Free When Memories Fade by Tyora Moody

explain. She just hoped she didn’t embarrass herself in front of the reporter.
    Last night Angel had found herself back on his Facebook profile page, checking out his posts. As she’d scanned some of Wes’s wall posts, she discovered he had been featured in a local magazine as one of the top ten bachelors in Charlotte. That might be why she saw that some women had posted comments and photos that were not very ladylike. She’d surfed away from the Web site in disgust at the way some of the women were throwing themselves at the man. Wes came off as very friendly and charming. She hoped he would remain that way.
    She had purposely arrived early at the café. There was a line, as usual, for lunch. This place stayed busy throughout the lunch hour and started back up again for the dinner crowd. If one wanted good old-fashioned soul food and music from an era that ushered in soulful melodies like no other, this was the place to be. It occurred to Angel that she should have chosen another place, but really, Wes would be recognizable anywhere.
    Angel walked up to the hostess. The woman was shorter than Angel and had a big, toothy smile. The young woman squeaked out, “Welcome. How many?”
    â€œI’m here to see Eddie,” Angel answered.
    â€œOkay. Wait just one moment.” The hostess leaned over and picked up a phone from behind the desk. “Eddie, someone is here to see you.”
    Eddie had left her a voice mail yesterday. She hoped he didn’t want to talk to her about his daughter’s upcoming nuptials. Angel still hadn’t sent the e-mail to Lenora. What she was waiting for, she didn’t know.
    Angel moved out of the way as other guests streamed into the restaurant for lunch. She’d seen the framed photos on the wall a number of times, but she admired them again. Southern Soul Café was owned and founded by Eddie, as a tribute to the band Southern Soul, which had started back in 1961. There were photos of the band from performances, some with well-known celebrities. She picked out her granddaddy in a few of the photos. Nick Roberts was a handsome man. Angel came from good stock indeed.
    There was a photo of her mother on the wall, toward the back. Angel sat in that booth every time she ate at Southern Soul Café. Elisa had sung on and off with the band ever since she was a little girl. As a birthday present to her father, Elisa had sung with the band in 1991. By then Granddad had long since stopped playing due to arthritis, which robbed him of time with his beloved guitar. Elisa had disappeared a few months later, and so that birthday present was a bittersweet memory, one that, Angel saw, had often brought Nick to tears.
    â€œWould you prefer a booth, Miss Roberts?”
    Angel smiled. “Hey, Uncle Eddie.”
    Eddie was without the cowboy boots and hat today. His white shirt was tucked into black denim jeans. He straightened his black tie and held out his arms. “Well, I’ll be. I can’t believe I have the great pleasure of seeing Miss Angel Roberts quite so soon. How’s Fredericka doing?”
    â€œGrams still has a long way to go, but she is much better than she was last week.”
    â€œGood to hear!”
    â€œThanks for coming out in the dining room to see me. I wanted to make sure I talked to you.”
    â€œWell, I’m glad to know I still can be a part of your life. Plus, I love to mingle with the customers, make sure they are enjoying the food. Saves someone in the kitchen from getting yelled at by me. Come on back. I will show you to your table.”
    Angel laughed. She knew it was strange that she felt so at ease with a man she had always affectionately called uncle, but she couldn’t bear to talk to his daughter. Maybe she would finally get past the betrayal. As she followed Eddie toward the back of the restaurant, she hoped trying to rekindle a broken friendship wasn’t what had motivated Eddie to call her last