Free More Than You Know by Nan Rossiter Page B

have a Corona with lime.”
    Isak chuckled and, giving their waitress a conspiratorial grin, said, “I’ll have a Grey Goose and soda with a twist of lemon. Thanks, Lexie.”
    Beryl took a deep breath and felt like kicking her—hard! Isak was as overbearing as ever.
    “Anyway, we’ll make airline reservations on my card and you can pay me back whenever. And now that we know that it’s definitely going to be Saturday, they can come out on Friday and they’ll only miss one day of work and school.”
    Rumer sighed; she was already dreading the conversation she’d be having with Will.
    Lexie returned with their drinks. “Ready to order?”
    “I am,” Beryl said.
    Rumer groaned, “No, I haven’t even looked.” She reached up to tuck the loose strands of her wispy blond hair behind her ears and opened her menu.
    “I guess we’ll need a couple minutes,” Isak said, reaching for her drink.
    “No problem,” Lexie said. “I’ll come back.”
    Rumer looked up. “What are you having?”
    “An Avocado Bliss.” Beryl pointed to where it was on the menu.
    “And . . . what are you havin’?” Rumer queried, looking at Isak.
    Isak sipped her drink. “An Avocado Bliss,” she said with a grin.
    Rumer closed her menu. “You guys should’ve said so!” She took a sip of her beer, leaned back, and finally seemed to relax. Lexie came back and they ordered chips ’n’ salsa and three of their famous avocado sandwiches.
    Beryl squeezed her lime and pushed it down into the neck of her bottle. It dropped into the clear bottle and fizzed. She took a sip and licked her lips, savoring the lime juice on the rim.
    Rumer glanced around the room and her eyes stopped at a table in the corner. “Ber, isn’t that Micah Coleman?”
    Beryl followed her gaze and nodded. “It is,” she said with a smile. As she said this, Micah looked up and smiled at her; a moment later, he stood and reached for his jacket and an older couple and a little blond-haired girl stood too. Beryl watched the older gentleman hand Micah the little girl’s jacket, and Micah knelt down and helped her slip it on. Then he reached for her hand and led the little girl across the room to their table.
    “Hi, Ber,” he said.
    Beryl stood up, smiling, and gave Micah a hug. “Hi,” came her soft reply. “I got your message and I was going to call you as soon as we finalized everything.”
    Micah nodded and looked over at Isak and Rumer too. “I’m sorry about your mom,” he said. Rumer and Isak hadn’t seen Micah in years, but they immediately remembered him as the quiet boy who’d worked in their mom’s shop.
    “Thank you,” they replied.
    Micah turned as the older couple came up behind him. “Do you remember Beryl?” he asked.
    “Of course,” they said, smiling and giving her a hug.
    “We know all the Graham girls, Micah,” his dad teased, winking at them. “You do remember that I taught English and coached cross-country at the high school they attended?” Isak and Rumer both laughed and started to stand, but Asa Coleman put up his hand. “Stay put. We just came over to say hello and how sorry we are. Your mom was a sweet lady . . . and she certainly knew her tea!”
    Maddie Coleman smiled too. “Your mom was such a lovely lady and a dear friend. She used to come into school and help the first graders with their reading. She was a generous soul and we all miss her.”
    Beryl smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Mrs. Coleman,” she said. Then she looked down at the little girl clinging to Micah’s leg. “Who is your little pal?”
    Micah scooped her up onto his hip. “This,” he said with a grin, “is Charlotte.”
    “Hi, Charlotte,” Beryl said softly.
    The little girl blinked at her with solemn blue eyes and Micah asked, “Can you say ‘hi’?”
    “Hi,” the little girl whispered, then buried her face in the collar of Micah’s jacket.
    Just then, Lexie came out from the kitchen with their appetizer and some plates, and Micah