揑抦 happy,?Risa muttered.
揗e too,?the twins echoed from the back seat.
揑 will be when this morning sickness is over,?Haley added.
揑t won抰 be much longer, and then you can use the excuse that you抮e eating for two,?Risa said with a smile as she parked close to the front porch of the bar but didn抰 turn off the truck engine. 揙kay, ladies, today we have to vote on a name for the bar. Mr. Yandell, the lawyer, says all the final paperwork, now that we抳e all been approved for everything, is being filed today.?
揥e抳e kicked around a lot of names, but I really like the idea of Danny抯 Place,?Haley said.
Risa watched a couple of squirrels play chase on the old church steeple, which still sat at the end of the building like a little child in a time-out chair. Should they put it back on the roof and paint whatever name they chose on it? Risa didn抰 think so. It had been knocked off for a reason. Maybe so that the building wouldn抰 look like a church anymore.
揗ama, are you thinking or worrying??Lily asked.
揟hinking,?Risa answered. 揙scar says they抣l call it the Old Church no matter what we call it, but I think Danny抯 Place might stick better than Back Home or anything else that we抳e come up with.?
揈ven better than Wade抯 Place or Jessica抯 Place??Haley asked.
Risa nodded. 揑t抯 just got a nice ring to it.?
揥hy are we even thinking about Danny抯 Place? Isn抰 that just Wade抯 brother抯 name that died a while back??Daisy asked. 揥hat抯 he got to do with our bar??
揟here抯 a story that Jessica shared with us,?Haley answered and went on to tell her about Danny抯 dream of owning a tiki bar when he got out of the service.
揂nd Danny graduated with all four of us,?Risa said. 揑f any of you have a better idea, then present it at the breakfast table, but I like the sound of Danny抯 Place, so that抯 what I抦 voting for.?
揗e too, but for now better get on inside and put on the coffee,?Haley told them. 揘ow that the queasiness is gone, I抦 starving.?
揇anny抯 Place does have a nice ring to it. How did he die??Lily unfastened her seat belt.
揥ade hasn抰 shared that with us yet, but I imagine it was in the line of duty,?Haley answered.
Daisy slung the back door open and got out of the truck. 揑f I was going out to have a few beers and dance, I could say I was going to Danny抯 Place for a burger. It wouldn抰 be a lie that would cause Granny Stella or Granny Martha to drop down on their knees and start praying for me.?
揧ep,?Lily agreed, 揳nd you old ladies better get a move on. The first big raindrop just splattered against the windshield.?
揙ld!?Haley gasped.
Daisy and Lily barely beat Risa and Haley into the foyer, and then the downpour began. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled. Risa couldn抰 help but wonder if the past was sneaking up on her and bringing trouble with it.
Wade jogged from his trailer to the back door of the church, dashed inside just before the rain started, and headed down the hallway toward the aroma of coffee and something that smelled like cinnamon. When he was only a few feet from Jessica抯 room, she opened the door and fell into step with him.
揋ood morning. This kind of day makes me glad that I moved out of the RV. You should consider fixing up the last Sunday school room and moving inside,?she told him.
揋ood morning to you, and thanks for the offer, but right now, I抦 happy in my little travel trailer,?Wade said. 揑 smell cinnamon. I thought Risa said we were having waffles this morning.?
揧ep, but she made some with cinnamon, some plain, some with chocolate chips, and then some with blueberries.?Jessica抯 hand brushed against his as they crossed the bar area.
That giddy feeling that macho Texans and guys weren抰 supposed to have flooded through his heart. His hands went clammy as he stood to one side to let her go into the kitchen ahead of him. 揟oo bad we aren抰 serving breakfast when we open.?
揥e could put breakfast on the menu for those early morning hours,?Risa said. 揑抦 makin?waffles to order this morning. Lily has had cinnamon with brown sugar sprinkled on the top. Daisy had chocolate chip with powdered sugar. And Haley is having chocolate chip with peanut butter and marshmallow cr鑝e smeared over them.?
Wade chuckled. 揑抦 surprised she didn抰 want dill pickles on top of that.?
揟hat actually sounds pretty good. I just might order that for my second one,?Haley told him without cracking a smile.
揥ith a boiled egg on top??Wade teased.
揘o, with strawberries and crushed potato chips,?Haley shot back at him.
Wade threw up a hand in defeat. 揧ou win.?
揑 was serious,?Haley said. 揜isa, could you get strawberries next time you go to the store??
揙f course,?Risa answered. 揥hat can I make for you, Jessica??