Chapter 3
Chapter Three
The diner wasn’t busy that night, which sucked for Samantha.
She needed the tips.
“One day…” she whispered to herself as she leaned on the counter looking out on the empty space.
Just on the other side of the countertop were swiveling stools that were bolted not the floor.
Only these weren’t there to look “retro chic” or nostalgic like some of those chain places like Johnny Rockets.
The diner looked retro because it had been built over sixty years ago.
Nothing had really been replaced since, either.
The tops of the stools were pocked, with bits of foam occasionally poking out. The linoleum countertop was chipped and cracked, too, along with the silver metal lining that ran its length.
The booths that were along the walls had seen better days, too.
The walls had been painted a few years back, after the city banned smoking in restaurants. But the faint smell of cigarettes still lingered about from a bygone era—along with hundreds of thousands of burgers and eggs and strips of bacon cooked on the griddle.
Maybe millions, for all Samantha knew.
Over in the corner was a five-foot-tall Santa Claus that rested on a cracked plastic pedestal.
He was supposed to sing and shake his hips in a little dance every time someone walked by, but the motion sensor had long ago given out.
Now, he seemed as sad as the lonely strand of ancient tinsel that hung on the wall above him.
It sure didn’t feel like Christmas, Samantha thought.
Then again, she couldn’t remember many Decembers that had.
The bell over the door chimed and she snapped out of her pity and stood up straighter.
“Hi. Welcome in,” she said to the two men. “Just sit wherever—”
She froze and nearly gasped. It was him! Kendrick! From the nursery.
Did he recognize her? She sure hoped not. He probably wouldn’t. They didn’t even know each other all that much. But she didn’t want him to see her tonight. Not like this.
Suddenly self-conscious that she had grease on her uniform and apron, or that her hair was out of place and looked silly pulled back like it was, she cleared her throat and said, “Excuse me. Sorry.”
“Everything all right, ma’am?” Kendrick asked.
His friend next to him—she recognized him, too, and thought his name was Isaiah—looked concerned, as well.
“Yes. I’m just fine. Sorry. Long night. As I was saying, sit wherever you’d like. The menus are on the table, next to the sugar and jelly. What would you both like to drink?”
“Coffee for me,” the strong Black man said.
“I’ll just have water, please,” Kendrick added.
His friend cocked his head. “No coffee?”
“I’ll be up all night if I drink it this late. I’m going to bed when we get home.”
The two walked to a booth and slid in across from one another. Samantha continued to listen as she made their drinks, but stopped long enough to call through the kitchen window, “Hey, Bill. You awake in there? We got customers.”
A grunt told her the older man who worked the kitchen was indeed awake. At least halfway.
The conversation drifted to her ears from the table.
“The coffee won’t affect me.”
“Seriously?”
“I could drink that whole pot and sleep like a baby tonight.”
“That’s insane,” Kendrick said with a slight laugh.
When she arrived with their drinks, they were looking over the menu.
“Thank you,” Kendrick said after she set his water in front of him.
She almost thanked him by name but thankfully caught herself before it escaped her lips. “You’re welcome. Did you need a few minutes to look over the menus?”
“I think I know what I want,” Isaiah said. “You go first.”
“I’ll have an omelet, please. All the meat you have.”
“Sourdough toast okay or would you rather have a biscuit?”
“Toast, please. No one makes biscuits in this town as good as they did back home.”
She smiled. “Where’s home?”
“Tennessee. Smoky Mountain Country.”
“Ooh! I’m from Kentucky!”
“Really?” His face lit up in a smile as he looked up at her. “Have we met?”
From across the table, the other man said, “Dude, Kentucky and Tennessee are big places. Just because they border each other doesn’t mean you’ve met.”
Kendrick laughed. “I’m not asking because of that. I’m just saying she looks very familiar.”
Samantha fought the urge to freeze. If she acted too suspicious, they’d figure it out. So, she tried to remain as calm and seem as casual as possible, shaking her head. “Have you ever been in here before?"
“Nope. We just happened to be in the area. First time in.”
Again, Samantha stopped herself as her mouth was already opening. She was about to ask if they were out on Daddy Guard business. Yikes! They needed to leave before she slipped up.
“Then I don’t think we’ve met,” she told him.
Guilt surged through her. For some reason, she hated lying to him.
Though dishonesty came fairly easy to her in most cases…
“Huh. Could’ve sworn I’ve seen you somewhere.”
She simply smiled at him before turning her attention to his friend.
“I’ll have a cheeseburger and fries,” Isaiah said. “Everything on it, please.”
“You bet. I’ll get those orders put in.” She looked around and then back at them. “I don’t think it’ll take very long. We’re not exactly busy.”
The guys laughed.
“Take your time,” Kendrick said.
Part of her wanted to drag their visit out. The longer she was in Kendrick’s presence, the better!
But the other part of her knew that gave him more of a chance to recognize her. She needed them gone before that happened. So, she hurried toward the kitchen window where she slid the ticket atop the shiny, silver surface and then smashed her palm down on the bell.
The cook appeared, grunted, and took the ticket.
That was about the most conversation she ever got from him, unless he was feeling talkative and wanted to share about the parlays he had out, hoping to hit on the various sports wagers he placed.
She didn’t know anything about that stuff. But she listened whenever he was in the mood to talk, because the night silence could be near maddening.
But tonight she was happy. It didn’t matter that she was broke. Or that the diner wasn’t busy, which meant no tips and she was working for minimum wage.
At the moment, she didn’t even care that Christmas was coming and she’d spend it alone, like she did every other holiday.
Right now, the man she dreamed of calling Daddy was just a few feet away. And it seemed as if every time she chanced a peek in his direction, he was looking her way, too.
She covered her mouth to giggle.
That night had suddenly turned wonderful. And she was going to savor every moment of it.