Free JACK KNIFED by Christopher Greyson

hostess in the far corner.
    “Can I look for a minute?” Replacement begged.
    “You can look for an hour after we eat.” Jack smiled. “Table for two,” he said to the young woman who stood behind the wooden podium.
    She smiled, grabbed some menus, and led them to a little corner booth. Replacement clapped her hands after she slid in. Jack looked out the window to see what had made her so happy, and almost clapped his hands, too. Behind the restaurant was a small garden with a little natural waterfall in the back.
    “Isn’t it pretty?” their waitress remarked, stopping beside their table. “I just love it. It’s so romantic.” She gave Replacement a little pat on the shoulder and winked.
    “It’s beautiful.” Replacement kept gazing out the window.
    Jack suddenly stood up. “I’ll be right back.”
    The waitress looked perplexed. “Do you want to order?”
    “A burger and fries,” Jack called over his shoulder as he marched back into the store. “And a Coke.”
    He walked into the gift shop again and scanned the shelves. He looked around a little but didn’t see what he needed.
    “Do you have any notebooks?” he asked the woman who had seated them.
    “Yes, we do. Right here.” She moved over and pointed to a section with two notebooks: a thin one covered in puffy baby farm animals and a thicker one in purple with sparkling confetti and “HOPE FALLS” written in pink.
    Jack rolled his eyes and paid for the thicker notebook, along with a pen.
    “She’ll love them,” the woman confidently assured him.
    “Who will?”
    “Your girlfriend.” She smiled.
    Jack grabbed the bag and hurried back to the table. Replacement looked out the window as he slid back into the booth.
    “Where did you go?”
    “I needed to get a notebook,” he explained as he put it on the table. Her eyes went wide, and she snickered. Jack’s eyes narrowed. “What’re you, four years old?”
    “Me? I’m not the one with the Pretty Pony notebook.” She laughed. Jack stuck his chin out, and she held her hands up. “Sorry.”
    “Anyway,” he pulled all the notes out of his pocket, “I figured we could get started organizing the information we have.” Replacement opened her mouth and closed it quickly. Jack spread the notes out on the table.
    “I’ll write.” She held out her hand, and he gave her the pen.
    They spent the next hour eating while they transcribed the notes. Once they had everything written down, he frowned. “We don’t have much.”
    “It’s a good start.” Replacement slurped down the last of her drink and ended with a loud smack of her lips.
    Jack continued to scowl. “There wasn’t much in the paper.”
    “There was at the beginning.”
    “The story faded out fast.”
    Replacement shrugged, and they settled into an awkward silence. She went back to watching the waterfall as he read over the notes again. After a few minutes, Jack stood up. As he went to pay the bill, Replacement slid out of the booth.
    “You said I could look around,” she called as she headed back to the little shop.
    Great. How long can she look at knickknacks?
    Jack groaned at his own question and followed after her. Once again, Replacement was out of sight. He swept the perimeter to look for her, and located her back at the pink shirt she had admired before. She looked at him hopefully, and he narrowed his eyes.
    “I’m just kidding,” he teased. He grabbed a matching pink baseball hat off the shelf. “Get the hat, too.”
    “Really? No. I don’t want to spend—”
    “Get them. They’ll look good on you.”
    Replacement blushed, and took the shirt off the rack.
    “Come on. I want to make one stop before we head back to the inn.” Jack moved to the register.
    “Where?” she asked.
    “There was a little general store in town. I’m hoping they have what I need.”
    “You’re not gonna tell me?” She walked up next to him.
    “It’s none of your business.” Jack took the shirt and hat and handed them