Chapter 1

Some people called it a hole in the wall, but she called it The Ending. She had bought it five years ago, and even though the first year had been rough, her little adventure had proven to be a success. You might miss it when driving down the road if you didn’t know what to look for, but it seemed that when people found it they always came back. The small blue awning that hung above the entrance was what seemed to guide people to her door. They would tell her the food was good, the staff was friendly, attentive to their needs, and that her restaurant was always clean. This place had been her dream. With friends, lots of hard work, and many sleepless nights, she’d made it happen.

“Come on, Sam, just grab something and let’s go. I have a shoot in an hour,” Clayton said, trying to sound annoyed.

“Oh, piss off. I can’t decide. Hmmmm, let’s see, I like this one. Okay, let’s go,” Sam replied as she grabbed something off the shelf.

Sam and Clayton had walked to the front of the store before Clayton looked down and saw what Sam was holding. He smiled, shook his head, and walked out of the store while Sam reached into her purse to pay.

“A blue elephant? All that time for a stuffed animal?” Clayton glared at her as she exited the store, but it quickly turned into a smile.

“I was looking for a new napkin pattern in the kitchen section but couldn’t find anything, so I went looking around and ended up in the baby room part of the store. This poor guy was just sitting there, and I knew Will had to have him.” Sam laughed and climbed into Clayton’s Jeep. Clayton rolled his brown eyes and turned the key.

“Ok, so I will drive you back to the restaurant, then go shoot this family portrait at the water gardens and be back in time for your meatloaf and potatoes.” He pulled up to the curb.

As Sam opened the door to get out she smiled back and said, “Sounds like a plan to me, see you soon.” Clayton and Sam had known each other since senior year, and although they’d lost contact after high school for a few years, from the moment they’d found each other again they had been inseparable. They were the best of friends, and neither one could ever imagine being without the other again. When Sam decided to open The Ending, Clayton was the only one who had believed in her. She loved him for that.

As Clayton drove off, Sam turned to see Kay coming outside to meet her. Kay’s dark hair was flowing free today, and she was wearing a sundress that showed off her bulging belly. Kay was about seven months pregnant and glowing. Sam looked at her watch and noticed it was only 8:15 a.m., and they didn’t open until 9.

“You are early today—everything ok?” Sam asked as she approached Kay.

“Yes, things are fine. I thought you might need some help this morning with the new dishes arriving today.” Kay wrinkled her nose as the sunlight hit her face. Kay knew that Sam would have been rushing to get the new dishes unpacked, and she also knew Sam would want to inspect every dish for any imperfection, so while she was doing that Kay could get the front up and running and the tables set before the first customers arrived. She knew in the long run Sam would appreciate it.

“Thanks, Kay. I really could use your help this morning.” Sam grinned appreciatively as she walked into the back, where her office was. The office was a small closet really, but it had enough space for a desk, a laptop, a lamp, and a small radio. She flipped on her laptop, clicked on the lamp, and sat down. She leaned back in her chair, turned on the radio, and began to sing along. She was checking emails when Kay came to the door.

“Sam, the delivery men are here with your dishes. Where do you want me to tell them to put them?”

“Just in the store room next to the big sink,” Sam ordered, not even looking up from her email. Kay stood there for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders and walked off.

“Just put them right here. Ms. Ryan will be out in a moment to sign for them,” Kay instructed. Sam was in the middle of the responding to an email when she heard a crashing sound. She jumped up and looked around the corner to see two boxes of her new dishes scattered on the floor. It had taken two years for Sam to find a pattern she really liked, and even then it had taken another six months to get the company to ship them to her.

“Look, lady, I don’t care if you are the Queen of England, we don’t ship out of state. If you want them, you have to come here and pick them up.” It had been a constant battle with the dealer until Clayton made a few calls, and Sam was sure some sort of whiskey had been delivered.

“Oh, no, you have got to be kidding me,” Sam groaned. She walked over to the delivery man and noticed the name on his very dirty work shirt said “Clyde.” Sam narrowed her dark blue eyes at Clyde.

“Ms. Ryan, we are sorry. The boxes were sitting on top of each other, and my guy here backed up and accidentally knocked them over. It was truly an accident.” Clyde looked as sorry as a hungry dog that just ate some kid’s cat.

“Take those two boxes back with you, and I will be expecting two new boxes of the same dishes delivered here by the end of the week.” Clyde could tell from her tone that she did not expect him to respond. Sam signed for the four remaining boxes and turned back to her office. She looked down at her watch and noticed it was 8:45 a.m., and thought she should check on Kay before she returned to her office.

Sam walked to the front and saw Kay standing behind the register. Sam looked out in the small seating area and admired Kay’s work. The main eating area of the restaurant held five booths and ten tables that could seat four to six people. Kay had the tables set and ready for late breakfast eaters and the strip-mall business that was across from them.

“Kay, honey, once again, what would I have done without you? Unlock the doors in about five minutes and leave them open. It is a nice cool Texas morning, so let’s enjoy it while we can.”

“Yes, boss lady,” Kay agreed. They laughed, and Sam headed to the kitchen, where she would be spending, off and on, the next ten hours of her day. Sam loved to cook, and even though she had Bo as her full-time cook, she still got back in the kitchen from time to time. To hear Bo explain it, Sam went back there to cause trouble.

“Oh no, cher, not today. I saw the cars starting to pull up, get out of my kitchen or I’ll egg you.” Bo was a 35-year-old Cajun, and she adored him. They were almost the same age, but he cooked like he had the soul of an old man. No heating lamps or frozen meat in his kitchen. Sam was thankful that she had found a cook who believed in the same things she did.

“Hey, it was my kitchen first, so I can be in here if I dang well please, sweetness. But it does so happen that I have like a hundred emails to return, so I will get out of MY kitchen for now.” She winked at Bo as she tossed his apron and towel to him.

As she sat back down at her desk, she heard Kay’s voice: “Welcome to The Ending. Take a seat anywhere you like, and I will be right with you.” Sam had left her radio on, and she was already singing to the song that was playing. She was going through some more junk emails and pictures that her sister had sent to her, of her and her husband on some golf course in Tahoe. Sydney and Michael were a jet-setting couple. They both worked hard, and they loved to spend time relaxing on the golf course or on a lake somewhere. Sydney and Sam had not always been close, but after they’d grown up their bond had become as tight as any two people’s can be.

“Love that one, sis,” Sam laughed to herself. She looked up and saw Trisha walking in the back door. She was a young girl in her early twenties and worked the morning shift with Kay. Trisha waved to Sam and grabbed her smock, then headed out to help Kay with the room full of hungry people. Sam could hear the patrons laughing and talking, the sound of coffee cups clinking and plates being put on tables, the fresh-cut black-pepper bacon frying, pancakes cooking on the griddle, fresh coffee brewing, Bo calling out pick-up orders in his Cajun lingo, and Trisha spouting out something about Bo needing to speak English. They were all sounds and smells that Sam loved and what she thanked God every day for blessing her with.

Sam went back to her laptop and her quartile numbers, which were looking pretty nice. Sam was secretly hoping to be able to give Kay a small bonus before she went out to have baby Will. She smiled as she pulled the blue elephant out of her purse and set it on her desk as a reminder to give it to Kay. Her cell phone rang, and as she reached over to pick it up she noticed a man standing in her doorway. She could not see his face—the lighting in her office wasn’t the greatest.

“Hello, may I help you?”

The man cleared his throat. “I hope so.”

Sam froze. She would know that voice anywhere, anytime, even though she had not seen him in over ten years. Sam remembered her cell phone was ringing. She looked down and saw Clayton’s number, then hit the silent button and began to stand up. She knocked her knee on the side of her desk as she walked around it. A tinge of pain shot through her. She had to fight the urge to sit back down. She continued to walk toward the man in the doorway. When she was face-to-face with him, she voice raised slightly just enough that Sam knew BO would hear her across the small walkway between her office and the kitchen but not high enough for her voice to crack. She wasn’t going to give this man that kind of satisfaction after all these years. , “Bo, will you help this gentleman? He seems to be lost.” Sam’s eyes never left the man. She stared at him while she talked to Bo, her face showing no emotion at all.

“But, cher, Kay said—” Bo said, sounding confused and from the tone in her voice he wasn’t going to question her any further.

Sam cut him off. “Bo, I don’t care what Kay said. Now if you will excuse me, I have work to do. Bo will show you out.” She turned her back to the man and walked back to her desk with her heart pounding. She braced herself with one hand on her desk, praying he would be gone when she turned around. She took a deep breath, pushing a few strands of red hair out of her eyes, and when she turned around he was gone.

Chapter 2

“This family is driving me crazy. Three changes of clothes and they brought a dog,” Clayton was almost yelling at Sam on the other end of the line.

“I saw that you called earlier. I was busy. Did you need anything, or were you just wanting to bitch?” Sam was trying hard not let her voice crack. She hoped that Clayton was too preoccupied with this crazy family to notice something was wrong.

“No, I was just trying to kill some time while the ‘Versaces’ over here were changing their clothes once again. Shit, the dog just ran off—gotta go!” Sam heard the click on the other end and was glad that the conversation had ended. Her mind was still racing.

Damn him, damn him, why after all these years? To get her mind off it, Sam decided to go unload the new dishes and get them ready in time for the dinner rush. She grabbed a rubber band and put her hair back in a pony, then walked out of her office, shutting the door behind her. She looked over at Bo and said, “I’ll be in the storeroom unloading the dishes—enter at your own risk.” Bo was unsure why Sam was frustrated or why she was rude to the gentleman this morning, but he knew he was not going to get in the middle of anything, especially after he saw the look on Kay’s face when the man stopped to tell her goodbye.

Box number one done. I almost forgot how beautiful these are, Sam thought.

She was in Alabama for a weekend with Clayton while he was shooting some fancy wedding. When she sat down at the table, she noticed the starched white tablecloth with the prettiest plates. She knew it was not just regular crystal, she asked the bartender about the place setting, he suggested she talk to the venue manager . “Excuse me sir, I was admiring the place settings and I was wondering where they came from? Sam asked. The venue manager gave her the name of the store they had bought the dishes from—Stone’s Crystal

She found it the next day. It seemed to be more of a house than a store. She knocked on the door, and a lady motioned for her to come in. Sam entered the house, and her breath was taken away. The walls were covered in different shapes and colors of this beautiful glass. The lady behind the counter smiled at her. Sam thought she had to be in her seventies, and that was being generous.

“Excuse me, my name is Samantha Ryan. I was at a wedding yesterday and saw some of the dishware. I was told it was purchased from here. I own a restaurant in Texas and would like to see what you have.” Sam said as she walked further into the house.

“Well, Wayne is the owner and my son. He is out, but I can show you a few things while you wait for him. He shouldn’t be long.” The lady smiled at Sam.

“That would be nice, thank you.”

“By the way, Ms. Ryan, my name is Annabelle.” The older woman walked around the counter and stood next to Sam. “Now, what did you have in mind, honey?”

“Well, I was wanting something in blue,” Sam said.

“We have a few things in blue, if you would like to come into the next room.” Annabelle motioned for Sam to follow her. Sam followed Annabelle as they entered a larger area that might at one time have been a family room of some kind. Sam looked around and was disappointed in the selection. She remembered how beautiful the crystal had been the day before, but it was clear, no stain, not color. As Sam turned to thank Annabelle for her time, she spotted a cup sitting on a small end table. She walked over and picked it up. The cup itself was nothing fancy, but it had just the right tint of dark blue, and a few sparkles of what looked like sand throughout the glass. Sam ran her finger down the etched handle.

“You have a lot of beautiful pieces here. Do you have any plates that match this cup?” Sam lifted the glass up to the window. When the light hit it there were rays of light blue and dark blue, with sparkles that filled the small room.

“We do. My son is a wonderful craftsman,” Annabelle said.

“May I see a plate?”

“Sure, give me a minute.” Annabelle turned to walk into the other room. It took Annabelle a few minutes to bring a plate back to Sam, and it was as beautiful and well crafted as the cup.

“Mom, you here? I’m back.” Sam and Annabelle heard Wayne come inside the house, and he made his way into the room before Annabelle could respond.

“Wayne, honey, this is Ms. Ryan, and she would like to place an order. Now please forgive me—I am tired and need to go sit down. Wayne, I trust you can handle this.” Annabelle walked to her son and kissed him on the cheek, patting his shoulder.

Wayne replied, “Yes, mom, I’m sure I can.” Annabelle walked out of the room, and Wayne turned back to Sam. “Ms. Ryan, what can I help you with?”

“Your mom showed me this glass and plate setting, and I would like to place an order.” Sam smiled at Wayne. He couldn’t help but think what a beautiful smile she had.

“OK, let’s get it written up,” Wayne said as he smiled back and pulled his pen out of his shirt pocket. Sam left that afternoon so excited she couldn’t wait to call and tell Kay.

“Sam, Sam, hey, Earth to Sam.” Trisha finally walked over and tapped Sam on the shoulder to get her attention. “Sam, call, phone, hey girl, come back to me.” Trisha was giggling as Sam turned around.

“Oh, sorry, I must have been off in my own world or something.” Sam moved toward the phone that hung on the storeroom wall. She picked up the receiver.

“Hello, this is Sam,” she said as she adjusted the phone on her shoulder while drying her hands with a towel.

“Ms. Ryan, this is Wayne Johnson from Sand Stone Crystals.” She heard Wayne’s voice and remembered she had wanted to call him.

“Yes, Mr. Johnson, I was going to call you in bit.” She sighed as she spoke.

“I am sure you were. My delivery man, Clyde, just called and said that two boxes of your dishes were broken when they arrived to you today.”

“Mr. Johnson, the dishes were broken when one of your hired hands backed up and knocked them over.” Sam was still frustrated over their carelessness.

“Mrs. Ryan, I am sorry for the inconvenience. I will have two more boxes sent out to you by the end of this week. Wayne Replied.

“I will call when the dishes arrive. Thank you for your help.” As Sam hung up the phone, she saw Kay leaning against the doorway. Sam glanced down at her watch and noticed it was already 3 p.m.—Kay was getting ready to go home. Sam turned around and went back to placing the dishes on the drain board.

“Sam, we have to—”

Sam stopped her before Kay could continue. “No. We don’t. This is not a conversation we will have today.” Kay knew Sam would not budge on the subject.

“Sam, it took a lot—”

Sam cut her off again, and without even turning around to face her, said, “Kay, there is a present on my desk for the baby. Don’t forget to pick it up on your way out.” Sam placed her hands on the rim of the sink.

Kay turned and walked out of the storeroom. She went to Sam’s office and opened the door, half-smiling when she saw the blue elephant sitting on the edge of the desk. She picked it up. This baby would know so much love, not only from Kay and Jimmy, but from Sam as well.

“Hey, chick, what’s up?” Sam looked up to see Aranda coming in the back door. Her shift started at 3:15 p.m. for the afternoon and dinner rush. Aranda had known Sam since freshman year, and when you got to know her it was hard to see why they were such good friends. They were nothing alike. Sam was quiet for the most part, loved greasy food, and even though she was slender and had always had a nice figure, she would only exercise when forced. Aranda was a hard-core fitness junkie. She was always riding a bike or running. Sam would laugh and tell Aranda that just hearing about her day made Sam tired. Aranda worked as a personal trainer and did very well at it. She worked part-time for Sam just to stay close to her. After everything that had happened, Aranda just wanted to be close to her. Aranda was tall and had long blonde hair and blue eyes that men always seemed to be captivated by.

“Nothing, just unloading the new dishes, trying to get them ready for the dinner shift. I have some errands I need to run; do you think you can hold it together here for a while?” Sam knew Aranda could handle things. Sam just needed to get out and catch her breath.

“Yep. Sure, I can. Things okay? You seem kind of flushed all of a sudden.” Aranda could tell in Sam’s face that something was on her mind.

“Things are fine.” Sam had never lied to Aranda, but this was something she needed to deal with on her own.

Aranda grabbed her apron and headed to the kitchen. As she walked past Bo he reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her close to him and whispering in her ear.

“Hey, suga, miss me this morning?” Sam had a suspicion that Aranda and Bo were seeing each other, but they had never come out and said anything to confirm that.

“Bo, hush up,” Aranda replied as she batted her eyes and smiled at him. Aranda left the kitchen and made her way into the dining area. Trisha walked over to her, and Sam could see them talking a bit, then it was back to work.

Sam walked to her office, where she had switched off the radio before she went to unload the boxes, but she had forgotten to turn off her laptop. She grabbed her purse off the back of her chair and bent down to shut off the laptop, and spotted something lying on her desk. She knew Kay must have left it there. A white business card turned face-down. Sam could feel her face starting to get red as she reached for it. She picked it up and turned it over in her hand. It read Wesley Parker, Detective, Ft. Worth/Dallas, and his cell phone number was circled. Sam realized that she was holding her breath, and she exhaled. She thought about throwing the card away, but she didn’t. Instead, she put it in her wallet. She thought, Maybe one day, just not today.

Sam turned off her laptop and walked out of her office. “Bo, I will be back in a bit.”

“Cher, you gonna be okay?” Bo’s concern was very sweet, and she knew he meant well.

“Yes, I will be fine.” Sam walked out the back door and headed to her Jeep. She called Clayton as she was pulling out of the parking lot and got his voicemail.

“Clayton, hey, it’s me. I am not going to make dinner tonight. Something came up. I’ll call later.” Sam hung up her phone and called Aranda at the restaurant.

“Change of plans. Lock up for me, will you?” Sam’s tone was different.

“Sure, Sam. Call me later?” Aranda was worried now. Sam hardly ever let anyone else close up for her. Trisha had mentioned that Kay and Sam seemed to have been tense with each other today, and that Sam had had a visitor, but the guy did not seem to stay long. Aranda thought, Guy, what guy? She made a note to call Kay after they closed.

Sam drove down Irving Road. She took the 820 exit and started to head north. She was heading somewhere she had not been in a while, but she felt today it was where she needed to be.