“I heard through the grapevine Frank made meatloaf,” Hannah said, glancing at the specials board. “Thought you might need some help.”
“I definitely won’t turn down the help.” And she definitely wouldn’t ask her if Danny was still at the campground or if he’d gone home already.
Hannah laughed as she walked around the counter and pulled an apron from the clean pile on the shelf. “I don’t know what your dad puts in that meatloaf, but I don’t think news of even the juiciest sex scandal would travel faster than the news that meatloaf’s on the Corinne’s Kitchen specials board.”
“He won’t tell me the recipe,” Kenzie confessed, and then she laughed. “I just hope it’s legal.”
The door opened and an older couple walked in, the man’s eyes going directly to the specials board to see if the meatloaf had been crossed out. It hadn’t, and his grin had Kenzie and Hannah sharing an amused look.
By five o’clock, there were customers hanging out in the parking lot, socializing, while they waited for tables to open. Even the counter was full, and she and Hannah didn’t have time to talk about anything other than the diners until things started winding down by seven.
“Why doesn’t Frank make meatloaf on the weekend, when you have Abby helping?” Hannah asked when they could finally take a breath.
“I think it’s because he hates serving spaghetti and the meatloaf puts a dent in those orders.”
“I wish you’d hire somebody available for more hours during the summer so you don’t have to run so much. And so you can take some time off once in a while. You don’thaveto do this alone, Kenzie.”
She snorted. “Have you been talking to Danny?”
Hannah tilted her head. “No. What does Danny have to do with anything?”
“Nothing.” She grabbed a cloth and the spray bottle, then started wiping down the counter with enough vigor to take the finish off.
“Stop.” When Kenzie kept wiping, Hannah covered her hand, stilling it. “Talk to me.”
“He had some pretty strong opinions on how I should run my business.”
“Oh.” Hannah pulled her hand back and leaned her hip against the counter. “I can see how that would be annoying, but I hope you know he was coming from a place of…well, a good place.”
Kenzie folded her arms, her attention caught by her friend’s expression. “What were you going to say?”
“This is a sticky spot for me, Kenzie. You’re my friend, and Danny’s my friend. But he’s also going to be family once Rob and I get married.”
That sounded as if there was more to it than a man thinking he had all the right answers. Hannah picked up the cloth and took over the enthusiastic wiping, which would have made Kenzie laugh if her brain wasn’t sorting through conversational puzzle pieces, trying to figure out what was missing.
“You should talk to Danny,” Hannah said firmly, scrubbing at an imaginary spot. “Maybe have a conversation about why a guy might want you to find a way out of your situation so badly.”
Kenzie’s skin tingled and her breath caught in her chest. Sure, if Kenzie didn’t have the responsibility of Corinne’s Kitchen, she’d be free to run off with Danny. She could fold his laundry right side out and help him fix his plot problems.
“Maybe a better conversation,” she said, hoisting the full bus pan onto her hip, “is why a man who has no kids and can do his job from anywhere has such strong opinions about howIshould changemylife.”
Then she turned and pushed through the swinging door before Hannah could say anything else.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Kenzie regretted her tone. Her friendwasin a tight spot, and she could see that. But on the other hand, if she was in that tight spot, she probably would have stayed out of it entirely.
“You okay, Kenzie?” Nathan asked when she set the bus pan on the shelf. The poor guy rarely got to leave the dishwashing station on meatloaf nights, unless Frank really needed him. Then the dishes would start backing up and Kenzie would have to try to run some through in between customers.
“I’m good. You know how it is on meatloaf nights.”
When he just nodded and returned to his task, Kenzie popped into the tiny bathroom by the break table she rarely used to splash some cold water on her face.
She didn’t want to argue with Hannah. Being born and raised here, she had a lot of friends. And she had Rhylee, who would always be her closest friend. But having a friend she’d made as an adult—not somebody she’d grown up with—meant a lot to her.
She’d just dried her face and was bracing herself to go back out front when Hannah pushed through the door and walked straight to her.
“I only have a second because we can’t both be back here, but I’m so sorry, Kenzie.”
“I know you’re stuck in the middle. It’s okay.”
