When I saw Harriet come through the door, my mood immediately lifted. The other customers were all taken care of, so I went out there to greet her.
“Good morning, Harriet,” I said.
She took my hands and gave me a small smile.
I glanced over her shoulder. “Is Kenneth parking the car?”
“Could you get me some coffee, please?” she asked.
I tilted my head to the side, inspecting her face. Her eyes were bloodshot.
I threw a glance at Tony who was still in the kitchen. His eyebrows drew together.
I went over to the serving station, and Tony came up beside me. “What’s up?”
“Something is wrong with Harriet.”
I brought over the mug of coffee and Tony and I sat on the other side of the booth. “What happened?” I asked, my throat thick.
Harriet took a long sip of her coffee then placed it down. Her red eyes flicked up to us. “Kenneth passed away on Saturday.”
I clamped a hand over my mouth, choking back a sob. “Oh my god. Harriet, I’m so sorry.”
She sniffed and nodded.
Tony reached across the table and took her hand. “Kenneth was a good man.”
“He was,” she said.
I felt like such an ass. I wondered if she’d tried to come here and tell us the bad news this weekend. She didn’t have family in the area, and she never really talked about her friends. She’d said many times that Tony and I were her family. And we had been gallivanting on the beach when she needed us the most.
“What happened?” I asked.
Harriet sighed. “As you know, he’s been sick for some time. But he had a heart attack early Saturday morning. The doctor said it was painless for him, so I suppose that’s one positive out of the whole thing.”
A family of four came into the diner and Tony and I both turned around.
“I got them,” Tony said, slipping out of the booth. “I’ll be back soon. Do you want anything to eat, Harriet?”
“No, thank you,” she said.
It broke my heart that she couldn’t even eat. “What can I do for you?”
“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to come here. Yesterday I had to do all the arrangements and I wanted to find a place to reminisce about him without looking at another coffin. And being home is too painful. I’m stuck there enough already.”
“When is the funeral?” I asked.
“It’s at three today,” she said. “I’m actually quite afraid that no one will show up. We’re so old, we’ve already lost a lot of our friends. And all I have left is my sister, but she’s in a nursing home up north with dementia.”
“Harriet,” I said firmly. “Tony and I will be there for you.”
“I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad,” she said. “I only wanted to let you know. I’ll understand if it’s a bad time.”
I took her hand and squeezed it. “You’re a part of our family. We’re goin
g to be right up there with you.”
Harriet’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, Sienna.”