separate sheet, but Wyatt pointed to his chest, letting me know to put it on his tab. Jerry would likely protest, but Wyatt could charm him into agreeing.
A couple of days earlier, Tiny had asked why he hadn’t seen Wyatt hanging around. I’d reassured him that Wyatt would likely be in soon enough. Tiny had said good with surprising vehemence and then shocked me into silence by calling me an enchantress who’d woken Wyatt up from a long sleep. According to him, Wyatt used to be happy and carefree before his arrest, something he seemed to have lost after his nearly two-year incarceration. He’d come home a loner—quiet, reserved, and serious. A lot like the Wyatt I’d met on the overlook above Drum. I’d laughed and told Tiny that I hadn’t known him to be so fanciful, but he’d grinned back. “There’s a whole lot you don’t know about me, but that doesn’t discount the fact that you seem to be bringing Wyatt Drummond back to life.”
It was a beautiful compliment, but something about the way Tiny had phrased it had stayed with me. There’s a whole lot you don’t know about me. I got the sense there was a whole lot more to just about everyone I’d met in this small Smoky Mountain town, Wyatt included, but then, I had plenty of my own secrets, so who was I to judge?
I turned in their orders and got Wyatt’s beer and Jerry’s Coke at the bar.
Ruth shot Wyatt a dark look. “What’s he doin’ here? I haven’t seen him in nearly a week.”
“He came for dinner, same as everyone else.”
“Not the same as everyone else. He’s here for you.”
I flashed her a grin. “I’d like to think my sunny disposition brings some of the customers in now.”
She laughed and shook her head. “There’s more truth to that than you realize, a fact I made sure to point out to Max. He was losin’ lunch-crowd business until you showed up. Lula’s a hit with the football crowd because of her flirting and sweetness, but the lunch crowd is more inclined to appreciate competent staff with a”—she grinned—“sunny disposition.” When she noticed my look of surprise, she said, “Surely you’ve noticed that business has picked up.”
“To be fair,” I said. “You warned me in the beginning that it would be slow, but I never saw it because everyone wanted to drop in and see the waitress who’d found Seth’s body. They all thought I was a murderer until we caught Carson.”
“True enough,” she said, handing me Wyatt’s mug. “But you’re a big draw.” She gave me a forced smile. “And notice I didn’t spit in Wyatt’s beer.”
“Why won’t you tell me why you two hate each other?”
She frowned. “Hate’s a strong word.”
“Fine, then you have strong feelings of dislike. Why won’t you tell me?”
“Have Wyatt tell you.”
“He says to have you tell me.”
She released a chuckle. “It’s water under the bridge, Carly. Let it go.”
“But it’s hard to do that when my loyalty feels divided.”
Her expression softened. “That’s sweet of you to say, but what happened between us was long ago. We’re both nearly a decade older. I’ll only say it involved Heather. Let bygones be bygones, and all that. You two look happy. I won’t begrudge you that.”
Ruth and Wyatt had dated years ago, during a break in his off-and-on relationship with a woman named Heather. Heather was the woman who’d been with him the night of his arrest. She’d left town after the Drummonds paid her not to testify against him.
I delivered the drinks and settled up with a couple of customers, most of whom seemed intent on leaving before the football crowd showed up.
My section was caught up, but Lula seemed to be behind on bussing her tables.
“Let me give you a hand,” I said cheerfully as I started to clear the table next to the one she was working on.
“I don’t see how you can keep up with it all,” she said in frustration, and I realized she was close to tears.
Her section actually had fewer customers, but she was struggling to make sure everyone was taken care of in a speedy manner.
“It’s all about multitasking.”
She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “I really need this job, Carly.”
My breath stuck in my chest. Did she want me to quit and give her my hours? Or was she worried her incompetency was going to get her fired? I was going to presume the latter. “I’ll help