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Mostly, I think she wanted to get me alone to interrogate me again.
“What promise?” I ask.
“She promised me she wouldn’t tell anyone the secret ingredient. Not even you. She pinky swore. So—come on. Truth. Do you know?”
She arches her brow at me and eyes me suspiciously.
I give her the most innocent look I can muster and hold up both hands. “I know nothing.”
“For real?”
“I swear it. So far, it seems Maddison is keeping her word.”
“Well, then I’ll tell you a secret, too. The Grandma’s Fluffy French Toast secret ingredient is a test. I have to see if she’s capable of keeping it quiet. If she proves worthy, I’m going to let her in on the big ticket numbers.”
“Oh, yeah?”
She picks up her rag and starts wiping the counter again. “The Bradshaw family pancake recipe has been our true bread-and-butter ever since this diner opened. There’s a reason they’re the most ordered breakfast food on the menu, even during lunch and so-called dinner.”
Plenty of people come to this diner to order breakfast foods during the dinner hour, so I get the “so-called” part.
I sip my coffee. “Theyarethe best pancakes I’ve ever eaten.”
“Exactly. Because of the secret ingredient.”
Behind Roxie, Maddison steps through the swinging kitchen doors with an empty bus bin in her hands. She nudges Roxie with her hip. “You gonna help at all, sis, or just give Nick a hard time ’til eight-thirty rolls around?”
I check the wall clock. We have fifteen minutes to go until we open the doors for the first club meeting. A quick glance at the diner’s entrance tells me there are already a few people mingling outside, waiting for us to open up.
“She’s mostly talking about you,” I tell Maddison.
Maddison rolls her eyes. “Oh, I’m sure she is.” Then she levels a glare her sister’s way. “Not too much about me, I hope. Some things should be kept between sisters.” She hesitates near us, the bus bin balanced against her side.
Over by the tables, her grandmother, Lottie, waves. “Maddie, love, when you bring that bin, bring the bulk salt, too. You can give me a hand with these refills.”
“You got it, Gran,” Maddison says. She gives her little sister a look of warning.
The minute Maddison walks away, Roxie leans forward. “So, how is it going with you guys?”
“What… you mean, me and Maddison?”
“Duh!”
“Oh. Um… okay. Fine.” I clear my throat and sip coffee so I don’t have to talk.
She gives me a conspiratorial wink. “‘Fine.’Sheesh. You’re as bad as she is. But seriously, you guys are really cute. Is it great, being neighbors and hanging out all the time? It sounds like you guys do dinner almost every night.”
“It’s been really nice having her around.”
“Did she tell you she was going to elope?”
“I’m not sure we should be talking about this.”
She waves a hand. “Oh,phooey. She sticks her nose in other people’s business all the time. Anyway, it’s calledcaring. I care about her. So…”
She leans both elbows on the table and studies me. “She has a fragile heart right now. You get that, right? I’m guessing she did tell you about the elopement, because you didn’t even flinch when I mentioned it.”
I sigh.
