I'm grateful for it, but I can't believe Lisa managed to keep up making pies for the diner while she was in mourning like that!
"Hi, George. Hi, Anne. I have the last of the apple pies here and the first of the pumpkin. Lisa handed Anne some boxes.
"Let us know when you're ready to come back to work, dear," Anne said. setting the pies aside and giving Lisa a warm hug.
"Oh, I'm more than ready," Lisa told her. "Put me on the schedule whenever you like and I'll be here. It will be nice to get out and get my mind off of things.
"We're grateful to have you," George said. "Is that burly boyfriend of yours going to let you work after you're married?"
Lisa laughed.
"I'm sure he will. Absolutely on baking the pies. I may not always have time for waitressing, but I will always have time for pies. Even if I don't work full-time after I get married, you know I'm willing to work a shift any time you need extra hands."
"How about starting again tomorrow morning?" Anne asked her. Lisa laughed.
"Can't wait!"
The Tavern's meals are a bit on the pricey side. It's a restaurant usually saved for a special occasion. There are hotel rooms on the upper floors, and guests get a discount. The bar, though, is a hangout for those of age in town.
"DiSanti."
"Moreno. Have a seat." Fabian motioned to the bench across from him in the booth. He had been waiting for Greg to join him for an after-work beer. Pablo Moreno sat.
"Black and Tan? I'm impressed." Pablo smiled, looking at the bottle of beer Fabian had been nursing.
"That's the nice thing about not being in college any more," Fabian smiled back. "I can afford the good stuff and don't have to choke down disgusting beer. Also, no one hassles me about it."
"So you get right to it," Pablo sighed. "College. I screwed you over, DiSanti. I'm sorry."
Fabian looked at him.
"Thank you," he said. "It's moot now, but it was bugging me."
"I should also apologize to you about Lisa. I took a very nice girl and led her along, and then asked her to do me a favor that she found rightfully repellant -- and she found out I'd only been using her so she'd be more likely to do what I'd asked. I'll be apologizing to her, too. I saw you with Lisa, and I heard she's engaged to you."
"She's the one," Fabian nodded. "Once that happens...."
"You're never the same again. I know." Pablo nodded. "It happened to me. You know that saying, "Better loved and lost than not having loved at all"?"
"Yes?"
"It's crap. Don't lose her, Fabian. When you've found the right one, it's priceless." His eyes were haunted; sad and empty. Fabian immediately felt for him, remembering the thunderstorm during the past summer when Lisa had panicked and broken up with him.
"I don't know if your sister talked to you. I was stupid. She didn't want to talk about it; she just ended it."
"Do you want me to talk to her?" Fabian knew Adrianna's temper and he could feel every throb of Pablo's pain. He could almost hear the thunder from last summer.
"No. It's something I need to fix on my own, and it will take time. I have a lot of fences to mend since I'm back. She's the most important one."
"Good luck," Fabian smiled. "And call me any time." He extended a hand and Pablo shook it. "Welcome back to town, Moreno."
Adrianna's restaurant is the best thing that happened to this town. She came in with the carnival and started one of the most successful restaurants around.
Adrianna liked early mornings in her restaurant She would get started on baking her own bread and making the pizza dough. It was quiet and peaceful, and gave her a chance to think. Lisa had offered her the apartment when Lisa moved to the house, and Adrianna was seriously considering it. Her RV was nice for the summer, but she didn't think she would like it in the winter. She wasn't interested in living in her mother's vardo; in fact, her family had decided to store it after the autumn fair. Taryn was happy in her trailer, but Adrianna felt she would prefer to have some room to move around.
She put a loaf of bread on to a sheet and put it in the proofer. She took out another ball of dough and turned it out onto her floured board. How convenient it was that she could buy local flour and it was of a higher quality that what she had been using. The tomatoes had been first rate, too -- she had plenty of those canned and ready for the winter. Hopefully she'd have enough to see her through until next tomato season.
Just as she was about the knead the dough on her board, she saw motion at the doorway through the corner of her eye.
"We're closed," she said, then looked up. Her heart sank. Pablo Moreno was slouched against the doorframe. He was still handsome in his very Latin lover way. His hairline had receded a little and his face had a few lines, but what had changed the most was his demeanor. Something was gone from his attitude. "How did you get in here?" she asked, wishing she could stay cool and not be so defensive. Her hands clutched the bread dough, channeling the worst of her emotions. Sometimes, mixed Italian and Gypsy heritage could be volatile and not easy to manage.
"Door was unlocked. You should keep it locked. This is a nice little town, but there's still riffraff."
"Yes, I see." She looked pointedly at him. He looked back at her. "What are you doing here, anyway. In town, I mean, not in my restaurant. Although I could ask that, too." She pulled on the dough she was working, twisted it, and kneaded it some more.
"It's my home town, in case you've forgotten. My family is here." He shrugged. "I lived with the Texas and Mexican branches of the family for a while, but it didn't work out. I could ask you the same question. Why are you here?"
"I came here with my family in May, started the restaurant, and it took off."