pretzel. I don’t like pretzels.”
“Good. Then I’ll take yours.” Esther tugged Pauline out of the chair and over to the cart. Pauline grumbled the whole way, but Esther forged to the front of the line. “Hush, Pauline, or they won’t give you a pretzel. And I really need yours. All that quilting made me hungry.”
“
Breathing
makes you hungry,” Pauline muttered.
Olivia laughed at the women’s bickering, then turned back to Greta. “Okay, spill. What’s up?”
“I just had an idea, that’s all.” Greta put aside her quilting squares, which looked more like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that had been squished into the bottom of a backpack than the beginnings of a blanket. “I’ve been thinking about your sister, Diana.”
Olivia grinned. “Don’t tell me you have your matchmaking hat on again. I still remember that very obvious sandwich delivery you made.”
“Brought you and Luke together, didn’t it? And now look at the two of you. Happy as two lovebirds in a tree.” Greta smiled and thought her heart had never felt so good. Eighty-three years on this planet, and there were still days when she thanked the Lord above for rays of sunshine like this one. If the Lord was willing, she’d still be around to see her great-grandchildren born—so she could spoil them mercilessly and send them back to Olivia and Luke while they were still riding a sugar-for-lunch, drums-as-gifts-from-Grandma high. “I think the world deserves more happy endings.”
“And what about you?” Olivia asked, her voice gentle, her touch on Greta’s hand warm. “Shouldn’t you be looking for your own happy ending?”
“I had mine,” Greta said softly. She thought of another sunny day, a million years in the past and a crazy-in-love couple too foolish to realize the serious life road ahead of them. Oh, how she missed Edward and the way he could make her laugh when she needed to most. “A long time ago.”
Olivia rubbed her thumb over Greta’s fingers. “There’s still plenty of time in your life to meet another Mr. Right.”
Greta shook her head. “There’ll never be another man like my Edward. Besides, I’m too old and too stuck in my ways. Men like flexibility in a woman—in more than one way, if you know what I mean.”
Olivia gasped. “Greta!”
“What? I’m old, not dead.” She grinned, then got back to business. The little innuendo had deflected Olivia’s questions about Greta’s love life, thank goodness. Lord knew she had enough on her personal plate right now. The last thing she needed was a side of man trouble. “I was thinking it would be good for your sister to meet a good man. She’s such a nice young lady. Then maybe you could make it a double wedding.”
“Well, I’d be all for that, but I don’t think Diana is interested in dating. She’s a little sour on men right now, particularly after—” Olivia shook her head and cut off the sentence, as if regretting that she’d spilled a personal detail.
Greta leaned in, tried not to look too anxious. This was the kind of thing that made for the perfect happily ever after. Greta could write the headline herself: “Brokenhearted Single Mom Finds Love After Dating Disaster.” “Particularly after what?”
“Nothing, nothing. She’s just had a few bad dates lately, and one relationship that went south before it ever got off the ground.”
Greta searched her memory bank, cursing the irony that allowed her to remember her first kiss—with Norman Weatherbee, under a maple tree on the playground, a quick, sloppy embrace he’d snuck in on her just as the recess bell rang—but couldn’t remember the name of someone she’d met yesterday. She knew Olivia had mentioned something, months ago, about her sister dating someone that Olivia knew.
She shoved aside the thoughts of Norman—Lord, but that boy was a messy kisser, all slobber and no punch—and focused on what Olivia had told her before. The memory filtered in, light on
“Good. Then I’ll take yours.” Esther tugged Pauline out of the chair and over to the cart. Pauline grumbled the whole way, but Esther forged to the front of the line. “Hush, Pauline, or they won’t give you a pretzel. And I really need yours. All that quilting made me hungry.”
“
Breathing
makes you hungry,” Pauline muttered.
Olivia laughed at the women’s bickering, then turned back to Greta. “Okay, spill. What’s up?”
“I just had an idea, that’s all.” Greta put aside her quilting squares, which looked more like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that had been squished into the bottom of a backpack than the beginnings of a blanket. “I’ve been thinking about your sister, Diana.”
Olivia grinned. “Don’t tell me you have your matchmaking hat on again. I still remember that very obvious sandwich delivery you made.”
“Brought you and Luke together, didn’t it? And now look at the two of you. Happy as two lovebirds in a tree.” Greta smiled and thought her heart had never felt so good. Eighty-three years on this planet, and there were still days when she thanked the Lord above for rays of sunshine like this one. If the Lord was willing, she’d still be around to see her great-grandchildren born—so she could spoil them mercilessly and send them back to Olivia and Luke while they were still riding a sugar-for-lunch, drums-as-gifts-from-Grandma high. “I think the world deserves more happy endings.”
“And what about you?” Olivia asked, her voice gentle, her touch on Greta’s hand warm. “Shouldn’t you be looking for your own happy ending?”
“I had mine,” Greta said softly. She thought of another sunny day, a million years in the past and a crazy-in-love couple too foolish to realize the serious life road ahead of them. Oh, how she missed Edward and the way he could make her laugh when she needed to most. “A long time ago.”
Olivia rubbed her thumb over Greta’s fingers. “There’s still plenty of time in your life to meet another Mr. Right.”
Greta shook her head. “There’ll never be another man like my Edward. Besides, I’m too old and too stuck in my ways. Men like flexibility in a woman—in more than one way, if you know what I mean.”
Olivia gasped. “Greta!”
“What? I’m old, not dead.” She grinned, then got back to business. The little innuendo had deflected Olivia’s questions about Greta’s love life, thank goodness. Lord knew she had enough on her personal plate right now. The last thing she needed was a side of man trouble. “I was thinking it would be good for your sister to meet a good man. She’s such a nice young lady. Then maybe you could make it a double wedding.”
“Well, I’d be all for that, but I don’t think Diana is interested in dating. She’s a little sour on men right now, particularly after—” Olivia shook her head and cut off the sentence, as if regretting that she’d spilled a personal detail.
Greta leaned in, tried not to look too anxious. This was the kind of thing that made for the perfect happily ever after. Greta could write the headline herself: “Brokenhearted Single Mom Finds Love After Dating Disaster.” “Particularly after what?”
“Nothing, nothing. She’s just had a few bad dates lately, and one relationship that went south before it ever got off the ground.”
Greta searched her memory bank, cursing the irony that allowed her to remember her first kiss—with Norman Weatherbee, under a maple tree on the playground, a quick, sloppy embrace he’d snuck in on her just as the recess bell rang—but couldn’t remember the name of someone she’d met yesterday. She knew Olivia had mentioned something, months ago, about her sister dating someone that Olivia knew.
She shoved aside the thoughts of Norman—Lord, but that boy was a messy kisser, all slobber and no punch—and focused on what Olivia had told her before. The memory filtered in, light on
Similar Books
