Chapter two
“Our brother is trying out maturity.”
The restaurant was empty when Abe and Maggie walked in, but Gentry was working on an order that had been called in. “Are you guys okay?”
Maggie hung her purse and sweater up and put on her apron. “Better than my stupid car.”
Gentry looked at Abe. “Why were you coming into town from that side?”
“I took a short and extremely fast ride with Elias.”
“Oh, right. The racehorse.”
“It was so cool, man. You’ve got to ride her.”
“Tempting, but no. I can’t take care of my boys and my wife if I’m laid up in the hospital.”
Abe shook his head. “You’re so…”
“Responsible?”
“Boring. You’re old and boring.”
“Wanting to take care of my family doesn’t make me either of those things.”
“Whatever.” Abe put on a black apron over his black cargo pants and polo. “What are you working on?”
“They’re all pepperoni.”
“Ordering pepperoni pizza is boring, too.”
“I’ll tell that to Justin when he comes to pick these up.”
“He usually orders meat lovers for the station.”
“This is for the city council meeting.”
“Now that’s boring.”
“Just top these pizzas, please.”
Abe glanced at Maggie, who was getting the front end ready for customers. “Did you know Maggie was a barrel racer back in the day?”
“Yeah.”
Abe scowled. “What? How come I didn’t know?”
“Because you’ve never had a real conversation with her.”
“Actually, that’s not true. We had a beer together last night.”
Gentry stopped what he was doing and turned to Abe. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“Wow. You’re evolving into a… grown-up.”
“I’m thirty. I’m plenty grown up.”
“Hmm. That’s debatable. But good job last night. Did you actually talk, or did you just drink a beer at the same table?”
“We talked. Not about her rodeo days. She told me that on the ride here.”
“Maybe you two should take a ride one of these days.”
Abe shook his head. “That would just be weird.”
Maggie came up to them. “What would be weird?”
“Nothing.” The bell above the door rang as a family of four walked in. “Go do your job.”
“Yes, sir.”
When Justin arrived to pick up the pizzas, he had news about the storm predicted to hit them midweek.
“It keeps getting worse. Now they’re saying it might rival that last storm a year and a half ago.”
Gentry handed him a bag with paper plates, napkins, and packages of Parmesan cheese and red peppers. “Is the river going to flood again?”
“It might. A good chance, actually.”
“We’ll keep the stove going if people need a place to come hang out or get a hot meal.”
“Thanks.”
Abe smiled. “Anything to help out our neighbors in a time of need.”
Justin laughed. “Wow.”
Gentry put a hand on Abe’s shoulder. “Our brother is trying out maturity.”
“Oh, I see. How’s that working out for you, Abe?”
Abe flipped them both off. “Laugh all you want. Make fun of me. That’s cool. You two are both married with children. Your life is basically over.”
Gentry smiled. “I’ll inform my hot wife when I go home tonight that our lives are basically over.”
“Whatever.” Having hot wives, which they both had, didn’t make up for the noisy, messy kids. He loved his nieces and nephews, but only in small doses. He certainly wouldn’t want to live with them.
It had been an unusually slow Sunday, and Gentry went home by mid-afternoon. After an hour with no customers, Abe was having trouble finding things to do. He’d prepped extra dough, cut as many vegetables as he dared, and made a batch of marinara for tomorrow.
Maggie had been deep-cleaning the dining room, leaving the tables sparkling and the salt, pepper, red pepper, and Parmesan shakers filled to the brim. When Bruce came in, he talked to her for a few minutes, then handed over the car keys. She gave him a small wave, then went to the bathroom.
Abe waved Bruce over. “How’s her car?”
“The radiator is shot. I just told her it’s not worth putting money into that old wreck.” He glanced toward the bathroom. “She didn’t take it too well.” He nodded toward the tray of oversized cookies from Abe’s mother.
Abe smiled. “Go ahead.”
Bruce picked up an oatmeal raisin cookie. “Thanks, man.”
“Hey, can you tow the car to my place?”
“Sure. Do you think you can fix her?”
“I’ll give it a shot.” Bruce nodded, and Abe added, “Have a good day.”
Bruce left, and Abe gave Maggie five minutes before going to check on her. He knocked on the door. “Maggie?”
“What? Do we have customers?”
“No. I’m just checking on you.”
“I’m fine.”
“I don’t think you are.”
Maggie opened the door, then sighed. “I’m fine. I drove that thing much longer than I should’ve. It’s been good to me.”
“Are you able to buy something right away?”
“I don’t want to. But I guess I’ll have to.”
“Gentry and I can get you back and forth to work until you do.”
“Thanks. My brother can drive me some of the time.” Abe started to say something, then stopped, and she shook her head. “You didn’t know I had a brother, did you?”
He smiled. “Nope. How come he’s never come in here?”
“He has.”
“Right.”
“You’re usually busy or mad at me about something, so I’ve never had the opportunity to introduce you.”
“Maggie, I’m beginning to see that I’ve been a bit of an asshole to you.”
She laughed. “A bit?”
He adjusted his ball cap. “Are we done hanging out in the bathroom hallway?”
She put a hand on his arm. “Yes, we’re done. Just quit freaking me out with non-asshole Abe.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“Good.”
They returned to the kitchen. “Would my offering to let you use my truck until you get something freak you out?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. I think I am.” He thought about it. “Yes. I’m serious. I’ve got my bike. It’s spring.”
“Except for the giant storm heading our way.”
“Well, after the storm, I guess.”
“You’d trust me with your truck.”
“It’s just a truck. It’s insured. I trust you with it.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Fair enough.”
Some customers walked in, and she held up a hand. “I know. Go do my job.”
“Please.”
“Wow. I’m a little bit scared right now.”
At 7:00, they closed the restaurant and spent thirty minutes closing it down for the night. Most of the work was already done, so it didn’t take long. After Abe locked up, they both went to his truck.
“I just need to swing by the bank. Then I’ll take you home.”
“You live in the other direction, right?”
“Yeah. It’s fine. How far out are you?”
“Four miles. I’m in the Hidden Cove Mobile Home Park.”
“Yeah, I don’t know where that is.”
“Go to the bank, then I’ll give you directions. It’s next to the river.”
Abe drove to the bank and dropped the money off in the night deposit box, then he headed out of town toward Maggie’s house.
She lived in an older mobile home park that was well-maintained, with small yards and ample space between homes.
She directed him through several turns onto narrow streets with cutesy names like Frog Lane and Minnow Street.
The neighborhood backed up to the river, and her mobile was on the last row.
Her small backyard was a hundred feet from the Smith River.
Abe looked at the water running behind her house. “This is really close to the water. Did you get flooded out last time?”
“We were evacuated, but only a few of the houses took on some water. Most of the bad flooding was near Fairfield.”
“Right. I hope you’re not planning on staying here this week.”
She turned in her seat and looked at him. “I really don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“How about your brother?”
“He lives in White City.”
“You may not be so lucky this time. I think you should figure something out.”
“I’ll try.” She opened her door. “Thank you for the ride.”
“No problem. Do you need a ride in the morning?”
“I’m off tomorrow.”
“Oh, right. Monday. Okay. If you need a ride on Tuesday, let me know.”
She nodded and started to get out, then looked back at him. “Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?”
Abe shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you want me to stop?”
She smiled. “No.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see you on Tuesday.”
He waited until she went inside, then drove away. He cursed when he realized he hadn’t paid enough attention to how they had gotten to her home. After a few wrong turns, he managed to find his way back to the highway and headed home.
He was confused as she was about his change in attitude towards her. Nothing had really changed. She was still just Maggie the waitress.
The road followed the river, which was currently flowing slowly, reflecting the red colors of the setting sun. In three days, it would be a very different river.