Chapter Nineteen
Everyone chipped in to set up for the following day. Jamie was doing a little tidy up in the kitchen, Salzy jumping in where needed. The ladies set the dining room up. They all sat and had another beer before calling it a night.
“I could still kiss you,” Florence said, the first one ready to leave.
“Nope.” Jamie stiffened, ready to push her away. “Not happening.”
Instead, Florence hugged him close. “You’re Puckett through and through. I don’t care what you say your name is.”
“You’re too good to be true, Jamie.” Hazel hugged him tightly.
“Thank you.” Minnie hugged him quickly, again for the second time that night.
Walter wrapped Jamie into a big bear hug, forcing the air out of his lungs.
Timmy hugged him and nodded quickly before following Walter out the back door.
“You never cease to surprise me.” Dexter drew Jamie into a powerful hug.
He released him. “Ya know, I had no idea of what to expect when... well, everything happened... and well, you showed up. I fully expected you to shut this ol’ place down.
Ms. Mattie and Mr. Solan were always on about you bein’ some big chef up in Atlanta, and I was sure you weren’t going to want to leave that life.
” Dexter shook Jamie’s hand. “Thank you, Jamie. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Once everyone had left, Jamie closed the door behind him and Salzy. “That was good.” He said, looking at his friend. “Better than I expected to be honest. I wasn’t sure how’d they react to having their hours cut.”
“It was good.” Salzy followed Jamie up the stairs. “They’re real good people.”
“That they are.” Jamie went to the refrigerator. “Want a beer?”
“Yeah.” Salzy took the cold beer. “Want to sit out on the veranda?”
“Definitely. See if there’s a breeze. I’m gonna have to see about getting some air-conditioning.” He wiped his brow with the cold beer. “I forgot how hot it gets down here.”
“Think I might get a small window unit for my bedroom?” Salzy asked. “It does make it hard to sleep at night when it’s this hot, and it isn’t even summer yet.”
Jamie groaned. “I know. Right?”
They sat for a few minutes. The air smelled sweet like new honeysuckle. A slight breeze came and went, and crickets started their nightly song.
“I forgot how peaceful it was here.”
Salzy snickered. “Except for the noise of the interstate.”
“Even that’s not all that loud.”
Salzy nodded. They sat, rocking, looking out. “Now,” Salzy started, “What about Mike? It sure looked like he lit your candle.”
Jamie looked over at the Hispanic man, his teeth gleaming white in the darkness. “That has to be one of the best-looking men I’ve ever seen in my life.” Jamie took a big gulp of his beer, turning his attention out towards the fields. “And he could break me like a twig.”
“So you going to ask him out or what?”
Jamie’s head whipped around so fast his vision blurred. “What? And him stomp me like a bug?”
Salzy laughed. “You could do it during dinner tomorrow night when there’s lots of people around.”
“He could still punch me in the face and kill me.”
“Nah.” Salzy chuckled, sipping his beer. “He doesn’t seem the type.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Jamie drained the last of his beer. “When you ask Terry Hanson out, I’ll ask Mike... I don’t even know his last name. Anyway, you ask Terry out and I’ll ask Mike out.”
Salzy stuck out his hand. “Deal.”
Jamie shook his hand. “I’m going to regret this, I just know it.”
“Want another beer?” Salzy asked, smiling.
“Naw.” Jamie stood up. “I’m going to call it a night. I’ve got a busy day tomorrow, and so do you. Need to get these steps finished up, and Joesph will be here sometime tomorrow morning.”
“I guess you’re right.” Salzy followed him inside, letting the screen door slam behind him.
Jamie turned and slugged him in the shoulder.
“What the hell, man?” Salzy yelled, rubbing his shoulder.
“That’s for letting that door slam. I’m gonna break you of that habit.” Jamie scowled.
Salzy stuck his tongue out. “You’re a big ol’ meanie and I’m going to tell mom!”
Jamie just about pissed himself laughing as he pushed Salzy out the door. “Good
night.”
Salzy smiled, still rubbing his shoulder. “’Night.”
Jamie found it hard to get to sleep. Part of it was the heat. Part of it was about how well the staff meeting went, and part of it was... Mike.”
* * * * *
Jamie was in the kitchen, making biscuits when the kitchen staff came in. “Morning all,” Jamie said, greeting the three men.
“Mornin’,” they each responded.
“Another grand day in paradise,” Dexter said, his dark skin already glistening, proof of the rising temperature outside.
“It’s gonna be a hot one,” Walter said as he turned the exhaust fan to high.
Timmy pulled on a sweatband, then his ball cap, and quietly set about getting his prep work done for the day.
“My friend, Joesph, should be here around ten this morning. Have you guys thought about what you might like changed here?”
Walter laughed. “How about air-conditioning. I don’t know if it’s me getting older or if it’s getting hotter, but I’m already dreading summer.”
“Cl-cli-climate ch-change,” Timmy commented.
“This kitchen gets hotter than a June bride in a feather bed,” Dexter added, shaking his head as he sliced an onion.
Jamie laughed. “It’s been ages since I’ve heard that.” He looked around the kitchen. “It’s good to be home.”
Walter stopped stirring the gravy he was working on. “I’m glad you’re back, Jamie. It’s almost like you never left.”
“Good mornin’, y’all,” Florence said, loud enough to be heard over the exhaust fan.
Jamie had to do a double take when he saw her.
She was wearing a red and white polka dot top, the buttons revealing a decent amount of cleavage.
There was a matching scarf tied around her neck, and she had on jean shorts that were so tight Jamie thought he could see a pulse.
Hazel rushed into the kitchen. “Lordy, it’s going to be a scorcher today. She stopped short, looking at Florence. She put her hands on her hips and did a long look, raking up and down Florence. “You workin’ the dining room or the street?”
Florence rolled her eyes at her co-worker. “You’re just jealous.”
Minnie scurried in, and she also stopped, looking at Florence, her jaw slack. She quickly made her way to the changing room, her head shaking.
Hazel laughed, and laughed hard, following her.
Florence huffed. “Just goes to show who keeps up with current fashion.”
“I think that was in fashion about forty years ago,” Jamie commented, chuckling.
“I won’t even dignify that with a response.” Florence touched her hair, making sure everything was in place, then went into the changing room.
Breakfast service came and went, being busier than expected. They ran out of biscuits, making Jamie rush to make up another batch.
Walter leaned against the serving counter. “That’s the busiest we’ve been in a long while.”
“Word’s out,” Hazel said as she came in. She leaned against the counter, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.
“What word?” Jamie asked, starting on yet another batch of biscuits, hoping it would get them through lunch.
“You’re back,” Hazel said as she went into the walk-in cooler.
“Lordy be,” Florence slowly walked into the kitchen. “I’ve been run off my feet.”
Jamie went over to the spindle where the green order tickets were. He counted them out. “Wow.” He looked up at Walter. “We did seventy-seven covers.”
Walter shook his head and looked at Timmy and Dexter. “He means we did seventy-seven orders.”
“If it keeps up like this, I’m gonna need that vacation,” Florence said. “Where’s Hazel?”
“In the walk-in,” Jamie answered, using his elbow to point.
“That’s a grand idea. I’m gonna join her.” Florence opened the walk-in.
Salzy chose that moment to come into the kitchen, not letting the screen door slam. “Water. I need water.” He slumped over to the water station and proceeded to down two glasses of water before refilling his glass again. “Damn, it’s hot out there.”
Minnie came into the kitchen with a tray of dirty dishes. Her hair plastered to her head.
“What’s up with the air-conditioning in the dining room?” Jamie asked. “Is it not working?”
“Towards the end of last summer it started acting up,” Walter said. “Mr. Solan was going to have it checked out and then... well...”
“He died,” Jamie finished for him, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat. “I’ll get these biscuits done and then I’ll see if I can’t get someone out here to look at it. Can’t have customers trying to eat in this kind of heat.”
“Yep,” Dexter added. “And it’s gonna get a whole lot hotter.”
“Cl-cli-mate change.”
At ten after ten, the little bell over the front door tinkled. “Hello?”
Florence walked from the kitchen to the dining room. “Howdy, table for one?”
“Uh, no. I’m here to see Jamie. I’m Joesph.”