Chapter 3

Red Harding, co-owner of The Jammed, read the email for the third time, and his smile became bigger with each read.

“Kat! Tony! Could you come here for a minute?” he called out.

Kat Davies was Red’s wife and head waitress at the restaurant. Tony Marino was the other co-owner and chef. He was responsible for putting the restaurant on the state culinary radar.

“What is the emergency?” they both asked Red.

“Read this,” Red Harding said pointing at the screen.

Kat and Tony both stared at the screen in silence for a few minutes.

“This is the most romantic email I’ve ever read,” Kat said wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. “To think that I had to organize my own proposal...”

“Hey, it wasn’t exactly like that,” Red complained.

“I helped a lot with it,” Tony added. “Red is as romantic as a bull with a headache.”

Tony and Kat laughed.

“What do you think about the email?” Red said trying to divert the subject away from him.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea. Grace deserves this and more. She has done a lot for the people of Middletown,” Kat opined.

“Landon too. It’s funny that he thinks, we might not know who he is,” Tony added. “Since the play, he is one of the most famous and beloved people in town. His email certainly inspired me. Let me pull a lovers menu together before answering his email, Red.”

“I’ll help,” Kat offered. Tony looked at her with surprise. “Not with the menu, silly, but with the rest of the stuff. Don’t breathe a word about this to anyone unless needed. I don’t want the rumor mill to alert Grace and spoil Landon’s plans.”

Red rubbed his chin and said, “Whatever you do, you should include Marcus Carter. He and Landon became close and I don’t want to get on the old man’s bad side. We are leasing the restaurant from him.”

“Good idea,” Kat said, kissing her husband’s cheek. “I should let Mary in too. She is my friend and a fellow waitress and we won’t be able to keep the secret from her.”

“Which means her husband Paul will know too,” Red said twisting his mouth.

“You should tell Grace’s brother, Steve and his wife, Diana. Ah, and your father too!” Tony suggested.

“My father? Why?”

“Landon plays poker with him every Thursday,” Tony remembered his friend. “You don’t want to catch hell from him and his friends. Besides, he could ask around among the farmers for a carriage.”

“If the poker crew is in the know, it means Judge Anderson and the mayor will know about it too ... and God knows who else,” Red sighed, counting with his fingers.

“We should include Derek Hayes. He was Landon’s army buddy. Landon saved his life. He won’t forgive us if we let him out. Derek has been helping Landon a lot since he came to town,” Kat added.

“Which means his wife Bella will know too,” Red looked frustrated. “And you wonder why it’s impossible to keep a secret in this town.”

“All we have to do is make sure that Grace doesn’t hear a word about this,” Kat said.

“What do I tell Landon about his idea? He won’t be able to pay for something like this,” Red asked.

“Maybe we should offer him a cheaper option,” Tony suggested.

Red nodded.

“I’ll try to come up with something he can afford.”