She patted the counter in front of us. “Be right back.”
“Do you think she knows something?” I asked Jake.
He shrugged, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing. “She’s already given us more than we had.”
“Good point.”
Mabel returned to us then. “Now, where were we?”
“These pancakes are amazing, Mabel. Your recipe?”
Her cheeks flushed a little, turning a pale shade of pink. “My momma’s recipe. Thank you, son. It’s always nice to hear.” She turned to me and gestured out the window. “Speaking of Lydia.”
I spun on my stool to find a woman entering the diner with a pair of tall young men in tow. They were all dressed up, Lydia in a green sundress with a white cardigan over it, her blonde curls falling around her shoulders. The two men with her were in slacks and button-downs. They all headed our way and took seats at the counter.
“Phew. It’s hot out there today, Momma,” she said, putting a little black purse on the counter next to her. The boys nodded and murmured their agreement. None of them looked at menus.
Mabel grinned at us. “Gentlemen, meet my daughter, Lydia, and my grandsons, Nate and Wyatt.”
I suppressed a surprised laugh and Jake shot me a wink. “It’s so good to meet you.”
As she spoke, she set glasses of ice water out for them. “These boys were looking for you today. Something about your great-granddaddy Nathan. Now, I’ll be right back with your food.”
I frowned, my brows dipping. They hadn’t even ordered.
Jake leaned in and whispered. “Regulars don’t usually need to order. Especially not family.”
“You’re looking for my great-granddaddy?” Lydia stirred her water idly with a straw.
“Now might not be the best time to talk,” Jake said, glancing around. The diner was still mostly empty.
“It’s fine, none of these folks are going to care about whatever you’re here for.” She leaned close and winked. “A bunch of them probably can’t even hear you.”
I chuckled softly and slid the file toward her. “Are you aware of your great-grandfather’s friend, Freddie? He was Jake’s great-grandfather.”
Lydia leaned back, pinching her lips together in a frown. “Don’t think I know that name.”
Mabel returned and set a plate with a club sandwich in front of each of them. “I do,” she said. “Freddie was out this way all the time, until Nathan passed. Nathan was my granddad.”
Jake laughed and shook his head. “I had a suspicion. Why didn’t you tell us?”
She shrugged. “Wanted to watch you squirm a little.” Everyone laughed at that, even Lydia’s sons, who had been quiet up to that point.
“Well, in that case, let’s catch you up on what’s going on,” I said, sliding the folder in her direction. I ran them through the story as thoroughly as possible, Mabel nodding the whole time, Lydia and her boys leaning in to hear while they ate.
“See, Freddie and Nathan, they were close, but nobody ever confirmed their relationship beyond a friendship,” Mabel saidquietly. “They were both good men. I’m sorry they never got the happy ending they deserved.”
“We were wondering… do you think Freddie’s letters to Nathan survived somehow?”
Lydia spoke up then. “Momma, do you think they could be in that old trunk upstairs?”
Mabel’s face lit up. “You know, they just might be.”
At that, Lydia turned to us. “If you fellas want, you can come back to the farm and we can look in that trunk together.”
Jake and I exchanged a look and we both nodded. “I think we’d like that very much,” I said.
“Well, what are we waiting for then?” She stood and pulled a little cash out of her purse. “Thanks for lunch, Momma.”
