And it was now owned by Sophia, Pirate’s ol’ lady, managed by Kelly, a staple employee at the diner, and the kitchen was run by Tally, Scar’s ol’ lady. It might as well be a club-owned business, with club eyes everywhere.
When Sophia had been given control of the diner by her parents, she immediately put it under construction. Besides having a somewhat-famous chef like Tally at the grill, the one thing the diner always lacked was seating space. More often than not, people had to take their food to-go because there just wasn’t room and the wait time wasn’t worth it—but the food certainly was. When the lease on the space next to the diner was up,Sophia worked out a contract with the business owner to move to a different location on Main Street so she could knock out the wall that separated the two spaces. Essentially tripling the size of the diner’s seating area because they didn’t need a second kitchen or the back rooms.
What she did do, though, was keep two booths along the back wall reserved for the VDMC and their families when they weren’t at peak hours. During high-volume meal times, most of the club pitched in to help out anyway. But after the lunch rush, those booths once again held red Reserved signs on them.
Ranger slid into the one on the far right, putting his back to the wall and blocking himself from being seen from the display window. He felt antsy. But something had been different since he woke up after his run. He still felt that hollowness, that subconscious knowledge that he wasn’t whole, but he wasn’t positive that craving was for heroin. Was it possible, after one day, that it could be forher?
He wasn’t under some grand delusion that sex with Toni had cured him of his heroin addiction. But he’d watched his brothers fall for their women for years. He’d watched their obsession and possession for their women grow, even after a single meeting. Was it possible that it was the same for him and Toni? Even with his…current situation?
He knew he wanted her for more than just sex. He also knew that she had alotgoing on in her life and he had alotgoing on in his. Healsoknew that he wanted her. And if there was one thing that Ranger was unequivocally aware of right now, it was how irrational cravings could be. Was it possible that he was transferring his craving for heroin onto Toni? He didn’t think so. They felt like two very distinctive things, like two pathways in his head. So maybe it wasn’t that his feelings, hiscravings, for Toni were replacing that of his addiction. Maybe it was that hewas developing a desire to be with her that was equal, or possibly greater than, his desire to get high.
“Wow. For a man who just claimed he’s been keeping open communication with his sponsor, it sure looks like you’re having a two-sided conversation with yourself.”
Ranger looked at Cross, not realizing he’d been studying the silver napkin holder so intently. “Sorry. Just…processing.”
“Anything in particular?” Cross asked as Kelly approached the table with menus. Normally, Kelly would seat patrons, but Ranger had bolted to the back booth like it was a restroom and he had the runs.
Kelly was in her late thirties and was the longest employee the diner had. Ranger didn’t know how long she’d worked here, but rumor had it, it had been since high school. And it never failed that she showed up with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. She knew every resident in town’s favorite dessert, plus their usual orders. Her apron pocket was full of stickers and other goodies for kids, and she currently held the longest employee record of days since breaking a dish.
“Ranger.” She smiled in greeting as she handed over menus. “Mr. Cross. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that you were trying to avoid me with the way you two rushed back here.”
Ranger gave her a sheepish expression. “Sorry about that.”
Outside of the club, Cross was the only person who knew about Ranger’s addiction. He didn’t include those who attended the meetings with him because they were in the same, or similar, boat as he was. The word ‘anonymous’ was in the title for a reason, and Ranger rarely attended open meetings. Cross and Ranger had been in the diner together before, but Kelly did not know who he was outside of a friend of Ranger’s.
“My girl, I wouldneveravoid seeing you. How else would we get you to come back here and spend these extra few minutes with us?” Cross asked her smoothly.
Kelly gave him a playfully reproachful look. “You flirt.” For barely a second, a sad glint entered her eyes as she glanced between the two open chairs on either side of Cross and Ranger. “Will anyone else be joining you?”
“Not today, my dear,” Cross replied jovially.
Kelly nodded once, but it took her another second to smile again. Without pulling out an order pad, she asked Cross, “Vanilla sweet cream cold brew? Or did you enjoy the brown sugar espresso so much that you want to try that again?”
“Your memory never ceases to amaze me, my girl. I’ll take the cold brew, though. I have a meeting this afternoon, and while I need to be awake for it, I also would like to sleep tonight so no more espresso for me after lunch.”
Kelly giggled. “I completely understand that logic. Anything else?”
“Apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream,” Cross ordered. “Oh, and can you add some chocolate and caramel drizzle on there for me?”
“For you, absolutely,” Kelly said with a wink. Turning to Ranger, she asked, “Black coffee and loaded fries?”
“Please,” Ranger answered without even looking at the menu.
“Tally will be so pleased her culinary skills are not being wasted on you,” Kelly quipped as she accepted back the unneeded menus.
Shit. If Scar thought Tally was unhappy with Ranger’s order, the man would come out here and beat Ranger’s ass. There was no doubt he was skulking around here. While he didn’t work at the diner, he was always present if Tally was.
“Shit,” Ranger repeated out loud. “Um, switch mine to whatever Tally thinks I should be eating for lunch.”
Kelly smiled at him, not even bothering to hide her manipulation. “She’ll be thrilled you put such faith in her. Be back soon with your coffees.”
If Cross thought the exchange was strange, he did not comment. Instead, he asked again, “What’s on your mind, Ranger?”
Ranger resisted the urge to make a childish face at his sponsor, who was proving not as easily distracted as Ranger had hoped in their relationship. “How… How do you tell someone you’re in recovery?”
Cross lifted a bushy white eyebrow. “A romantic someone?”
Hating that he felt like he was back in high school confessing to having feelings for a girl, Ranger nodded. “I met her last night. We…hit it off really well,” he amended, not wanting to confess all his dirty secrets to his sponsor. “But I want to ask her out properly, and I don’t want to blindside her with this or be accused of lying to her. She means something to me, and I don’t know what that looks like yet, but I can’t hide this from her. I won’t. But I also don’t know how to…confess something like this.”
