"You're joking, right?"
"Nope. Remember when I went out of town?" She did. It was the weekend before her grandmother had passed away. "I was saving this as a surprise for you for later, but you need it now. I entered a violin contest. And I won."
"You what?" Lisa was shocked. "Not that you won -- that you entered in the first place." He smiled.
"So. Money no object. Anywhere in the world. I don't care if I speak the language or not, so feel free to pick someplace exotic."
"I want to go someplace with a beach and palm trees," she said.
"Then that's what we'll do."
"The other thing -- the wedding night? I want to think about that a little bit."
"Take your time, sweetheart."
Usually the Georgeanne Diner caters after funerals and things, but they were closed so the family had to ask the Tavern to take care of it. The tavern used to behave like this sort of thing was beneath them, but they just got a new chef and wanted to show off the new guy.
Lisa loved the smells of church. The sanctuary was always scented with beeswax candles and flowers, except on high holidays when it was redolent with incense. The fellowship hall had a bit of the lingering church smell, but mostly it smelled of coffee. Over and above all that today was the smell of food. And it smelled extremely good.
"Wow," she said to Fabian. "Maybe I could eat something."
"Good," he said. "I know that's been a problem for you and I've been worried. Hey -- that guy looks familiar." Fabian frowned as a tall man in chef's whites came out of the church kitchen with a large chafing dish. Lisa gasped and tensed beside him.
"That's Pablo Moreno," she said. "I had no idea he was back." Fabian's frown turned into a scowl. It occurred to him that he'd had an idea that Lisa had a problem with Pablo and that he never did get around to asking her precisely what it was. To his surprise, on his other side someone else was demonstrating a problem with Pablo Moreno. His sisters had walked in with him. Adrianna had noticed the chef the same time Fabian and Lisa had.
"Of all the nerve!" Adrianna snorted. Fabian, Lisa, and Taryn all looked at her, shocked and confused.
"What is he doing here?" she demanded, hissing through her teeth.
"Setting up the buffet?" Taryn suggested helpfully. Adrianna glared at her younger sister briefly, then shook her head.
"He's the new chef at the Tavern? Pablo Moreno?"
"Addie, calm down," Fabian said softly. "Remember where you are and why." Adrianna took a few deep breaths.
"I'm fine," she said. "I'm sorry. I'm fine."
"Pablo can still really spread sunshine around," Lisa commented rolling her eyes. "I have yet to encounter someone he hasn't alienated."
"What did he do to you?" Fabian asked her.
"It's a long story. We'll talk about it later." She patted his arm.
"What about you, Addie?"
"He was in culinary school when I was," she said, clearly not wishing to discuss it. "He's a pain in the butt."
"He went to culinary school?" Fabian was surprised.
"Well duh, Fab," Taryn said. "He's a chef. That's where they come from."
"He went to State on a football scholarship and flunked out right before senior year. He liked to party too much. I always wondered what happened to him."
"Wonder no longer." Adrianna rolled her eyes with a sigh.
The chef finished setting up and went back into the kitchen again. Others had seen and recognized him, and the room began to buzz in shocked conversation. No one would make a scene, no matter what damage Pablo may have done to their lives. Lisa had grown up with and among these people, and she knew they would never dishonor her grandmother's memory or upset her family by starting something now. Later, Pablo may have reason to regret taking a local job. She looked around the room for Amy. She found her with Greg, and she didn't look as upset as Lisa was afraid she might be. Amy had moved on. The look on Abe Wright's face, however, told another story. Fabian headed over to talk to Abe and Greg, promising Lisa he'd be right back.
The chef came out of the kitchen carrying another chafing dish and attracting Lisa's attention. After he set it down in its place on the buffet table, he looked up. His eyes fell squarely on Adrianna, who was pointedly not looking at him. The expression on his face was one that Lisa recognized -- she'd seen it on Fabian's face after they'd broken up over the summer. Adrianna had done the impossible -- she'd broken Pablo Moreno's heart.
Lisa's mother came over to her and Lisa gave her a hug.
"How are you doing?" her mother, Maude, asked.
"I'm glad I have Fabian," she said, "and the Mowerys have been terrific."
"I'm glad you have Fabian, too. And I know you can run the orchard by yourself."
"I can stay?"
"Of course. You and your grandmother had a deal. And you have a lease. In fact, after the appraisers and whatnot have been through, you might want to think about moving over to the house. It would be easier to clean out that way. Why don't you ask Fabian to take the garage apartment?
"He wouldn't, Mom. For lots of reasons. But I know someone else who might be interested."
"Why not Fabian?"
"Dad offered him a place in town, Craig offered him one of the hired man houses, and Anne and George offered him the other apartment above the diner. Fabian wants to stay in his vardo. And I really don't think he would want to be just across the driveway from me. Too tempting."
"You're engaged," her mother shrugged. Lisa blushed.
"Mother! We're waiting. Fabian insists."
"That's unusual. He's as good a man as he was a boy."
"I'm glad I agreed to marry him before we figured out that he's the one who saved my life. I don't have to worry that it's gratitude -- I know I loved him before we knew." Fabian returned. He gave Lisa's mother a kiss on the cheek, then wrapped an arm around Lisa.
"How's Franco?" Maude asked him. Fabian smiled.
"Getting restless," he said. "I think he's ready to come home. He looks good -- he's lost about seventy-five pounds. He says his goal is for us to be identical again."
"Oh, Fab -- I meant to to tell you," Lisa said, "Mr. Wright's friend Mr. Workman is an accountant in town. He's interested in talking to Franco, if Franco would like a job when he's strong enough."
"That's great," Fabian said, "but I might keep that for a welcome home present. Franco's restless enough and he recently talked to me about finishing up his CPA. If I tell him about that now, he'll try to escape from the hospital." Fabian grinned. "Let's go get some food."