It was going to be difficult before he’d called me, though.
Now it felt as though it was going to be close to impossible, but I’d find a way.
For Emily.
“Hey, Trish,” I said as I walked into the crowded Boxcar Grill. I might have made a mistake choosing it for my wedding planning meeting with Emily. Not only was seating at a premium, but the quarters were awfully close as well. It wouldn’t take long for everyone there to figure out what we were doing.
“Hi, Suzanne,” she said as I turned around to leave. “Was it something I said?” Trish asked as she followed me out of the diner.
“No, it’s just a little too crowded for my taste right now,” I answered.
“Don’t worry. I can find you a place to sit. Come on back inside.”
“It’s not that important,” I said.
“You are one of my very best friends. There’s always a place for you.”
“It’s not just the crowd,” I said as a few folks walked past us into the diner. We were garnering more attention than I liked just standing there. It was one of the perils of living in a small town. “Truthfully, I need to have a private conversation.”
“With me?” Trish asked as a frown crossed her face. “What happened?”
“Trish, it’s got nothing to do with you,” I said as I smiled at my friend. “It involves Emily Hargraves.”
“What did she do?” Trish asked with a grin.
“Nothing bad,” I said, and then I added, “At least I don’t think so. I hope not, anyway.”
“Suzanne, if you’re trying to be cryptic, you’re doing a bang-up job.”
“Normally I’d be happy to share the news with you, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”
Trish’s grin broadened. “Now you’re just trying to kill me with suspense, aren’t you?”
The diner door opened, and our mayor, George Morris, came out. “Trish, will you ring me up, or is this meal on the house?”
“Mayor, I don’t give away free food, not even to local dignitaries.”
“Then will you at least take my money?” George asked. “I’m late for a city council meeting.”
“I didn’t think you liked those meetings anyway,” I said.
He grinned. “I don’t, but I’ll be dipped in tar if I’m going to let them off the hook. If I don’t show up, it turns into the seventh grade all over again.”
“Give me your money and I’ll bring you your change later,” Trish said. “Suzanne and I are having a little chat.”
As she said it, Emily walked up and joined us. She frowned at me as she asked, “What are you all talking about?”
Was she afraid that I’d spilled the beans about her wedding already? I had to nip that quickly. “The mayor was just telling us about the city council.”
“I see,” Emily said. “Suzanne, sorry I’m late. Shall we go on in?”
“Actually, it’s pretty crowded in there,” I said, trying to warn Emily that our conversation wouldn’t be all that private if we ate inside. “It will be hard not to be overheard by the people around us.”
She frowned, and then smiled suddenly. “That’s okay. I’m ready to tell the world now.”
“Tell them what?” George asked.
“I’m getting married,” Emily said proudly.
“Congratulations,” the mayor said, and then he surprised us all by kissing her on the cheek. “Good luck to you.”
“Thank you,” she answered.
Trish looked at Emily askance, but she refrained from saying anything more than offering her own congratulations. “Come on, Mayor. Let’s ring you up,” she said as she put her arm in George’s. She paused on the steps and turned back to us. “Are you two coming?”
“Why not?” I asked. “Lead the way.”
Chapter 4
Fortunately, not many diners took much notice of Emily and me as we walked in. There was a booth free near the back, though the table was still dirty. I saw Gabby Williams sitting next to it, and I knew that we were in for trouble. Gabby ran ReNEWed, the gently used clothing store beside my donut shop. I wasn’t at all sure that you could call our relationship a love/hate one, but it was on tenuous grounds most of the time. “Do you happen to know if this table is free?” I asked Gabby as I pointed to the table.
“Nothing here is free, but nobody’s sitting at that booth,” she said.
“Good enough,” I answered. “Jude came by my shop this morning.”
Gabby didn’t answer, unless you counted her disinterested shrug as one. Okay, I didn’t need to talk about her nephew if she didn’t. I told Emily, “Why don’t you sit down. I’ll be right back.” I grabbed a large black tub used for collecting dirty dishes and started cleaning off our table. I was still searching for a rag to wipe it down when Trish showed up.