Sweet Tea At Sunrise

“You aren’t furious that I want to steal her?”

“Heavens, no! I love having her there, but her working for me was always temporary.”

Travis was surprised to hear that. “Why? She isn’t planning to leave town, is she?” He certainly hadn’t heard any rumors to that effect.

“No, but she’s put in her application to teach in the fall. I think she’s really looking forward to it.”

“Then I’ll just have to make her see that this opportunity is too good to miss,” Travis said.

“When are you planning on talking to her?”

“I wanted to speak to you first, and now that I have, I thought maybe I’d sit down with her right after I make the announcement about the station going on the air. Will that work with her schedule at Wharton’s today?”

“She’s all yours right after lunch,” Grace assured him. “We should be slowing down by one o’clock today, since so many people came in this morning and the rest will be over the minute you finish announcing your news. They’ll want to come in and chew it over, right along with their grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.”

“Then I’ll be by around one,” Travis told her. Impulsively, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Being supportive and understanding, not just about the radio station, but about Sarah.”

“Not a problem,” she said, then gave him a dark look. “But you show one sign of hurting that girl, and you won’t know what hit you.”

“Warning duly noted,” he said solemnly. He had the distinct feeling she was talking about a whole lot more than Sarah’s future in radio.

After an insanely busy morning, Sarah was relieved when everyone disappeared precisely at 10:00 a.m. to await Travis’s big announcement at the unveiling of his new business.

“Why don’t you go on over there and see what he’s up to,” Grace suggested. “I can handle things here. Nobody’s going to be setting foot in here until he’s finished talking, anyway.”

Sarah studied her suspiciously. “You already know, don’t you? That’s why he took you out of here this morning, so you could give this whole thing your blessing.”

Grace beamed. “Something like that.”

“And did you give him your blessing?”

“I did.” She shooed Sarah toward the door. “Go on. You know you’re dying of curiosity.”

“You could tell me yourself and I could stay right here and help you with setups for lunch.”

“Nope,” Grace said adamantly. “You need to hear this straight from the horse’s mouth.”

“Okay, fine,” she conceded eventually, stripping off her apron and going outside.

There was quite a crowd assembled on the green. She wondered if Walter had brought the kids into town for this. When he’d shown up on Thursday and announced he was staying through the weekend, she’d been startled, but not displeased. She’d never wanted to deny the kids a chance to spend time with their daddy, as long as they were here and not over in Alabama where the Prices could try to influence them against her. Though there were plenty of kids running around with balloons, she didn’t spot her two or Walter.

A platform had been set up on the sidewalk in front of the new business and an older man she didn’t recognize was tapping a microphone, sending ear-splitting screeches into the air. He gave the crowd a chagrined smile.

“Sorry,” he apologized when he had the controls adjusted. “Nice to see so many of you here this morning.”

As he spoke, Sarah heard some murmurs in the crowd. Apparently quite a few people recognized him.

He gave them a disarming grin as the murmurs spread. “I gather that those of you who didn’t recognize me at first are familiar with the sound of my voice. I’m Bill Roberts, longtime host of Top of the Morning, and previous owner of the oldies station over in the next county.”

A cheer erupted as he confirmed the guess that had been spreading through the crowd.

“Now did y’all listen real close to what I said?” he asked. “That’s previous owner.” He paused to let that sink in, then said, “And now I’d like to introduce you to the man who’s helping me to retire to a life of fishing, Mr. Travis McDonald, the brand-new owner of Serenity’s own radio station, WSER.”

Sarah gasped right along with everyone else. That’s what Travis had been up to in that building across the green? He’d been turning the building into a radio studio? No wonder Grace had sounded so excited just now.

She turned her attention to Travis, who was standing at the microphone as if he were a born public speaker. She envied him that confidence. She doubted she could have said two words without getting all tongue-tied. He just stood there calmly until the murmurs died down. Then it seemed as if his gaze sought her out. It was as if he were addressing his remarks straight to her.

“How y’all doing?” he asked. “I hope you’re as excited about the idea of having a radio station here in town as I am about putting one on the air.”

“What kind of music?” someone called out.

“Country,” Travis said at once. “Is there any other kind in this neck of the woods?”

The news was greeted with another cheer.

“What else are you putting on the air?” a new voice asked.

“Oh, there will be plenty of local talk about what’s going on around town,” he assured them. Again, his gaze seemed to lock directly on Sarah.

Listening to him and feeling the way his eyes held hers, Sarah got the oddest feeling there was something significant in what he was saying, something she ought to take note of, but she couldn’t imagine what it could be.

“Now here’s the thing,” Travis said, when the crowd had quieted. “This is Serenity’s radio station as much as it is mine. If there’s something you think ought to be on the air, I’m counting on you to tell me. I’m not a local, but I have ties here. You all know my cousin Tom, your town manager.”

That created another buzz as people made the connection.

“Well, you can be sure I’m not going to do anything to shame him,” Travis said. “For one thing, he’s taller than I am, and a whole lot meaner. I try not to tangle with him.”

Sarah grinned at the self-deprecating comment. She had a feeling Travis and his cousin would be an even match.

“The bottom line,” he continued, “is if I’m doing something on the air you don’t like, I want to hear about it. Of course, if there’s something you do like, I wouldn’t mind hearing about that, too.” He paused, then said. “Y’all ready to see our studio?”

The question was greeted with an affirmative shout. At some indiscernible signal from Travis, the brown paper covering the window came down offering a view of a small but obviously well-equipped studio. The best part, in Sarah’s opinion, was that passers-by would be able to look right in and see what was happening. And the host, of course, would be able to keep an eye on the town square where so much happened in Serenity, including the town’s beloved Christmas festival, its upcoming Fourth of July celebration and so much more. It was an ideal setting for a station that hoped to be part of the community.

As Travis offered to let folks walk through for a tour of the station, Sarah walked back to Wharton’s where Grace was waiting impatiently.

“So, what did you think?” Grace demanded.

“I think it’s amazing,” Sarah said.

“Good,” Grace said, smiling a secretive little smile before walking away, leaving Sarah to stare after her in puzzlement.

Before she could figure out Grace’s enigmatic reaction, the crowd from the square started spilling inside, and she didn’t have another minute to think about anything until after one.

As the last of the customers left, she noted that Travis had slipped in and was seated at the end of the counter, sipping on a Cherry Coke.