Page 39 of The Library of Second Chances
“What brings you by on this fine morning?” Lucy raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun so she could see Pete better across the table.
“Well, I had an interesting conversation with Steve yesterday.” Pete raised an eyebrow.
“Steve?” Lucy ran through their mutual friends before it hit her. “Oh, the server at the Waterway?”
“Yep.” Pete nodded, his eyes sparkling. Having grown up in a similar small town, Pete traded gossip like the town’s earlysettlers traded seafood and timber for spices and silk. “He overheard a conversation he wasn’t meant to overhear.”
Fearing Pete was about to share some sort of marital confidence Steve had overheard between Mildred and Marty, Lucy’s eyebrows knitted together, her mouth pulling to one side.
“Is this something I should know?”
“It involves that Logan fellow.” Pete raised an eyebrow.
Lucy’s heart rate matched that of the hummingbird hovering nearby above a red hibiscus bloom. Had someone seen her with Logan at the Sand Dollar? Had they looked as if they were on a date, making them fodder for the gossip mill? She had to admit at times it had felt like a date. She remembered the tingling that had shot up her arm and across her chest when they’d shaken hands in agreement over playing fair with the community forums.
Pete’s voice interrupted the memories of dinner replaying in Lucy’s mind. “Seems he paid Mildred a visit.”
She felt as if someone had dropped lead in her stomach. Lucy knew the Waterway Café was on the chopping block, but she didn’t like the idea of Logan going to speak with Mildred. What was he trying to sweet-talk her into? Or, rather, out of? Hadn’t they agreed to let the community forums do the work—no more going door-to-door downtown trying to sell people on his ideas without someone to present the other side?
“I had a sneaky suspicion you’d want to know.” Pete wagged a finger at her.
“When was this?” Lucy silently prayed it was before they’d had their ceasefire conversation. Hopefully Steve was just slow in sharing the information.
“Steve told me last night, but it sounded like it happened a few days ago.”
It had been a few days since their ceasefire conversation. Maybe he’d hit up Mildred before then.
“Okay, spill. What did he overhear?” Her mind raced with possibilities. It was obvious the night when they’d spoken at the restaurant after the council meeting that Logan thought something had to be done about the restaurant and their below-market-value lease.
“He was bringing some takeout up to the hostess stand and overheard Mildred talking to Logan about the city buying out the lease. It sounded like a done deal.” Pete tsked, crossing one leg over the other while he waited for Lucy’s reaction.
“Did Steve say how Mildred reacted? Should we check on her and Marty?” Lucy looked at her watch. She could probably drop by the restaurant quickly before she headed to the shop and catch them prepping for lunch.
“He said Mildred didn’t sound surprised. She just asked how much they were willing to offer.”
“And?” Lucy hoped Logan had insulted Mildred with a ridiculous number.
Pete shrugged. “That’s all Steve heard.”
She looked out toward the ocean, as if it might offer her advice. Then she threw up her hands. “Well, what can we do? We can’t just ask Mildred about it. We’re not even supposed to know.”
“Can you close the store for lunch? Maybe we should have lunch at the café and poke around, see if she’ll mention it. I can close down around two and do a late lunch. We’re slow in the afternoon this time of year, anyway, because everyone’s out on the beach or playing golf.”
“Sure, I can do that. Bob won’t leave during the day, but I’m sure Pam will.” It was commonplace for businesses downtown to close for lunch at varying times, merely placing a sign in their windows to indicate what time they’d return. Many of the businesses were run by owners or operated with a singlesales associate, so there wasn’t always someone to keep things running while they stepped out.
Lucy considered calling Logan and demanding he tell her what was happening, but she didn’t trust him to tell her the truth. She and Pete agreed they’d simply engage Mildred in a conversation about the waterfront project and see what happened. If nothing else, at least they’d all get a good lunch.
Lucy was surprised when they entered the restaurant and instead of finding Mildred at the hostess stand where she was essentially a permanent fixture, one of the servers greeted them.
“Is Mildred here?” Lucy asked as they were escorted to their usual table.
“No, poor thing. She broke a crown and had to go to the dentist. It’s the first time she hasn’t been here since I started working here last December. There must be a better way to get a day off though.” The server laughed.
Lucy turned to look at Pam and Pete as they approached their table, and they exchanged defeated looks.
“Should we ask if Marty’s in back?” Pam whispered after the server left.
“Mildred would have been easier. He’s not as—” Pete searched for a word.
