The drive to the diner is short and I park my car around back, in my usual spot. I hurry up the back steps, balancing the brownies in one hand, and flip the lights on as I enter. The diner springs to life before my eyes. Ah, my diner, my baby. I’ve poured my life into this place and don’t know what I’d do without it.
Brian and Penny come in for their shifts not long after me and together, we get the diner ready to open. I like the routine of being at the diner every day. It gives me stability. Each day starts off like any other — bright and full of possibilities.
Charlie comes in not long after we open, as if right on cue, and starts to tell me what he can about his shift the day before. My attention is diverted when I see Graham come in and head towards the back room. He pops up by the counter a moment later.
“Morning, Graham,” Charlie and I say in unison.
“Morning, Beth.” Graham tips an imaginary hat to Charlie. “Morning, Sheriff Gajewski.”
“How many times have I told you that you can call me Charlie?” Charlie’s eyes glimmer and a smile tugs at his lips as I set a mug of coffee down in front of him.
Graham shrugs. “It’s a respect thing. My mom always told me to respect men in uniform.”
Charlie chuckles at his sincerity. “Your mom is a good woman,” he says.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Graham. “You’re not on until later this evening.”
Graham waves a white envelope. “Wanted to pick up my paycheck and take it to the bank beforehand.”
I nod.
“Is Thea coming by later?” Charlie asks me. I turn to look at him and notice Graham fumbling his check at the mention of Thea’s name. Charlie and I both look at him as he not-so-gracefully tries to play it cool and knocks over a salt shaker on the counter.
“You okay there, son?” Charlie asks.
I put my hand on my hip as I wait for his response.
“Yeah,” Graham says, stuttering a bit and looking at the floor.
“For a second, I thought you might have a crush on that girl.”
Graham’s cheeks start to turn a lovely shade of pink at Charlie’s words.
“Charlie, stop,” I mutter, suppressing a laugh. I look at Graham.
“Yeah, she’s uh…she’s cute or whatever.”
I let my laugh out now. “Ask her to hang out,” I tell Graham. “The worst thing she can say is no.”
Graham nods slightly and then holds his check up again. “I’m gonna…go.” He hurries past me towards the back room to exit out the back of the diner.
Charlie chuckles as he watches him and takes another sip of coffee as I set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him.
“Anyway, back to your story,” I tell him as I resume wiping down menus.
“Right. So, totally normal traffic stop,” he begins, his eyes boring into me as if he can see to the depths of my soul, “this woman isblastingSilver Springs, just full on rocking out.” He takes a bite.
“My favorite!” I exclaim.
He laughs. “I know, it made me think of you.”
I smile as we sit in silence for a few moments, the only sound is the scraping of his fork against his plate.
“The car in front of her is a teenager and I barely get to the window before he gets out and just takes off on foot. Turns out, he had alcohol in the car and thought abandoning the vehicle was the better option. So, I take off after him and he turns down Main Street. Luckily, Stan was leaving that donut shop down there. You know, Joe’s?”
I nod my head, hanging on his every word. His eyes sparkle, and I let myself wonder for a moment what it would be like if those eyes looked at me like that. To feel his eyes raking over my skin, drinking me in—
“Beth Ann,” he says, and I’m snapped out of my trance.
