Kenny’s expression flattened, and he got back to eating. Amused, Vivian shook her head and finished the slice of buttered toast she’d been working on.
“What’s the pull?” she asked Nash, everyone else having gone back to their conversations and allowing them to talk privately.
“It’s just something the town does every year. A few of the farmers drive their special tractors down to the track and act like a bunch of fools.”
His highlighted version didn’t really answer any of her questions, but still, Vivian was interested. “Is it fun?” It had to be if the guys were looking forward to it.
Nash’s grin split his face. “Of course! Every man at this table attends every year. If you miss it, then you’re either sick or dead or dying.”
Her brows arched. “Then I’d better not miss it.”
“You best not,” he confirmed. “Say, you wanna go with me? So you don’t get lost, of course.”
Very seriously, Vivian repeated, “Of course. We wouldn’t want that.”
They shared a mischievous smile. She quite liked this side of him, agreeable and almost fun.
“So, what do you have planned for the day?” he asked her.
Since Vivian hadn’t heard anything through the grapevine about Andrew over the past couple of days, she hoped he had decided to return to the city and leave her alone. And since she couldn’t very well stay locked away in the house forever, she had told herself that morning that she needed to suck it up and do something with herself.
Gathering up silverware and napkins and loading them onto her plate to make everything easier to dispose of, she said, “I was thinking about heading into town. Maybe doing a little shopping.”
She hadn’t gassed up her car since the day she’d driven into town, and she still hadn’t fully explored the place either. Since it’d stormed the previous night, the heat had finally broken, giving way to a pleasant morning and what the local news was promising to be an even nicer afternoon. Looked like fall was finally preparing to stick around.
“Well, you look out for yourself out there,” Nash said sternly. “Crazy drivers and even crazier exes… Never know what kind of trouble you might run into.”
“I think he’s moved on,” she told him as they carried their dishes to the sink together. “But I’ll be vigilant.”
One by one, each of the men brought her their plates. No need to scrape them into the trash, since they’d cleaned every bit of food from them.
Apparently, Vivian had worried over nothing. Her solo breakfast venture had been a success. Maybe Nash had been right, and she was getting better with practice. Although, she doubted she’d ever reach the level of professionalism Gretta had.
“Thanks for the grub,” a bruiser of a man they called Sheets on account of his pale coloring despite working outside in the sun all day said.
“You’re welcome,” she said with a pleasant smile. It felt good to be recognized for doing something well for once, as she’d never really done anything her old circle of friends might dub ‘menial.’
The men filed out, heading to work both in Gretta’s fields and what Vivian had learned were their regular jobs around town. She’d learned that when Gretta had lost her husband, she hadn’t been able to give the proper tending her land required alone, and on a fixed budget, that meant she couldn’t afford ‘round-the-clock care of it either. So the local laborers had banded together, each putting in a couple hours a day to help her out with feeding the remaining animals, tending fences and machinery, and so on, so she wouldn’t have to sell off any of her property. And Gretta used her garden to make those lovely pies and bring in extra cash by participating in the seasonal festivities.
The idea of it all warmed Vivian’s heart.
How so many good people fit into such a small place blew her mind. Was there a bad seed lurking anywhere here, or was everyone as genuine as they presented themselves to be?
She knew it was impossible for everyone and everything to be perfect, but from her perspective, it certainly seemed that way.
No wonder Gretta spent so much time making sure they were all fed before they left for the day. It must have been her way of paying them back for all they did for her. Even though she would have been happy to help out just for the sake of helping, and also as her way of earning her keep, Vivian was even happier to tend the kitchen and household duties now. She felt as if she was part of something bigger, a town-wide effort to uphold one of their own in their time of need.
Had there ever been a nobler cause?
“Have you checked on her recently?” Nash asked low to avoid being overheard. The men had all cleared out, but Lord new Gretta had the ears of a hawk.
“Not since starting breakfast, but she was fine earlier. Just a little tired. She said she’d be up soon.”
He frowned, clearly not liking the sound of that. “I’m going to peek my head inside.”
Vivian tipped her head and watched him go. Yes, Nash was definitely a good man, and it was obvious that he was fond of Gretta. The two had a bond that went back years, according to her, and it was clear that was true.
He returned in a matter of minutes, just as Vivian was placing the last of the plates into the soapy water. “She’s reading her Bible. Said she’ll be out shortly.”