“That depends on how you define permanent.” Jordan Alvarez-Kendall stepped forward. “This is Cam Drake. We’ll be taking care of your needs for whatever remodeling you have in mind for the daycare.”
“It might be an idea to ensure there are at least a couple of bedrooms set up for parents,” Kate said. “Just in case it becomes necessary to hold the children here, overnight.”
It took Mary a moment to understand what the nonagenarian meant by that. Thoughts of the virus currently making inroads in her home state exploded in her mind. She imagined that if it was necessary, they would keep the babies here, quarantined as the virus ran rampant through Lusty. Of course, that might not be what Kate meant at all, but Mary couldn’t always control her rambling imagination. She felt dread snake up her back. If she were to paint the emotions she felt in words, she’d mention a darkening sky, the ominous deep rumble of thunder in the distance, and the steady, and menacing omen of the wind picking up, tossing whatever may be in its path—every image on its own a portend of danger to come. But together, roiling, boiling, leading to a dreadful and sinister plot twist.
Mary blinked and looked around the room. People were chatting. They were chatting as if nothing was wrong while the sun shone and the birds sang.
Am I the only one who feels this…this dread? This big blanket of doom just waiting to fall on us all? Am I the only one feeling stressed?
“Well, then, Mary and I will leave y’all to your planning.” Kate was beside her and ran a hand down her back. “I thought the two of us could go and have a nice lunch over at Kelsey’s.”
The invitation was unexpected but definitely not unwelcome.
“Thank you, Grandma Kate. I think I’d like that.”
Mary knew people, and maybe she was beginning to know herself a bit better, living here. Because she understood in that moment that if there was anyone on God’s green earth who could help her get over this…this stress, well, that person stood not even five foot tall, with more energy and way more knowledge and plain common sense than any six people she could name combined. Mary nodded to Jacqui as she walked out the door of the house.
She wasn’t ashamed to admit that, right then and there, she needed her Grandma Kate.
* * * *
Kate enjoyed coming to Kelsey’s for so many reasons. Time moved so quickly. Already, it had been more than a decade since their sweet Kelsey had come to them. Kelsey Madison had been her granddaughter Susan’s friend and roommate from college. Susan had finally persuaded the young woman to come to Lusty because, being Lusty, this was the perfect place to mend a broken heart.
Kelsey’s heart had been shattered in the aftermath of the murder of her husband and young son a few years before.
Now, here she was, Kate’s beloved granddaughter, who managed a restaurant, her husbands, Matthew and Steven, and their three children—and made it all look so easy, and fun.
I marvel at the intricacy of life and way things work out sometimes. In a way, Kelsey’s arrival here in Lusty had been a turning point for the entire family, in much the same way that her own arrival and that of her dear friend Miranda Kendall had been back in 1942.
Of course, one very tangible reason Kate loved Lusty Appetites was the wonderful aromas that could always be found here. And not just the individual aromas, either, but the mix of sweet and savory did something interesting to her taste buds.
Kate would never consider ordering chili and a cream puff on the same plate, but inhaling those two aromas together made her almost believe she could.
Kate caught Bernice’s eye. Her daughter-in-law, who was a part-time server and mother-in-law to Kelsey, nodded and came right over.
“There you are, Mother. Hello, Mary.” Bernice didn’t use her arms to give hugs at work, but she certainly knew how to give one with her kind eyes and warm smile. When she placed a hand on the young woman’s shoulder, Kate could see the effect her daughter-in-law’s touch had.
“Are they getting busy then, getting their plans set for the daycare center?” Bernice asked.
“They are, indeed. Jordan and Cam are there, too, so they don’t need the two of us there. I convinced Mary to join me for lunch.”
“Wonderful. How about a nice table where you can chat?” Bernice led them toward the back of the dining room, close to the bookstore entrance.
Kate recalled that long-ago phone call from Caleb, her firstborn, so excited because he’d met the woman meant to be his—his and his brother Jonathan’s. Kate had followed the tradition begun by her own husband’s grandmothers and done all she could to help that budding romance along. And like those long-missed women, she’d connected with her son’s choice of bride—connected and gained herself such a sweet daughter and very good friend. I have been greatly blessed by both my daughters-in-law.
They were her family. And Kate’s family was her heart.
“Would you like some hot tea, Kate?” Bernice’s hand on her shoulder was a comfort to her. She unabashedly soaked up every hug, every touch, offered by this loving woman.
“I would, thank you. I’m going to have orange pekoe today for a change.”
Bernice turned to Mary. “What will you have to drink, Mary?”
“Coffee, please, Aunt Bernice.”
“I’ll leave these menus here, in case you want to look at them.”
Mary followed Bernice with her eyes. When she turned back to Kate, she was smiling.
“She loves working here part time, doesn’t she?”
“She does. When I first met her, she reminded me of myself at her age—needing to be busy, useful—wanting to make a contribution to the world around her, but in her own way.”
“What was it like for you, Grandma Kate, when you first came here? To Lusty?”
Kate loved the inquisitiveness, the insatiable thirst for
