“I was going to donate a few bags of candy for the Maple Falls Fall Parade.” She had also planned to talk to Hayden about it first, like Rusty had told her to, and she hadn’t done that either. She’d never been so scatterbrained in her life.
“That’s great,” Anita said. “We can use the extra.”
“It would be great, if I’d actually picked up the candy.” She grabbed her purse and found her checkbook. “Here,” she said after she filled it out and handed it to Anita. “Can you see that Hayden gets that?”
“Sure.” Anita glanced at the amount. “Wow, that’s very generous. Real estate must be doing very well for you right now.”
Harper almost laughed at the irony. She shouldn’t have donated that much considering her finances, but she never skimped on a worthy cause. She hung her purse back over her chair, ignoring her friend’s comment.
“FYI, we’re still meeting on Tuesday nights,” Anita said. “We miss you, Harper.”
“I miss y’all too. How’s the name search going?”
“Nowhere.” Anita sighed. “Every time someone suggests one, somebody else doesn’t like it.”
“Latte Ladies is still available.”
Anita laughed. “No, thank you.”
“Then what about just the Lattes?” Harper suggested. “Olivia drinks tea, but I really don’t think we should go with the Earl Greys.”
“Believe it or not, she actually suggested that two weeks ago, more out of desperation than anything else.” Anita tapped her slender fingers against the wood tabletop. “I like the Lattes. I’m surprised no one else thought of it before. We’ll put it to a vote at the next meeting. Oh, we’re also putting together the candy bags for the parade. It shouldn’t take us long if you’re free to join us.”
She paused, ready to tell Anita that she had to work late every night until she got back on track. But she missed her friends, and the only way she’d have time to see them was if she made time. Work could wait for one night. “Count me in.”
“Awesome. I know Riley and Olivia will be glad to see you too.” Anita glanced over Harper’s shoulder. “Hmm. That’s a surprise.”
“What?”
“Rusty just walked through the door. He usually goes to the diner once or twice a week, but I don’t see him much here.”
Harper turned around. With his wild hair molded against his head like he’d been wearing a cap all day, his bushy beard hiding his mouth, and dressed in a red-and-blue-checkedshirt and baggy jeans, he looked like a lumberjack instead of a mechanic. The soles of his old work boots thudded on the café’s bamboo floor as he approached.
“Hi, Rusty,” Anita said as she got up from the table. “You can sit anywhere you’d like while I get you a menu.”
“He’s here to meet me.” Harper smiled at Rusty and gestured for him to sit down.
“Oh.” Anita looked confused. “Uh, what would you like to drink?”
“Water’s good.”
“You can’t order just water in a café,” Harper said. “There’s over two dozen varieties of drinks here.”
“Three dozen, but who’s counting,” Anita added with a smile.
“All right.” Rusty looked at Harper’s overly large white coffee cup. “I’ll have what she’s havin’, then.”
“Chai latte? Got it.” Anita hurried off to fill his order.
Rusty leaned over and whispered to Harper, “What’s a chai latte?”
“A spicy-sweet tea with milk.”
“Oh. Well, I’m game to try just about anythin’. Except skydivin’. That’s never gonna happen.”
Her phone rang, and she was surprised by the name on the screen.Don?What was with her parents calling her out of the blue lately? She let it go to voice mail and slipped her cell into her purse, giving Rusty her undivided attention. “Speaking of skydiving, that’s on my ever-expanding bucket list.”
“Huh. Didn’t figure you for a daredevil. What else is on there?”
