Peggy laughed. “Her mother is famous for the salad. I figured, it being this close to Christmas, she would have made it for the family.”
“Yes, and I stole it, which means I might well be disowned. If I lose out on my inheritance because of you, Peggy, I’ll never forgive you.”
Lindy told of her own madcap time to find the dessert. She described how Billy had helped and how she had shoved the car door into his midsection. “I’m afraid I might really have hurt him. Being a guy, he would never admit it, though.”
“We should check on him later,” Peggy suggested.
Lindy agreed.
Dinner was fun. They sat around Peggy’s table and talked and laughed for hours. Lindy felt as if she’d known Peggy’s two friends forever. They made her part of their fun group, willingly including her as a friend.
Chloe had to get home to her husband and children, and Jayne had to work early in the morning. Lindy was the last to get ready to leave.
“You still want to check up on Billy to see if he’s okay?” Peggy asked.
“I think I should.”
“I’ll go with you.”
They drove in separate cars. The parking lot wasn’t nearly as full at the Wine Press, now that it was long past the dinner hour, although the lounge seemed to be doing a healthy business.
Billy was behind the bar, talking up the wine with an engrossed audience. When he saw Lindy and Peggy, his face broke into an automatic grin. He motioned for them to join him at the bar.
They were fortunate enough to find two empty stools next to each other and claimed them. Breaking away from the small group he’d been chatting with, Billy approached Peggy and Lindy. He automatically placed napkins on the bar in front of them. “What can I get you ladies?”
“I came to see if you were injured,” Lindy said. She’d worried about him all night.
“I’m fine,” he said, garnering the attention of those sitting at the bar.
“You had a car door slammed into you.”
“I’m fine,” he said again.
Lindy remained unconvinced. “Are you positive?”
Shaking his head, Billy sighed loudly to the couples on either side of Peggy and Lindy. “All together now,” he said, raising his land like a maestro with a baton ready to lead an orchestra.
In unison, those at the bar said in one voice:
“He’s fine!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Billy came to the house to pick Lindy up for the short twenty-three-mile drive to Leavenworth. As a child, her parents had taken the family to this German village for their annual Oktoberfest, which was one of the largest in the country. The town’s Christmas celebration was even bigger.
People came from all over the world to this tiny burg during the holiday season. The city’s festivities had become popular long before being highlighted on national television. What had always amazed Lindy was the story behind the city. Many years ago, Leavenworth had been in trouble. Recognizing they needed to do something to boost revenues before the small town, nestled in the foothills of the Cascade mountains, became a ghost town, the city council decided to reinvent Leavenworth. They succeeded beyond what anyone could imagine.
Lindy’s mother greeted Billy at the front door while Lindy gathered her coat and purse. “My goodness, Billy,” Ellen said, shaking her head as she looked at him. “You’ve grown so tall.”
“Mom, the last time you saw Billy he was ten. It’s only natural he’d grow.”
“But to over six feet?”
“Height runs in the family,” Billy said, sharing an amused look with Lindy.
“I think it’s time we go,” Lindy suggested, before her mother said something that would embarrass her or mentioned that infamous letter to Santa.
Her mother appeared highly entertained by the two of them. “Off with you, then. Have fun, you two, and don’t worry about the time.”
“Yes, Mom.” From the way her mother acted, one would think Lindy was still in high school and needed to be home before her curfew.
To her surprise, Billy reached for her hand as they walked toward his car. Not that she objected. The warm feelings that ran through her at the simple gesture could be described only as welcoming.
Once inside his four-door truck, Lindy noticed that Billy had turned on the heated seats. Snow had been predicted at the higher elevations, which meant it was likely to snow in Leavenworth, as well as in Wenatchee.
Billy headed through town to U.S. Highway 2 for the thirty-minute drive to the German town. “I was able to get us dinner reservations at Berghoff’s,” he mentioned, as if all that was required was a phone call.