That little pep talk was fine and good until I glanced over, and he wasn’t there. The saying about the heart not missing what the eyes don’t see popped into my mind. But now Ihadseen the joys of having friends, and my heart missed them.
The waitress who had waved at me appeared at my elbow with one lone menu and a single packet of silverware. “I’m Katy, and I’ll be taking care of you today. What can I get you to drink?”
“I’ll have a beer,” I answered. “Whatever you have on tap is good, and I want the taco platter.”
“I’ll be right back with that and a glass of water, plus some corn bread muffins for you to nibble on while we fix your food,” she said.
“Thank you, Katy.”
“Sure thing.” She left and returned with a mug of beer and a basket of muffins. “I’ve lived here all my life, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around. Are you just passing through?”
“I’m living south of Dell City. I own the Tumbleweed,” I answered.
“Mind if I sit with you?” Katy asked when she brought my food. “I really don’t like this time of day. The lunch rush is over, and everything is quiet for a couple of hours. When I get the place cleaned up, it’s just a matter of waiting. I’m not known for patience.”
I nodded toward the chair across the table. “Have a seat. I’m learning that I don’t like to eat alone.” Since arriving at the Tumbleweed, I hadn’t had to eat alone even once.
She pulled out a chair and sat down. “So, when did you buy the café?”
“I didn’t buy it,” I answered between bites. “I won it in a poker game.”
Her blue eyes got wider and wider until they looked like they might pop right out of her head. She clamped a hand over her mouth andwhispered. “Please tell me you won it from Larry, and then he was so broke that he has to live in his truck—or better yet, in a box under a bridge.”
“It was from Larry, but he wasn’t totally broke when he left that night. Why does that shock you?”
“Larry is a pompous ass who was a friend to one of my ex-boyfriends,” she answered. “I’m glad that he lost the café in a poker game. He was about to run it into bankruptcy, and Miz Matilda would be sad. Even in heaven, where everything is supposed to be all joyous, she would be sad. She loved that little place.”
“Wow!” I whispered. “It seems like no one around these parts has any good words to say about him.”
“You can’t find blood in a turnip, and you can’t say good things about a man like Larry,” she said.
I spooned some salsa onto my tacos. “Not even one little thing?”
“There is one thing ...” She grinned. “He’s gone.” She stood up when the bell above the door jingled and a whole group of folks came inside. “Welcome. Are y’all all together?”
“Yes, we are, and we’d like a table for ten,” the older woman in the group said.
“Give me a moment to get you set up,” Katy said, and got moving.
The woman saw me and came right over to my table. “Hi. I’m hoping you can help. I’m taking a group of teenagers back home from a Christian retreat in Carlsbad. Do you have any recommendations for what to order—these teens are so picky!”
“I’ve only had the taco platter, but it’s awesome. Last week my friend had the enchiladas, and he said they were great,” I answered.
“Thank you so much, and have a blessed day,” she said.
“You are welcome.” I took a sip of my beer and went back to eating.
That’s another thing you missed out on.My mama had returned.
I knew what she was talking about. I had not had the normal teenage experience of going to church with a bunch of my peers, or attending retreats—whatever those were. Strange thing was, until I sawthem sitting across the room from me and laughing together, I didn’t even know that it was something I would miss.
Both vehicles were gone, and the trailer was empty when I got home. I put the bank bag with the receipts on the bar and walked right back outside. Rosalie and Scarlett would realize when they got home that I hadn’t run away with their money.
I drove up to Ada Lou’s place. Her truck was there, but no one answered when I knocked on the door. It was too early for Jackson to be in his trailer, so I went back into my SUV and headed north to Dell City. Rosie’s truck was in front of her church, but I didn’t see Scarlett’s car anywhere.
I sure wasn’t ready to go home to an empty trailer, so I kept driving past the oil rig and on into New Mexico. I passed a sign that told me I was heading for Cloudcroft, population 750 and elevation over eight thousand feet. That sounded like a fairy tale after spending so many days in a flat country with only tumbleweeds and yucca plants. Maybe there would be a place where I could grab a hot cup of coffee, and if I was lucky, Rosalie and Scarlett would be home when I got back.
I left the desert country behind and drove up into a brand-new world. No more yucca plants and cactus, but now tall pine trees and mountains were all around me. When I realized that it was almost four o’clock, I told myself to turn around at the next opportunity, but I didn’t want to leave the beauty. The roads were clear, but there was a layer of snow on the trees as well as the ground, turning the whole area into what could be on a picturesque Christmas card. A long, winding curve brought me into a small town that looked like the setting for an old Western movie.
