“Nah, Mr. Mayor,” Peggy would have waved him off, had her arms been free. She bustled over to the table and set the box at one end. Once relieved of the bulk, her eyes moved around the table as she shared a smile with everyone. When they reached Fin, however, her eyes widened in surprise. “Why, you look familiar!” the words popped out unbidden.
“Finley, this is Peggy Carson, Emily’s mother,” said Annie, trying to give her friend time to recover. “Peggy, this is Finley Rose. Fin and Ansley Bell, who is Kyla’s mother, have come because of my messages.”
The waitress’s hands hovered over the box, pausing in their readiness to pull out the food as her smile widened to a grin. “Thanks for coming! I had almost given up hope!” She turned to Ian, “Is that why the boss insisted I make the delivery instead of Breck? Clever, Mr. Mayor, very clever.”
She reached into the box and pulled out several round cups with secure tops, setting them on the table. “These are the fish chowders. Who wanted them?” Annie, Alice, and Ansley motioned to claim the aromatic soup. Next came a wrapped sandwich. “Tuna salad—which must be yours, Mr. Mayor.” She handed the sandwich to Ian and dove back into the box. “So the club special must be … Finley’s.”
As the man reached out to take the wrapped meal, he said to Peggy, “Please, call me Fin. Pretty much everyone does, unless I’m giving a demonstration. And please forgive me for my shenanigans with Athena. It was a dimwitted thing to do.”
“I appreciate your apology, Fin,” Peggy responded plainly, “and of course I forgive you.” She passed out side salads to the three who had ordered the chowder, along with packets of saltines. “Now for the drinks.” She paused for effect and then started removing coffee cups from the box. “Four coffees. Sorry, Alice, only one for you this time, but it is large.” Last came a cold beverage cup. “And one Coke.”
“The Coke is mine,” Fin said.
The waitress wagged a finger at him. “You may regret it when you see what’s for dessert.”
“I’ll take my chances.” Fin gave her a bad-boy smile.
Ansley laughed and said, “Fin’s one of those disgusting people who can eat anything he wants, and he never gains an ounce. Even with a sweet tooth.”
Peggy let out a loud sigh. “Fin, I can forgive you for sending your eagle to scare us, but I’m not sure I can forgive that!” She turned back to Ian. “There are plenty of plates and forks in the box for when you’re ready for them. I guess I should get back to the diner, it being lunch rush and all.” She peered at each of her Stony Point friends. “If someone doesn’t call me after work and tell me more, I’ll come banging on your doors—see if I don’t. It’s going to be hard enough concentrating as it is!”
“We wouldn’t think of it,” Annie reassured her friend. “We wish you could stay but wanted you at least to see for yourself what resulted from our day at the Highland Games.”
Peggy nodded and turned to the visitors and said, “Don’t you two be strangers around here. Emily would be overjoyed to have a visit with Kyla and see her dance again.”
“Kyla would love that too,” said Ansley. “If you can wait another minute, I’ll write down our contact information.” She reached into her purse and drew out a small pad with a pen.
Peggy’s face brightened. “Sure.” She waved a hand at the others. “Dig in, everybody. The food’s not getting any warmer, you know.”
“Yes, sir!” Alice saluted her friend and popped the lid off her chowder, stirring it with a plastic soup spoon. She leaned forward for a spill-free taste and then declared, “Delicious, as usual.”
Ansley tore off the sheet of paper, folded it in half, and handed it to Peggy. “We’d love to have Emily come visit us on the farm. My husband, Kyle, built her a platform in one of the barns for dancing. Your daughter might like to see it.”
Peggy slipped the paper into one of the pockets of her apron. “Just be warned: We might not be able to drag Em away from your barn. She’d dance all day and night if she didn’t have school and need sleep.” “Thanks for braving the fog to come,” she said, glancing at Fin and including him in her farewell. “Enjoy the food!” Peggy left the room much less burdened than when she had arrived, in more ways than one, and she sang under her breath as she hurried back to The Cup & Saucer.
After the door closed, Ansley removed the lid from her salad bowl. “When my brother, Leathan, came home after the Games and told me about your questions regarding his cantle’s design, and then Fin showed up with the note you had written him, my first response was to let it go—to ignore it. Then after they had both left, Kyla danced in, full of chatter about this little dancer she had met and how nice the whole group from Stony Point was. She had more words for all of you than for her first-place award in dance! Taking first in the Premier group as a twelve-year-old is very unusual, so you should take her exuberance as a compliment. It made me think twice about doing nothing.” She tipped the small container of vinaigrette over the bowl and drizzled it on the greens.