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“Allegedly,” Patience muttered under her breath, which earned her a quizzical glance from Kanon.

Glenda continued to stare at him. “What brings you back to town?”

He let the silence stretch for so long Patience spoke for him. “He inherited half the motor inn when Suzanne died. Can you believe that? He’s a business owner around here now.”

Glenda’s jaw dropped. “Suzanne gave you half the inn?”

Although his smile remained in place, it no longer reached his eyes. Patience noticed but she didn’t think Glenda did. Glenda wasn’t the type to pick up on such nuances.

“Surprised me, too,” he said simply.

Patience hoped that would be it, that Glenda would leave him alone. But she wasn’t done yet. “So what does that mean?” she asked. “You’ve moved here?”

“For now,” he replied.

The couple interested in the mug got in line behind Kanon. Not wanting to hold anyone up, Patience gestured toward Demin and asked Glenda what she wanted to order, but Glenda was so caught up in seeing Kanon, Patience wasn’t sure she’d even heard the question. So she grabbed hold of Glenda’s arm like she would’ve done back when they were still friends. “Glenda,” she said pointedly.

Finally, Glenda looked up at the blackboard. “What’re you having?”

“The gingerbread latte.”

“I’ll have the same,” she told Demin.

Patience got out her credit card, but Glenda pushed her hand away. “I got this. It’s so nice of you to meet me. The least I can do is buy you coffee.”

Although Patience could feel Kanon watching them from behind, she told herself to ignore him and focus on the problem at hand—getting through the next few minutes with Glenda.

After Glenda paid, they stepped aside so Demin could take Kanon’s order and the couple could pay for their mug.

Once they had their coffees, Patience chose a table in back, where her conversation with Glenda wasn’t likely to be overheard. The couple left, but once Kanon got his own coffee, he found a table nearby and dropped into a chair—close enough to be annoying.

Patience narrowed her eyes.

When he noticed, he lifted his cup, as if to say, “What are you going to do about it?”

She considered moving. She wasn’t excited to have this conversation in the first place—certainly didn’t welcome an audience. But she didn’t want to let him know he was getting to her.

Fortunately, a second later, he opened his laptop and became engrossed in whatever he was doing. Then she figured having him around wouldn’t be any big deal since he’d dismissed them.

“So…what’s going on?” she asked Glenda. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“I can’t believe Kanon’s back in town!” she marveled instead of answering the question. “I wondered whatever happened to him. Remember how he’d show up for school in the same clothes for a week or more?”

Patience felt a twinge of protectiveness.

That was because he’d been kicked out of the house most of the time, living in the streets and sleeping where he could, like at the church. “He didn’t have an easy childhood,” she said, feeling irritated by Glenda’s conversation and how obtuse she could be.

“Well, he seems to have landed on his feet. He’s certainly cute—am I right? I mean, he was always good-looking, but he’s absolutely gorgeous now!” She leaned closer. “Look at his body!”

Patience stiffened. “I think we’ve all probably changed quite a bit.” She didn’t want to pay him a compliment. She also didn’t want to be drawn into the type of girlhood gossip they used to have. For one thing, it was inappropriate, at least for married Glenda.

“Not as much as he has!” she said. “When did you find out that Suzanne gave him half the inn?”

“Yesterday.”

Lifting her cup, Glenda sipped off some of the heart-shaped foam, then scowled. “Now that I live outside of town, I’m always the last to know anything.”

“He’s only been back a few days.” Patience felt uncomfortable talking about Kanon. For one thing, he was right there, close by. For another, she was afraid he could tell how much Glenda admired his physical attributes. “But enough about him. What’s going on with you? Why’d you want to meet? This doesn’t have anything to do with Ari, does it? She’s behaving when she comes to your house?”