“Mmm hmmm. I bet he did,” Mags replies, looking between us. “Well, if you wanted to start the Spring Haven gossip tree shakin’, you sure picked a good time to do it. Lunch at the Loaded Hog on a Sunday with all the church crowd? The whole town will know about you two by sundown.”
“Ma…” Charlie warns but there’s no malice in it. “You said you’d keep out of it this time.” I frown, wondering what she means.
Mags lifts her hand to her mouth and makes a zipping motion. "OK. You're right, Ididsay that. So how ‘bout you two lovebirds go take the Bull Ranch booth and I’ll send someone over to take your order.”
“You know what I’ll be havin’, Ma,” Charlie replies, looking up at me. “Corned Beef Hash, all day, every day. I missed it so much that I’m makin’ up for lost time.”
“A woman with good taste,” I chuckle. “Make it two. And a root beer too, please.”
“Ooh yes, one of those for me as well,” Charlie adds.
Mags’s gaze warms. “Two peas in a pod. OK, off you go. Your meals will be out shortly.”
Charlie leans forward and kisses her mom’s cheek. “Thanks, Ma.”
“You’re welcome, Charlie Bear,” she replies before shooing us off.
To say that I feel all the eyes on us as we make our way to the end of the diner would be an understatement. We’re stopped by Miss Frances and the rest of the Sallys just before reaching our table.
“Good mornin’, you two. Fancy seein’ you here,” our old teacher says with a twinkle in her eye.
“Thought we’d grab some lunch before getting’ back into paintin’ Charlie’s apartment,” I reply.
Miss Frances nods knowingly. “Of course, of course. Ain’t no better place to fill your bellies. Your Ma’s cookin’ is the best.”
Charlie grins. “It sure is.”
”I’m glad to see you two catchin’ up. I remember you were as thick as thieves back at school.”
I chuckle. She's not wrong, we were inseparable. I gaze down at Charlie, unable to stop the smile curving my lips. "We've got a lot to catch up on."
“I bet you do,” Star’s grandmother, Ruthie, adds. “I always wondered if you two would see what the rest of us could.”
Charlie blushes and burrows her head into my side.
“Sometimes people need time away from each other to realize what they had all along,” Miss Frances says, sending a pointed look Ruthies way.
“Very true,” Ruthie replies. “It’s good that the universe knows how to bring them back together as well. Ain’t that right, Austin?” The knowing glint in her eyes has me feeling like there’s a giant spotlight on me. Thankfully, Charlie saves me.
“Star said somethin’ similar,” she says, grabbing my attention immediately.
My brows bunch together. “She did?”Why didn’t Star tell me she’d talked to Charlie?
“Yeah. She said life had a way of pullin’ us away from our true path, but it also had a knack for leadin’ us back to where we belong.”
“My granddaughter is good like that. Did she give you a readin’?”
“She did. And it was eerily similar to somethin’ a fortune teller in Portugal told me.” Charlie looks up to me and smiles, and just like that, I don’t care about what people think or know. All I care about is the woman in my arms. “I think they were onto somethin’.”
I forget about our audience, the only person I can see right now is her. “I’m just glad you’re back,” I say, giving her a gentle squeeze.
Her eyes turn soft. “Me too,” she says, as if for my ears only.
“Wowzers. You two are just…” Miss Aggie, another one of the Sunday School Sallies starts fanning herself. “Don’t let us keep you from your romantic lunch. And Austin, tell Toby that my front hedge is lookin' a little overgrown. Maybe he and Rhett can come by and trim it for me."
“With shirts on, this time,” Miss Frankie says with a laugh. “Far too cold to be doin’ it in their skivvies.”
I can’t help but chuckle at that. “Will do, Miss Aggie. Enjoy your meal, ladies.”
