“Fair.”
Patricia pushed a menu toward her.
“They have peach pie.”
“This is North Carolina. Of course they have peach pie.”
“They also have pecan.”
Jessica opened the menu.
“You’re asking me to make impossible decisions after a difficult morning.”
Patricia smiled.
“Now you understand real pressure.”
Jessica laughed.
A waitress approached.
“Coffee?”
Jessica looked at Patricia.
Patricia looked at Jessica.
Both started laughing harder.
The waitress blinked.
“Did I miss something?”
Jessica covered her mouth.
“No, ma’am.”
Patricia wiped her eyes.
“Long story.”
The waitress shrugged.
“Coffee fixes most long stories.”
Jessica looked down.
Whiskey hidden beneath coffee flashed through her memory.
Then Daniel Ruiz’s terrible instant coffee.
Then Keene joking about bait shops.
Pain and humor occupied the same space.
That was life more often than people admitted.
“Tea,” Jessica said.
The waitress nodded.
“Sweet or unsweet?”
“Unsweet.”
Patricia gasped dramatically.
“I raised you better.”
