A/N: Time to meet a couple new characters. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support and love - Please drop me a little review and let me know what you think of this newest installment. :) And I apologize to the reviewer whose prediction will not be coming true, regarding Daisy speaking.

Brief music reference in here: Boz Scaggs, "Look What You've Done to Me"

CSotA xx

Saturday, August 30, 2014: Breakfast at The Cheeky Devil

The bells attached to the restaurant's door tinkled loudly as Elsie closed the door behind her.

"Elsie Hughes - there you are! Where have you been keeping yourself, woman?" Beryl Mason's loud voice shouted from the kitchen, making everyone who was seated at the counter turn to wave at Elsie as she made her way to the only empty table in the whole place. She greeted a great many of them as she passed through, clapping the men on the back and clasping hands with a couple of the older women she knew from church.

"Busy, Beryl - like you don't know that, with three kids at our school!" She turned to the waitress and gave her a winning smile. "Morning, Ethel! Coffee, please, when you can find a moment."

"No problem, Elsie - good to see you." Not two minutes later, Ethel deposited a steaming mug in front of Elsie and placed a small carafe and some cream next to it. "That ought to hold you for about five minutes," she joked. "How've you been?

"Busy, but I like it that way. How's Charlie?" Elsie asked kindly.

"Well, thanks. He's coming for a visit on Tuesday, staying through 'til Friday. I can't believe it's been a month since I've seen him. He's so big, Elsie. Doing well with his grandparents, too. They've been a godsend, I have to admit, and I've been saving up a bundle working overtime here. We're starting to plan for him to move back in with me when he's school age, but there's still another year for that."

Elsie smiled sweetly and nodded. Ethel, who'd grown up down the road from where Elsie now lived, had struggled when Charlie was born – postpartum depression had led to abuse of prescription medication, and Ethel's late husband's parents had been asked by Child and Family Services to take Charlie in. It was rough at first, but while Ethel was getting help her son was able to thrive. Thanks to Charlie's compassionate grandmother, Ethel had received visitation rights once a week as soon as she was clean. Once Ethel was released from her treatment program, Elsie had helped her get the job at the Devil.

"Well, do stop by the farm if you can," Elsie said. "I'd love to see him."

"Will do, thanks. The usual?"

Elsie nodded, and Ethel jotted down something on her order pad. Just then, Elsie heard the bells on the back of the door jingle again. She looked up just in time to see Charles and Daisy Carson walk in the door, and had to chuckle at the sight of Charles looking absolutely dumbfounded at the crowd before him. He scanned the front of the restaurant, evidently looking for a hostess table, and Elsie saw Daisy pull on his hand and point in her direction.

Well, now … don't screw this up, Elsie.

She waved them over, indicating that she had two empty seats. The relief on his face was evident, and he allowed Daisy to lead him through the rabbit's warren.

"Ms. Hughes - Elsie," he corrected. "You weren't kidding about this place - it's absolutely mobbed! How did you get a table so quickly - we saw you walk in as we were coming up the road."

"Well, I'll let you in on the worst-kept secret in town." She lowered her voice conspiratorially as the Carsons took their seats. "Tom Branson breakfasts here every Saturday. When he's about ten minutes from leaving, he texts me to let me know and I head on down. Ethel leaves the table dirty until she spots me." She smiled brightly, and Charles laughed at the cunning of it all.

"A plan like that to get a table at a breakfast spot," he laughed, shaking his head. "I don't believe it!"

"Well, enjoy the brilliance of it, Charles - it provided a seat for you as well!"

Ethel came over with two menus and three glasses of ice water. "Hello, you must be the Carsons. I'm Ethel Bryant - welcome to Misty Cove." She held out her hand, and Charles shook it warmly.

"Pleased to meet you, and I'm not even going to ask how you knew who we were."

"Andy told me," she said with a smile. "We've been going out for a while and he mentioned having met you when you rescued Elsie here. Coffee?"

"Do you have tea?" he enquired.

"Earl Grey - is that alright?"

"Splendid, thank you. Daisy - apple juice?"

Nod.

"One Earl Grey and one apple juice, coming right up! I'll give you a moment with the menus as you're new - specials are up on the board," she added, pointing to the whiteboard above Elsie's head. "Els, want me to hold your omelette 'til they order?"

"Yes, thank you."

Charles held out the menu and tried to read it, but the script font made it rather difficult. He patted his pocket and realized he'd left his readers at home, then saw Elsie handing hers across the table. He smiled sheepishly and put them on, nodding his thanks. Daisy giggled, and he blushed a bit.

"Purple frames – they suit you," Elsie teased.

"Banana walnut pancakes?" he muttered, reading the menu. "Eggs Benedict?! Erm, I think not."

"Oh Charles, don't take it personally," Elsie teased, her eyebrow raised. "Believe me, if Beryl cooks it, it's amazing."

"I'll take your word for that. I think I'll go for this 'Lumberjack breakfast' - I'm famished, to tell the truth. Daisy?"

Daisy pointed out a few things on the menu, and Elsie made a recommendation. When Ethel returned, Charles added the Lumberjack, one blueberry pancake, one scrambled egg, and one order of toast to Elsie's meal.

"Thank you again for allowing us to join you. We're lucky you didn't end up at one of those small tables for two. I really thought we were just coming in to put our name on the list," Charles said.

"Yes, lucky and strange. Tom always sits at one of those, seeing as how he's always alone and I am, too. So odd …" Her brow furrowed, she wondered for a brief moment if he'd planned for her to run into Charles.

Oh, don't be stupid, Els. He didn't know they were coming.

She and Charles chatted while Daisy doodled on the back of her placemat. Charles asked a few questions about school, things such as when Open House would be (this coming Thursday evening) and would Elsie be there (no), who organizes the third-grade field trip (Mr. Molesley - 'Thank God', Elsie muttered, earning a smirk from Daisy) and whether or not Charles would be allowed to chaperone (yes, most likely).

Elsie asked about the house and how they were settling in. He knew she was trying to get a more complete picture of Daisy's life, and filled in the blanks as much as he could without being too transparent, lest Daisy figure out that she was the true topic of conversation.

The door bells tinkled once again and the threesome looked up to see Mary Carlisle walk in.

Mary spotted them and made a beeline for their table. "Uncle Charlie! And Daisy!" She bent to kiss Daisy on the cheek, and received a hug in return. "And Ms. Hughes," she added hesitantly. "What a lovely surprise."

Elsie looked at Mary's clearly judgmental expression and gave her a brilliant smile, one which Charles noticed didn't quite reach her eyes. Mary didn't seem to see that, though.

"Hello, Mary. How have you been?" Elsie asked.

"Oh, you know … busy, barely seeing the light of day. But the paper is successful, which is all that really matters, or so I'm told." The distant look in her eyes told Elsie all she needed to know, and confirmed suspicions she'd had for a while now, that the rumors about town were true: Mary Carlisle was unhappy - with her business, perhaps, but most certainly with her husband. And who could blame her, really? The man was a total ass.

"That paper is quite an accomplishment," Elsie told the younger woman. "You and Richard have certainly picked it up from the ashes and made it flourish."

Charles cut in, attempting to rescue Elsie from her attempts at kindness. "I'd ask you to join us, my dear, but as it is we're already budging in on Elsie's table."

Elsie, is it? Mary thought. "Oh, that's fine, Uncle Charlie. I'm here picking our order up to bring it back to the office - called it in a few minutes ago. No time to waste, with the Sunday edition going to print at ten tonight. Saturdays are our busiest day, you know."

She kissed Charles on the cheek and gave her goodbyes. "Hopefully we'll see you soon - come around to dinner, alright Uncle Charlie?"

"We'll try," Charles promised.

"And everything is still alright with the house? You'd say if you needed anything, I hope."

"I would, but everything is perfect, my dear. Thank you again." With that, Mary left and Charles turned back to Elsie.

"Thank you for that," he said quietly, tilting his head in Mary's direction.

"For what?" Elsie asked innocently. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"You do. I can tell that you … don't have the most favorable opinion of certain situations. But you managed to gloss over that brilliantly."

"And what makes you so sure of yourself?" she asked, nibbling on her fingernail. "You barely know me, Charles." She observed him with a curious look, not willing to admit he'd been totally right.

Ethel arrived then with their food, which made Daisy's eyes bug out - the pancake she'd ordered was the size of the plate it was served on, and the fresh blueberries were immense.

Charles thanked Ethel and turned back to Elsie with a smile. "I am an attorney, Elsie. I can spot the truth a mile away."

Elsie blushed, but then laughed out loud. "I'll have to remember that, Mr. Carson."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "See that you do, Ms. Hughes," he replied with a smirk.

After they finished breakfast, Charles and Elsie saw that the place had cleared out considerably. Beryl came out of the kitchen, looking as if she'd been through a tornado. She grabbed a cup of coffee and pulled a chair up to Elsie's table for three.

"Beryl!" Elsie leaned over and kissed her friend's cheek. "Breakfast was amazing, as usual. Have you met the Carsons yet?"

"No, but I've heard all about them, of course," she answered, smiling at Charles and Daisy. "Beryl Mason, at your service. I'd shake your hand like a civilized person if I weren't covered in flour and syrup at the moment."

Charles was instantly at ease with the short, slightly round cook. "No worries. Breakfast was absolutely incredible, as Elsie had told me it would be."

Beryl looked back and forth between the adults. "She did, did she? Was that when you rescued her when her horrific excuse for a truck broke down?"

"It's not horrific! It's just … old," she finished lamely. "I've not had the time to shop for a new one, and thought I could squeeze a few more months out of it. Don't you start, Beryl. Besides, Tom managed to fix it for now."

But her friend only laughed. "Be that as it may, I'd say it's a good thing Mr. Carson was there." She turned to Daisy, who was following along with amusement. "And you must be Daisy."

Daisy nodded, smiling at Beryl.

"Do you like it here, Daisy?"

Nod.

Charles was worried that Beryl might not be so accepting of Daisy's refusal to speak aloud, but a quick look from Elsie reassured him.

"Tell you what," Beryl whispered to Daisy. "How would you like one of my 'Devil's Own' brownies to take home? I've just put a batch out to cool."

Daisy beamed, nodding furiously.

"On the house - for new customers," she added, for Charles's benefit. "I thank you for coming in. Half the town is here on Saturday mornings, but if you pop in for a cuppa during the week it's much quieter and my husband's here then - Bill's his name. He works the fishing boats on the weekends. Brings me the best of the catch, too. You should come by and meet him."

"That's a great idea," Elsie chimed in. "And you'll never meet a kinder soul than Bill."

Charles smiled. "I will do that, Beryl. Thank you." No wonder Elsie likes her so much.

As he argued with Elsie over the check (and won, having insisted on paying for her breakfast in thanks for her sharing her table with them), Charles looked around the room. He spotted two people he thought were teachers at the school, the grocer he'd met last week, a table full of fishermen, and a handful of other townspeople that had familiar faces.

"I like it more here every day," he said to Daisy, who nodded her agreement while clutching the bag that contained her enormous brownie.

"Will you come to the church fair next month?" Elsie asked as they headed outside. "It's a good deal of fun, most of the town shows up. Good opportunity to meet more of your neighbors," she added.

"I don't see why we couldn't. We are busy the next two weeks, but then I promised Daisy we'd go apple picking, which Marigold has convinced Daisy is the 'best fun ever,'" Charles said with a smile.

"Ah, lovely - and then you can make a pie!" Elsie winked at Daisy. "Do you know how?"

Daisy shook her head, furrowing her brow and clearly unhappy to be answering in the negative.

"Well, I'll tell you what," Elsie said, squatting down to be more eye-level with Daisy. "If you go apple picking, get some Cortlands - they're very good for pies, and they'll be in by then. Bring about eight of them when you come to the barn, and an extra each for Star and Scarlett, and I'll show you how to make a proper pie ... if it's alright with your Papa, that is."

Both 'ladies' looked up at Charles expectantly, who just shook his head and laughed. "I can see I'm outnumbered again. That's becoming something of a habit. I'm going to have to watch out for you two, I see," he added, chucking Daisy gently on the cheek with his knuckle. She smiled, and he offered a hand to help Elsie up - which she took gratefully.

"Not twenty anymore, I suppose," she grumbled, thanking him.

"Don't I know it," he replied.

They reached Elsie's truck and she hopped in, leaving the door open so they could chat a bit more. She turned the key in the ignition so that the engine could run a bit – no sense in stalling out halfway home – and the radio blared out the XM Love Songs station she'd been listening to on the way to the Devil:

Look what you've done to me

Never thought I'd fall again so easily

Oh, love-

Elsie flipped the music off, flustered by the words, then sat sideways against her seat back. She felt her temperature rise when Charles stepped into the open doorway and nonchalantly rested his arm on the steering wheel, effectively blocking her in.

Hardly a hardship, Elsie.

"So you'll come by with Daisy this Wednesday, meet Anna?" she asked, forcing her mind back to producing sensible conversation.

"I believe so, yes. Miss Baxter rang me yesterday morning, wanted to give me some more information about your therapy program," he said quietly, nodding when Daisy pointed to the nearby playground, a silent question on her face.

"Yes, she mentioned she would be doing that. I am glad you're willing to give it a try. Not all parents are open to something like that."

"Did you know Daisy actually spoke to her yesterday? To Miss Baxter?" he murmured, clearly in awe.

"No! What did she say, if I may ask?"

He was moved by the interest she showed, tried not to let it touch him in ways he had yet to put a name to; that this woman they'd only just met clearly already cared about his daughter … it was almost unfathomable.

He smiled, and she appreciated the way it made the corners of his eyes crinkle, made him even more handsome (if such a thing were possible).

"She said 'yes,'" he answered. "Didn't realize she'd done it! She doesn't plan to let it happen again, I don't think, but she wasn't afraid."

Elsie's heart swelled at the look of happiness on his face. "Charles, that's wonderful," she told him, placing her hand briefly on his arm.

He felt as though his arm was on fire and swallowed twice, three times, in order to get himself under control. She didn't seem to realize she'd done anything odd, and it had been all he could do not to jump out of his skin.

"It is," he agreed.

Elsie suddenly realized she was squeezing his arm, and withdrew her hand immediately. Jesus Christ, Elsie, what are you DOING?

"At what time does the church's fair usually start?" he asked, wishing she'd touch his arm again.

"It starts at nine in the morning, but really picks up at eleven. I'll be at the baked goods table, as usual. Everyone gets a kick out of that, the school nurse selling the junk food."

"We'll be sure to find you then," he smiled, backing up and closing the truck door firmly. He patted the sill of her open window. "Until then, Elsie."

"Until then. And thanks again for breakfast - I owe you." She put the truck in reverse and backed out of her parking spot slowly, willing herself not to open her mouth and say one of the things floating around her mind - words that would, most certainly, embarrass the both of them.

Just then, Daisy reappeared at Charles's side and tugged at his sleeve. He bent down to hear her whisper, "Are we really going to the church fair, Papa?"

"If you'd like to, then yes."

"And Ms. Hughes will be there?"

He paused a moment, wondering what she was getting at. "Yes. Does that bother you, Daisy?"

"Oh, no!" she said, shaking her head. "Can we make sure we visit her table?"

"That we can," he answered, putting his hand on her shoulder as they walked back to their car.

"Good, I really like her."

Charles looked at her for a moment, smiling when she looked at him.

"So do I, Daisy."

Very much.