Lisa came over and brought three coffees with her. “Good morning. What’s everyone having? Buck, today is biscuits and gravy for you, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“That sounds so good,” Anna said. “Same for me.”
“Ooh, yeah, I’m going to have to pass on that. Can I get an egg-white omelet, and the strawberry energy smoothie?”
“Sure thing. Be right back.” Lisa stopped by two other tables on her way to the kitchen.
Buck lifted his mug up to that big mustache for a sip. “You know, you’re lucky to have landed in Fraser Hills for Christmas. I’ve never spent the holidays in a better place than here.”
“Have you spent a Christmas anywhere other than here? I assumed you’ve been here forever.” Vanessa regretted letting that roll off her tongue.
“Yeah. I have, but my late wife loved to travel, and once the kids were grown Christmas was a great time to do it.” He glanced over at Anna. “But this is home. It’s where I grew up, and this is where I’m happiest.”
“It’s such a quaint town,” Anna added. “I could see how you could be happy here. There’s just such a good feeling here.”
“Oh yeah. This place is the real deal.”
“What did you do for a living, Buck?” Vanessa couldn’t figure him out.
“Little bit of this. Little bit of that. You know, what really matters is what you make of it all. Don’t get too big for your britches. Be humble and grateful and share what works with others.”
Anna practically swooned at everything he said. “I hear what you’re saying, Buck, but you know sometimes things are not so cut-and-dry.” She glanced over at Vanessa.
Vanessa’s stomach lurched.
“I mean sometimes business gets in the way of the right thing to do.”
Buck swiveled his head toward Vanessa. “Well, hypothetically, if business were pushing me in a direction I didn’t agree with, I’d have to really consider if I was doing the right thing. There’s always a choice.”
And hadn’t she just touted those same words lately? Vanessaalmost choked on his advice. She recovered quickly, then set her coffee cup down.
He patted his hands on the table and leaned forward. “All I’m saying is, people in this town don’t take to change very well. Their choice or not. It’s not always clear what the good solution is until you really look into things deeper. Not just the surface level. Folks might hold a grudge, but not for long. Eventually, they’ll even forget about those things. Don’t let that keep you from doing the right thing.”
She looked into his eyes. This was no lecture. The sincerity in his blue eyes comforted her. “Thank you, Buck.” Her phone rang, moving across the table as it buzzed, breaking the moment. She picked it up and looked at the caller information. “I’m sorry. I’ve really got to take this.” She pulled on her coat and went outside where she could hear, away from the busy bustling kitchen.
“Sally. How are you?” She tried to sound up, but in the pit of her stomach she feared it was bad news about the house being sold.
“Great. I have some news.”
Sally didn’t sound super-excited. Vanessa pressed her lips together, bracing herself.
Sally continued, “The price on your dream home just dropped twenty-seven thousand, five hundred dollars. I know it’s still over the original budget, but this is a great deal. The seller is motivated to sell. Are you interested in making an offer?”
“I’m interested,” Vanessa said, “but I really need to finish this project first. I’ll be done by Christmas.”
“Entirely your call. I personally wouldn’t wait,” Sally said.
“Put a bug in their ear that I’m interested.”
A cold wind swirled around Vanessa. She pulled the collar up on her coat. As she turned her back on the chill, she saw Anna hanging on Buck’s every last word. At the end of this trip was it possible that Anna could have a better option than picking up and moving in with Vanessa on the outskirts of Chicago?
CHAPTERTWENTY
When Vanessa walked back into the diner, seeing Anna nearly glow sitting there talking to Buck, she had to wonder if her hope that Anna might want to move in with her was just her own crazy fantasy.
“Sorry about that,” Vanessa said.
