At first, he seemed delighted.

“Wow! Look at this crowd!”

Nobody answered.

He cleared his throat.

“I understand some of you are asking for Bev, but she’s working in the kitchen now. Madison will be serving you. Please order from the menu.”

Dale looked at him.

“Then we’ll wait.”

Chad laughed awkwardly.

“Wait for what?”

“Until Bev’s making something.”

Silence spread across the diner.

Chad looked around at seventy customers.

Nobody was eating.

Nobody was talking.

They were simply waiting.

Then the bell above the door rang once more.

And Ed Kessler walked in.

But he wasn’t wearing his usual barn coat.

He was wearing a dark gray suit.

A white shirt.

A navy tie.

And polished shoes.

In all the years I’d known him, I’d never seen him dressed like that.

He carried a manila folder.

He walked past stool three and stopped in front of Chad.