Page 80 of Lost Then Found
Laughter spills across the table. My chest feels warm, full.
Molly turns to me, smiling. “So, Lark, tell me—what’s new with you?”
I take a sip of my water. “Oh, you know. Just keeping The Bluebell running. Keeping Hudson alive. The usual.”
Hudson huffs. “Gee, thanks.”
Molly chuckles. “Sounds like a full-time job.”
“Oh, it is,” I say dryly. “The kid eats like he’s training for the Olympics, and the diner never slows down. If I ever get a free second, it’s usually spent making sure I haven’t lost my mind.”
“You lost that a long time ago,” Ridge quips with a mouthful of food.
I roll my eyes with a grin, but Molly swats at him. “You hush.” Then she turns back to me, her expression softening. “But really, honey, how’s the diner doing?”
I sigh, leaning back slightly. “Busy as ever. Tourists keep us afloat in the summer, and the locals carry us through the winter. It’s a good thing I love it, otherwise, I’d probably have quit a hundred times by now.”
Molly nods knowingly. “Your Alice would be so proud.”
A lump rises in my throat, but I push past it, forcing a smile. “I like to think so.”
Sage grins. “Do you still make those super fluffy cinnamon rolls?”
I smile back. “Every morning.”
Boone leans back in his chair, amusement flickering in his eyes, the corners of his mouth pulling into a slow, dimpled grin. “Still burn ‘em?”
I shoot him a look. “I haven’t burned a single thing in years, thank you very much.”
He lifts a brow. “Sure about that?”
“Positive.”
Hudson turns to the table like he’s addressing a jury. “She burned toast before school on Monday, a frozen pizza on Wednesday, and the coffee pot—somehow—this morning.”
I gasp. “Hudson!”
The whole table erupts into laughter.
Boone shakes his head, laughing and grinning. “The coffee pot?”
Hudson nods solemnly. “It melted.”
Ridge whistles low. “Damn, Lark. That’s kind of impressive.”
I narrow my eyes at Hudson. “I’m never bringing you anywhere again.”
Molly laughs, shaking her head. “Well, I, for one, am glad to hear The Bluebell’s still going strong.”
Loretta nods. “That place is a piece of Summit Springs. I can’t imagine the town without it.”
I smile at that. “Me neither.”
Elvis trots up beside me and plops down, his head resting against my leg like he’s already claimed me as his. Molly raises a brow. “Well, looks like you’ve got yourself a new friend.”
I glance down, scratching behind his ears. “Lucky me.”
Sage narrows her eyes at him. “Traitor.”
