right one.”
Lucy squeezed Gloria’s hand and smiled. “You’re right. I’m at peace with this.” She reached for her check and lifted her purse. “You know what else? I’m okay if there isn’t a ‘Mr. Right’ waiting in the wings.”
Lucy lifted her chin in defiance. “Either way, after I got home last night, I made a list of all the things I want to do. You know, the bucket list.” She pulled her wallet from inside the purse. “One of the first things on the list is that cruise we keep promising ourselves that we’re going to take.”
Gloria nodded. She picked up her handbag and set it in her lap. “Hey! That reminds me. Do you remember my cousin, Millie?”
Lucy tugged on her earring. “Oh yeah! She was married to that jerk, Roger. Wasn’t he the guy that ran off with one of his clients?”
Gloria nodded as she pulled some bills from her wallet.
“Uh-uh,” Lucy stopped her. “Breakfast is on me.” She dropped a twenty on top of the check.
The waitress stopped by with a dash more coffee, picked up the money and the bill. “Be back in a jiff,” she said.
“Thanks, Lucy.” Gloria watched the waitress head to the back. “Anyways, Millie took a job on a cruise ship. Her daughter, Beth, called the other day to tell me her mom was having a blast.” She went on. “What do you think about going ahead and booking our cruise on Millie’s ship?”
Lucy placed her palm on the table. She leaned in. “Really? Can we? I mean, that would definitely give me something to look forward to.”
Gloria nodded. “Let’s all of us girls meet for coffee at Dot’s and pick a date.”
Lucy didn’t have time to answer. Her gaze shifted to the table of men. One of them looked like he was getting ready to leave. She scrambled out of the chair. “I’ll try to hold them off from leaving.”
Lucy pushed in her chair. “Tell Fran to keep the change.”
Gloria watched as Lucy headed to the table. The man sat back down as Lucy waved her hands in the air.
Gloria grinned. She had no idea what tactic Lucy was using to stall them!
Fran was back with a receipt and change.
Gloria waved her off. “You can keep it.”
Fran looked at the five-dollar bill and coins in her hand. “Really? That’s the best tip I’ve had all day!”
Gloria got to her feet.
Fran held out a hand. “Say. I just thought of something. Milt was in here a couple days before he went missing. He came in with a woman.”
She looked around then lowered her voice. “It was for lunch and the only reason I remember is that Milt was in here with his friends for breakfast and then came back a couple hours later with this woman.”
“And?” Gloria prompted.
“Well, I could tell they were having a kind of serious conversation, you know. From the looks on their faces,” she paused. “I’m a pretty good judge of that, what with having to deal with people every day.”
Gloria’s pulse raced. “Did you hear what was being said?”
Fran frowned. “Nope. Every time I came close, they would stop talking, which is another reason I think there was something to it. You know, more than just a regular conversation.”
Gloria pointed to Fran’s pad of paper and pen. “Can I borrow that for a minute?”
Fran handed it to Gloria, who grabbed her reading glasses and slipped them on. “Do you recall what the woman looked like?”
Fran tapped the side of her cheek and stared at the ceiling. “She was – uh.” Fran snapped her fingers. “Yeah. She had gray hair with black streaks. It was kinda short and curly…like she permed it or something.”
Gloria frowned. That could be just about anyone! “Anything about her stand out like a mole or a tattoo?”
Fran shook her head. “No. Not that I can recall.”
Gloria scribbled her cell number on the pad of paper and handed that and the pen to the woman. “If you think of anything,
Lucy squeezed Gloria’s hand and smiled. “You’re right. I’m at peace with this.” She reached for her check and lifted her purse. “You know what else? I’m okay if there isn’t a ‘Mr. Right’ waiting in the wings.”
Lucy lifted her chin in defiance. “Either way, after I got home last night, I made a list of all the things I want to do. You know, the bucket list.” She pulled her wallet from inside the purse. “One of the first things on the list is that cruise we keep promising ourselves that we’re going to take.”
Gloria nodded. She picked up her handbag and set it in her lap. “Hey! That reminds me. Do you remember my cousin, Millie?”
Lucy tugged on her earring. “Oh yeah! She was married to that jerk, Roger. Wasn’t he the guy that ran off with one of his clients?”
Gloria nodded as she pulled some bills from her wallet.
“Uh-uh,” Lucy stopped her. “Breakfast is on me.” She dropped a twenty on top of the check.
The waitress stopped by with a dash more coffee, picked up the money and the bill. “Be back in a jiff,” she said.
“Thanks, Lucy.” Gloria watched the waitress head to the back. “Anyways, Millie took a job on a cruise ship. Her daughter, Beth, called the other day to tell me her mom was having a blast.” She went on. “What do you think about going ahead and booking our cruise on Millie’s ship?”
Lucy placed her palm on the table. She leaned in. “Really? Can we? I mean, that would definitely give me something to look forward to.”
Gloria nodded. “Let’s all of us girls meet for coffee at Dot’s and pick a date.”
Lucy didn’t have time to answer. Her gaze shifted to the table of men. One of them looked like he was getting ready to leave. She scrambled out of the chair. “I’ll try to hold them off from leaving.”
Lucy pushed in her chair. “Tell Fran to keep the change.”
Gloria watched as Lucy headed to the table. The man sat back down as Lucy waved her hands in the air.
Gloria grinned. She had no idea what tactic Lucy was using to stall them!
Fran was back with a receipt and change.
Gloria waved her off. “You can keep it.”
Fran looked at the five-dollar bill and coins in her hand. “Really? That’s the best tip I’ve had all day!”
Gloria got to her feet.
Fran held out a hand. “Say. I just thought of something. Milt was in here a couple days before he went missing. He came in with a woman.”
She looked around then lowered her voice. “It was for lunch and the only reason I remember is that Milt was in here with his friends for breakfast and then came back a couple hours later with this woman.”
“And?” Gloria prompted.
“Well, I could tell they were having a kind of serious conversation, you know. From the looks on their faces,” she paused. “I’m a pretty good judge of that, what with having to deal with people every day.”
Gloria’s pulse raced. “Did you hear what was being said?”
Fran frowned. “Nope. Every time I came close, they would stop talking, which is another reason I think there was something to it. You know, more than just a regular conversation.”
Gloria pointed to Fran’s pad of paper and pen. “Can I borrow that for a minute?”
Fran handed it to Gloria, who grabbed her reading glasses and slipped them on. “Do you recall what the woman looked like?”
Fran tapped the side of her cheek and stared at the ceiling. “She was – uh.” Fran snapped her fingers. “Yeah. She had gray hair with black streaks. It was kinda short and curly…like she permed it or something.”
Gloria frowned. That could be just about anyone! “Anything about her stand out like a mole or a tattoo?”
Fran shook her head. “No. Not that I can recall.”
Gloria scribbled her cell number on the pad of paper and handed that and the pen to the woman. “If you think of anything,
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