who is this?”
“This is my friend Logan Thibault,” Beth said, willing herself not to blush.
“You are new? I haven’t seen you before.” Maria’s eyes swept him up and down in frank curiosity.
“I just moved to town.”
“Well, you’re with two of my favorite customers.” She waved them forward. “Come. I’ll get you a place in one of the booths.”
Maria led the way and set the menus on the table as they slid into their seats. “Sweet teas all around?”
“That would be great, Maria,” Beth agreed. As soon as Maria hurried toward the kitchen, she faced Logan. “She makes the best sweet tea around. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Can I have some quarters?” Ben asked. “I want to play some video games.”
“I figured you would,” Beth said, reaching into her handbag. “I grabbed some from the change jar before we left. Have fun,” she said. “And don’t leave with any strangers.”
“I’m ten years old,” he said, sounding exasperated. “Not five.”
She watched Ben head toward the games, amused at his response. Sometimes he sounded as if he were in high school.
“This place has lots of character,” Logan commented.
“The food is fantastic, too. They do Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas that are out of this world. What do you like on your pizza?”
He scratched his chin. “Mmm . . . lots of garlic, extra anchovies.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Really?”
“Just kidding. Get whatever you order normally. I’m not particular.”
“Ben likes pepperoni.”
“Then make it pepperoni.”
She eyed him playfully. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re pretty easygoing?”
“Not lately,” he said. “But then again, I didn’t have many people to talk to while I was walking.”
“Did you get lonely?”
“Not with Zeus. He’s a good listener.”
“But he can’t contribute to the conversation.”
“No. But he didn’t whine about the walk, either. Most people would have.”
“I wouldn’t have whined.” Beth tossed a length of hair over her shoulder.
Logan said nothing.
“I’m serious,” she protested. “I easily could have walked across the country.”
Logan said nothing.
“Okay, you’re right. I might have whined once or twice.”
He laughed before surveying the restaurant. “How many people do you know in here?”
Glancing around, she considered it. “I’ve seen most of them around town over the years, but those I actually know? Maybe thirty people.”
He estimated it to be well more than half the patrons. “What’s that like?”
“You mean where everyone knows everything? I guess it depends on how many big mistakes you make, since that’s what most people end up talking about. Affairs, lost jobs, drug or alcohol abuse, auto accidents. But if you’re like me, on the other hand, someone as pure as the wind-driven snow, it’s not so hard.”
He grinned. “It must be nice being you.”
“Oh, it is. Trust me. Let’s just say you’re lucky to be sitting at my table.”
“Of that,” he said, “I have no doubt.”
Maria dropped off the drinks. As she was leaving, she raised her eyebrows just enough to let Beth know she liked Logan’s appearance and expected to find out later what, if anything, was going on between them.
Beth took a gulp of her tea, as did Logan.
“What do you think?”
“It’s definitely sweet,” Logan said. “But it’s tasty.”
Beth nodded before wiping the condensation from the outside of her glass with a paper napkin. She crumpled it and set it aside. “How long are you going to stay in Hampton?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not from here, you have a college degree, you’re working in a job that most people would hate, and getting paid very little for it. I think my question is fair.”
“I don’t plan on quitting,” he said.
“That’s not what I asked. I asked how long you were going to stay in Hampton. Honestly.”
Her voice brooked no evasions, and it was easy for Logan to imagine her bringing order to an unruly classroom. “Honestly? I don’t know. And I say that because I’ve learned over the past five years never to take anything for granted.”
“That may be true, but again, it doesn’t really answer the question.”
He seemed to register the disappointment in her voice and struggled with his response. “How about this?” he finally said. “So far, I like it here. I like my job, I think Nana’s terrific, I enjoy spending time with Ben, and right now, I have no intention of leaving Hampton any time in the foreseeable future. Does that answer your question?”
She felt a jolt of anticipation at his words and the way his gaze roamed over her face as he spoke. She leaned forward as well. “I noticed you left out something