The buzz of several conversations ended the moment they walked inside the warm diner and found a booth. Old men and a few ladies over at a side table stared at them for a minute, then the whispers began, and the telephones came out. Stevie swore that she could feel the breeze off their arthritic thumbs as they sent texts to folks in Honey Grove. She would have loved to be a fly that could flit from one phone to the other, read the texts, and then make another round to check out the replies.

The waitress came right over to the table. “Good morning. Want to start off with…oh, I just now realized that you are Cody Ryan. Mia Ryan’s uncle, right? I’m her friend Justine. I’ve missed getting to see her since the blizzard hit us.”

“We met once when you came out to the ranch with your little boy. Matty, is it?” Cody answered and then introduced Stevie as Dr. O’Dell.

“Just Stevie,” she said with a smile. “Glad to meet you. Mia has mentioned you.”

“Tell her that I’ll try to get out to the ranch this next week. Now, can I get y’all some coffee or juice to start off the morning?” Justine asked. “Breakfast special this morning is two scrambled eggs, biscuit and sausage gravy, either bacon or ham, and a stack of pancakes. Or you can order from the menu.” She pointed to the single sheet of laminated paper between the salt and pepper shakers and the old-fashioned napkin holder.

“Coffee,” Stevie said. “Black.”

“Same, and I’ll have that special you’ve got listed right here with ham.” Cody pointed to the item on the menu.

“Me too, only I want bacon,” Stevie said.

“I’ll get that coffee and have your order out in a jiffy.” Justine put her order pad in her hip pocket and went back toward the kitchen.

“I like the hamburgers here almost as much as I like their breakfast,” Stevie said. “But I’ve got to admit, the breakfast at the bunkhouse was even better.”

“Well, thank you, ma’am. I try to keep a well-stocked kitchen and pantry. I missed bacon, eggs, and pancakes when I was in impoverished villages,” Cody said.

Justine returned with their coffee. “Your orders will be out in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.” Stevie picked up her mug and held it in her hands to warm them for a minute before she took the first sip. “I believe we’re supposed to talk on our first date. Tell me something about yourself.”