The Calamity Janes: Gina and Emma: To Catch a Thief

Emma winced at the matter-of-fact assessment by her six-year-old. “It’s going to get better, baby. I promise.”

Gina studied her worriedly. “When? I know you’re thinking about taking on a big case here with Sue Ellen. How much time will you have if you’re commuting between here and Denver?”

“I’ll manage,” Emma said tightly.

“And Caitlyn?” Gina persisted gently. “Will she manage, too?”

“Look, I’m doing the best I can, Gina, okay?” Emma stood up. “I have to get over to the jail. Will you take Caitlyn back to my mom’s?”

“Of course,” Gina said at once. She winked at the little girl. “But only if she’ll go to the toy store with me first. What do you think, Caitlyn? Want to help me pick out some toys?”

Caitlyn bounced up and down on the vinyl seat of the booth excitedly. “Who’re you buying toys for, Aunt Gina? Do you have kids at home?”

“Nope.” She grinned. “I guess if we find something really, really special, I’ll have to give it to you.”

Caitlyn’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Emma shook her head, looking amused. “You’re going to spoil her.”

“That’s what an honorary aunt is supposed to do, right, Caitlyn?”

“Uh-huh,” the little girl said solemnly.

“Okay then, have fun, you two.” Emma kissed Caitlyn on the forehead. “See you later, sweet pea.”

“Bye, Mommy,” Caitlyn replied distractedly. “Aunt Gina, I was thinking. There’s this really, really neat Barbie I’ve been wanting. Do you think maybe the toy store has it?”

“If it doesn’t, we’ll go find ourselves a computer and look for it online.”

Caitlyn bounded out of her seat. “I’m ready. Are you?”

Gina drank her last sip of coffee, then joined the eager child. Truthfully, she was almost as enthusiastic as Caitlyn. Henderson Toys had been one of her favorite places as a child. She would save up her allowance for a whole month, then go into the store with her mother and walk up and down the crowded aisles studying the dolls and the trains and the board games before making her selection.

Sometimes, between the cost of an item and indecision, it was several months before she made a purchase. One memorable year, she bought a miniature stove, in which she could actually bake cookies, albeit very tiny ones. Her excitement over that purchase should probably have been a clue about the direction her life was likely to take.

Back on the street, they ran into Rafe standing outside of Henderson’s, his gaze locked on an elaborate train display in the window. The expression on his face was surprisingly wistful for a man whose every boyhood whim had probably been fulfilled.

Caitlyn slipped up beside him, her gaze every bit as fascinated as his. “It’s a really cool train, isn’t it?”

Surprised, he glanced down at her, then grinned. “It sure is. Do you like trains?”

Caitlyn nodded. “But I like dolls better. Aunt Gina is going to buy me a Barbie if they have the one I want.”

Rafe’s gaze shifted until it met Gina’s reflected in the window. “Is that so?”

“It’s not an expensive toy,” Gina said defensively.

He frowned at her. “Did I suggest it was?”

“No. Never mind. Come on, Caitlyn. Let’s see if they have the doll you want.”

The little girl gazed up at Rafe. “You can come, too, if you want,” she said politely. “I’ll bet they have lots more trains inside.”

“Maybe I will take a look,” Rafe said, ignoring the frown Gina directed at him.

Inside, Nell Henderson rushed out from behind the counter to give Gina a hug. “And this is your family,” she enthused. “How lovely that you’ve brought them in.”

“Actually, this is Emma’s daughter, Caitlyn. You remember Emma, don’t you?”

“Well, of course. The two of you were in here often enough, right along with Cassie, Lauren and Karen.” She beamed at Rafe. “They were some of my best customers, at least until they discovered boys. Then I lost them to the cosmetics counter over at the drugstore.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Rafe said. “They’re all beautiful enough without makeup.”

Nell chuckled. “Oh, honey, you have found yourself a jewel.”

“Rafe and I are not married,” Gina said irritably. “We’re not involved. We’re not anything.”

That threw the older woman for little more than a heartbeat. “Well then, you should work on changing that. A gallant man is a rarity these days. You should hang on to him if you’re lucky enough to find one.”

“Something to keep in mind,” Rafe said, regarding her with amusement.

Bored with the adult conversation, Caitlyn wandered over to the dolls. She was back in seconds, clutching a Barbie in a fancy ball gown.

“This is the one I’ve been wanting and wanting,” she announced to Gina.

Gina hunkered down beside her. “She is beautiful,” she agreed. “You’re sure this is what you want?”

Caitlyn’s head bobbed, then she cast a shy look at Rafe. “What do you think? Isn’t she beautiful?”

But Rafe’s gaze was locked on Gina, not the doll, when he murmured, “Yes, she certainly is.”

Gina’s cheeks burned. “I thought you wanted to look at the trains,” she grumbled.

“I’ll come with you,” Caitlyn offered, tucking her hand into Rafe’s. “I’ve been here before. I can show you where they are.”

Gina watched the two of them disappear at the end of the aisle, then sighed. When she looked up, Nell Henderson was grinning.

“Can’t say that I blame you for sighing over that one. If I were thirty years younger, I’d give you a run for your money.”

“There is nothing between Rafe and me,” Gina repeated very firmly.

Nell shook her head. “Then that’s a real pity, especially since the man looks at you as if you were the most fascinating creature he’s ever come across. I haven’t seen a look like that since the night my Herbie, God rest his soul, swept me off my feet.”

Gina recalled belatedly that Herb Henderson had died just over a year ago. “You must miss him,” she said sympathetically.

“Every day of my life,” Nell agreed. “But I have my memories. That’s something you ought to think about. Grab as many memories as you can, Gina. They’re what carry you through during the difficult times. Otherwise, all you’ll have are regrets. You don’t want the last two words you whisper on your deathbed to be if only.”

Gina heard Caitlyn’s giggle, then Rafe’s lower rumble of laughter. They were sweet sounds. She was already regretting that she had no claim to Rafe or to any family of her own, for that matter. Lately, she’d had no time to think about any future outside of Café Tuscany. With the restaurant’s fate so much in doubt, she was forced to face the fact that without it her life would be unbearably empty.