Max whistled tonelessly as she withdrew the two steaming steak pies from the oven and transferred them to a warm plate, adding green beans and potato mash. Phil and Lory Franks had arrived on schedule for their Thursday lunch treat. They were both in their mid-fifties and Phil had a part-time courier job three days a week. Lory hadn’t worked since Henderson logging had up and left the area. Today they looked down as she wandered over to their table and presented the meal.
“Piping hot just as you like it. What’s new?”
There wasn’t an immediate reaction to her question but they both looked at each other.
“How about I go fix you that pot of tea you love, and we can chew the fat when you are finished with your meal.”
“Thanks, Max,” Phil said, and gave her a nod. Lory just looked down at her meal.
Walking away she scowled. She was going to have to find out what was going on with them. They were lovely people who wouldn’t hurt a fly. If someone had hurt them, they would have to deal with her.
The door opened, and three people who were total strangers entered. She greeted them with a grin and a buoyant “hi.”
†
Megan looked at the entrance to Maxali’s and then at the window showcasing the internal workings. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was fifteen after twelve. She was going to be early. Her gaze returned to the café. It wasn’t full inside from what she could spy, but it certainly was busy. With a determined step she entered and was surprised to see Alice at the desk.
“Hello, Alice, do you have a table for two for lunch? I’m a bit early.” The beaming smile Alice gave her surprised her. Why should she be? Alice was, after all, just doing her hospitality polite thing. That was her thought until seconds later she was engulfed in a bear hug.
“Great to see you again, Megan. Dare I ask, is Felix joining you?”
Megan heard the anticipation in Alice’s voice and she was sorry to break that. “It’s Dee. She asked me out to lunch and to be honest, Alice, it hasn’t happened before.”
“Get away with you. Dee would surely have taken you out to lunch before.” Alice frowned heavily.
“Sorry that sounded odd. We do, and have, but never during a working week. It’s usually the Mother’s Day or a birthday treat, that kind of thing. It’s never been a spur-of-the-moment invitation. I figure it’s a special occasion.”
“Special occasion, huh. Well let’s get you seated in the best seats in the house and lunch is on us.”
“Oh, you can’t do that. Dee and I both like to pay our way.”
“I know that, Megan. Family look after family and if we can’t treat you, who can we treat?” Alice chuckled.
“Thank you, Alice.” Megan smiled.
“My pleasure. Come this way, I have the perfect table.”
†
Dee grabbed her purse and jacket and was about to head for the door when the phone rang. Should I, or shouldn't I?
“Hi.”
“Dee, it’s Gene. I wondered if maybe you had changed your mind about lunch. I would love to have you there.”
Closing her eyes, she desperately wanted to say yes, but her lunch with her mom was as important if not more so for her future with Gene.
“Sorry, Gene, it’s with my mom—”
“Oh, sorry, I don’t want to interrupt.”
“If you were free, I’d invite you too. I want you to meet her. Heck, you know all the other members of my family.” Dee chuckled. A part of her was screaming that her dad seriously would not like the way things were going.
Dee thought she heard a sigh.
“Well, if I could get away I certainly would. Except I called the lunch. Have a great time with your mom, Dee. For the record, I wish I could do the same and have my mother meet you too. I’ll try to get back to our office before you leave this evening…it’s been hectic.”
“Gene, I understand. You don’t have to explain yourself to me. Are we still on for tonight?” Dee held her breath.
“Of course. It’s the only thing keeping me sane right now. What time if things—”
“My home is yours.” Dee’s body relaxed to such a degree her knees became jelly. There was a definite silence after she spoke. Crap have I gone over the top.
“Thank you. I will call you before I leave the office. Enjoy your lunch with your mom. For the record, I would prefer to be with you, bye.” Gene ended the call.
“I love you too.” Dee’s flesh hummed. The only thing was the annoying but wonderful tapping at her temporal lobe. I Love Genevieve Desrosiers.
†
Dee opened the door to Maxali’s and was greeted with a huge grin and an even bigger hug as Alice came forward to greet her.
“Hey, kiddo, this must be some special occasion. Your mom has only ever set foot in here twice and the first was yesterday.”
Dee shrugged as she extracted herself from Alice’s warm embrace. “Well, not exactly special, but different.”
“Different is good enough for me. Your mom is at table fifteen, which offers the most privacy.” Alice pointed to a table in the far corner of the room.
“Thanks, Alice.” Dee headed for the table and just for a few short moments watched the smile on her mom’s face. Damn, I hope she is still smiling when she leaves here. I can live in hope. “Hi Mom, am I late?”
“No, darling, I was early. How was your morning?”
“Good. This is a nice table. I usually sit at one of the window tables when I come here. It’s a treat every end of the month on a Saturday for breakfast.” Dee laughed.
“Everyone should do that, treat themselves every now and again, helps to resolve stressful situations.” Megan smiled.
Alice arrived at that moment and placed two eight-by-five laminated lunch menus on the table.
“What can I get you two ladies to drink?” She winked at Dee.
“Water for me please, Aunt Alice,” Dee said, and picked up one of the menus.
“I’ll have a latte please…large. Thank you, Alice.” Dee noticed the timid smile her mother gave her aunt. Things were looking up and she saw a thaw happening.
“Coming right up.” Alice left and went across the room to a table occupied by two men in pin-stripped suits. They didn’t look familiar so they must just have stopped for a break, which was the vast majority of what strangers did in Grady. They simply passed through.
“Are you hungry, because you know the portions here are generous. I swear that’s why so many people stop here on the way to the airport.” Dee laughed and glanced at the menu while watching as her mom picked up the menu and gazed at it.
“I don’t usually have lunch out during the week. This is a special treat for me. Thank you, Dee, for inviting me.”
“Mom, I didn’t realize, or I’d have asked more often. I’m sorry.” Shamefaced she looked at the menu rather than her mom’s face. Am I such a bad daughter not to have thought about doing that?
“Nothing to be sorry about. You have your own life to live. What do you recommend?”
“Recommend…oh well everything. You know Alice makes most of the food. I think Max is designated the burger-and-fries partner, because Alice believes that isn’t food.” She chuckled.
There was silence and Dee looked at her mom. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
“Nothing, darling.” Megan’s expression was sad and then she sighed. “You know more about Alice and Max than I thought you would.”
“Why? Because you and dad don’t have contact with them, you expected me to follow?” Dee frowned, and her mother waved her hands in front of her.
“No, not exactly. I just didn’t know. I guess mothers are expected to know what their daughter is doing…well basic stuff anyway.” Megan switched her gaze back to the menu.
Thank god for menus at awkward moments. Now Dee understood in part what her mom meant earlier about having a lunch that wasn’t expected. On reflection they only did have lunch at birthdays, or Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
“Mom, I didn’t think. Call me selfish. I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying sorry, Deirdre Trudy Lawrence, there is nothing to be sorry for. Now tell me what you are having for lunch.”
That authoritative, but weirdly gentle, tone made her smile. “Thursday is meat pie day according to the specials board. I’m going to try that.”
Megan nodded. “Then I shall too. I’m a pretty mean pie baker myself, so we shall see.”
Dee chuckled, and Alice appeared out of nowhere with their drinks.
“Having a good time, I see. It’s exactly what we want here at Maxali’s.” Alice placed drinks with their recipients. “Are you ready to order? The special is—”
“Meat pies,” they replied in unison and giggled. This was good. It brought back memories of when Dee’s mom used to take her to every basketball game near or far in her early teens. Her mom made it happen even if it clashed with her hobbies.
Alice laughed and shook her head. “You do know that I’m supposed to tell you what it is first. Still, you are family and can read minds, right? Okay don’t answer that I probably don’t want to know. What do you want with the pies…salad, veggies, or fries?” Alice raised her eyebrows and waited for a reply. Dee had seen this expression on many an occasion in the café. Placing a hand over her mouth to disguise the smile, she waited for her mom to speak.
“I’ll have veggies please.” Megan offered her menu to Alice who took it and nodded.
“Good choice, Megan. Now, kiddo, don’t disappoint me?”
Dee flashed her eyelashes and grinned. “Same for me too.”
“Excellent choices, ladies. Be about ten minutes.”
Dee shook her head and looked at her mom who had a puzzled expression. “If you had said fries that would have been a definite no-no. Salad would have been okay though, just not for this kind of meal.”
“You didn’t just call me for lunch on a whim, did you, darling?”
Gulping down the lump that threatened to choke her, Dee shook her head.
“Can you tell me in ten minutes or do I have to wait until after the meal?” Megan reached across the short distance between them and touched her hand. “You are my daughter, I love you and probably contrary to what you might think, I will listen and no matter what, I will still love you.”
Dee desperately wanted that to be the case but after Alice how could it be? The only question was if Gene was worth alienating her parents, even though there was no certainty things would work out. The answer was yes on every level imaginable.
“Mom, I’m in love and have been for a while. I want you to understand…” she trailed off not sure what else to say.
“You want your mother’s approval; can I say I’d like to meet the person before I approve? I want the best for you and the most important thing is your happiness.”
“I am happy, Mom, so very happy. It hurts inside. I feel like my life is exploding but in a great way.” Dee clenched her fingers together.
“Well a name might help? We can arrange a family dinner. I know for sure your dad would be in his element. I think secretly he wants to be a grandfather, but I never said that.” Megan chuckled.
Dee sucked in a silent breath. Her dad was going to be so disappointed on all fronts then. “Maybe we will have this conversation when we have more time.”
Her mom gave her that stare: tell me, or your baby photos are going to be in the forefront kind of look.
“Mom, I don’t want to upset you and, worse, lose you from my life. That’s why I’ve held this in so long. Except I can’t keep it a secret anymore. She became a part of my heart from the first moment I met her.”
“She?”
“Yes. She.”
Megan blinked rapidly and looked around. “Give me a minute.” She stood and walked toward Alice.
Oh, crap she’s going to blame Max and Alice. No matter how hard Dee tried her legs simply would not allow her to get out of the chair and follow. This is my life, I love Gene and no matter what happens in the future it’s time I realized who I am. As her thoughts whirled at twenty thousand feet her mother returned to the table and took her seat.
“I told Alice I need a wine with dinner. What about you?”
Dee didn’t know if this was a good thing or bad. She hadn’t had any time away from work for years so maybe just once this was the time. “I’ll join you but can’t have more than a couple. I have plans for this evening. Let me phone work and take the afternoon off.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh, yeah. Give me a minute this time.” She stood and walked outside and made the call. Dee left a message for Gene after her call went to voice mail. After placing her phone in her pocket and taking a huge breath, she reentered Maxali’s.