Page 18 of As They Are
“Don’t put the poor woman on a pedestal before you even get to know her.” Dakota rolled her eyes. “Nice to meet you, kid. I’m Tammy.”
“Tammy?” I asked, blinking. “But your name tag says Dakota.”
She laughed. “Gotcha! I always wear the wrong one. Keeps things fresh.”
“Her last name isn’t even on the Facebook group,” Kerry added. “It’s all her husband. He’s secretive.”
“Ron likes his privacy, and I do too. Though I like watching Kerry freak out about deer too.”
“Hey! My Brussels sprouts deserved better!”
Tammy let out a full-bellied laugh before looking at me. “You want a table by yourself?”
“What?” Kerry asked. “I invited her here!”
“And if you make her feel weird, she’ll never like it here either.”
Tammy had just met me, but the fact that she was so determined to make me feel welcome was so sweet. Just like Henry had been when he made sure I could get into town okay.
Slowly, a little of the ice in my chest melted. Minutes ago, I’d thought it was a good thing Kerry hadn’t looked twice at me to figure out how I was feeling. I’d been wrong.
“I’m okay, but thank you. A kind doctor told me to get to know the people here, so I will.”
“A kind doctor? You mean Henry?” Tammy asked.
“She was talking to him in Food ‘n’ Things when I walked in,” Kerry said. “He’s a sweet guy. Keeps to himself, though.”
“Mostly,” Tammy added. “He does warn us abouthealth hazards.”
They both turned to look at an old man who was sipping coffee in the corner. Kerry shuddered and leaned over to me. “Don’tshake his hand.”
“Why not?”
“Just trust me on this one.”
Tammy grabbed menus and led us to a booth. I sat across from Kerry, but then Tammy sat right beside me.
“Don’t mind me joining you. I’m here to make sure Kerry doesn’t run you off.”
“Hey, I’mverynice.”
“And so am I. But I know when to close my mouth.”
“My big mouth has done things for this town. You just want to get to know Wren too.”
“I do.” Tammy turned to me and my stomach flipped.
“I’m not as interesting as I appear on TV,” I warned.
“I don’t care about who you are on TV. I know everyone’s order in town, and now I can’t say that I do. I wanna know what youlike.”
“And if it’s French toast, you’re boring,” Kerry said.
“Cain will hate you again if he hears you say that,” Tammy scolded.
“Mollie loves French toast too,” I added.
“They’re two peas in a pod,” Tammy replied. “But don’t dodge the question. My life’s easier when I know everyone.”
