The Christmas Town by Donna VanLiere

Author:Donna VanLiere
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

THIRTEEN

The bells on the door ring as Lauren enters and Holly smiles from across the restaurant, waving. She shrugs and shakes her head, mouthing “She’s not here” before refilling an iced tea for a customer. She is busy so Lauren looks for an empty table. She notices someone waving and smiles when she sees Gloria and Miriam. They wave her to their table and she takes off her coat, walking toward them. “Did you find Larry?” Gloria asks, moving her purse so Lauren can sit.

“Finally! I left him my cell number so he can call me when everything is done and I’ll pick them up. I thought he was really nice.”

“Did he tell you the story of making the mayor’s desk?” Miriam says. “Or traveling ten hours one way for a load of curly maple?”

“No. He told me about making a kitchen table for his daughter’s wedding gift. It started off as cherry but somehow the curly maple was speaking to him so the legs are curly maple.”

Gloria and Miriam laugh and Gloria rests her hand on Lauren’s. “Lunch is on me today.”

“But you’re both done eating,” Lauren says, looking at their empty plates.

“There’s always room for pastry,” Gloria says.

“That’s actually her motto,” Miriam says. “She even had Larry engrave it on a piece of curly maple and has it hanging in her kitchen.”

Gloria shakes her head and raises her hand, motioning for the waitress. It’s not Holly but an older woman named Loni. “I’ll take some coffee and a raspberry cream cheese pastry to share with Miriam. What would you like, babe?”

“A turkey club sandwich with chips,” Lauren says.

“And a bowl of the chicken tortilla soup,” Gloria says. Lauren opens her mouth and Gloria puts her hand in the air. “Trust me. You have to try Betty’s chicken tortilla soup.”

“What would you like to drink?” Loni asks.

“Just water,” Lauren says.

“Peach tea,” Miriam says. Lauren looks at her but Miriam isn’t finished. “Do you just have peach today or do you have the raspberry-peach?”

“Raspberry peach,” Loni says.

Miriam points at her. “That’s the one! Just a little sugar, Loni. This isn’t the South where they drink their tea so sweet it puts your teeth on edge.” She looks at Lauren. “Trust me. It’s much better than water.”

Gloria and Miriam both look at Lauren and she smiles, feeling uncomfortable. “So what do you do when you’re not being fabulous by helping nonprofits with their fund-raisers?” Gloria says.

“I just work at a grocery store in Whitall. I’m a cashier.”

Gloria smacks the table. “I was a cashier once.”

“That was when stores just kept their cash in a cigar box beneath the front counter,” Miriam says.

Gloria glares at her. “It was at Sharp’s Drugstore back home.”

“Back when pharmaceuticals consisted of cat’s claw and leeches.”

Lauren laughs as Gloria’s pastry is set before her and Loni sets down the raspberry peach iced tea. “Just for that I’m not sharing my pastry with you.”

“I didn’t want it anyway,” Miriam says.

Picking up a knife, Gloria cuts it in half and slides one portion onto a plate and drops it in front of Miriam.

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