by T. G. Hanson
Wade pulled up in front of the diner and parked then walked around to help Meg out of the truck. “Hope you’re hungry, Randy the cook, he makes the best Chicken Fried Steak dinner in these parts.”
Meg laughed as they walked through the door. “Oh, well then I guess I’ll have to give it a try, won’t I?”
Two hours later they were eating pie and had been joined by Wade’s friend Lynn Foster, who also worked at the Sheriff’s station, as a front office sort of gal. Lynn was only a few years older than Meg and had come to live in Mystic Pines after her divorce. She was tall, curvy but thin and beautiful. Her long blonde hair fell in soft curls mid-way down her back. The two had discovered that they shared an interest in the same mystery writers as well as music and movies. Meg saw a happiness about her like someone who was very content with their life.
“So Meg, how long are you planning on staying in town?” asked Lynn.
Meg swallowed, wiped her mouth with the paper napkin and glanced up at Lynn. “Not sure really. I was just passing through on my way to Houston, but then something just told me I needed a few days’ rest. This looked as good a place as any for a break and the town intrigued me.”
So far she had managed to avoid talking too much about herself or where she came from, giving vague answers when the subject came up. She wasn’t sure how long that was going to work and had decided she needed to think about a cover story tonight in case someone became more curious about her.
Wade nudged Lynn in the arm, “She won the lottery and is just galivanting around now without any plans it seems. I think we should convince her to stay here for a while longer so help me out here Lynn,” he teased while grinning at Meg.
Lynn smiled at Meg, “Oh, do say you will Meg. At least for a little while, if you don’t have any firm plans and aren’t on a time schedule. Sure, would be nice to have a girlfriend near my age to hang out with and I think we’d get along great, don’t you?”
Meg, who had been thinking along those same lines, had already decided to stay a few days longer than she had originally planned. She liked this town and the people she’d met so far. Meg had never known people to be so open and friendly before and loved the experience of it all. Besides, she had no reason to leave in a hurry and no place to go to. May as well enjoy herself for a bit.
“Oh, okay then. I’ll stick around for a few more days. Besides, I can’t possibly resist those two pairs of puppy dog eyes the two of you are giving me now can I.”
Wade stood up and whistled then yelled “Mary, three beers here please, we have a celebration in order!”
The three spent the next hour having a beer, talking and laughing. It was a great evening as far as Meg was concerned. As the three of them rose to leave Lynn took Meg’s elbow. “So you just have to agree to have dinner at my place very soon. We can have wine, make homemade pizza’s and watch some old Hitchcock films.”
“You’ve got a deal! What is your favorite one?” Meg was asking as they walked out the door.
“Women and their girl nights.” laughed Wade as he walked out behind them.
Meg looked at the clock on the dashboard of the truck as they pulled into the motel parking lot. “Goodness, I had such a nice time that I didn’t realize how late it was. Do you suppose Mary was upset that she had to stay open late for us?” she asked Wade.
“Oh nope, don’t worry, she’s used to it. Lynn and I, sometimes the Sheriff as well, often keep her there late when we are working on a case. She just hands one of us the keys and tells us to lock up when we leave. I think tonight she was too busy eavesdropping on us three to leave” he laughed.
Parking the truck, he stepped out and walked around to her side, opening the door and extending his hand to help her out. Shutting the truck door, he held her hand till they reached the motel room door. “I had a great time tonight Meg. I hope you enjoyed yourself and didn’t find us to boring?”
Meg smiled and glanced out towards the street. “Thanks so much Wade. It’s a lovely town, and it was nice of you to take the time to show me around. I not only enjoyed the tour and the meal but the company as well. I thought Lynn was very sweet and I’m looking forward to getting to know her better.”
Wade stepped back a bit holding her at arm's length and smiled, “So, does that mean we have talked you into staying a few days longer?” he asked. “You do know that was my intention all along. This town has a way of grabbing hold of people, and I was hoping that would happen to you.”
Turning Meg unlocked her door and stepped partly inside then stared up into Wade’s eyes. “I can’t say just yet how long I will stay, but you are right, this town does have something that pulls you in. I felt it tonight while we were driving around.” Looking down at the ground she continued, “If you haven’t guessed, I’m not just aimlessly traveling around. I’m looking for a new place to call home, but I do have things that I need to consider to see if this is the right place for me.”
Placing his finger under Meg’s chin and lifting her head upward, Wade smiled at her. “Look, Meg, I’m not sure what those things are, and I know this may sound crazy, but add the fact that I want you to stay along with whatever it is you need to sort out.”
Removing his hand from her face, Wade turned and walked back to his truck. As he climbed inside, he tipped his hat to her and said: “Sleep good Meg, see you soon.” Seconds later he was driving off.
Not long after, Meg was curled up in bed, thinking about the day's events and asleep before she knew it. It turned out to be the best sleep she had gotten in days.
THREE
One week later Meg found herself sitting in the old diner imagining how she would fix it up if she were the owner. She’d concluded that Mystic Pines was indeed the place for her to make a new start but had yet to tell Wade or Lynn. The three had become good friends over the past week, and she knew they were going to be thrilled at her decision to put down roots in town.
She remembered how her attorney had balked when she told him of her plans, asking where in the world was this Mystic Pines place anyway. “It’s outside of Houston, near the Piney Woods Forest. Google it.” she had told him laughingly. Unimpressed he couldn’t figure out why on earth one would want to live in such a small out of the way place.
Meg had laughed for an hour when he asked her what would she do for the internet and if she would be living in a rustic cabin type structure. She thought he would have heart failure when she told him of her plans to try and purchase the diner and bookstore. Before hanging up, she had promised to call back when she had details so he could draw up the papers.
******
Mary had walked over and sat her daily order, salad and half sandwich with tea in front of her. “How are you today Meg? Looks like you’ve got a few things on your mind?” Mary had stopped in front of Meg and was leaning with her elbows on the counter, ready to listen.
Meg smiled at her. “Hey Mary, I’m doing fine thanks. I was wondering, is Mack around today?”
“Oh sure honey, he’s back in the office sitting and twiddling his thumbs like he always is this time of day. Want me to go get him for you?”
Meg smiled at the way Mary’s eyes always twinkled when she was curious about something but didn’t want to pry. “Actually, I wondered if I might go back and talk to him in private?”
Mary stood up straight with a curious look on her face, “I’m sure he’d enjoy the visit, especially from a pretty young girl. Give me a sec to go back and check with him. Be right back.”
As Mary headed toward the back office, Meg sat looking around the room. It will take a bit of work, and I’m not sure how welcoming the locals will be to my closing the place and making changes, but it’s worth a shot I think. Hopefully, the current cook will agree to stay on, and I have experience running a bookstore so it should be easy.
Thinking back, Meg remembered how her parents had tried to talk her out of opening the bookstore not far from their home in California. “Why do you want to work my dear, it’s not l
ike you need the money?”, her mother had asked. It was true that with her family money, Meg would never have to work if she didn’t want to - but the point was that she did.
“I just prefer to do something with myself other than going to lunch and society events. And you know how I love my books.” she had responded to her mother. Once they had seen how determined she was, her parents had relented and helped her find a location. The store had done very well till it mysteriously caught on fire, burning to the ground two days before her parents died in the plane crash.
She was thankful that she had at least listened to her father and made sure the business was covered with enough insurance. That money would more than cover the cost of the diner purchase.
In the short time Meg had been in town, she found the locals to be kind and friendly. She guessed they were not exactly sure why she had not gotten back on the bus, but she was always greeted with a smile or “how you doing today little lady.”
Mary interrupted Meg’s thoughts, “Mack has time to see you now so just head on back to his office sweetie.”
An hour later Meg walked out of Mack’s office, the new owner of the Knife’s Edge Diner and Who-Dun-It Bookstore. It would take a few days for all the paperwork to be signed and filed, but it was hers, and Mack was one happy camper! As she left his office, he was already on the phone making plans with his wife for a move to Florida. Meg thought his wife sounded happy as well, judging by the loud whoop she had heard on Mack’s speaker phone, as she walked out the office door.
Mary who had been listening just outside of Mack’s office smiled and patted Meg on the arm. “Don’t worry honey, people in town may be a bit slow to warm up to newcomers, but when they see how happy you’ve made Mack, that will put you one step in the right direction. They all know he’s been trying to sell this place for years. Not only that but you’ve made me one happy gal to boot!”
Meg suddenly stopped walking and placed her hand on Mary’s arm. “Oh Mary, I didn’t think. You are more than welcome to stay on here working as long as you like.” Please don’t feel that you are in danger of losing your job.”
Mary locked her arm around Meg’s as they walked back to the counter. “Oh, you sweet thing, it’s not that at all. A long time ago I made a promise to Mack that I’d stay as long as he owned the diner. These past couple years, well let’s just say I’ve been trying to get up the nerve to tell him I wanted to quit. Just couldn’t bring myself to do it is all. My kids moved to Indiana a few years back and they have a nice room all fixed up and waiting for me. I can hardly wait to leave!”
Meg smiled at the waitress, “Well then I guess that makes three of us that are happy.” With a smile on her face, she headed towards the front door of the diner, pretending not to notice all the hushed whispers from the customers as she passed by.
Mack, along with Meg, announced the sale to the locals the next day at dinner time. Amidst the shocked faces and whispers, she’d let everyone know that she had to close the diner for the weekend to make some changes but that she would be open for dinner come Monday, and everyone could expect a free slice of pie with their supper. While a few had walked out whispering, the majority had come up and congratulated Meg, welcoming her to the town.
Wade and Lynn about fell over themselves trying to reach her. They both hugged her and yelled for Mary to bring some beer to the table for a celebration. Meg laughed, “You two! Always looking for a reason to celebrate and have some beers, huh?”
“Well, I can’t think of a better reason,” laughed Lynn. “I’m guessing Wade is right happy as well, with you staying that is. I can’t believe you kept it a secret!”
Wade pulled up a chair passing a beer to each of the girls and set a huge bowl of chili cheese fries in the center of the table. “Well, that one came out of left field.” Turning to Meg with a curious look on his face he asked, “I never would have pictured you running a diner. Where did that come from?”
They sat for the next few hours and over dinner Meg told them all about her plans for both the diner and the bookstore. “I’m counting on you two to help keep the locals from murdering me when I have to close this place for an entire weekend,” she laughed.
******
Three days later, opening the front door to the diner, Meg stopped and looked around. She took a few minutes to let it sink in that she was now the new owner and what all she had ahead of her, to get done over the weekend. Since she didn’t have to do any type of construction and was only adding some furniture along with sprucing the decor up, she felt sure she could get it all done. The diner would be the easy part; the bookstore would take a bit longer.
She was busy painting the diner walls a soft cream color when she heard the front door to the diner open. “I’m sorry, but we’re closed until Monday,” she yelled out. A woman’s familiar voice replied, “I know, but I was hoping that you might spare a couple glasses of sweet tea. It’s truly a matter of life and death.”
Meg couldn’t help but laugh when she looked towards the door and saw Lynn. “Now really, is sweet tea truly a matter of life and death?”, she teased.
“Honey, if you worked for two sugar deprived men, you’d agree and be begging too. Both the Sheriff and Wade get on the grumpy side when they don’t get their fill of afternoon tea. I know you probably don’t have any pie but thought I’d take a gamble with the tea,” she questioned, as she followed Meg to the kitchen area.
While Meg fixed up three large teas to go, they talked about Meg’s plans for the diner and bookstore. Lynn looked around the room. “You’ve still got ways to go here, huh?” she asked.
“Oh I’ll be here all night, and most of tomorrow I think. I’ve got this room to finish painting, tables to move out and in, and then the bookstore to get in order. The tables, benches and bookcases I ordered will be here later today and probably a gazillion other things I’ve not thought of yet.” Meg sighed.
Lynn picked up the to-go carton with the teas in it and turned to leave. “I’ll stop by after work and see if I can help you with anything, ok?”
Grabbing the roller and dipping it in the paint tray Meg smiled and waved at Lynn as she went out the door. She hoped Lynn was serious as she could honestly use some help if she were going to get all this finished to open by Monday night.
At six o’clock, Meg was about to give it up for the day thinking she couldn’t possibly lift the roller one more time when she heard another knock at the diner door. Turning she saw Lynn standing there with both the Sheriff and Wade. Meg waited for the three to come inside while setting the paint roller against a tray of paint on the floor. “Sorry, I’m all out of tea guys.”
Lynn pulled the two men inside and handed each a paint roller. “These two are here to thank you for the sweet tea earlier and since they have nothing better to do right now, are going to finish painting the walls for you - as a welcome to Mystic Pines gesture” she announced. “You and I are going to sit down and drink a glass of wine, while you tell me more about your plans, and supervise the painting.” Reaching into her tote, Lynn pulled out a bottle of wine while Meg ran to the kitchen to grab some glasses and two beers for the guys.
Back at the table Meg flopped down into a chair and thanked them all profusely.
Shaking her head Lynn sat a glass down in front of Meg. “Here, have a drink, you’ve earned it today.”
Lynn, and Wade had come back on both Saturday and Sunday to help her with the last of the painting as well as moving in the new tables and shelves she had picked up at a nearby liquidation sale. By Sunday night they had managed to have the place looking a lot nicer.
Sitting down on a counter stool and brushing her hair back from her face Meg looked around the room. “Goodness, I think it’s almost finished.”
Walking into the diner from the bookstore, Wade commented, “I’ve got one more coat of varnish to put on those shelves, but after that, I think I’ve got everything else on the list taken care of Megs.” Meg looked at the floor and smiled as she he
ard Wade calling her Megs. She rather liked his pet name for her though she wasn’t sure just yet that she wanted him to notice.
Lynn smiled at her new friend. “Looks to me like you’ll be ready to open for dinner tomorrow. What do you think?”
“I’ve got a few things to get done in the morning but sure looks like it.” agreed Meg.
All three looked around the room and what they had managed to get done in two days. Meg looked over at Wade. “I’m amazed at what you did with the counter and stools, Wade. They look brand new.”
Grinning and standing up, Wade flexed his muscles in a comic way. “Aww thanks, Megs. Just needed a good cleaning with some muscle behind it was all.”
Walking behind the counter, Meg pulled a huge tray of deli style sandwiches from the small cooler as well as three bottled beers and sat them on the counter. “There is no way I could have pulled this off without the help of my two new friends and I’m ever so grateful for your kindness!”
Wade and Lynn looked at the food, then each other, and practically knocked each other down trying to reach the counter first. Grabbing a sandwich and a beer, Wade sat down and winked at Meg. “I think I’m your handyman for life.”
Meg laughed as they all sat down to enjoy the food while admiring the new look of the diner. “I swear, you two act just like brother and sister!”
Meg had chosen brightly colored dishes, with equally bright glasses and silverware, to replace the older dishes. There were no menus, only a chalkboard by the register showing what would be served for each day.
She had also chosen to do something a bit different by offering only a limited menu each day. There would be a planned full meal with meat, veggies and a dessert as well as a small selection of ala carte sides for those who preferred a lighter meal.