Free Thankful by Shelley Shepard Gray Page A

while.”
    Jana had been horrified. She did not intend to ever serve Mexican food alongside Amish pies and traditional fare. But she was unwilling to hurt her friend’s feelings any more so she held her tongue.
    But now, here she was, thinking about freedom and the future. And, to her surprise, she was even wondering if her customers might like the chance to eat Mexican food every once in a while at the Sugarcreek Inn.
    Maybe they would!
    And furthermore, maybe it wasn’t even her decision. What would be so wrong about offering the choice? If customers didn’t care for the Mexican choices they would let Pippa know.
    So . . . now what?
    The possibilities of what to do next felt endless. She could seriously consider Pippa’s suggestion or let other folks in the business community know she was looking for a partner.
    Or she could keep things exactly the same.
    Feeling a bit confused and even more despondent, she picked up the phone and called Melissa, her youngest daughter.
    She picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Mom. What’s up?” she asked in that easy, breezy way of hers.
    â€œNothing much. I was just thinking about you. How are things in the city?”
    â€œCleveland’s about like it always is,” she said with a laugh. “The hotel has been really busy. We had a corporate dinner and a wedding yesterday. Every room has been booked for the last week.”
    Melissa worked for one of the big, fancy hotel chains in downtown Cleveland. She had some kind of job title that was just as fancy, too. Something to do with special events. Jana was so proud of her. Melissa had once been her little list maker. Now she was putting all her organizational gifts to good use.
    â€œMy goodness. I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
    â€œI have some good stories, too. I’ll tell them to you when we see each other next.”
    Jana grinned. Here was the opening she’d been looking for! “That’s the exact reason I called, Mel. I was thinking that maybe you could come home soon. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.”
    â€œYou’re right. It has been a long time. Weeks.”
    â€œI haven’t seen you since Christmas Day,” Jana reminded her. “Want to come out this weekend? You know how the cold never bothered us. We can go for a nice long walk like we used to.”
    After a pause, Melissa’s voice turned concerned. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
    â€œNot a thing.”
    â€œAre you sure?”
    Jana felt embarrassed now. Was she so transparent, so needy, that Melissa could tell something was wrong in just a few minutes? “I didn’t think I needed a reason to invite you to come home.”
    â€œOf course not. I’m sorry, Mom.”
    Of course not , followed by a quick apology. Jana realized with a bit of surprise that she had said almost the same words to Pippa when she was backpedaling. “So, do you think you could come down soon?”
    â€œGee, I don’t know, Mom. Things are pretty busy right now. Every weekend is booked with either weddings or celebrities coming in for the Rock and Roll Museum.”
    â€œYou don’t have anyone to help you?”
    â€œI do, but these events are my responsibility. I can’t put them on someone else. This is my job, Mom.”
    Jana noticed that Melissa didn’t ask her to come visit her instead. It was hard, but she pushed her disappointment to one side. “I understand.”
    Another long pause. “Mom, do you want me to call Jane to see if she has some free time?”
    Jane. The child who liked to think she could take care of everything, anytime, anyplace. “I can call Jane myself.”
    â€œAll right.” After an awkward pause, Melissa said, “Um, listen, my email is going crazy. I have to get some things done before my ten o’clock appointment.”
    Swallowing her disappointment, Jana let Melissa go. “Sure,