Page 6 of Recipe for Rivals

“She has a lot on her plate already,” Gracie Mae said, pilfering a fry from her dad’s red and white plaid paper boat. She ate it slowly, watching me. “Her niece just moved in, brought kids with her.”

My ears tuned in to this. This had to be the woman with the children I’d seen the other day. Suddenly, it clicked. I bet she looked familiar from the pictures Gigi tacks to her register.

“I heard something about that,” Henry said, taking a bite of his burger.

Gracie Mae wrinkled her nose. “Nasty divorce, apparently.”

Those words,nasty divorce, made my stomach hurt. That woman did not need men ogling her in the grocery store.

“She probably needs a lot of support right now,” Gracie Mae continued. “You’re better off getting someone else to do dinner. Or make it part of the fundraiser? People can pay for a meal.”

Henry tilted his head to the side. “Something with little overhead.”

I rubbed a hand over my eyes, which made both Gables look at me. “Pancakes?” I suggested. “Or tacos?”

“Let’s think on it.”

“I’ll start working on a list of who we can talk to about donations. Maybe we should do a silent auction this time, let people drive prices up on their own.” My brain was already working out our options—businesses, parents, schools, small companies. There were a lot of people we could tap for donations. We should start putting fliers up to get the event on peoples’ calendars, maybe spread word as far as Beeler. “I can pick a day and get it on the school’s schedule so we know we have the gym.”

“Sure, auction it is.” Henry’s thoughts had already moved on to his lunch, but he raised his face. “I’ll put the deposit on the camp, then, or we’ll lose it. We need to flesh out a schedule, maybe get a few parents on board and form a camp committee.”

It was a good thing my schedule worked the way it did; I’d have time to do all of these things. I started my next 48-hour shift in the morning, so I planned to work on the fundraiser when all my tasks were completed at the firehouse.

“Let me know what day you choose and I’ll get Sharon on the flier for us.” Henry always pulled his wife in for our creative needs because she was much better than either of us.

“Will do.” I gave them a smile. “Y’all have a good day.”

I left them behind with a thunk as the metal door swung closed. Gracie Mae’s red car was parked directly next to my truck in the otherwise empty lot. I pulled out of the high school’s parking lot, making my way into town. I should’ve gonehome, but the smell of Gigi’s burgers made me realize how hungry I was, so I made a pit stop for lunch.

I parked and pulled out my phone to text my buddy, Tucker.

Dusty

Meet me for lunch at Gigi’s?

Tucker

Can’t today. Out on Alburn with Grady.

I sent him a thumbs up before ambling inside and letting myself into a booth right in front of the window, sunlight streaming in. Tucker was a lineman for Arcadia Energy and Grady was his apprentice. If they were out near Alburn Road, they were too far, anyway. Since Tucker’s high school girlfriend came back to town last year and managed to get a proposal out of him, I hadn’t seen him as often. We still got together, but he was much busier in general.

Which was fine. I didn’t love June’s return. She’d hurt him so much in the past. I was a tough sell on their relationship, but I was getting over it.

I would. Really.

Eventually.

“What’ll you have?” Gigi asked, coming over with a tall glass of ice water and setting it in front of me.

“Bacon cheeseburger with a Dr Pepper, ma’am.”

She didn’t bother writing it down. Gigi fed me lunch most days. “Fries?”

I remembered Gracie Mae eating the fry slowly in her dad’s office and the way she’d looked at me. “Not today.”

She nodded, but her mouth was tight.

“Is something wrong?” I asked. “Anything I can do?”

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