Elliott and Mike stood as Misty and David reached them, and then, after shaking hands with David, the four of them sat down.
“Where’s Tracy?”asked Misty.
Mike sighed.“She’s not coming.Hope you don’t mind an extra.”
“Not at all.This will give me a chance to get to know you better,” said Misty.“Until now, you’ve been pretty much working in Florida.”
“Yes, I teach tennis there in the winter months, but the program is growing so fast here at the Sports Center that I may stay on for the winter crowd that we’re trying to create here.”
Hazel shot Mike a look of confusion, and he smiled.
Misty, David, and Mike ordered dinner, and soon they were all eating together.
“Service here is quick,” commented Elliott.“No wonder this place is so popular.”
“It’s been here forever,” said David.“They thought about tearing the place down and building something bigger, fancier, and decided not to.I’m glad.This is one-of-a-kind in this area.”
“Hazel took me to your family park,” said Elliott.“It’s beautiful.”
David smiled a little sadly.“My sister was a wonderful person.Far too young to die.”
“And very nice, very beautiful,” added Misty.
“I haven’t seen it,” Mike admitted.“I’ll have to go there sometime.”
“I’ll take you anytime,” said Hazel.“It’s not far from my house, and I stop there quite often.”
“I hear you’re doing some work for Beckman Lumber,” said Misty, looking at Elliott.“How’s that going?”
“Excellent,” said Elliott.“I’m going into business with Craig Evans, and Beckman Lumber is my primary customer at this point.”
“I’m very proud and pleased that Elliott is settling in so quickly,” said Hazel.
Misty took a sip of beer and then blurted, “You were supposed to marry Hazel?”
Taken aback by Misty’s boldness, Elliott and Hazel looked at one another.
Hazel remained quiet, wondering what Elliott would say.
“As much as I love Hazel, it wasn’t going to happen,” said Elliott.“I’m gay.”
Misty bobbed her head.“That’s a smart decision, then.”
Hazel couldn’t help chuckling at Misty’s earnest expression, and soon they were all laughing, relieving the tension.
Mike gave her a steady look.
Hazel cleared her throat.“You might as well be in on the plan, everyone.Mike has agreed to pretend to be dating me when my mother comes to visit me in a couple of days.To get her off my back about Elliott, I blurted out that I had a boyfriend in town.When my mother grilled me, the only single guy I could think of was Mike.”Hazel shook her head.“It’s all a horrible mistake, but thankfully, Mike’s helping me out.”
“Y’all don’t know how a Southern mother can be about wanting her children settled with a family,” said Elliott.“Like our two mothers.”
“I’m hoping her visit will simply be fun and harmless,” said Hazel.“We’ll see.”
Elliott gave her a skeptical look.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Hazel’s mother had conveniently flown into Portsmouth International Airport rather than having Hazel pick her up in Boston.It didn’t mean that Hazel was any less anxious about meeting her mother and taking her to Lilac Lake.
