Jonah was startled by her greeting, although he didn't find it in the least unpleasant, and he returned the hug. "Congratulations! I knew you could do it!" Well, at least he'd hoped so. While he had no doubt in her ability and determination, he also had little faith in the process.
"I'd be delighted to have breakfast with you...I've been up most of the night with Mrs. McCann, the poor woman had twins, although all are doing fine." Until tonight when there would be not one, but two wailing treasures in the small cabin. "I could use a gallon of Mrs. Lutz;s coffee, that's certain!"
It was actually odd to think that this part of the struggle was over, Leah had been working so long and so hard. On to the next phase, which he was sure would have its problems, but in the immediate future, there was promise.
"Oh, the poor woman. Twins, my goodness, I can't imagine." She declared, "But yes Jonah, we can really celebrate that at long last Matthew Wentworth got it done, bless him. There may well be problems, Latham and Ashworth are most likely on their way to the Evergreen by now to let my father know what has happened."
And where is it you would like to have breakfast? Hotel, or the Lickskillet, since they are currently the only choices, "Unless you'd like whatever they might have at the Stardust Saloon?" And then she laughed. It was a wonderful morning, no matter that Latham and Ashworth were on their way to tattle to her father. For at least this day, all was right in the world!
"Lickskillet is good enough," he commented, offering his arm. "I'm not really dressed for the hotel, anyway, and they have some fine flapjacks." Even with Mrs. Blakesley...Pike gone, and young Mrs. Lutz in charge, the food had remained of excellent quality, and the price was good!
"I'm glad this part is over with, and I wish I could be there to see the look on your father's face when he hears the news!" He chuckled, knowing that could be trouble as well, but knowing that Leah had her shadows to look after her.
"And I doubt come tomorrow, Mrs. McCann will notice any difference, what with her other five offspring running wild!" He couldn't imagine growing up in a large family, although there was a deep, distant part of his mind that thought that it might actually be nice...
"So, that's what now, seven? Goodness, that's a handful if ever I heard of one. Why my mother ruled the five of us with an iron hand. Well except for Calvin. He was her favorite, and spoiled. I suppose that led to his death, I don't know, but he was a wild one." She said, almost without emotion, though it had been what? Fourteen years ago now. Things on the Evergreen haven't changed much, except the boys are gone.
"I'm sorry, not sure where all of that came from. Yes, the Lickskillet for breakfast. Grand idea!" She said quickly. "and the Pikes, still not home?"
Jonah shook his head and patted her arm. "That's all right, I don't mind." He shrugged and chuckled. "I always wondered what it would be like to have siblings, but I don't think I would have done well with the...competition."
Opening the door to the little cafe, he stepped back to let Leah go in first, then followed her. "This place always smells so...friendly." That was the only word he could put to it, and he wasn't sure she'd understand, but the aromas of coffee, bacon, bread and pies was welcoming and warm.
"I'm not sure when the Pikes will be back. I've heard that Mr. Pike has some sort of holdings in Nevada and is frankly very well-off. Who knows, they may have run off to Paris!" That would certainly be something!
She looked at Jonah, "Friendly, yes, yes it does. I had never thought of it that way, but you're right, that is the smell that greets you when you walk in."
It was funny that that particular word had never crossed her mind about the place, but it was true, among all the other complimentary words that could be used to describe the place.
"I had not heard that before, but they have certainly been gone for a while, haven't they. But you know, no matter where you go, or how long you re gone, there really is no place quite like home." she sad with a knowing smile. "And I understand they have had a place built not far from town, up by those falls. Really a pretty place to build."
Clara was back quickly enough, how long did it take to remove a pie from the oven and set it on a table to cool. Notepad and pencil ready, the young woman now approached the table, reminding herself (for the umpteenth time) to smile for smiling still came hard for her though these past months had brought about much improvement on her social skills.
"Hello again, welcome," she smiled (she had a nice one when she choose to use it).
"Another warm one out there," she added, but the girl had also been never one for small talk so that over she got right down to business, "Can I take your order or would you need a bit more time to peruse the menu?"
The menu she was referring to was a large chalkboard up on one wall with all the offerings chalked on in her very accurate penmanship. Clara did nothing sloppily.
"That's a good idea," Jonah commented, "to just see about having food delivered at first, until we have a better idea of what we need, and as you pointed out, it will give us some time to put in a proper kitchen."
Lordy, but there was so much, it made Jonah's head hurt!
He smiled and nodded when Clara came over for their orders. "Good morning, Mrs. Lutz. I need coffee...a lot of coffee!" Chuckling, he waited for Leah to order, then ordered the crab cake Benedict with cheese blintzes special with extra flapjacks.
"Have you heard from the Pikes? How are they doing?"
Leah smiled at the question, not that she knew the Pikes all that well, there was always an interest in what folks were doing, and the Pikes were certainly out and about doing. Had she not had this hospital business to handle, or have even had she had the inclination to have started the project, she would be out in the world traveling as they were. But then she came back to earth. That was the woman she had been, thinking only of herself and what she wanted, rather than a woman with a direction that in the end would benefit others.
A moment of reflection posed a question, how did this happen? This certainly was not the Leah Steelgrave of two years ago. Then she came back to the conversation at hand , and the question posed by Jonah.
"It's good to hear they are doing well." There were some people who were suited to marriage, and the Pikes, was well as Clara here, seemed that sort. Not that there was anything bad about that, it was a personal choice, and it was good to hear that they were having a good time.
"I imagine they'll be bringing back a host of new ideas and experiences, it should be interesting to hear of their travels." Truth be told, he'd be perfectly happy traveling the world, with no cares nor responsibilities, but that took money and anonymity that he didn't have, so he was going to have to be content with this little borough.
"A full pot of coffee will do just the trick!" She was right, that it would make it easier on all of them. "Miss Steelegrave, what will you have this morning to celebrate your victory?"