The Strawberry Hearts Diner(29)

“Makes sense to me. Did Pick still have a high school back when you went to school?” Andy asked Leonard.

“Oh, yes, but by the time Vicky got to that point, we only had the elementary school. She went to Frankston for junior high and high school,” Leonard said.

Andy turned to face Vicky. “We used to play Frankston in summer baseball. Our paths might have crossed way back then.”

“Maybe so,” Vicky said as she kept a watch on Hilton, who was leading Jancy over to a tree stump, where the two of them sat down—too close to suit Vicky, for sure.

A tall, lanky man with thinning hair and an angular face, Leonard liked to talk. “Looks like Jancy has took up with that fool. Don’t she know better? I swear, the young people today don’t see past a pretty face. You’ll have to have a talk with her, Vicky. She ain’t got a mama or a granny, so it’s up to you to set her straight about men like that.”

“Already did. She knows what she’s doin’,” Vicky said.

“I wouldn’t bank on it, the way she’s lookin’ at him like she could eat him plumb up.”

“Maybe she’s playin’ him like he thinks he is doing to her,” Andy said.

Leonard stood up and looked around. “Well, now, if that’s the case, she’s a smart woman. I wondered why Shane wasn’t puttin’ down that fiddle and moppin’ up this park with that man.”

“Oh?” Andy raised an eyebrow.

“Boy has had a crush on that girl since back when they was kids. His grandpa used to jaw about it. Well, now if I’m goin’ to get a dance in before this party ends, I’d best find Darlene.”

Vicky looked over the crowd, but didn’t see Leonard’s wife or Andy’s dad. “Where’s your dad? I wanted to meet him.”

“He ate and went on back home for his Sunday nap. We don’t mess with his schedule,” Andy answered. “But he found out enough to know that he’s not putting his money into this scheme. A lot of Carlton’s potential investors will dry up—if Dad doesn’t invest in it, then they won’t.”

“They must trust his judgment a lot,” Vicky said.

“He’s good at what he does.” Andy answered.

“Like father, like son.” She grinned.

“Tell that to him if you ever get to know him.”

Vicky nodded toward the band. “Look! Woody is going to take over for Shane. We’ll have to move.”

“Why?” Andy asked.

“Because clogging on grass does not have the same effect that it does on a wood floor. All those guys coming this way are about to move the tables out from under the pavilion so the dancers can do their thing on this wood floor.”

“Do you clog?” Andy asked.

“A little, but not today. Emily and the kids around here are really good at it. You are in for a show.”

Before Woody could get the fiddle up to his neck, Carlton had his microphone out again. “I see that the band is about to make some changes before the party. We’ve all gotten to know one another a little better this afternoon, and I’ll visit with each of you in town next week. This investment is a big decision, but I know you will each recognize that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t turn down.”

Nettie walked up beside Vicky and Andy. “Is he going to put a horse’s head in our beds if we turn him down?”

Andy chuckled. “He said a lot about nothin’.”

“Why are they changin’ fiddlers?” Andy asked.

“Shane is very good at clogging. He’ll want to dance, not play,” Vicky explained.

Carlton looked out over the crowd as if he expected applause to rattle up out of the buzz of whispers. Nettie slowly stood, and even the children quieted.

“It’s been a good afternoon. We should do this again in the fall. Be sure to put your fans in this basket.” She pointed. “And pick up all your trash. Thanks to everyone who brought food and wine. We’ll see all y’all in church tonight. Now Woody is going to play and let our kids strut their stuff as a closing number.”

Applause and whistle calls drowned out whatever it was that Carlton tried to say next, and then Woody wound up a whining fiddle to a nice slow country song. Shane crossed the lawn and held out his hand to Jancy, who turned her back on Hilton and looped her arms around his neck.

“I thought they were going to clog,” Andy said.

“They will. The kids all need a couple of slow dances to get them ready. It won’t be long,” Vicky told him.

Woody broke into a good two-stepping country song, “Country Roads.” Tapping his foot to keep time, he shut his old eyes and really got into the music.

“May I?” Andy got to his feet.

Vicky tucked her hand in his and kicked off her sandals. “Don’t seem fittin’ to dance to that song with shoes on.”

He settled his face into her dark hair, and the warmth of his breath made her scalp tingle. With the grass soft on her bare feet, she wished the song would go on forever, but all too soon it ended. Andy took a step back, picked up her hand, and kissed the palm.

“Thank you for a lovely afternoon, Miz Vicky Rawlins,” he whispered.



Hilton tapped Shane on the shoulder when the next slow song started, but Jancy shook her head. “I promised the last couple of dances to this man, but it’s been real nice gettin’ to know you, Hilton,” Jancy said.