Williams.”
“Good plan.”
With satisfied smiles, they sipped at their coffee and waited. As they waited, Wes Pursell entered. He went straight to the coffee station, prepared two cups and then walked to the register.
“You know Cody Sweet broke up with him,” Nellie Mae whispered. “Dropped him like a hot potato when that Cooper Quinlan showed up.”
“I hear she gets around,” Netta replied and nodded knowingly. “Poor Stella. I bet it just horrifies her.”
“Oh, don’t you know?” Nellie Mae straightened as Stella returned with their order.
“Here you are, ladies.”
“Well, how are you doing Stella?” Nellie Mae asked.
“Just fine, Mrs. Baker. And you?”
“Just peachy hon, just peachy. I hear tell your girl has a new beau.”
“Pardon?”
“Cody. She’s seeing that oil man, Cooper Quinlan. Or is that Hannah who’s stepping out with him? Maybe I’m confused. I did see Hannah with him this morning.”
Stella’s smile vanished. “I think you’re mistaken, Mrs. Baker. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get a big order ready for the school today. The fifth graders are having a party.”
“Oh, well don’t let us keep you, honey.”
“You have a nice day ladies.”
As Stella hurried off, Netta nodded at Nellie Mae. “I tell you, those Sweet girls are getting to be regular rounders, Nellie Mae.”
“Indeed they are. And fighting over a man, at that.”
Netta nodded again. “The girls are going to have a fit when they hear this. And oh shoot, we didn’t get to say anything to Stella about the hussy.”
“We’ll stop by tomorrow. And oh, don’t you know the girls will just die when they hear about Stella’s girls? How much do you think we should tell them?”
“Well, I don’t know. We don’t want to let it all out at once.”
“No, no. We don’t.” Nellie Mae sampled the fritter. “Oh my goodness. Divine.”
“That Stella sure can bake,” Netta agreed and dug into her fritter.
For the moment, the sweet pastry took precedent over gossip.
For the moment.
*****
Once at the park, Lily made a beeline for the play area where there was a small slide and sand box for toddlers. Jayce and Callie walked side-by-side, following.
“So, how’s your week going?” she asked.
“Not bad. Looking to hire some more men, but not having a lot of luck. Might have to run an ad in the county paper.”
“Is business that busy?”
“Yeah, it is. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”
“No, I guess not.”
They took a seat on a nearby bench as Lily climbed up the steps of the slide. She entertained herself, sliding down and climbing back up.
“She sure seems to like coming here,” Jayce commented.
“Oh, she does. But Lily’s pretty happy wherever she is.”
“So, you grew up in Nashville?”
“I did.” She nodded and accepted one of the cups of coffee from him.
“What was it like?”
Callie shrugged. “About like anywhere, I imagine. We didn’t live in Nashville proper, but a little town south west of Nashville. Primm Springs.”
“You spent your whole life there?”
“In Primm Springs? Yes, until I graduated, then I packed my ratty little car and headed straight for Nashville.”
“To do what?”
“To become a star,” she said and smiled. “At least that’s what I thought.”
“You wanted to be a singing star?”
“I did.”
“You have the voice?”
“Maybe, but a lot of people have the voice.” She set her cup down and went over to the sandbox, where Lily was trying to dig her way beneath the slide. “Here honey, pile the sand up over here and build a big, big pile.”
Once Lily was focused on her new task, Callie returned.
“So, what happened?” Jayce asked. “With the singing career?”
“What you’d imagine. I sang on the street, at any small bar that would hire me, or let me sing for free. I waited tables, tended bar and almost starved until I wised up, went back to school and took accounting and IT classes so I could get
“Good plan.”
With satisfied smiles, they sipped at their coffee and waited. As they waited, Wes Pursell entered. He went straight to the coffee station, prepared two cups and then walked to the register.
“You know Cody Sweet broke up with him,” Nellie Mae whispered. “Dropped him like a hot potato when that Cooper Quinlan showed up.”
“I hear she gets around,” Netta replied and nodded knowingly. “Poor Stella. I bet it just horrifies her.”
“Oh, don’t you know?” Nellie Mae straightened as Stella returned with their order.
“Here you are, ladies.”
“Well, how are you doing Stella?” Nellie Mae asked.
“Just fine, Mrs. Baker. And you?”
“Just peachy hon, just peachy. I hear tell your girl has a new beau.”
“Pardon?”
“Cody. She’s seeing that oil man, Cooper Quinlan. Or is that Hannah who’s stepping out with him? Maybe I’m confused. I did see Hannah with him this morning.”
Stella’s smile vanished. “I think you’re mistaken, Mrs. Baker. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get a big order ready for the school today. The fifth graders are having a party.”
“Oh, well don’t let us keep you, honey.”
“You have a nice day ladies.”
As Stella hurried off, Netta nodded at Nellie Mae. “I tell you, those Sweet girls are getting to be regular rounders, Nellie Mae.”
“Indeed they are. And fighting over a man, at that.”
Netta nodded again. “The girls are going to have a fit when they hear this. And oh shoot, we didn’t get to say anything to Stella about the hussy.”
“We’ll stop by tomorrow. And oh, don’t you know the girls will just die when they hear about Stella’s girls? How much do you think we should tell them?”
“Well, I don’t know. We don’t want to let it all out at once.”
“No, no. We don’t.” Nellie Mae sampled the fritter. “Oh my goodness. Divine.”
“That Stella sure can bake,” Netta agreed and dug into her fritter.
For the moment, the sweet pastry took precedent over gossip.
For the moment.
*****
Once at the park, Lily made a beeline for the play area where there was a small slide and sand box for toddlers. Jayce and Callie walked side-by-side, following.
“So, how’s your week going?” she asked.
“Not bad. Looking to hire some more men, but not having a lot of luck. Might have to run an ad in the county paper.”
“Is business that busy?”
“Yeah, it is. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”
“No, I guess not.”
They took a seat on a nearby bench as Lily climbed up the steps of the slide. She entertained herself, sliding down and climbing back up.
“She sure seems to like coming here,” Jayce commented.
“Oh, she does. But Lily’s pretty happy wherever she is.”
“So, you grew up in Nashville?”
“I did.” She nodded and accepted one of the cups of coffee from him.
“What was it like?”
Callie shrugged. “About like anywhere, I imagine. We didn’t live in Nashville proper, but a little town south west of Nashville. Primm Springs.”
“You spent your whole life there?”
“In Primm Springs? Yes, until I graduated, then I packed my ratty little car and headed straight for Nashville.”
“To do what?”
“To become a star,” she said and smiled. “At least that’s what I thought.”
“You wanted to be a singing star?”
“I did.”
“You have the voice?”
“Maybe, but a lot of people have the voice.” She set her cup down and went over to the sandbox, where Lily was trying to dig her way beneath the slide. “Here honey, pile the sand up over here and build a big, big pile.”
Once Lily was focused on her new task, Callie returned.
“So, what happened?” Jayce asked. “With the singing career?”
“What you’d imagine. I sang on the street, at any small bar that would hire me, or let me sing for free. I waited tables, tended bar and almost starved until I wised up, went back to school and took accounting and IT classes so I could get
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