The Strawberry Hearts Diner(56)

“Experiences, good or bad, are what made me who I am. The only regret I have is that I’ll have to tell Shane my story, and when I do, he’s never going to look at me the same again.”

“Don’t be so sure, my friend. He’s got broad shoulders and a big heart.”

“It’ll take both,” Jancy said. “Why didn’t you ever date Shane?”

“He’s like a big brother to me,” Emily answered.

“Just remember when you tell Vicky that she doesn’t get prejudiced or mean against Ryder. She just desperately wants you to have a better life than she did,” Jancy said.

“I know,” Emily whispered. “And I will have that with Ryder. If I didn’t believe it with my whole heart, I wouldn’t be marrying him.”





CHAPTER FOURTEEN


Jancy heard the van coming up the lane and yelled through the screen door. “They’re here, Emily. Turn on the lights.”

Nettie was out of the vehicle the second that it stopped, a big smile on her face at the sight of twinkling lights flashing around the porch posts. Emily and Ryder came outside to join Jancy and Shane.

“Welcome home!” Emily held out a hand to help, but Nettie refused it.

“I do not need mollycoddlin’. I do need a glass of decent sweet tea, and the swing belongs to me for the next half an hour,” she said.

“We’ve got the kitchen table set up with finger foods and cupcakes,” Emily said.

“Those two big strappin’ boys can bring it out here to the porch. I’m sick of being inside. I need fresh air.” Nettie settled in on the swing.

“We can do that.” Ryder and Shane headed inside with Emily right behind them.

“I hope you got meat loaf sandwiches on that table,” Nettie yelled.

“Of course we do.” Emily’s voice floated through the screen door. “With mustard.”

“Welcome home, Vicky.” Jancy picked up two green plants from the van and set them on the porch.

“Thank you. Are you any good with plants and flowers?” Nettie asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jancy answered. “Mama passed on her green thumb to me. They’ll be fine on the porch tonight. Tomorrow mornin’ I’ll get them inside. Right now I’ll take the rest of this baggage to your room. If you need help later unpacking it all, just holler.”

She’d set the bags on the floor beside Nettie’s rocking chair and was crossing the kitchen floor when her phone rang. She pulled it out of the hip pocket of her jeans and smiled.

“Hello, Minnette. I’ve been meanin’ to call you all week,” she said.

“You are a hard person to catch up with. I’ve been trying to call you for weeks,” her cousin said.

“I’ll get into it later over beignets and coffee,” Jancy said.

“About that. We are actually leaving Louisiana. Donald enlisted in the army six months ago. He’s gotten his orders to go to Germany for two years, so we have to leave next weekend. Just wanted to let you know, so you wouldn’t make the long trip down here.”

Jancy felt as if a virtual door slammed so hard that it rattled her mind.

Emily laid a hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”

“Who is that?” Minnette asked.

“A friend. I’m in Pick, Texas,” Jancy said.

“I remember when y’all lived there. How’d you end up back there? I thought you were in Amarillo,” Minnette said.

“I was on my way to Louisiana, and my car burned up right here in Pick,” Jancy said.

“Well, chère, you know what our maw-maw used to say—in the end, things work like they should. Who’d have thought I’d be headed to Germany and you’d be right back where your mama grew up? I’ll call when we get settled and give you a contact number and address. If all else fails, where can I send you a letter?”

“Just send it in care of the Strawberry Hearts Diner, Pick, Texas,” Jancy answered. “And even though we don’t see each other very often, I’ll miss talking to you.”

“Then come see me.”

Jancy laughed. “Yeah, right!”

They said their good-byes, and Jancy stuck the phone back in her pocket. Was this an omen? Was she supposed to stay in Pick? She’d moved to a town many times without having a friend or a relative living there.

“Are you okay?” Emily asked. “And pardon my nosiness, but what’s coming in the mail? If you’ll take the lemonade, I’ll carry out the sweet tea.”

“That was my cousin in Louisiana. I told her where she could send mail if she couldn’t reach me by phone. Remember when I told y’all I was on my way to Louisiana to see my cousin when my car broke down? Well, she called me. Her husband joined the army, and they’re going to Germany for two years. End of story.”

“Or the beginning of one,” Vicky said. “Maybe fate closed that door for a purpose.”

“You have to put her hand in God’s and tell him to lead,” Nettie said as she entered the kitchen. She picked up a sandwich and bit into it. “Lord, this tastes good. Know why folks work so hard to get well in a hospital? So they can go home and eat good food.”

“Did you ever put your hand in God’s?” Jancy asked.