“And after that?” Sarah asked.
“I might start it to rocking,” Grace said with a soft giggle.
“That sounds like retirement, not starting a new life with Travis Butler,” Macy told her.
“Grace didn’t say why the chair started rocking, Macy.” The joke only kind of dulled the ache in Sarah’s heart for a family and home of her own.
“Right now, we’re just enjoying each other’s company and getting to know each other. We’re barely in a relationship, and we sure haven’t talked about things that far in the future. Besides, I’ve got a whole year before I even intend to open one of those bride magazines that you still have in your bedroom, Macy,” Grace answered. “Now, getting back to the shop. Let’s keep to four days a week until the girls are out of school. We can start next week so our regulars get plenty of notice that we won’t be here Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. Later, we can decide whether to cut back another day. If the girls don’t get jobs at Travis’s company, they might want to be put on the shop’s payroll this summer.”
Macy added the rest of the ingredients to the dough she was mixing up and kneaded it right in the bowl a few times before setting it back and starting a second round. “Sounds like a plan to me. This flour reminds me of the white sand down at the beach.”
Sarah finished kneading her first bowl of dough and set about working on the next one. “The sugar reminded me of the beach, too, but part of me hopes they don’t take those internships in San Antonio. Having big-people jobs with that big of a company brings it all home that they are growing up too fast.”
“Let’s don’t think about that,” Grace said with a long sigh.
“Amen,” Macy agreed. “I’m going to the dining room to put on a pot of coffee. After two weeks of sleeping until I was ready to get up, this three o’clock a.m. business is kicking my butt.”
“I hear you, sister,” Sarah told her.
The display cases were full, and Macy was still working on putting the icing on the last six dozen doughnuts when Sarah flipped the “Closed” sign around to “Open” and unlocked the front doors. Sure enough, Claud, Ira, and Frankie were the first customers, and they quickly claimed their regular table.
“Good mornin’,” Sarah greeted them with a smile. “What can I get y’all?”
“Girl, we missed y’all so much that us three grown men cried every morning that you were gone,” Ira teased, and wiped fake tears from his eyes.
Frankie patted his stomach. “I bet I lost ten pounds. I might even have to buy new overalls.”
“Don’t pay no attention to them,” Claud said. “What they’re full of ain’t yesterday’s Easter ham. Bring us three cups of black coffee and a dozen doughnuts. Just mix ’em up this morning, and we’ll fight over who gets the maple ones. Lord, I’m glad y’all are back. I ain’t had a decent doughnut since you been gone.”
“We had a wonderful vacation, but we’re glad to be home,” Sarah said. “Thanks for missing us, and I’ll have that order right out.”
Claud’s comment about Easter brought a vision of Audrey and Raelene to Sarah’s mind. Audrey had worn a baby-blue dress with white polka dots, and Raelene had chosen one with yellow sunflowers for that special Sunday. Although neither of them would have admitted it, Grace could tell they had been nervous about going into the Sunday school room with Crystal and Kelsey. The girls hadn’t said anything to her about the fact that Crystal and Kelsey weren’t in attendance that morning, but Beezy had whispered that they wouldn’t be back to their church.
Sarah left the lid on the box open and set it on a tray, then poured three cups of coffee and carried it all to the table, where the guys were already deep in conversation about the new preacher in town.
“Did you hear that four families left our church and went to another one?” Claud asked as he took a doughnut from the box.
“No, is that why Crystal and Kelsey weren’t in Sunday school with our girls yesterday?” Sarah asked.
Ira reached for a doughnut with sprinkles. “Probably so. Those two have always been little hellions. My sweet wife, Martha Jane, used to put up with them in the church nursery. She could put a halo on the devil himself, but those girls were a different matter. Their mothers wouldn’t believe a thing when Martha Jane told her what they’d done.”
“Macy will probably have a better class without them. But I got to admit, I kinda feel sorry for whatever church they moved to,” Claud said and took a sip of his coffee.
Sarah sidestepped having to make a comment and pointed out the window. “Looks like we’re in for a busy day. You guys just holler when you get ready for a warm-up on your coffee.”
She hurried back behind the counter and quickly put on the second pot of coffee. When she turned around, people had not only filled all the tables but were lined up for take-out orders. She was just about toyell at Macy and Grace when they both came in from the kitchen with full trays in their hands.
“Looks like we’re going to sell out early today,” Macy said as she picked up an order pad and a pen and headed over to one of the tables.
“I’ve got one dozen saved back in the kitchen for the girls’ breakfast and for us to snack on when things slow down,” Grace said as she took her place behind the register.
Sarah filled a box with half a dozen glazed. “Ifthey do slow down. It looks like we might run out by midmorning.”
At ten o’clock the items in the display case were sparse, but there were still a few of each variety left. The dining area and the parking lot had emptied out. Macy had just finished sweeping up crumbs and taken the broom and dustpan to the kitchen. Grace poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at a table.
“Mercy! What a morning!” Macy said. “I think everyone missed us.”
“Yep, I believe they did,” Grace agreed with a nod.
