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My prayers were answered, albeit a little unexpectedly, when all my friends showed up at the store for one of our now pretty regular impromptu picnics. This time, though, it was Daniel – not Cate and Lucas – who brought the main course – a big aluminum foil pan of North Carolina-style pork barbecue. I could smell the tang of vinegar in the air as he set the pan on the counter by the register and immediately scanned everyone else’s hands to be sure that the other three essentials – cole slaw, hamburger buns, and hot pepper vinegar – were on their way. I was not disappointed. Woody, a first-timer for our bookstore gathering, carried a mason jar of what looked like pickled peppers, and behind him, Henri and Bear had bags of potato buns and a bowl of cole slaw. Lucas traipsed in soon after
