with that,” Lando quipped with a grin. When he spotted Flanner standing just inside the doorway, he nudged Gemma in the side. “Would you look at that? How did you get him here?”
“I told him we wanted to thank him for his part in nailing Jocelyn,” Gemma said, sending Flanner a wave. “I dangled a meal as part of the incentive. Besides, we need to sit down and come up with plans for the shed.”
Lando moved in to plant a kiss on her forehead. “Nice. Move him to a quiet table in the back. I’ll see to it.”
“Thanks.” Gemma walked over to Flanner, prepared to keep him calm in the crowd of people. But he didn’t seem that agitated. “If not for you writing down the license plate and the description of the Lexus, Lando wouldn’t have had enough to arrest Jocelyn. That bit of information sealed her fate.”
“It had to be more than that,” Flanner protested. “I didn’t do that much.”
“But you did. Your habit of keeping track of the traffic out that way was the missing piece we needed,” Dale upheld. “It was the key that broke open everything.”
“I just like to keep track of cars and such,” Flanner muttered. But his jaw dropped the moment he saw Lucy Devereux step into the restaurant. He glanced over at Gemma. “You invited Lucy? Here? Why?”
“Because she’s a friend of ours,” Gemma said with a straight face. “We wanted all of our friends around us tonight. I’ve learned one thing since coming back to town. It pays to have a tight-knit community around you when your back’s up against the wall. We should take care of each other more. Don’t you think?”
“But…”
“No buts, Flanner. We all need help getting through this thing we call life. If you don’t believe me, I just had to tell a neighbor the most heartbreaking story so she’d hear it from me instead of the rumor mill. I had to tell her an awful, ugly truth about her ex-husband and her sister. It was like an arrow to her heart. But she’ll be fine because we’ll see to it that she’s okay. That’s what we do for each other.”
Gemma pivoted toward Lucy. “I’ll get you two a drink. What are you two having?”
Lucy’s lips curved up as she stepped closer to Gemma, then closer to Flanner. “I’m not much of a drinker, other than my weekly wine. But I told myself tonight I’d try a white Russian. Remember that time we talked about premiering the movie, The Big Lebowski, after we remodeled The Cactus Flower Drive-in?”
The question sparked a memory in Flanner and caused him to flash a rare smile. “Yeah. I do.”
Gemma noted the spark between them. If only she could take that little ember and fan it into a larger flame. “How about I show you to a table in the back so you guys can talk, somewhere not so noisy. Then I’ll get your drinks. Follow me.”
Gemma prodded Flanner to move ahead and then leaned in to whisper, “Maybe ask her what kind of day she had. Maybe ask her if she’d like to go see a movie or have dinner sometime.”
Flanner chuckled. “I got this. I do remember how to talk to Lucy.”
Gemma patted Flanner’s shoulder. Keeping her voice low, she murmured, “Music to my ears. Because Lucy cares about you, and you care about her. Now try to relax and enjoy yourself. Ignore everybody else here. Tune out the noise. And don’t blow it.”
“What about going over plans for your shed?”
“That doesn’t have to be tonight,” Gemma mused. She got them seated, then took off for the bar. “I need two white Russians,” she relayed to Leia.
“Good to know we’re so cosmopolitan tonight,” Leia tossed out.
“Aren’t we just?”
“Hard to believe you just seated Flanner DelRay and Lucy Devereux. Together. How on earth did you get him into town?” Leia glanced over at the back booth. “And look at that, he’s talking to a woman.”
“Not just any woman. Lucy was his high school sweetheart before he joined the military.”
“I’d forgotten that. You’re trying to flex your matchmaker skills, aren’t you?” Leia teased, bumping Gemma’s shoulder in a playful gesture. When Gemma just smiled, Leia added, “Who knew you were such a romantic? Does Lando know?”
“He does. And he rubber-stamped it. Any ideas what to do for Lianne’s bridal shower?”
Across the restaurant, Leia eyed her brother Luke, arm draped around her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “Not a clue. Those two sure made up fast.