“Karen, don’t fuss.” Dad gestured to the empty seat at the opposite end of the table. “Brunch is perfect as always.”
Mom’s sterling-silver bracelets jangled against each other as she repositioned an egg cup and took her seat.
After Dad said grace, he picked up the small platter of sliced liverwurst that Mom had put within his reach. Anita scanned the array of food displayed on the long cherrywood table that seated up to twelve people but, with the leaves taken out, provided for four with plenty of room. In addition to her father’s favorites, there was a large bowl of oven-roasted peanuts in the shell, crabmeat-stuffed mushrooms, orange cornbread muffins, a barbecued pork tenderloin garnished with thin slices of radish and cucumber, a lemony green-bean-and-tomato salad, farm-fresh boiled eggs, and pineapple and kiwifruit slices. Her mouth started to water.
“It all looks delicious, Mom.” Kingston nodded his approval. He put two of the cornbread muffins on his bone-china plate and passed the basket to Anita.
She took one muffin then was hit with another attack of nerves. This was ridiculous. She wasn’t going to be able to eat any of this amazing—except for liverwurst,blech—food if she couldn’t get her seesawing anxiety under control.
Now or never.
“I have some news,” she said, staring at the muffin in front of her as if the little mound of baked cornmeal could give her courage.
“Oh?” Mom placed half a muffin on her plate next to two mushrooms and a thin slice of tenderloin.
“You do?” Kingston quirked an eyebrow. “Is it about Tan—”
“I’m opening a café,” she blurted out.
Chapter16
Silence. Everyone was looking at her now, various levels of surprise on their faces.Dang it. That wasn’t how she’d wanted to tell them. She had planned to give a bit of explanation before hitting them with the news. She scowled at Kingston. If she hadn’t had to shut him up, she could have been more subtle about it.
“You’re opening a café?” Mom repeated, tilting her head as if she were having trouble hearing. “You?”
Dad held a large serving spoon over the bowl of olive salad. “Where?”
“You know the building next to Sunshine?”
“The old Trimble Building?” Dad said. “It’s been vacant for years.”
“Not anymore.” She was finally able to smile. “I bought it.”
“With what?” Mom said. “You don’t have any money.”
She ignored her mother’s thoughtless barb. “I’ve been saving up for a long time. Not to buy the building but for a rainy day.”
“You saved that much on awaitress’ssalary?” Mom’s mouth dropped open.
“Yes, although I’ll have to take out a loan for the renovations,” she said, disliking how her parents were reacting. Kingston hadn’t said anything, but he hadn’t dug into his liverwurst either.
“How much do you need?” Dad shoved the serving spoon back into the salad.
“We can write a check for you today.” Mom started to get up. “I’ll get my checkbook.”
“Don’t. Please.” Now they were thinking she had come here to ask them for money. “I want to do this myself.”
Mom shook her head. “No, you don’t, sweetie. You don’t understand how loans work. They charge you interest.”
“I know. I learned about that in math class. And inBeginner Business.”
“What’s that?” Mom asked.
“A book I’m reading.”
Her mother’s left eyebrow lifted ever so slightly, as if she doubted Anita truly comprehended the situation, much less a book. “You wouldn’t have to worry about paying that interest if we gave you the money.”
Dad turned to her. “It’s no problem for us to help you, Anita.”
