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applied for a liquor license and changed the menu to healthier fare while still remaining true to some of the comfort foods Jack’s was known for, such as his famous meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Within a year Jack’s was booked every night of the week, and weekends, months in advance. From there, she’d started catering private parties. With so much success, she’d decided it was time to add on to the diner. In addition to two large private banquet rooms that would accommodate five hundred guests when combined, she’d added three moderately sized private rooms for smaller groups. The remodeling was in its final stages when she left for New York the day before. She’d left Sally, her dearest friend and manager, in charge of last-minute details.
    Lin quickened her pace as she saw that the line of taxis at the end of the block had dwindled down to three. She waved her hand in the air to alert the cabbie. Yanking the yellow-orange door open, she slid inside, where the smell of stale smoke and fried onions filled her nostrils. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “The Helmsley Park Lane.” She’d always wanted to say that to a New York cabdriver. Though it wasn’t the most elite or expensive hotel in the city, it was one that had captured her imagination over the years. Its infamous owner, known far and wide by the well-deserved epithet the Queen of Mean, had been quite visible in the news media when Lin was younger, especially when she’d been tried and convicted for tax evasion, extortion, and mail fraud, and had died less than two weeks ago.
    Through blasts of horns, shouts from sidewalk vendors hawking their wares, the occasional bicyclist weaving in and out of the traffic, Lin enjoyed the scenery during the quick cab ride back to the hotel. New York was unlike any city in the world. Of course, she hadn’t traveled outside the state of Georgia, so where this sudden knowledge came from, she hadn’t a clue, but still she knew there was no other place like New York. It had its own unique everything, right down to the smell of the city.
    The taxi stopped in front of the Helmsley. Lin handed the driver a twenty, telling him to keep the change. Hurrying, Lin practically floated through the turnstile doors as though she were on air. She felt like Cinderella, and the banquet would be her very own ball, with Will acting as her handsome prince. He would croak if he knew her thoughts. Nonetheless, she was excited about the evening ahead.
    She dashed to the elevator doors with only seconds to spare. She’d lost track of time, and her salon appointment was in five minutes. They’d asked her to wear a blouse that buttoned in the front so she wouldn’t mess up her new do before the banquet. She punched the button to the forty-sixth floor, from which she had an unbelievable view of the city and Central Park. Lin cringed when she thought of the cost, but remembered this was just a onetime treat, and she was doing it in style.
    She slid the keycard into the slot on the door and pushed the door inward. Overcome by the sheer luxuriousness, she simply stared at her surroundings, taking them in. Lavender walls with white wainscoting, cream-colored antique tables at either end of the lavender floral sofa. The bedroom color scheme matched, though the coverlet on her bed was a deep, royal purple. She raced over to the large walk-in closet, grabbed a white button-up blouse, and headed to the bathroom. This, too, was beyond opulent. The marble, a deep Jacuzzi tub, a shower that could hold at least eight people, thick, soft lavender bath towels, bars of lilac soap, and bath beads placed in crystal containers gave Lin such a feeling of luxury, and it was such a novel feeling, she considered staying in the room her entire trip. She laughed, then spoke out loud. “Sally would really think I’ve lost my marbles.” She’d discussed her New York trip with Sally, and they’d made a list of all the must-see places. If she returned