As he sat there eating, looking through some papers from hisbriefcase, it began to grate on her that he was so pointedly ignoringher. What right did he have to judge her?
"What put a bug up your behind?" asked Minnie.
"What do you mean?" said Rainie.
"You're stalking and bustling around here like you're getting set tosmack somebody."
"Sorry," said Rainie.
"One of my customers insult you?"
She shook her head. Because now that she thought about it, thereverse was true. She had insulted him, or at least had insulted thetown he lived in. What was griping at her wasn't him being rude toher, because he hadn't been. He simply didn't like to hear peoplebadmouthing his town. Douglas Spaulding wasn't in Harmony becausehe never had an idea that there was a larger world out there. He wasa smart man, much smarter than the job of smalltown accountantrequired. He was here by choice, and she had talked as if it was a badchoice for his children, and this was a man who loved his children, andit really bothered her that he had closed her off like that.
It bothered her so much that she went over and pulled up a chairat his table. He looked up from his papers, raised an eyebrow. "This anew service at Jack & Minnie's Cafe?"
"I'm willing to learn," said Rainie. "I'm not a bigot against smalltowns. I just sort of took it for granted that small towns would feeloppressive to kids because the small town I grew up in felt oppressiveto me. If that's a crime, shoot me."
He looked at her in wonder. "I don't have an idea on God'sEarth what you're talking about."
"A minute ago when you shut me down," she said, really annoyed