“So are Jake, Tommy, and the guys who work for me during the week,” Danny said. “They’re gathering materials this weekend so that everything will be ready.”
He smiled and didn’t look as sad as when she first met him. She felt a gentle pull toward him.
As if sensing her observation, he added, “It’s nice to have something to look forward to.”
“Always,” Dot said, and raised her glass to him. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.” He winked at her and she melted a little despite the cool air-conditioning.
Chapter 38
When their seats were ready, the six of them took their drinks and sat in front of the stage at a table that held a relish tray filled with gherkins, radishes, and carrots. They’d already placed their dinner orders before taking their seats. Young servers made their salads as customers pointed out what they wanted.
“Extra sunflower seeds, if you don’t mind,” Jake said.
“You are so extra,” Mary said. She was having fun aggressively flirting.
When they sat back down, the girls took a moment to admire their surroundings. The room was painted a deep hunter green and was decorated with paintings of fishing and hunting in Wisconsin. Several mounted animal heads served as decoration.
Tommy pointed all of them out to Harper. “That was a big buck. Whoo-wee. And look at that elk. Must have been huge.”
Harper hated the ideas of hunting or taxidermy. She pretended to look at the stuffed animal but fixed her eyes to a spot just below his head.
The guys started reminiscing about making their first deer, and she became desperate to change the subject. Suddenly, Harper pointed to a wall lined with signed headshots of famous past performers.
“Look at that!” Harper pointed to the wall behind the stage. “Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, Doris Day, and, just as she said, there’s Frank Sinatra!”
“My Nonna would love it here,” Mary said, craning her neck to see the picture more clearly. “She knew Ol’ Blue Eyes. I think she may have dated him.”
“Wow, you aresoNew York,” Jake teased her.
“He was actually from Jersey,” she said.
“Remind me to take you to my next old crooner trivia night,” he said.
“If you want to win, I’m your gal.” Mary winked.
“This place is so cozy,” Dot said. “I almost feel like I’ve been here before.”
Tommy agreed. “I know what you mean. We love this place. When we were kids, our dad wouldn’t eat the entire day because he knew we’d be coming here for supper. Then he’d put away a whole lake of fish.”
“And they’d let me tag along,” Danny said. “I always got the fish fingers and a baked potato. I’d put so much butter and sour cream on it that Grace would say, ‘Danny, you don’t even know you’re eating a vegetable!’ And then she let me order an extra meal for my mom for when she got off her hospital shift.”
“Yep. Lots of great memories,” Jake said, looking around the room. Several people came by to say hi to the Taylors and to thank Jake for his service. He was kind to all of them and showed a humility that Mary hadn’t seen before. And he was very polite to all the older folks who stopped by for a word.
“So, what do you think the three best things about living in Wisconsin are?” Dot asked the table to get a discussion going after their entrees were served. She was still trying to understand more about this midwestern state and why it swung from one party to the other every four years.
“Well, that’s a good question,” Jake said, sitting back to let his rib eye digest. “For me, the best thing is that we have this collection of friendly small towns that are all unique and combine to make up one state. I don’t think there’s anywhere else like that in the States.”
“It still has traditions,” Danny said. “Take this place. The supper clubs live on because people still want a place to get together that isn’t a chain restaurant in a strip mall.”
“Though you gotta admit that the Cheesecake Factory is great,” Mary said.
“Fair point,” Tommy said. “That menu is killer.”
“What about you, Tommy?” Harper wanted to know what he thought. “What do you think the best thing is about Wisconsin?”
“Believe it or not, we used to get a day off school on the first day of deer season. I mean, if that’s not a great reason to miss school, I don’t know what is.”