“I can find time for my best friend.”
Anita’s heart warmed. Still, she didn’t want Olivia to have to add anything else to her packed schedule, and Anita didn’t want to depend on anyone else. “Thank you,” she said, but decided she wouldn’t take her friend up on the offer.
Tapping her short, plain nails against the table, Olivia thought for a minute. “You know, we have some books on accounting and business management. Even better, you could take a class in both of those subjects. You could audit the course and not worry about the grade.”
“Really?” She hadn’t known that was possible. If she didn’t have the pressure of making a good grade, she might be able to relax and learn the material at her own pace.
“We have some catalogs near the front desk. Take a couple and look through them.” Olivia grinned. “Who knows, you might actually find the man of your dreams in Business 101.”
“Like you found the man of your dreams in the hundreds of classes you’ve taken? You’re working on your second master’s. Why haven’t you met anyone yet?”
“I’m happy being single, much to Aunt Bea’s chagrin. She would have married me off before I got my bachelor’s if she had her way. I keep telling her not everyone is meant to get married, but she won’t listen. ‘Any man would be over the moon to have you, sugar,’ she’s always telling me.”
Anita laughed. Olivia did a great imitation of her very southern aunt.
Olivia started to pack up her empty containers into her insulated lunch bag. “I’m sorry to cut our conversation short, but I have to get back to work. We’re developing the final touches for our summer reading programs this afternoon.”She got up from her chair and grabbed her lunch bag. “Call me after work and we can talk more about your plans. And promise me you’ll let me know if you need any help, okay?”
Anita nodded but didn’t say anything.
Olivia smiled and put her hand on Anita’s shoulder. “I can’t wait to see what you come up with for the café. This is so exciting! I have dibs on the first Earl Grey.”
“Done. Also, don’t say anything, not until I’ve actually purchased #3. If I can’t buy the building, I can’t open the café.”
“I won’t say a word.” She gestured to Anita’s uneaten sandwich. “Take your time with lunch, and help yourself to coffee.”
After Olivia left, Anita propped her chin up with the heel of her hand. Now two people knew about her plans, and she trusted both of them not to say anything. She wondered if she should tell Riley, but she was busy with wedding plans—so much so they had canceled the rest of their Tuesday meetings until after she and Hayden returned from their honeymoon. Riley would find out soon enough, along with the rest of Maple Falls.
She put her sandwich back into the washable plastic bag she liked to use instead of regular plastic and left the break room, heading for the section of the library where the business books were. She found two she might be able to handle:Accounting for DummiesandBeginner Business.Surely she would be able to read these without any help.
As she took the books over to Wendy, the librarian manning the front desk, she paused by the rack that held catalogs for Arkansas colleges, including vo-tech schoolsand community colleges. She picked up one for the local community college. Maybe she could take a class as long as she made sure plenty of tutoring was available. Reading a book was one thing. Taking a class was another thing altogether, even if she didn’t have to worry about making a perfect grade.
After she checked out her books, she pushed on the glass door of the library and walked outside, the bright noonday sun hitting her eyes. What a beautiful day, and also her day off. Slipping on her sunglasses, she couldn’t help but smile. She was scared and nervous but also enthusiastic about her new venture. She had a lot to learn, but this time, instead of endless school assignments, she would be learning on her own terms the information needed to open the café.Anita Bedford, Owner. She was starting to believe she could be.
Halfway home, she realized she hadn’t given Tanner a single thought... until now. Maybe she was finally making a little progress.
***
Tanner arrived home dead tired after his shift. Sunshine had been a wasteland most of the day, but a sudden influx of customers, including a peewee soccer team passing through Maple Falls on their way home from a match in Rockport, had made his evening beyond hectic. But even though he was exhausted, he was happy. An uptick in business always put him in a good mood, and that mood was doubled by the knowledge that he was soon to be the proprietor of Sunshine.
He intended to go straight to the shower and then tobed when he saw the light on in the kitchen. Mom was still up? Work started for her at 5:00 a.m., so she usually turned in early for the night. As he entered the kitchen, he saw her preparing her evening tea—chamomile with lavender and peppermint. “I figured you’d be in bed by now,” he said. “Is everything all right?”
She turned around and smiled. “Everything is fine. Do you want some tea?” she asked, gesturing to the kettle on their old gas stove.
“No, thanks.” Despite his exhaustion, he sat at the kitchen table. It was rare he and his mother spent time together lately, much less twice in one week.
She stirred a little honey into the mug, then joined him. “How was your day?”
He paused, wondering if he should tell her about the diner. No, it was enough that George and Harper knew about it. If he told her and then the deal fell through—and he prayed it wouldn’t—he’d have more explaining to do. Better to let her find out with everyone else. “Oh, the usual.”
“You look tired.” She peered at him, swirls of steam floating from her tea, filling the air with hints of the relaxing herbs.
“We were busy tonight.” He told her about the twenty-four hamburger baskets followed by twenty-four hot-fudge sundaes, in addition to the rest of the customers’ orders. “The little guys won their game, so they were celebrating.”
“That’s delightful.” She lifted her mug. “I recall when Maple Falls had all the peewee teams. Soccer, football, baseball. Do you remember when you and Lonzo were in T-ball?”
“A little.”
“You were both stars of your teams. According to your father, of course.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I wish you could have done more fun things like that when you were young.”
