by Carol Cox
Paul’s jaw dropped. “What’s going on? Did I miss something?”
Avery smiled and shook his head. “I made up my mind a couple of days ago, and I want to do this before I lose my nerve.”
“You’re leaving?” Kate sputtered. “But why?”
Avery looked away, then back at Paul. “I’ve learned a lot workin’ for you at the church. The faith you had in me made me have faith in myself. And that helped me prove to myself that I can clean up my act and stay sober.”
Joy shone in the broad smile that creased his cheeks. “It’s a good feelin’, I can tell you that. I know you’ve taken some flak for hiring me. No one’s ever stood by me like that before, and I want you to know how much I appreciate it.”
Josh’s face scrunched up. “I don’t get it. If things are going so great, why do you want to take off? Running away doesn’t solve anything.”
When all three adults stared at him, he ducked his head and kicked at the grass. “Well, it doesn’t,” he mumbled. “Believe me, I ought to know.”
Avery clapped the boy on the back. “You’re right about that, and it’s a good lesson to learn.” He turned back to Paul. “I know I can stay on the straight and narrow, but most people around here aren’t ever gonna let me forget my past. I want to move on and make a new start somewhere else.”
Paul hooked his thumbs in his pockets and angled his head to one side. “I understand, and I can’t say I blame you. Keep in touch, will you? We’ll be praying for you.”
Paul extended his hand. “You’re a good man, Avery. It’s been a pleasure knowing you.”
Avery started to speak, then he clamped his lips together and gripped Paul’s hand in a firm handshake. He looked at Kate next. “Missus Hanlon, you’ve been real good to me too. I’ll never forget the way you and LuAnne came out to check on me when I was sick.”
Kate could see his chin tremble ever so slightly when he turned and held out his hand to Josh.
Instead of responding, Josh stared over Avery’s shoulder with a frozen expression on his face.
“That’s him. That’s my dad. Even after ten years, I’d know him anywhere.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kate followed the direction of Josh’s gaze and saw a lanky man in his late thirties walking their way.
She stepped back to let her young friend move past her, then linked her fingers in Paul’s. They waited until Josh had nearly reached his father before walking in their direction.
Both Josh and his dad stopped when a few feet still separated them. Even from a distance, Kate could see the similarity between the two. The man’s features showed her exactly how his son would look in twenty years or so.
“Josh?” A smile creased Drew Cannery’s face, though he didn’t move to close the gap between them.
Kate could read the underlying emotions as easily as if they had been printed on a page. Both joy and uncertainty warred within him.
Her gaze switched back to Josh, wondering what he felt now that his search had ended. He had told them he had been trying to find his father, but he’d never said why.
As far as Kate could recall, he never specified whether he wanted to reconnect and fill an empty spot in his life or confront the man who had abandoned his family all those years ago.
She clung to Paul’s fingers as they watched the little drama play out before them.
“You’ve grown into a fine young man.” The muscles in Drew’s jaw knotted while he waited for an answer.
Josh didn’t seem to know whether he felt more like a young man or a child at that moment. He started to raise both arms, then let them fall back to his sides.
Drew’s gaze dropped to Josh’s shoulders, and a faint smile curved his lips. “Is that my old jacket?”
“Yeah. Mom let me have it after you left. I always figured I’d come find you once I grew into it.” The boy’s voice cracked. “It’s all I had left of you.”
Kate could see the tears welling up in Drew Cannery’s eyes. He held out his arms and stepped forward. Josh hesitated only an instant before flinging himself into his father’s embrace.
“I’m sorry, son. I’m so sorry.” Drew’s face twisted, and he looked like he was trying to hold back a flood of emotions that had been held at bay for the past decade.
“I thought it was for the best. Our problems—your mother’s and mine—shouldn’t have hurt you. I thought it was best to move on and let you forget about me.”
Josh’s shoulders heaved. “How was I supposed to forget you? You’re my dad.”
Kate turned her face against Paul’s shoulder to recover her own composure. He held her close and pressed a handkerchief into her hand. She used it to wipe her eyes, then returned it to him with a grateful smile.
“I’m sorry, son. I should have known. I’ve missed out on so much of your life.” Drew moved back and dashed the tears from his face with the back of his hand. “But I’m not going to miss any more. We’ll work something out, the three of us. I promise.”
“That sounds good.” Josh’s voice was just as husky as his father’s. He took a deep breath and glanced around as if he had just remembered they were in a public place. He turned and pointed to Kate and Paul.
“These are the Hanlons. They’re the ones I stayed with last night.”
Drew draped his arm over Josh’s shoulders and stepped forward. “Thanks for watching over my boy.”
Paul smiled. “We were glad to have him with us, but it was God who did the watching while he’s been here.”
“Kate? Kate Hanlon!” LuAnne Matthews scurried across the street and bustled over to them. She pressed her hand against her heaving chest until she recovered enough breath to speak.
“I thought I saw you out here. Come on inside and join the celebration.”
LuAnne made little shooing motions with her hands. “Come on, I can’t stay too long. Loretta needs me back inside.” She waved her arms as if to herd them ahead of her, then she stopped in her tracks, and her jaw dropped.
“Drew Cannery! I haven’t seen you in ages.” She looked at Josh, then at Drew, then back to Josh again and nodded knowingly. “I should have realized who you are, darlin’. Same eyes, same mouth, same build; you two are as alike as two peas in a pod.”
Pointing toward the diner, she said, “Both of you oughtta come in as well. We’re having an open house, and Loretta has gone all out on little cakes and fancy sandwiches.”
She dropped a broad wink at Josh. “You might consider coming in the door this time. We’ve decided not to stick with the drive-through concept.”
Drew gave his son a long look. “You feel comfortable going in there, after what happened?”
Josh grinned. “It’s going to be okay, Dad. The owner’s a nice lady. I’ll fill you in later.”
“On that and a whole lot more, I hope.” Drew clapped him on the shoulder and started across the street toward the diner. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Kate and Paul trailed behind them. Paul looped his arm around Kate’s waist. “It looks like a happy ending for Josh and his dad.”
Kate nodded, her heart brimming with gratitude for the way things had turned out. “I’m sure they still have some rough roads ahead, but at least they’re on the right track.”
She tugged at Paul. “Come on! I can’t wait to see what Loretta has done inside. I wonder what she meant by the ‘all-new’ Country Diner?”
Lagging behind a bit, Paul protested. “I’m not sure I want to find out. I liked the place just the way it was.”
“As hush-hush as Loretta kept this whole project, it’s anybody’s guess. But my curiosity is in high gear. Let’s go!”
Paul laughed and let her coax him inside.
“OH MY.” Kate pressed close to Paul, trying to keep the jostling crowd from making him lose his balance.
She pivoted in a circle to get a view of the whole interior. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”
Paul nodded, his jaw slack. “I see it, but
I don’t believe it.”
“I don’t either.” Kate finished her circuit and looked up at him incredulously. “Everything looks just like it did before.”
A slow grin spread over Paul’s face. “Yeah. It feels like home. She didn’t change a thing.”
It was true. Kate felt like she had stepped back in time. She ticked off a mental checklist as she looked around. It was all there, just as it had been before—the blue gingham curtains, the blue-topped tables, the booths along the walls. The new counter was slightly longer and Loretta had added a few more tables, but aside from the smell of paint, it was exactly the same. Kate could see J. B. Packer behind the stove through the little service window to the kitchen.
Across the room, she saw LuAnne waving at them and pointing to a table.
They threaded their way through the excited, laughing throng. In a booth on the opposite wall, Josh and his dad sat in deep conversation, oblivious to all the commotion going on around them.
LuAnne motioned for them to sit when they reached the table. “Let me bring you a couple plates of goodies. We’ll go back to the regular menu tomorrow, but we knew there would be too much of a crowd today for business as usual.”
She returned a few minutes later carrying plates piled high with a tempting variety of finger foods. Loretta trailed along behind her.
Kate tried to mask her delight long enough to give each of them a stern look. “Why didn’t the two of you say something when I saw you at the sheriff’s office yesterday? I had no idea anything like this was going on.”
LuAnne set the plates down and wiped her hands on her apron. “I didn’t know it myself until a few days ago, when Loretta swore me to secrecy. I almost let it slip a few times, but I managed not to say anything. We didn’t even let J.B. know until last night. You never saw a man look happier to be going back to work than he did.”
She looked toward the ceiling and shook her head. “Keeping that secret was one of the hardest things I ever did. You know how I like to talk.”
Paul grinned up at Loretta. “So this is what you’ve been doing behind the tarps all this time?”
“Yep.” If Loretta had been a cat, Kate would have expected to see canary feathers sticking out of her mouth. “My nephew is a contractor up in Pine Ridge. He brought his crew down, and they’ve been working overtime. I knew no one in this town would be able to keep it under wraps.”
“I’m surprised you kept it exactly the same, though,” Kate said. “I can’t see any changes except for everything looking fresh and new.”
“People liked it the way it was. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s my motto.” Loretta grinned. “The only real difference is in the kitchen. I had all new equipment put in there so it’s up to date. It ought to make my job back there a lot easier.”
She beamed at the noisy crowd filling the diner. “When all is said and done, having that car drive in here turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The place has needed sprucing up for a long time.”
“But why all the secrecy?” Paul asked. “And why didn’t you let anyone know you were reopening today?”
Loretta pulled up a chair and sat down, folding her arms on the table. “I love running this place, but it’s hard work all the same. When I found out what the insurance settlement would be, retirement sounded like a pretty good idea. Then I thought maybe I’d rebuild the restaurant, put in a lot of fancy doodads, and sell it. That would have given me even more to retire on.”
Loretta shrugged. “People kept saying how much they wanted the diner back, and me with it, but I had to see for myself how serious they were before I committed to staying here instead of selling.”
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell anybody,” Kate said. “As much as people were pressuring you to reopen, I’d think you would have wanted to let everybody know. At least put an ad in the Chronicle, or something like that.” She waved as the Jenner family walked in and settled into a booth.
“They still showed up, though, didn’t they?” Loretta’s cat-with-a-canary smile returned. “I’ve been reading a bunch of articles on public relations. They say word of mouth is the best advertising, so I decided I’d just hang the banner up and see what happened.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t want folks to come just because they cut a coupon out of the paper and wanted a meal at half price. I wanted them to be here because they love the place as much as I do.”
Paul scooted his chair out of the way of a family trying to reach a nearby table. “I have to admit it looks like it worked.”
“I’ll say it did!” Loretta’s triumphant laugh rang out through the diner. “Somebody saw the banner and called their friends, then they called some others, and things just took off from there.”
She folded her arms across her chest and gave a satisfied nod. “In PR terms, this is what we call ‘buzz.’”
Paul laughed. “They’re glad to have you back, Loretta. No doubt about that.”
Kate let her gaze wander around the room to the people she had grown to love. Word must have spread about the truth of the car’s driver as quickly as it had about the diner’s reopening, for the faces turned her way were friendly, open, accepting.
Faces. Their ability to reflect what lay within a person’s heart had always fascinated Kate.
Many of the faces gathered in that room had darkened with suspicion when she and Paul first arrived, not sure they could trust the city slickers who left their San Antonio church to come minister to the little flock on the banks of Copper Mill Creek.
She and Paul had wondered both then and later whether they had made a mistake in coming, if they’d ever be accepted in this tight-knit community.
But God didn’t make mistakes. The joyful certainty unfolded in Kate’s heart like spring buds bursting into full bloom.
He knew exactly what he was doing. And he had walked beside her every step of the way through another adventure in Copper Mill.
About the Author
CAROL COX is the author of more than twenty novels and novellas. Her nonwriting time is devoted to being a pastor’s wife, a homeschool mom and, recently, a grandmother. Carol makes her home with her husband and young daughter in northern Arizona, where the deer and the antelope really do play—often within view of the family’s front porch. To learn more about Carol and her books, visit www.CarolCoxBooks.com.
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