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“We’re closed!” she called out, not caring who saw them together when his embrace felt better than she remembered.

“Even for a slice of pie?”

Katherine turned to see Justin. And the remorse written across his face softened her heart.

“Forgive the intrusion, ma’am,” he said. “Nowandthis mornin’.”

Looking to Matthew, then back at Justin, Katherine invited him in.

“We’ve got pecan and apple left. You want it a la mode?”

“Just the apple, ma’am.”

Before dishing up a slice of apple pie for Justin and a piece of pecan pie for Matthew, Katherine went over and locked the front door.

“Kinda early to be closing, isn’t it?” Justin remarked as he sat down next to Matthew at the counter. “It’d be a shame if people missed out on somethin’ good goin’ on.”

“Like what? The spaghetti and meatballs special?”

“Well, I didn’t mean it literally,” Justin said, watching her grab plates and cups from the back counter. “I was tryin’ to use a metaphor.”

“Day, Lord!” Katherine mimicked his Kentucky twang. “You tryin’ to git all highfalutin on me now, Officer Macomb?”

“Shoot…” Justin’s chuckle made her smile. “You know me, I’m not too fancy. But I think you know that all anyone’s ever wanted was for you to be happy. Like with this diner. And you know, other things.”

As she set the plates of pie and glasses of milk in front of them, Katherine glanced at Matthew, and the love in her heart made her worries start to fade.

“For what it’s worth,I think it’s a good idea. Because being open is important, even if it isn’t easy. Sometimes ya just gotta let people in and have a little faith it’ll all work out.”

Katherine knew Justin wasn’t talking about The Copperwall or the spaghetti and meatballs dinner special, and her heart swelled with love for him, too. If she hadn’t fully realized it before, she knew now just how much his friendship had meant to her over the years.

“I think I know what you mean,” she said, attempting to hold back a flood of emotions, but her feelings were too powerful and when her eyes misted over, it made Justin’s face turn red.

“We oughta let ya get back to work,” Justin said, taking a long swig of milk, before setting his wedge of pie on a napkin, and pulling a folded twenty from his pocket and dropping it on the counter. When Katherine started to object, he stopped her.

“Thank you,” she said, as Justin gave her hand a quick squeeze before he grabbed his apple pie and headed for the door.

Turning the lock, he looked back over his shoulder and smirked. “You have a good rest of your day,Katie.”

When surprise widened her eyes, his cheeky grin made her laugh as the door swung shut behind him.

“Is it really that easy?”

“It can be if you let it.”

Katherine smiled at Matthew, and Matthew smiled right back.

“I guess I’ll be seeing you later then.”

“How about we meet at your place tonight?”

Grabbing his pie with a napkin, Matthew leaned over the counter and kissed Katherine’s cheek before walking out the door.

Then she watched from the front window as they drove away.

Chapter 16

From the moment the cruiser drove out of sight, Katherine began to reflect on what life was like before Matthew came into the picture. How most days consisted of home, the diner, and home again. And that aside from holiday dinners, family celebrations, Saturday lunches, and Friday night Grief Group, everything had been limited, controlled, and safe. But now she was looking forward to a much different life.