Did she ever. Still, when she glanced down at Erma’s canary-yellow T-shirt that said,I’m not a hot mess, I’m a spicy disaster, Anita couldn’t help but give her a half-hearted smile.
After they were settled on the green couch with a bottle of water each, Erma said, “Now, tell me what’s going on.”
Anita revealed everything, from mismanaging her money to leaving the diner.
“You quit?”
“Yes. And no.” She gripped the water bottle.
“Don’t tell me that boy fired you.” Erma’s back straightened. “Because if he did, he’s going to get a piece of my mind, and he’s not gonna like that.”
While it was nice to have someone stick up for her, she couldn’t let Erma think Tanner was solely to blame. “I kind of asked for it,” she said, acknowledging what she had refused to accept since she had read his words on her time card.
Erma shook her head. “I can’t imagine you doing anything wrong.”
Oh, she had done many things wrong, especially lately. “I gave him my two weeks’ notice on a Post-it note and left it on his desk.”
“Ah. Well, I can see that getting his dander up. How long have you two worked together?”
“Three years.” And four months and three days, but of course she was the only one who’d been counting.
“He’s only been there that long? I thought he’d worked there for at least a decade.”
“He fit in right away.” As if he’d been born for the job, and she knew he had. The diner couldn’t have a better owner than Tanner. That was something else she hadn’t been able to acknowledge, even to herself.
Erma took a sip of her water. “Well, sounds like you’ve got yourself in a pickle or two.”
Anita looked down at her lap. “I never should have tried to have my own business,” she whispered.
“Why in the world not?”
“Because I don’t know what I’m doing. I can’t tell the difference between debits and credits, for starters. Mr.Swanson at the bank asked me for a business plan, and I had to tell him I didn’t know what he was talking about.” She picked at the bottle label. “The only reason he gave me a loan was because of my parents.”
Nodding, Erma said, “Who’s helping you, sugar?”
Anita looked at her. “My mom, for a little while. Now she’s in Texas with Paisley.”
“Anyone else? Your father or Kingston, or your friends?”
“No.”
Erma sat back against the couch. “That’s part of your problem, then. Starting a business by yourself is difficult enough. When you don’t have experience, it’s like climbing Mount Everest blindfolded.” Compassion filled her eyes. “Karen being in the mix couldn’t have been easy.”
“I love her, but...”
“She can be difficult. Remember, I’ve known your father since he was born. I remember his mother coming into Knots and Tangles and buying skeins of reduced and clearance yarn because she couldn’t afford the regular price. She needed that yarn to make sweaters, hats, and mittens for her sons. Sometimes my mother threw a few skeins in there for free. Neither woman ever mentioned it.”
Anita nodded. She knew her father had grown up impoverished and had worked his way through college and medical school, along with getting scholarships. He’d met Mom their senior year of college, and her background couldn’t have been more different—upper middle class, school paid for by her parents, a happy life in Hot Springs.
“We were all surprised when he married Karen and decided to live here,” Erma said. “But we weren’t that surprised when they moved after Paisley’s graduation. Life is slow in Maple Falls. I don’t think Karen ever really felt like a part of the community.”
Erma waved her hand. “Sorry to take a detour with your mother. Let’s get back to how we’re going to solve your café problems. I’m sure Harper and Olivia wouldn’t mind helping. Riley, too, once she gets back from her honeymoon. She has lots of business experience now.”
Anita shook her head. “They’re busy with their lives. I don’t want to be a bother.”
“Are you sure that’s the only reason you’re not reaching out to your family and friends?”
She frowned. “Yes. That’s the reason.”
