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Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Okay, enough of the sarcasm. I get it.”
We parted ways and I headed for home to get ready for work. Even though I had intended on waiting until my actual clock-in time to get there, I didn’t really have any reason to wait. Once I was dressed, I headed to the bar. Mason was the only one there when I walked in.
“Where is everybody?” I asked.
He looked at me from where he was leaning against the bar, going over some papers. “They’re in the back waiting on the delivery truck. It’s easier when they help unload because then they can just put things away rather than having everything piled up on the counters for them to put away later.” He flipped through the folder in front of him and pulled out my check. “Here you go.”
I walked up and took it from him. “Thanks.”
Putting the check in my purse, I started toward the back, but he straightened up like he was going to say something, so I hesitated.
“I was thinking about running up to the pizzeria and grabbing dinner before our shift starts. You maybe want to go with me? I’m going to grab a couple of pizzas for all of us. Hopefully, we’ll have another busy night tonight, and this way we were at least have something on our stomachs to keep us going.”
I nodded. “Sure.”
Mason smiled at me and came around the bar. We walked over to the door, and he held it open for me, gesturing for me to go ahead of him. As we drove along, he pointed out things throughout the town that had changed.
“Do you remember that little ice cream shop we used to go to?” he asked.
“Yeah, I love that place,” I said.
“Well, it’s a comic bookstore now,” he said.
“Oh,” I said, making him laugh.
“The grocery store was sold a couple of years back. It’s actually owned by a chain now.”
“That’s kind of disappointing,” I said.
“A little,” he said. “But the Fullers were already in their nineties. None of their children or grandchildren live around here anymore, and nobody was interested in keeping up with the store. So, they figured it would be best if they sold it so at least the town could still have a grocery store.”
“I guess that makes sense, but it won’t be the same without Mrs. Fuller’s fruit cakes every winter and her coconut bars in spring,” I said.
“Well, then it might make you feel better to know she sold those recipes to the grocery store’s bakery. They still make them, and sometimes she even goes in and whips up a few batches herself when Mr. Fuller starts aggravating her,” Mason said.
I giggled. “That sounds like her.”
I was drawn into him talking about all our old neighbors, pointing some of them out as they walked down the streets. He told me about the ways the families were changing and everything that was happening in town. Our conversation flowed naturally and was so lively it felt like it was only a few seconds before we pulled into the parking lot of the pizzeria. It still smelled just as incredible as I remembered it.
As we stood there waiting, I tried not to think about all the times Mason and I had come here on dates when we were younger. It was where everybody gathered, and the booth where we always sat was still there. Soon enough, I was sitting back in the truck with the pizzas stacked in my lap and we were driving a different route back to the bar so he could point out other things to me.
“Remember that old movie theater?” he asked.
“Oh, no,” I said. “Please tell me that hasn’t been taken over by something, too.”
The vintage movie theater was a throwback to many generations ago, and one of my favorite places in town.
“No, it’s still there. Still doing midnight showings of cult classics.”
“Good,” I said. “That would be a disaster.” I looked around and let out a sigh. “It’s so strange. Everything around here is so familiar, yet so different at the same time. It definitely feels like coming home, and yet I’m constantly discovering things that have changed.”
“That’s what Jordan says,” Mason said. “When he talks about coming home, he says he just knows everything is going to be so different.”
I looked over at him. “How is Jordan?”
“He’s good, considering.” I listened as he told me all the things Jordan described about being away and what he had been going through while he served. “A lot of it has been really hard on him. He’s really excited to be coming home. And the rest of us are looking forward it to him jumping in and working at the bar with us.”
“I’m sure that’ll be good for you,” I said.
Mason looked over at me, and I glanced his way, our eyes meeting.
