Chapter 67
“Where’s Nate?” McKenna plopped into a seat at the dining table next to Georgie and stole a glance out the window. She’d hardly caught a glimpse of the man since breakfast when the workers for the glass cottage had shown up, and he’d gone out to talk to them.
“Where’s the snacks?” Gus said, folding into the seat next to McKenna.
“Where’s everyone?” Georgie slid a legal pad in front of McKenna. “We need to get this meeting started.”
“So nobody’s seen Nate?”
Georgie handed McKenna a pen. “What? Nate? Oh. I did see him. He’s running an errand.”
McKenna clutched the pen in her lap, so she didn’t bounce it off Georgie’s forehead. “Surely we have enough folding tables by now, Georgie.”
“I didn’t send him out for anything this time. I just happened to pass him as I was turning into the driveway. I mean, if he should happen to stumble across a few extra folding tables while he’s out and about, I wouldn’t say no to them, but—”
“Sorry we’re late, everyone.” Barb rushed in with Evie close behind.
“That’s not our snack, is it?” Gus muttered when Barb set a long skinny cucumber on the table.
“Where’s all the Harrys?” asked Evie.
“Visiting Stones River National Battlefield,” said Georgie. “Thankfully they’re all history buffs, so they should be out of our hair for a while.”
“Where’s Nate?” Barb asked, looking at McKenna.
“Running an errand?” She shrugged.
“Really?” said Evie. “I would have figured we had enough folding tables by now.”
Georgie lifted her palms. “We’re not here to discuss folding tables. Although maybe we should add that onto the agenda because I’m still not entirely convinced—”
“We have enough,” everyone shouted back.
“But what we don’t have enough of,” said Gus, scooting his chair back, “is snacks. I’m grabbing the Cheez-Its.”
Before Gus could stand, Georgie jabbed a finger at him to sit. “You’ll keep that rear glued to your seat until we get through this meeting.”
“Does that only apply to Gus? Because I may have to use the bathroom here in a minute,” said Evie.
“My rear would be a lot more adhesive right now if there was more than a cucumber on the table,” said Gus.
“It’s an English cucumber,” said Barb in defense.
“Did anybody hear Nate mention where he might be going today?” asked McKenna, more concerned with the whereabouts of Nate’s rear than anything else.
“Listen to you,” said Barb with a chuckle. “Sounding like an old married couple already. I never know where Frank is either.”
“Is anybody listening to me?” said Georgie.
“You know I can’t hear anything when my belly’s empty,” said Gus.
“We need to figure out the sleeping arrangements for tomorrow night,” continued Georgie.
“What sleeping arrangements?” asked Barb.
“All the Harrys,” said Georgie.
“I thought they were already settled,” said Evie.
“For now,” said Georgie. “But we’re also going to need rooms for McKenna’s sister and the boyfriend and any additional guests that may want to stay after the concert tomorrow night.”
“My sister can bunk in with me,” said McKenna.
“And the boyfriend can take Alicia’s room,” said Barb.
“Can’t. Harry Three is already in that room,” said Gus, frowning at the cucumber.
“I thought we gave Alicia’s room to Harry Two,” said McKenna.
“There is no Harry Two.” Gus picked up the cucumber waving it like a pointer at the ceiling. “You’re thinking of Harry Four who used to be Harry Two until he moved into the room right next to the bathroom, across from Harry One, because of his prostate issues.”
“What happened to calling them Bass Harry, Tall Harry, and Hairy Harry?” asked Evie.
Gus rolled his eyes and bit off a chunk of cucumber. “People kept getting confused, so we’re trying a new system based on their bedroom number.”
“I think we need to go back to the old system,” said Barb.
“I think we need to get back to the sleeping arrangements,” said Georgie.
“What about putting the sister’s boyfriend in with Nate?” said Evie.
“Oooh, no.” McKenna scrunched her face as she wiggled the pen back and forth between her fingers. “Last time the boyfriend and Nate were together, there were guttural growls and blood.”
“So then put the sister in with Nate and the boyfriend in with McKenna,” said Gus, followed quickly by, “Oh, that’s no good, is it? See, this is why I need something more than a cucumber to fuel my brain. I need cheese.”
“I need a nap,” said both Evie and Barb.
“I need everyone to focus,” said Georgie.
McKenna glanced out the window. She knew what she needed. But where was he?