Free Diners, Dives & Dead Ends by Terri L. Austin Page B

my shoulder.  I wished I shared her
optimism. 
    Roxy walked through the back
door and snarled.  She chomped on a wad of gum and I noticed she had a nicotine
patch on her arm.  She wore a skimpy plaid skirt and short-sleeved red
sweater.  She looked like a crazy Catholic school girl who would kick your ass
with her thick-soled combat boots, even after you coughed up your lunch money.
    “How’s that patch working
for you?” I asked. 
    “How do you think?” She
slammed out of the kitchen.
    “Perfectly,” I said to the
swinging door.
    I worked steadily until
around eight, when Dane came into the diner.  He looked out of place in his
designer suit and leather briefcase.  He smiled when he saw me.
     “Hey, Rose, you have a
minute?”
    “Sure.”  I filled my
customer’s coffee cup, then walked behind the counter.  Dane followed.  “You’re
not staying to eat?”
    “No, I have to be in court
in an hour.  Have you heard from Axton?”
    “No, but he called his
brother a couple of nights ago asking for help.  Then they were disconnected. 
The same thing happened when he called me.”
     “I found out some
information on NorthStar Inc.”  He pulled a manila envelope out of his
briefcase.  “It’s a company that owns a few local bars and other small businesses
in town.”
    “Thanks.”  Although my hands
itched to open the envelope, I stuck it under the counter.  I had too many
customers and couldn’t afford to get distracted.   
    “Sure.  Rose?”
    “Hmm?”
    “Are you going to pass this
information off to the police?”
    I quirked my brow.
    He sighed.  “Yeah, that’s
what I thought.  Just promise me you’ll be careful?”
    “You bet.”
    He narrowed his eyes at me. 
It was almost as if he didn’t believe me. 
    “I swear,” I said, raising
my right hand, “I will be careful.”
    “If you need anything at
all, just call me, okay?”
    “Thanks, Dane.  I really
appreciate all you’ve done.”
    “So have I redeemed myself
for shushing you all those years ago?” 
    I stepped closer to him and
in turn he leaned his head toward me.  “Nope.  You still have a lot of kissing
up to do.”
    He leaned down further, his
lips tickling my ear.  “Kissing up, huh?  Sounds like torture.  But if that’s
what it takes…”
    I slapped at his shoulder.
    He dimpled and strode out.
    I smiled for a good thirty
minutes after he left. 
    The diner was hectic for the
next couple of hours.  Ma ran to the warehouse store while Roxy and I held down
the fort.  Traffic finally slowed down by midmorning.  When only two customers
remained, Roxy bussed tables and I wiped down the counter.  I was scrubbing
away when my ex-boyfriend, Kevin, walked through the door.
      He wore ratty jeans and a
blue t-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders.  He was tall and cute with
dark brown hair that stood up every which way and had ear gauges the size of
quarters.  Exactly my type.  Unfortunately, we had no chemistry.  That fact was
obvious to me, but to Kevin, not so much.
    “Hey, Rose.”
    Roxy stepped out of the
kitchen with an empty bus tub and leaned against the stainless steel counter beside
me.  “Hey, Roxy.”  Kevin tipped his chin in her direction.
    “Rox, I think my stragglers
could use some more coffee,” I said.
    “Sure.”  She set down the
tub, grabbed the coffee pot, and walked to the table by the front window.
    “What are you doing here, Kevin?”
I asked.
    “It’s Spaz now.  I changed
my name to Spaz.  Like, legally and everything.”
    “So is your last name still
Wilkins?”  Spaz Wilkins sounded pretty lame to me.
    “No, it’s just Spaz.  Like
Bono or Prince.”
    I pressed my lips together
to stifle the giggle that wanted to escape.  “Well, good for you.”
    “Thanks,” he said with a
smile.  “I tried calling you, but since I hadn’t heard back I thought I’d stop
by, see how you were doing.”
    “Yeah, I got your message.” 
    He leaned across