“Just how involved are you in these preparations?”
“Too involved. Mostly I’m there to keep Riley and Erma from killing each other.” At Tanner’s surprised look, he added, “Not really, but things have been tense. Harper’s going to take Erma shopping again. Hopefully they’ll find something close to appropriate. At this point Riley will settle for a bathrobe.”
Tanner laughed but sobered when Hayden didn’t join in. “I guess that’s not as funny as I thought.”
“It’s funny. I’m just too fed up to laugh.”
“Are you saying weddings aren’t worth it?”
“Oh, they are.” Now Hayden was smiling again. “I’d do anything for Riley, and I know she’d do the same. Being supportive while she goes crazy for another month isn’t a big deal. Besides, she said she’s going to make it up to me, and I’m holding her to that.”
An odd sense of envy appeared in Tanner’s gut. He wasn’t jealous of Hayden marrying Riley, and he was glad his friend was happy—or at least would be once the wedding was over. But for the first time in his life, he wondered what it would be like to love a woman that much. And not for the first time, he wondered if he was missing out on something.
Hayden stood. “I’d better go relieve Jasper. Thanks again for lunch, and I’m down for that steak after Riley and I get back from Montana.”
Rising from his chair, Tanner nodded. “That’s where you’re going to honeymoon?”
“Yep. Neither one of us has been there, and there’s lots of hiking, bike riding, and sights to see.”
“Right. Because you’ll being doingsomuch of that,” Tanner quipped.
Hayden simply grinned.
“Speaking of Jasper,” Tanner said, putting his takeout container into the trash, “he hasn’t said anything, uh, weird lately, has he?”
“He’s Jasper. Of course he has.”
Tanner stilled. “Like what?”
Hayden rubbed his chin. “Well, this morning he was asking why we didn’t carry neon signs.”
“Why would you carry neon signs?”
“That’s what I asked him. He said they would look nice all lit up in the window.”
Tanner laughed. “Okay, that’s a little weird.”
“Not for Jasper.”
Relieved, he agreed. “True.” Jasper had said he would keep his word, and as far as Tanner knew, he had. “I’ll see you around,” he said, heading for the front of the shop.
“See ya. Tanner?”
He turned around. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for being in the wedding. It means a lot to me and Riley.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for anything.” He walked to the front door, past Jasper, who was sitting at the front desk. Jasper gave him a quick nod. Tanner returned it, then went outside and headed back to the diner.
He was due to clock in soon, but he stopped and walked across the street to check out #3. He’d forgotten to ask Hayden if he’d heard someone was going to purchase it. He could call Harper, but she wouldn’t reveal any details, and no doubt she would tell him to mind his own business.
He stopped in front of the building. Sure enough, theFor Salesign that had been there for years was gone. What kind of business was going in there?
He shrugged. He’d find out soon enough.
When he arrived at Sunshine, the crowd was light enough for Bailey and Fred to handle, so he went back to the office—his office—and sat down in the chair. George always kept a large desk calendar, and Tanner didn’t see any reason not to use it until the end of the year. He grabbed a red marker and turned to June, where he circled the days of the tuxedofitting, the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding. He had to make sure he had coverage, not only for himself but for Anita. He was sure Fred and Mabel wouldn’t mind picking up an evening shift, and he’d also been training Kevin as a cook. The kid picked things up quickly, so he could probably cover the night of the wedding.
When he was finished, he put the marker back into the desk and opened up the laptop he’d brought from home this morning. A website that specialized in selling coffee machines and supplies appeared on the screen. He surfed for a minute then sat back in the chair, thinking about Anita again. He hadn’t seen her since Wednesday, and while it wasn’t unusual in the past for them to go a whole week without talking, he wanted to see her. He’d thought he might after church on Sunday, but right after the service was over, she and Kingston had gone to their parents’ house for lunch in Hot Springs.
