Cedar Woman (50 page)

“
Goo
d
?
”

Lena
s
m
iled.
“
Yeah,”
s
h
e
a
ff
i
r
m
ed, “real
good.”

In
the
t
h
ree
y
ears
since
L
e
na
b
e
g
a
n
w
o
r
k
in
g
at V
i
ck
i’
s,
m
any changes
h
a
d
taken
place.
Vicki
m
anag
e
d
to obtain
a
lease
on
t
h
e
store
on
t
h
e
no
r
t
h
s
i
de
of
h
e
r
res
t
a
u
r
a
nt
at
a
very
e
c
o
n
o
m
i
cal
rate.
A
n
e
w,
la
rge

doorway
between
the
t
w
o
units
created,
the
entire
s
p
ace
exp
a
nded
and

co
m
p
letely
renovat
e
d,
t
h
e
re
s
taur
a
nt,
u
n
d
e
r
Lena
’
s
directi
o
n
,
op
e
n
e
d
t
o rave
r
e
vu
e
s
in
rec
o
rd ti
m
e.

Vic
k
i
m
a
d
e
h
er way
to
h
er office,
a
feeling
of
g
ratitu
d
e ov
er
w
hel
m
ing
her
as
s
h
e wal
k
e
d
t
h
ro
u
g
h
t
h
e
ne
w
ly
ref
ur
b
ish
e
d resta
u
rant.
T
h
at
g
i
rl
i
s
s
u
ch
a
b
l
ess
i
ng
t
o
me!
S
h
e
t
h
o
u
ght
to
h
e
rself.

Blessing?
she
chuff
e
d
inwardly,
hell,
she
’
s
a
bl
o
ody
m
i
racle!
Look
at

t
h
is
plac
e
,
I
’
m
a
go
d
d
a
m
n
e
n
trepr
e
n
e
ur!
Vicki
s
m
iled
to
h
e
rself
at
h
e
r i
nfr
e
q
u
e
n
t
swea
r
in
g
.
I
t
m
a
d
e
h
e
r
f
eel
go
o
d,
li
k
e
s
h
e
h
ad
g
r
o
w
n
u
p
all
of a sud
d
en –
f
i
n
a
lly.

Too
restless
to
stay
in
h
er office, Vic
k
i
slowly
wal
k
ed
ar
o
und
t
h
e resta
u
rant,
so
a
k
i
n
g
it in –
g
l
o
ating,
ac
t
ually –
to h
e
rsel
f
.

Shin
i
n
g
h
a
rdwood
floor
i
ng
r
e
placed
t
h
e cra
c
ked and
worn linoleu
m
.
R
ef
l
ected
i
n
i
t
s
sh
i
n
in
g
e
x
p
a
nse
w
e
re
new
m
ap
l
e
t
ab
l
es
and
c
h
airs.
The

walls,
p
ai
n
ted
a
soft,
creamy
w
h
ite,
m
el
low
ed
t
h
e
roo
m
,
a
n
d
si
m
p
l
e
,

pe
n
d
a
n
t li
g
hts replac
e
d
t
h
e
o
l
d,
y
ell
o
wed g
l
ob
e
s of b
e
f
o
re.

The
c
ou
n
t
er
r
e
m
a
i
n
ed
–
a
nos
t
a
l
g
i
c ges
t
ure on
t
h
e o
w
ne
r
’s
p
a
r
t
, hi
g
h
ly
p
o
lish
e
d
m
aple
repla
c
ing
t
h
e
w
or
n
F
o
r
m
ica.
The
o
ld
cha
l
k
bo
a
rd was g
o
ne, a
n
d
f
re
s
hly
pr
i
n
ted
m
enus
lay
waiting
at
a s
m
all
hostess station.
A
n
e
w
kitch
e
n,
bu
i
lt
behi
n
d
t
h
e
wall
against
w
h
ich
t
h
e
gr
i
dd
l
e sto
o
d,
b
o
asted
all new
eq
ui
pm
ent.

Vic
k
i’s
was
n
o
t
a
fi
n
e-
d
i
n
i
n
g
esta
b
lis
h
m
e
n
t,
b
u
t
it
was
u
p
-scale f
r
om
m
o
st
of
the
rest
a
u
r
a
nts
s
u
r
ro
unding
i
t,
exc
e
pting
those
located
i
n t
h
e
v
a
rio
u
s
h
o
tels wit
h
in t
h
e
d
o
wntown
C
o
lu
m
bu
s area.