Read Online The Calamity Café by Gayle Leeson - Free Book Online

and a pink T-shirt. Being fair-skinned, Jackie and I had both always been a teensy bit jealous of Sarah’s beautiful caramel-colored skin tone. She looked fantastic in shorts year-round.
    â€œHey, hey!” she called as she came into the kitchen and gave me a hug.
    â€œYou’re in time for dinner. Meat loaf sandwiches, kettle-cooked chips, and preacher cookies.”
    â€œSounds great,” she said. “And I bet Jackie’s in the living room setting up the Scrabble board.”
    â€œYes, she is. Are you up for a game or two?”
    â€œI am,” she said. “I’m sorry I didn’t call or come by this morning. I didn’t know anything about Lou Lou until I got into work and Billy told me about it, and then afterthat we were swamped. Plus, I heard about your impromptu luncheon. How’d that go?”
    â€œFine. It wasn’t that big a deal. Deputy Hall came by and said I couldn’t operate a café without a license. So I told him I was giving a very few people free food and invited him for lunch. But he said he’d already eaten.”
    She laughed. “You’d better be glad word didn’t get out all over town, or else you’d
still
be serving food.”
    â€œTrue. I guess it’s a good thing that Pete’s opening the café back up tomorrow.”
    All traces of her laughter dissipated. “Have you seen him today?”
    â€œYeah. Why?”
    â€œHow’d he strike you?” she asked. While I contemplated my answer, she went on. “Did he seem like a guy who’d just lost his mother?”
    â€œNot really,” I said.
    Jackie came into the kitchen. “Not really what?”
    â€œPete didn’t really seem like a guy who’d just lost his mom today,” I said. “But last night, he did. He nearly fainted when the sheriff told him the news.”
    â€œThen he recovered quickly,” Sarah said. “He was in our office this morning to have Billy get the ball rolling on Lou Lou’s estate.”
    We took our plates and glasses of tea and sat down at the table.
    â€œHe seems to be awfully anxious to marry Chris Anne so they can start their own trucking business,” I said.
    Sarah’s eyes widened, and Jackie got strangled on a drink of her tea.
    â€œAre you serious?” Jackie croaked.
    â€œThat’s what he told me.” I spread my hands. “I mean, he could be totally sad about his mom and yet . . . maybe . . . kinda excited about the new opportunities he can pursue now. Right? They say everyone deals with grief differently.”
    â€œHow was he at the funeral home?” Jackie asked. “I mean, other than asking if you still want to buy the café?”
    â€œOther than that, he was considerate. He wanted to make sure he got the things he thought—and that I thought—Lou Lou would’ve wanted for the service.”
    â€œSo we can expect a Hawaiian blue floral-print coffin at the funeral?” Sarah asked.
    â€œNo. The Winter Garden Funeral Home would’ve had to special order that,” I said. “We got a tasteful white coffin with a blue satin liner.”
    Sarah looked down at her plate. “I’m sorry. That was mean of me to say.”
    â€œYou weren’t being mean. You were being honest. How do you think I know for certain that the funeral home would’ve had to special order the blue floral coffin?”
    She grinned at me.
    â€œWhen will the funeral be?” Jackie asked.
    â€œDay after tomorrow,” I said.
    Sarah ate a chip. “What did you tell Pete about the Joint?”
    â€œI told him we’d talk about it in a few days. . . . You know, he should get the funeral behind him and make sure selling the café is what he’s sure he wants to do.” I sipped my tea. “Can Pete legally sell Lou’s Joint now?I’d have imagined there would be some sort of waiting period or