café?”
My heart hurt at the sound of Kade’s name. I’d gotten carried away and let myself dream impossible dreams.
Reality was a killer.
Kade would probably keep helping me if I asked, because that was the kind of generous guy he was. But I couldn’t keep torturing myself.
“Kade’s going back to LA on Friday,” I said. “We’re not engaged. We never have been. He was just helping out.”
“Then he can help you find another chef for when you reopen.”
I was already holding Dad’s hand, but I added my other hand over the top before landing the hardest blow. “I’m really sorry. I don’t think I’ll be able to reopen.” Though I made my tone gentle, I could see it hitting him hard. He’d clearly never imagined a world without Mack’s Place.
“What about the people who wanted to buy the café?” he asked after a moment. “They’d keep it running?”
I nodded, though I didn’t like Gigi and Butch, and didn’t trust them to keep any promises. “I think so. They’ve halved their offer, but I’ll probably have to take it.”
“If you don’t reopen the café, at least they will.”
He let out a long, loud breath, his shoulders sagging. Tugging his hand from mine, he scrubbed it over his face.
“Mack’s Place is my life’s work,” he said heavily.
“I know.”
“The new owners will have to keep the café's name. It has a great reputation. We’ve had top-rated reviews in every magazine there is. And remember when we were featured in the LA Times? Did you tell them about that? You need to make them understand how much they stand to lose if they change the name.”
“I’ll tell them.”
“If they’ll keep the name, Mack’s Place might go on. It’ll never be as good, but at least it’ll still be there.”
My heart was heavy. Escaping the café was all I’d wanted, but I was suddenly reluctant. Selling it to Gigi and Butch felt wrong.
“Once I get a job, I’ll be able to modify your kitchen,” I said, trying to focus on the bright side. Of course, I’d have to pay off the loan for the assisted living center first, but maybe I’d get some kind of windfall. Miracles could happen, couldn’t they?
“I always thought you’d keep running Mack’s Place. All those years, I thought I was building your future. That one day you’d take over.”
If only I loved the café as much as he did. If Kade had been his son, Dad might have gotten what he wanted.
“The only reason Mack’s Place became so famous was because you’re such a great chef,” I said. “People came from everywhere to eat your breakfast burgers. And your buttermilk pancakes are still legendary.”
He nodded. “They came from all over, even from other countries. Once I had a family from Greenland tell me their friends had been traveling and recommended Mack’s Place to them. In Greenland! That’s how good my pancakes used to be.”
“I’m sorry I don’t want to run the cafe, Dad.”
He reached out and patted my hand. “I thought Kade would be your chef and you’d do it together. I’ll never understand why he had to run off
