She studied my face for a minute and then laughed out loud. “I just can’t believe you’re here! In Vermont! And that I get you all to myself for a whole weekend!”
“What about Goober?” I asked suddenly, looking around. “Where’s she?”
“Oh, she’s still with Greg. He took her camping. It’s her favorite thing to do in the summer. They go up to Lake Bomoseen and stay the whole weekend.”
“Oh.” I was disappointed. “She’s not even gonna remember what I look like the next time she sees me. When’ll she be back?”
“Not till Monday.”
“Shoot. I’ll be gone by then.”
“We’ll call her.” Sophie grabbed my arm. “Listen, have you eaten yet?”
“You mean breakfast?” I shook my head.
“Leave your things in the car,” Sophie said, pulling me down the driveway toward the street. “Right now, I’m taking you to breakfast at the best place in town.”
chapter
16
Perry’s Main Street Eatery was a small, brightly lit place directly across the street. Several glass-topped tables set with paper placemats and silverware had been placed neatly throughout the room, and green-checkered curtains were draped over a single front window. A long counter complete with six swivel stools lined the opposite side of the restaurant. The kitchen could be seen at one end, while various muffins the size of softballs sat underneath a glass dome at the other.
Sophie looked around quickly and then pointed to a small table next to the window. “Over there,” she said. “Right behind the Table of Knowledge.”
“The what?” I repeated, following her across the small expanse of restaurant, being careful not to bump into anyone.
“The Table of Knowledge!” Sophie announced, stopping next to a table where three men were sitting. I recognized the one with the Red Sox baseball hat, but he did not look up. She slapped the shoulder of the largest man, a ruddy-looking guy with small hairs protruding from the end of his nose. “How’re you doin’, Walt?”
Walt grinned and tipped his head back a little in Sophie’s direction. “Just dandy, Anderson. Just dandy. You finish the upstairs bedrooms yet?” Walt’s blue-checkered shirt with bright orange suspenders exposed a vast stomach underneath. His hands were as wide and rough as baseball mitts, and he had a wad of chewing tobacco shoved inside his left cheek.
“Almost,” Sophie said. “I have a little bit more sanding to do in the first one. But listen, we can talk shop later. I want to introduce you to someone.” She put an arm around my shoulder. “This is my little sister, Julia. The one I told you about, remember? Who just graduated?”
Another man, sitting opposite Walt, made an “Oh ho!” sound. A scruffy beard covered the lower half of his face, and he had a piece of egg on the front of his red hunting shirt. “Valedictorian, right?” He extended his hand.
I shook it and looked away, embarrassed. “Sophie!”
Sophie beamed at me and squeezed my shoulder a little more tightly. “She’s just shy, Lloyd. She’s always been that way. But yes, this is our valedictorian.”
“Congratulations,” Walt said. “That’s quite an accomplishment.”
“It sure is.” Lloyd scooped a piece of runny egg up with the edge of his toast, and popped it into his mouth. “Nothing to be shy about.”
The man in the Red Sox cap looked up at me briefly but didn’t say anything. Sophie held out her palm in his direction. “This is Jimmy,” she said. “Jimmy, this is my little sister, Julia.”
Jimmy acknowledged me with a nod of his head, and then dropped his eyes once more.
“These guys,” Sophie said, addressing me now, “are known in Poultney as the Table of Knowledge. They’re called that because they know the answer to just about every question under the sun.”
“We’ve also got our finger in everyone’s business around this place,” Lloyd said. “You want to know what’s really going on in Poultney? Pull up a chair and sit yourself down.”
Sophie guffawed. “They’re also the best carpenters around. I wouldn’t be halfway as far along with my place right now if it weren’t for them. They’ve taught me everything.”
“Wow. That’s great.”
Walt waved off Sophie’s compliments. “We just give her suggestions,” he said. “She’s the one doing all the work.”
“That’s not true and you know it,” Sophie said, leaning in closer to me. “Walt just put up half that roof last week, and Jimmy’s done most of the kitchen himself.” She straightened back up again. “Besides, I couldn’t do any of the work I’m doing without your suggestions. What do I know about redoing a house?”
Walt made a snorting sound. “You know a lot more than you give yourself credit for. I never seen no one come down here outta the blue like you and just wing it.” He nodded. “I keep telling you. You got guts, girl.”