Fight For Us (Pinecrest, Montana #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

PRESLEY

“Order up!”

Betty beckons from the kitchen window.

Two steaming plates of fries, onion rings, and burgers await me. Arranging the plates on my arm with ease, I maneuver my way through the tables to drop off the food.

“Let me know if I can get you anything else.” I smile at the patrons as they eagerly dig in to their food.

A muffled thank you is said as I move on to the next group.

The Hash ’N Hop is the place to be. It’s Pinecrest’s most popular restaurant. And with that comes all of the more colorful townspeople.

Including the one that just walked in the door. I groan, watching as she makes herself comfortable in the booth by the window.

“Your turn,” Rylee says with a knowing smile, standing next to me.

“Didn’t I help her last week?”

“No. Because she told me that I was going to get attacked by a bear when I went hiking.”

I eye her up and down. “She’s usually not that specific. But you do look pretty good for a bear attack.”

“Don’t I know it?” She slaps my order pad into the center of my chest. “Which means you’re up, Pres.”

“Ugh. Fine.”

I grab the tickets and walk over to the table. Lace fabric is spread over the Formica top with fake candles sitting on it. One large, clear crystal completes her usual setup.

“Hey, Serena,” I greet her.

Shifting the purple, gold-trimmed shawl on her shoulders, she turns her gaze, hidden behind large, thick black glasses, to meet mine. Her hair is a wild mess of curls.

“Presley. How are you?”

Her voice carries the same ethereal tone it always does.

“I’m good. How are you?”

I stuff my order pad into the front pocket of my apron and cross my arms.

“Waiting to see what the fortunes tell me about you,” she replies.

“Oh, yeah?” I prop my hip against the side of the booth.

She nods. “Yes. It seems they are very chatty when it comes to you.”

“Aren’t they always?”

She casts an annoyed eye my direction. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this, and I know it won’t be the last.

Two weeks ago, she told me to be on the lookout for something that would hit me in the face. Before that? It was to watch out for snakes.

I always take what she says with a grain of salt.

“I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”

“Alright, what are they telling you?”

She shuffles the tarot cards in her hand, pulling three out. “Oh, yes. Yes.”

My jaw cracks as she mutters to herself, tapping a finger on the center card.

The Lovers card.

Great. Just what I needed.

“Have you detached from anyone lately, Presley?”

“Why?” My spine stiffens at her question.

“There’s a coldness surrounding this card. Your life is out of balance and there are some issues standing in your way before it resolves itself.”

“Right.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed about. It allows you to look inside before rediscovering yourself.”

“Thanks, Serena. Can I get you your usual?” I grab the pen from my pocket and scribble down her eggs and coffee order that I know by heart.

“Yes.” She nods. “I’ll have more for you when you come back.”

I don’t say anything, but stalk off to the kitchen and rip the check from my pad and stuff it onto the turnstile for Betty to start on her order.

It’s hard to focus on her words.

“What’d you get?” Rylee asks, pouring a mug of coffee.

“The Lovers.”

She winces. “Does she not know you’re going through a divorce?”

“Apparently not. Neither does Paul because he won’t sign the damn papers.”

“Hey.” She squeezes my shoulder. “It’ll get figured out.”

“I hope so.” The chime above the door rings out, a new group of people coming in. “Back to work.”

The afternoon rush swarms the small diner. With the fall weather in full swing, Pinecrest is the destination of choice for hikers.

The changing leaves bring everyone to our small town. We have the best trails on the mountains.

Our cozy town is charming, and after a hard day’s exercise, everyone comes to the Hash ’N Hop.

Pink leather booths sit under the windows that face the main road. Neon pink lights line the ceiling. High-top stools line the bar with the smell of grease hanging heavy in the air.

“Hi, Arlene!” Chase shouts to the portrait hanging just inside the glass doors.

“There’s my favorite customer.”

Rylee bounds over to her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him hard on the lips.

I sigh. I love that my best friend found love, but sometimes, it stings. With my life in tatters, it’s hard to focus on anything but me and my little girl.

Without so much as two pennies to my name—everything is still tied up in my father’s estate—I’m working at the town diner.

I enjoy it; I do. It’s the longing for stability for the two of us that gets me the most on the hard days.

The chime sounds again, and this time, I light up at the two people walking in.

“There’s my favorite girl.”

Holding out my arms, I laugh as Poppy leaps into them. “Hi, Mama.”

“How was school today?”

“Margo thought Strawberry was dumb to bring into show and tell,” Poppy says.

“Really?”

She nods, pigtails bobbing up and down. She’s a mini me—from the bright blue eyes to the blonde hair. Except her smile.

That crooked smile with the dimple she gets from her father.

“I think she was jealous because her stuffed pig wasn’t as cool,” she says. “What’s cooler than a goose dressed like a strawberry?”

“Nothing.” I laugh. “Were you at least nice to her about it?”

The last thing I want is for my daughter to be mean to her classmates, even if I don’t like Margo. Namely because her dad is friends with Paul, so I know the circles they run in. The circle I used to run in.

Her babysitter nods behind her. “The teacher said she was when I picked her up.”

“Good. Thanks for bringing her here.”

She smiles before leaving.

“I’m glad you were nice to her,” I say.

“Yes. I said I liked Strawberry and that’s all that matters.”

The old goose, dressed like a strawberry and won for me at a fair years ago, has seen better days. But Poppy loves it and sleeps with it every night.

Something else she got from her father.

“That’s my good girl.” I kiss her on the temple and set her down. “I’ve got a milkshake for you and then we can head home, okay?”

“Thanks, Mama.”

She runs over to her usual spot at the counter and pulls the glass toward her before taking a gulp. Setting Strawberry next to her, Poppy props her up so she can have a sip of the chocolate shake too.

I smile at my daughter, her happiness infectious even from here.

She’s the best thing in my life. I don’t care how hard it is being a single mom. It’s all for Poppy. I’ll do whatever it takes to give her a good life. A better life than I had. One where she can do whatever she wants.

With whoever she wants.

Shaking my head, I grab my last order from the kitchen and carry it out. I don’t need to be thinking about tarot cards or divorces or my past.

The only thing that matters is moving forward.

Whenever the hell that might be.