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Luke turned back to her and ordered two Phil’s platters to go. As she walked back to the kitchen to put in the order, Luke heard a voice address him from the side.
“You’re the new guy in town, ain’t ya?”
Luke looked over to his right and saw a man with dark hair and dressed in coveralls staring back at him. “Yeah, I guess that’s me. Luke Grayson.” He held out his hand.
The man smiled and shook it. “I’m Gary Harmon. I own the car shop down the road. That’s the Range Rover SV, isn’t it? I didn’t even know they released the new one yet.”
Luke chuckled. “You know your cars. I just bought it last week before my son and I drove down here from Chicago.”
“Chicago? That’s quite a drive. Never been more north than Charleston myself. But I’ve never really had the need to go farther than that. This is my son, Tate. He works at the garage with me.”
Gary gestured to the teenage boy that looked like a younger version of him sitting on the next stool down.
“Nice to meet you all.” Luke wasn’t used to all of this friendliness, but Gary seemed nice enough. While he waited, he introduced him to a few other members of the town who were sitting nearby, including a large, red-faced man who came bounding out of the kitchen in a grease-splattered apron with a grin on his face.
“Hey there! I’m Phil, and welcome to my diner. I’d heard that you put in an order, so I thought I’d come out and say hello.”
Luke couldn’t help but smile at Phil’s boisterous demeanor. “Nice to meet you and everyone else here.” Apparently, he was going to meet the entire town before he even got his food, he thought to himself.
“That’s how it goes around here,” Gary told him. “It’s a small town. Everyone knows everyone in Hadley Cove.”
Luke shrugged. “That’s what I’ve heard.”
Phil clapped his hands down on the bar counter. “Let me go and get your platters together.”
Luke sat back down, talking with Gary and his son for a few minutes until Phil returned with a large bag full of Styrofoam containers.
“Here you go, Luke. Two Phil’s platters and some extras for ya. Don’t be a stranger.”
Luke looked confused as Phil brought the bags over to him. “I think you might have put someone else’s order in there too.”
Phil laughed. “No, this is all for you. Enjoy your breakfast and come back soon.”
Grinning, Luke took the bags from him. “Thanks, Phil. I’m sure I’ll be back again.”
As he headed outside and over to the Range Rover, he noticed more decorations had gone up around town. The colorful banners swayed in the winds, and the shops looked even more inviting than usual. If he didn’t have so much to do back at the house, he would have contemplated coming back into town later to join the festivities.
Pulling up to the house after the short drive back, he was surprised to see a lady standing on the front porch talking to Jeremiah. He grabbed the takeout bags and walked over to see what was going on.
“Good morning!” Ada turned around and smiled at Luke as he approached.
“Hey Ada. How are you today?” Luke asked.
“Oh, just fine. I was just bringing over some banana bread. I wanted to make sure you boys had something to eat.” She smiled, showing off the dish.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to,” Luke said, taking the dish from her.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I love to bake. There’s no dairy or nuts in case you were allergic. Jeremiah was just telling me you still have lots of unpacking to do. I’m good at organizing if you want some help.”
Luke glanced over at Jeremiah, who was shaking his head, just out of sight from Ada’s peripheral. “That’s kind of you to offer, really. But I think we can manage.”
“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me,” Ada told him. “You boys should come over for dinner sometime soon. Frank and I would love to have y’all.”
“Maybe we will,” Luke said, knowing he had no intention of doing so.
Ada took a couple of steps forward, nearly cornering Luke. “I’ll whip up something special just for y’all. We can do it next week. Can’t do Monday because Frank has poker night with the boys.”
Before Luke could respond, Ada walked off the porch. “So, I guess that means I’ll see y’all Tuesday evening at my place. I’ll let Frank know as soon as I get back. Ta ta!”
