The Strawberry Hearts Diner(23)

“Hey.” Shane waved and hurried over to the van to help unload the food. “Is that Nettie’s meat loaf? Man, who wants barbecue when we got this?”

“Our host isn’t here yet?” Vicky asked.

“No, he’ll wait until the park is full and then make a grand entrance,” Ryder said as he took the sheet cake from Nettie’s hands.

“What makes you say that?” Emily asked.

“Because if I was a con man trying to fleece a bunch of country bumpkins, that’s what I’d do,” Ryder answered. “This goes to Darlene, right? She’s been cuttin’ cakes and pies since I got here.”

“That’s right, and I see at least two hams and a turkey over there on the tables, so he don’t need to show with his store-bought barbecue,” Nettie said.

“I’m pretending that this is my welcome-home party,” Emily laughed.

“It is, darlin’,” Ryder teased. “I’ll be right back and take that meat loaf over for you, Nettie. Don’t let Shane carry it. As clumsy as he is, he might drop one. Folks’ll look down on me for eating it off the ground with my fingers.”

“I’m lighter on my feet than you are,” Shane argued. “And if I drop it, then it’s all mine.”

“Boys!” Vicky smiled. “I’m glad I had a daughter.”

“I was thinkin’ that I’d fight both of them for it. A little dirt and grass would just add fiber,” Emily said.

Vicky shuddered. “You guys carry that gently. If I see my prissy daughter eating off the ground, I’ll shoot whoever dropped it.”

“What can I do?” Woody rounded the side of the van.

“We got it taken care of,” Ryder said. “Did you bring the strawberry wine?”

“It’s over there in a cooler gettin’ a good chill on it.” Woody said. “Y’all got to watch the kids. If they ain’t twenty-one, they don’t even get a sip. It’s some pretty strong stuff.”

“I’ll m-m-make sure they don’t get any,” Shane said. “Just set it by the band and w-w-we’ll guard it.”

Woody chuckled down deep in his chest. “I imagine you will.”

“M-m-might keep me from stutterin’,” Shane teased. “Don’t forget that you promised m-me a dance, Jancy.”

“I’ve even been practicin’.” She smiled.

“How long do we have to wait on this wolf man to get here?” Emily asked.

“We’ll give him half an hour,” Nettie answered. “If he’s not here by then, we’ll declare that we’ve won the war against him and get the party started.”

Ten minutes later a big white limo pulled up in the parking lot. A van with the logo JUNIOR’S RIBS emblazoned on the side parked right beside it. Four people hopped out of the van and threw open the back, and two of them removed a long folding table. They carried it to a spot under a big oak shade tree, set it up, and tossed a snow-white tablecloth over it with a flourish. The other two carried two pans of barbecue to the table, and then all four went back to bring out potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw.

“Pretty good spread, but that wouldn’t be enough to go around one time for this crowd,” Vicky said. “And that white cloth is doomed. Barbecue stains will ruin it.”

“I’ll give you two hundred dollars to accidentally fall against the back side of the table and send every bit of it into the dirt,” Nettie whispered to Jancy.

“I can’t waste good food, but I’ll work other angles,” Jancy laughed. “Where is the host for this extravaganza?”

As if on cue, the driver stepped out of the limo, swung open the back door, and held his hand out. A red-haired woman wearing a cute little black suit and high heels made a few of the young guys’ eyes pop out. The skintight skirt barely reached her knees, and the top two buttons of the jacket were undone, with a little black lace camisole peeking out from underneath. The next person who crawled out didn’t need a hand to help him. The man stood over six feet tall and wore shiny black cowboy boots, starched jeans, and a tailored plaid shirt with pearl snaps.

“A little eye candy for the ladies and something to entice the men,” Vicky said. “Smart man, but none of us just fell off the turnip wagon.”

Jancy smiled. “You know what they say about knowing the enemy. I bet we could get some good information out of those two.”

“Oh, yes, we can.” Emily nodded. “And there’s Sarah, Teresa, and Waynette to help us tear the rest of this business apart at the foundation.”

Three girls that Emily had been friends with her entire life hurried from the edge of the park to hug her, putting their heads together in whispers.

“Hey, Jancy, come on over here.” Emily motioned.

“I’m fine. Y’all have things to talk about,” Jancy said.

“And there’s the man of the hour.” Nettie nodded at the car.

Carlton held both hands up in a wave to everyone as he got out of the limo. He wore khaki pants, a blue knit shirt, and loafers.

Nettie folded her arms across her chest. “Evidently he thinks if he fits in with the local yokels, maybe they’ll sell their souls to him.”

“Yep, the devil does take on different forms,” Jancy said.