Megan unloaded her purchases from the cart to her trunk and drove to the burger joint on Main Street. Buckaroo’s wasn’t crowded at this midafternoon hour. She ordered coffee at the counter, found a quiet booth, and sat down to wait.

Ronda May hadn’t seemed too eager to accept her invitation. Maybe she wouldn’t show up. But if nothing else, Megan could at least say she’d made the effort.

Ten minutes passed. Then another ten. Megan’s coffee had cooled to lukewarm. The Christmas songs on the antiquated speakers were on their second repeated loop. She glanced at her watch. Maybe it was time to give up and go home.

She was shrugging into her coat when Ronda May walked in the door of the restaurant. She’d evidently taken time to run home, put on a fresh pink sweater, arrange her blond hair into a twist, and dab on some lipstick. She was glancing warily around, almost as if she were hoping that Megan wouldn’t be here. Maybe that was part of the problem. Maybe she felt intimidated by a woman who was older, better educated, and better dressed. But then, she certainly hadn’t seemed intimidated last night, or earlier in the store.

Megan gave her a smile. “I’m glad you made it. Have a seat, and I’ll order us some coffee and pie.”

“No pie for me,” Ronda May said, taking a seat in the booth. “I’m trying to lose weight. Chuck told me he cheated because I was too fat.”

“Chuck sounds like a total jerk,” Megan said. “Okay, just a coffee for you and a refill for me.”

She gave the order to the server. Ronda May gazed down at the red Formica tabletop while they waited. “You told me you wanted to talk,” she said. “So talk.”

“Okay.” Megan took a breath. “First, about Conner. We’re friends, but we’re still getting to know each other. After last night, we agreed to back off until he’d settled things with you. So, has he?”

Ronda May dumped cream and sugar into her coffee, which had just arrived, and stirred it with a spoon. “I went to see him last night. Today when I saw you, I was going to tell you how hot things were between us, but we really just talked. He knows I still want him.”

“And does he still want you?”