Chapter 37
The Crew called an Uber and arrived at the Cedar Falls Inn just as Jake, Tommy, and Danny were walking in from the parking lot. Wisconsin was experiencing an “oh crap what happened to spring” heat wave and all of them were anxious to get inside the supper club’s cool air.
Jake held the door for them and shook his head.
“New York. You are trouble with a capital T.”
“What makes you say that?” Mary asked, walking right past him in her red strapless short summer dress and five-inch-tall black sandals. She carried a white cotton cardigan in case she got cold or there was a need for a touch of modesty.
They walked to the hostess stand and were greeted by the owner and her son.
“Well, well, well,” Melinda Meier said when she saw Danny and the Taylors. “If you all haven’t grown up into the pride of Cedar Falls!” Melinda was in her eighties and had known the boys their entire lives.
“Hi, Mrs. Meier. Mom and Dad said to give you their best.” Jake kissed her cheek.
“Well tell them to come in. It’s been an age.”
“They insisted we bring our new friends to meet you and have a traditional Wisconsin experience for them to remember,” Tommy said.
“Yes, this is Dot, Mary, and Harper,” Jake said, gesturing to The Crew. “They’re living in town for a year. They’re from Manhattan—New York, not Kansas.”
“All the way from New York! Well, welcome to the Cedar Falls Inn.” Melinda shook each of their hands with both of her own.
“You’re all so pretty. And dressed up! Customers used to dress to the nines when they came to the supper club.
But things change.” She sighed, remembering the good old days. “Anyway. I hope you’re hungry.”
“I’m always hungry,” Mary said. “What’s your specialty?”
“Prime rib. But the walleye is fresh tonight, too, if you want fish. Oh, and we have Jack Czarnecki performing tonight. He can sing just like Frank Sinatra. Close your eyes and you’ll think it’s Frank, who actually sang here when my grandfather opened this place.”
“Sinatra! I never thought I’d get to see him live.” Dot was charmed by the proprietress.
“We’ll make sure you have a nice night,” Melinda said, putting an arm around Mary’s waist. “My goodness aren’t you just the tiniest thing. We need to feed you.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll eat,” Mary said.
Melinda excused herself as another family she knew entered the restaurant.
“Okay, let’s get a drink and order. Follow me,” Jake said. He took their cocktail orders, got himself a non-alcoholic beer, and picked up menus from the bartender.
Mary commented on his beer choice. “My dad loves Athletic. Said he always wanted a non-alcoholic version that actually tasted like beer.”
“Well, I’m driving tonight. Dad loaned us the Suburban so that everyone can fit.”
“Our hero,” Tommy said, and slapped his brother on the back good-naturedly.
The Crew consulted each other on what they’d order for dinner.
“Everything’s good. Can’t go wrong. And everyone gets the salad bar, too.” Jake had transformed into a cruise director for the supper club.
After placing their orders with the bartender, Tommy and Harper fell immediately into an easy conversation about Pippi. The Crew’s neighbors had offered to keep her for the night.
“They said it’s easier to babysit a dog than to cave to their kids’ pleas for one,” Harper said. She wore a light blue midi dress trimmed in red and ivory espadrille wedges that tied at the ankle.
“That’s for sure. Every kid needs a dog, and every dog needs a kid.”
“I wish I’d thought of that line to use on my parents when I was young,” Harper lamented. “I was never able to convince them to get us any pets.”
“Have you told your family about Pippi yet?” he asked.
“Oh yes. My brother is so jealous. My parents think I’m just a temporary guardian—and that this dog is too much responsibility for me at this point. But it’s not like I have a real job or a place to live back home. I told them that you’re still looking for the owner.”
“Far and wide. The search party is out.”
“But if you find them, don’t tell them where she is. I couldn’t possibly part with her now.”
“You got it,” Tommy said, sealing the deal by clinking Harper’s glass.
Jake went over to the wall and put a coin into a dispenser, then came back and handed a small card, about the size of a baseball card, to Mary.
“Here, another ticket for you, Miss Russo,” he said, fully smiling, dimple and all.
“What’s this?” Mary turned the card and examined it.
“It’s one of our traditions. Just peel back these tabs, and you could win up to two hundred and fifty bucks. It’s like a paper slot machine.”
“Well, let me try my luck!” She pulled back the tabs. Not a winner. “Bummer,” she said. “I’ll keep it as a souvenir. Or maybe it’s my get out of jail free card in the future.”
“Smart. I’m sure you’ll need it someday.”
“I don’t plan on causing any trouble. At least not any that I can’t get out of.”
“You’re kind of a smooth criminal, New York.”
Meanwhile, Danny and Dot talked about their plans for a major remodeling surprise of the Reader Falls Bookshop.
“How did it go when you talked to the Jankowskis?” Dot asked. When they’d met for lunch at the Sin Bin, Danny had showed her his plan for remodeling the shop in a three-day sprint. He had it all organized with the construction workers he employed and several volunteers in town.
“I didn’t give them any details—didn’t want them to have an excuse to say no. I just asked them, ‘Do you trust me?’ And Jeanie said of course they do. Then I said, leave it with Dot and me.”
“I can already see the new shelves, a fresh coat of paint, clean rugs. It’s going to be great.”
“Yep. It’s a go. Hope you don’t have any other plans next weekend. It’s going to take the full seventy-two hours they’re gone for us to get it done.”
“No other plans. I told Fletcher and Rose, and they’re going to cover for me Friday. I can check my phone regularly and respond to anything, especially if Kitty rings any fire alarms. And then they said they’d come help after they close the office that evening. And Harper and Mary are in, too.”
“So are Jake, Tommy, and the guys who work for me during the week,” Danny said. “They’re gathering materials this weekend so that everything will be ready.”
He smiled and didn’t look as sad as when she first met him. She felt a gentle pull toward him.
As if sensing her observation, he added, “It’s nice to have something to look forward to.”
“Always,” Dot said, and raised her glass to him. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.” He winked at her and she melted a little despite the cool air-conditioning.