Riverbend Read Free

the same thing. Lee's first husband had committed suicide, leaving her pregnant and in debt. She'd been as low as a person can be. But on the other side of that grief was Tommy. And they were a happy family now.
    “Boom, my life was transformed,” he continued. “That's how it's going to happen for you. Although it might happen faster if you'd be a little proactive. You're not going to find someone hanging out with a bunch of married people all the time.”
    “John and Linus aren't married.”
    He looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “You know they would be if Oregon passed a Gay Marriage Law.”
    “I know. I'm just kidding.” At the door, she swung her bag over her shoulder. The morning was warm already, the sunlight too bright for her blue eyes. She slipped her sunglasses on as they crossed the street. “I look at you two and I think I should try and be more open to the idea. But it's hard, given my two mistakes.”
    There had only been one man between Marco and now. She'd met him while living on the coast and working at a mediocre restaurant as an assistant chef. He was a logger from southern Oregon named Reuben: tall and handsome and rugged. The physical attraction she felt for him was stronger than any rational thought,especially given how long she'd been alone. She quit her job and followed him to this little town, moving into his small trailer with Alder at her side.
    Welcome to River Valley , the sign at the beginning of town read. Population, 1425 . And that lack of population meant there was no work for a chef. After several months, Rueben's cruel tongue killed all the initial attraction she'd felt for him. She'd chosen another mean man. He didn't beat her with his fists but lashed with his tongue instead. You eat like a pig. It's like sleeping with a wet noodle. Your boy's a freak. She'd made a terrible mistake. But she'd blown through her savings by then and took a job at the grocery store, hoping to save enough to move away after a short time.
    Now, Lee was waving to them from the front door of their restaurant, Riversong. She held a magazine in her hand. Was she bouncing on her toes? She was.
    “I bet the article in Food and Wine came out,” said Tommy.
    Her stomach turned over. “I wonder what it says?”
    “I'm guessing it's good, given her face.”
    “Yeah, and she's bouncing.”
    “She doesn't bounce,” said Tommy. “Ever.”
    “Right?”
    Lee ushered them inside, closing the front door behind her and locking it. They wouldn't open until this evening. The restaurant was cool and dark, the tables bare of anything but crisp white tablecloths and empty vases.
    “I'm afraid to look,” said Annie.
    “Don't be. It's as good as you can imagine.” Lee, normally cool and reserved, was grinning as she opened the magazine and spread it out on one of the tables.
    “Is there a photo of us?” asked Annie. “Do I look fat?”
    “First of all, I can't believe that's the first thing you're asking,” said Lee, shaking her head. “And second of all, you're not fat.” Lee tapped her finger on the full-page photo of the two of them standing under the blue awnings in front of the restaurant. “See here. You're smaller than me.”
    It was true. Lee, several inches taller than Annie, was narrow in both hips and shoulders, but Annie was smaller, more petite. She letout a long breath. “All right. Fine.”
    Tommy put his arm around her still sweaty shoulder. “You need to see yourself as you are, sweetheart, not as you used to be.” He picked up the magazine. “Who gets to read it first?”
    “Read it to us,” said Lee, sitting at the table and crossing her legs.
    Tommy sat next to her, his melodic voice pleasant in the empty restaurant.
    “We're the best restaurant in a town no one's ever heard of,” joked Annie Bell, Riversong's Head Chef. Opened just two years ago and nestled in the quiet southern Oregon town of River Valley, Riversong is now known as one of the finest places to eat in the