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Luna thought for a moment. “Dang. I will be away that weekend.” She had a fleeting thought about meeting Tori before she left for Charlotte, but that would be too much pressure. She wanted the day to be all about Marshal Gaines. “We’ll figure it out. Just give me a call when you can, and we’ll set something up.” Luna was getting antsy. She didn’t want Cullen calling her again and telling her to move her butt. “I really have to run.”
“Sure. Sorry.” Tori gathered her things and moved toward the door.
Luna scurried to the back of Cullen’s workshop, where a truck was delivering an old sideboard. It looked midcentury and was covered in layers of paint.I guess back then people couldn’t afford to keep replacing furniture so they painted it. Now you can buy the cheapest stuff and replace it in a few years.She didn’t know which was worse: scarring a great piece of furniture with spray paint, or just tossing something out. We had become a disposable society. On so many levels. She was glad Cullen was in the restoration business. Everything he touched had once been a quality piece of something and he returned it to its pristine beginnings. Well, maybe not entirely. Some things were beyond repair, but for the most part, Cullen was a wizard when it came to dilapidated furniture.
Luna instructed the driver where to deposit the sideboard, signed the electronic box with her finger, and handed him twenty dollars with her other hand. “Thanks, ma’am.”
“You’re welcome, but please don’t call me ma’am.” Luna gave him a sideways look.
“Oh, no disrespect,miss.” The driver winked, nodded, and tucked the bill into his vest pocket.
“Southern men.” She shook her head and smiled.
Luna briskly walked through the showroom, where Cullen was going over sketches with a client. Luna gave him the thumbs-up and went back to the café, where Rita was waiting for her.
“Hey there. Sorry I’m a few minutes late. I had to help Cullen with a delivery.”
“No problem,” Rita said in earnest.
“So what’s up? By the way, my brother loves that smoked turkey thing that requires a bib!” She laughed. “Where did you learn those combinations? You make great sandwiches!”
“I used to be a waitress at a diner and got sick of the food, so I started experimenting. One day my boss got a little miffed because I brought my own lunch. I cut him a piece and he went bananas. It has now become my roast beef and brie. He put it on his menu and asked me to keep coming up with new ideas. Then people started asking me if I did parties. I said yes even though I had no experience!” She chuckled. “And now here I am!”
“I wondered how you got started. I would never have thought of mixing some of those ingredients together. Kudos to you!”
“It makes dinner easy. I bring home the leftovers!” Rita laughed.
“But you seem to be selling out almost every day,” Luna noted.
“I always keep a stash of extras,” Rita whispered.
“Oh. Good to know.” Luna smiled. “And your secret is safe with me.”
“So what brings you to our corner of the world?”
“Can I ask you something?” Rita spoke with a bit of hesitation.
“That’s what I thought we were doing.” Luna laughed. “Let’s take a seat and you can tell me what’s on your mind.”
Rita took a long, deep breath. “I had a friend a long time ago who ran off with her boyfriend, and I never heard from her again. It’s bugged me to this day. I still keep a photo of us on a shelf at home.”
“I’m not necessarily good at missing persons, but I know someone who is.”
“Uh, no. It’s not like that. I mean it’s not arealmissing persons thing. I kept hoping I’d hear from her, but I never did. It makes me sad when I think about it. I can’t believe she would do that. Go off without a word. We were BFFs except for the ‘forever’ part. We practically grew up together.”
Luna thought about it for a moment. “Sure. I’ll do a reading, but I don’t know if it’ll be much help.”
“I’d appreciate it. If I only knew what happened to her. She had kind of a crummy family life, so my mom and grandma would do something special for her on her birthday. I wonder how she might be spending her birthdays now. If she’s still with us, if you know what I mean.”
“How long has it been?” Luna asked.
“I think twenty years.”
It was Luna’s turn to take in a long breath. “Wow. Thatisa long time, but then again, time seems to fly, too. You don’t really think about it until you think about the number. I recently asked a friend how old her grandson was. I thought maybe he was three. Turns out he’s seven! I almost fainted. Anyway, so tell me more.”
“She’s been on my mind a lot lately. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“You’re preaching to the choir. I totally get it. I’m grateful I have people around me who know about my woo-woo side and don’t judge.” Luna shrugged and chuckled. “Or maybe they do behind my back.”
