“You said that last month. We’re a little worried about you, Rosa. You looked a bit peaked yesterday. Is everything all right?”
“Yes, it’s fine. I’m just...”
“Busy. I know.” Erma sighed again. “I’ll give you a call next month, then. But please, let us BBs know if we can help you out in any way. That’s what friends are for.”
“I will. Thanks, Erma.”
“Anytime.”
Rosa slipped the phone into her pocket. There was a time when she had hung out with the BBs, but that was long ago, and only on a few occasions. Over the years she hadn’t had time to indulge in knitting, something she’d learned fromher mother. “Maybe one day,” she said, settling her earbuds into her ears and connecting the plug to her cell phone. She turned on the audio book she’d been listening to for the past week and started to dust.
She was halfway through with the offices when a sharp pain stabbed her chest. Slapping her hand over her heart, she froze. Other than that one burst of pain, she didn’t feel anything else. Her heartbeat was steady, and her pulse wasn’t racing. After a few minutes, she relaxed. Probably a little attack of gas. That happened sometimes, especially when she ate her meals too fast, like she had with the dinner she’d picked up from a local fast-food place before she arrived at the office building.
Rosa waited few more seconds to see if the pain returned. When it didn’t, she went back to work. She’d learned her lesson—next time she wouldn’t eat while she was driving in between jobs.
***
“Congratulations, son. I know you’ll do this place proud.”
Son.A lump formed in Tanner’s throat as George added a flourish to his signature on the Sunshine Diner sale documents. For a plain-Jane kind of guy, he had quite the fancy autograph.
Tanner sat back in the chair in the small but comfortable conference room at the county title office. It hadn’t taken long for Harper to get the documents ready, and since the diner sale was cash, the process had been easy. She was pointing to the last line George had to sign on the final documentwhile Wanda, the title company’s manager, organized the other documents they had already signed.
Tanner tried to focus on the signing process instead of the unexpected emotion inside him. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone other than his mother had called him “son,” and he hadn’t heard a man say it since he and his father’s last conversation. “Thanks, George,” he somehow managed to utter. “Thanks for everything.”
“No, thank you. I have peace of mind knowing my life’s work is in good hands.”
“I’ll be right back.” Wanda left the room.
“I’m sorry I can’t stick around, fellas, but I’ve got another appointment.” Harper picked up her enormous handbag off the floor and stood. “Congratulations to both of you. This is a momentous occasion.” She looked at Tanner and grinned. “You should celebrate.” She exited the room, leaving him and George alone.
“Welp, I’m glad that’s done,” George said.
But Tanner could tell by the way he tugged at his thick fingers that the process wasn’t as easy as he was letting on. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Sunshine is taken care of.”
“Oh, I know.”
Tanner thought for a moment. “Come to think of it, I’m sure I’ll need some help settling in, though.”
George lifted a bushy gray brow. “You? You’ve been basically running the place over the past year.”
“But I’ve never owned a business before. I’ll need some advice from time to time.”
“Well, I guess you could give me a call if you run into trouble.” George stuck his thumbs underneath his blacksuspenders, the strain easing from his face. “When you’re in a pinch, that is.”
“But only in a pinch,” Tanner added.
“Right. Only in a pinch.” George smiled.
“Thanks for your patience,” Wanda said, hurrying back into the room. She handed a neat stack of papers to each of them. “Here’s your paperwork. Congratulations.”
George and Tanner thanked her, then left for the parking lot. They stopped in front of their cars, which were parked next to each other.
“Oh,” George said. “I forgot to tell you—the first Tuesday of every month there’s a business owners association meeting at the town hall.”
Tanner knew about the meetings thanks to Hayden, who’d made sure to attend every one of them since he’d bought Price Hardware from his parents last year. “I didn’t know you went to those meetings.”
“I don’t.”
