The Strawberry Hearts Diner(61)

“Not so m-much. He just needs it to be over,” Shane whispered. “W-we’ll only be here a little bit. All right if I pick you up for church?”

She leaned into his shoulder. “Of course. Maybe we ought to sit up closer to the front with the family. Emily might need my support tonight.”

“I promised Ryder I’d be there when the stuff hits the fan. Is Nettie going to be all right w-with it?”

“She already suspects,” Jancy whispered.

“Really?” Shane gasped.

“Not much gets by Nettie. She thought that Emily might be falling in love with you at first,” Jancy answered.

“I’ve had m-my eye on another girl for a long time. I’m just glad that she decided to come on back home,” Shane said.



Something strange was in the air. Emily was as nervous as a hooker in a tent revival. Nettie was antsy, too, but that could be attributed to the fact that she was worried that she’d lost her touch with the tarts. Something was slightly off with Jancy, even. Yet no one was complaining.

When Andy dropped by an hour before closing, Vicky filled two glasses with sweet tea, put the last two cupcakes on a plate, and joined him at his booth.

“On the house,” she said.

He peeled the paper from a cupcake. “Needin’ company?”

“Needin’ something. I’m not sure what it is. I’m not clairvoyant, but there’s something in the air today.”

“It’s probably that Nettie is home and fidgetin’ to get back to work. That her adrenaline rush is settling will create all kinds of crazy feelings,” he said. “Dad was like that the first few days. He wanted to be on his horse and rounding up cattle for a branding day. Mother and I hovered over him, which was something we’d never done. The atmosphere was strained, to say the least.”

“Could be, but I don’t think so,” she answered.

“You’re still sleep deprived,” Andy said. “It’ll all be fine tomorrow, and if it’s not, you can cross the bridge then. No use in worryin’ about it today. That’s my mother’s advice, not mine. You should take an afternoon off sometime and come out to the ranch and meet my folks. Or maybe I’ll bring them by here for a tart.”

“Not without warning.” She smiled.

“Fair enough,” he said. “I dropped by to check on you and Nettie but also to bring some news. Carlton has staked out another town. He’s selling them the same con that he’s tried to pass off on y’all.”

“It’s a wonder the seat of his expensive britches don’t catch on fire.”

“What?” Andy asked.

“Liar, liar, pants on fire.” She laughed.

Andy chuckled. “The folks over in Troup are listenin’ to him a little better than y’all did, so maybe he’ll move away from Pick.”

“Well, bless their hearts. If they get taken in by that fake smile, they’ll need all the blessings they can get,” she said.

“You got that right,” Andy said as he finished off the last of his cupcake. “Thanks for the treat, and I’ll see you again real soon.”

“You are very welcome. Thanks for stopping by and for the news.”

“My pleasure.” He tipped an imaginary hat as he left the diner.



Nettie had seen all of her circle of friends from her church group in the diner over the weekend, but it was wonderful to be back in church that Sunday evening. It had been a downright weird day at the diner, and she needed that peace. She thought about those poor folks in the care facility where Hank lived. It would be tough seeing them day after day in that condition—seeing their loved ones come and go. If she had a choice between his affliction and dropping with a fatal heart attack, she’d take the latter any day. She’d rather be dead than have her precious memories start leakin’ out.

Her favorite hymn, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” began.

When she’d dropped in the doctor’s office, there wasn’t a light beckoning to her or a voice from God asking her if she was weary with life and living. One minute she’d been standing in front of the check-in desk, the next she was being rushed to the hospital emergency room. But the experience had created a need to renew her vow to lean on God—to put her troubles in his pocket.

She silently hummed the song all the way home that evening. Vicky parked between Ryder’s new truck and Shane’s older one. Nettie laid a hand on her arm before she could get out.

“Give me five minutes. I’ve got something to say.”

“I know, Nettie. You don’t have to say the words,” Vicky said.

“Yes, I do. You and Emily were my salvation that year after I got a divorce, and you have been every day since. I’m making a will next week. Everything I own will go to you, but my half of the diner is Emily’s. That said, I still hope I live to be a hundred and drop dead in the diner after a sixteen-hour shift.”

“Nettie . . . ,” Vicky started.

“No ifs, buts, or maybes. That’s the way it is. I ain’t one much for tellin’ folks how I feel—I just had to get it done. Now, let’s go sit with the kids for a spell.”

Ryder and Emily had been sitting on the swing. When Nettie arrived, they both stood up and gave it to her. Shane and Jancy rested on the steps. His arm curved around her, drawing her head to his chest. A nice picture, but the aura wasn’t peaceful. Whatever spirit had been in the diner and was now on the porch was about to speak its mind.