Page 4 of What I Needed

“I want some good old greasy food, and this will be the last time I’ll have it for a while. You coming, or you gon’ stay here and suck on your hands?”

She smiled, showing all her gums and a dimple on her left cheek that matched mine.

“Well, you ain’t got a choice, baby girl. Let’s go.”

Thirty minutes later, I parked in front of this hole-in-the-wall diner I didn’t frequent very often. The food was good as hell, but there wasn’t a healthy item on the menu. After grabbing Riverlynn’s car seat from the back of my SUV, we went inside.

There were only a few people inside, so I found a seat in the back corner and prayed I could eat in peace. I already knew what I wanted, so I didn’t bother looking at the menu. A few minutes later, I was playing with Riverlynn when I heard the sweetest voice behind me.

“Hi, I’m Erissa, and I’ll be serving you today. Can I start you off with something to drink?”

I turned around to see who the voice belonged to, and her beauty took my breath away. She was dressed in an oversized black T-shirt and black leggings, with food stains on both, and I was still taken aback by how beautiful she was.

Her short hair was dyed a fiery red and cut in a simple style, allowing me to see her whole face. I couldn’t guess her height, but I was sure she was taller than the average woman. To top it off, her skin was smoother than any I’d ever seen on a woman. She was beautiful.

“Do you want me to come back?” she asked when I didn’t respond.

As I waited for him to respond, I took him in. He looked familiar, but I had no idea where I could have seen a man like him. I could tell he was tall by the way he filled up the booth. The waves in his hair looked fresh, like he’d recently gotten a haircut, and his beard was lined and trimmed perfectly.

He was very handsome, with deep brown skin, thick eyebrows, low, almond-shaped eyes, and a dimple on his left cheek. The tattoos that covered his arms had me imagining how much of his chest was covered in artwork, if at all. His lips were smooth and looked perfectly kissable, and when his tongue made an appearance to wet his bottom lip, I shivered.

“Do you want me to come back?” I asked when he didn’t respond, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand.

“My bad, but you’re pretty as hell. It’s nice to meet you, Erissa. I’m River, and this is my daughter, Riverlynn.”

He extended his hand for me to shake, and I did, although I thought it was weird. Customers didn’t usually introduce themselves or their children.

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, too, and she’s a cutie. I love how her name is a spinoff of yours.”

“Thank you. That was all her mother’s doing. I’m actually ready to order,” he said.

“Okay. Let’s start with your drink.”

I wrote down his order as he rambled it off. He was very familiar with the menu, and I figured he was a regular, but I’d never seen him. I’d definitely remember serving him if I had.

“All right. I got you down for a strawberry lemonade, chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, and two biscuits,” I said, repeating his order back to him.

“That’s right. Thank you.”

“I’ll put your order in and be right back with your drink.”

I walked away and could feel his eyes on me as I did so. I paused, casually looking back, and sure enough, he was watching. I smiled uncomfortably and continued making my way behind the counter.

After putting his order in, I poured him a glass of strawberry lemonade and a glass of water. On my way back to his table, I noticed he’d taken his daughter out of the car seat. She was a chunky little one and absolutely adorable.

“Here you go. Your food should be out shortly.”

I placed both glasses and two straws on the table. As I moved my hand away from the straws, he reached for them, and our hands grazed each other’s. The spark that zipped through my body had me snatching my hand away.

“My bad. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said.

“No. I’m fine.”

I scurried away like a scared squirrel. A few orders were up, so I delivered food to a few tables, glancing at River whenever he was in my line of sight. Every time, he was already looking at me.

At some point, his daughter cried, and by the time his food was ready, his baby girl was cutting up. I felt bad for him when I saw the look of defeat in his eyes. I wasn’t sure what he’d already tried, but it didn’t look like he had any idea of how to calm her.

I placed his food on the table and reached for his daughter. He was hesitant to hand her over, but when her cries became louder, he placed her in my hands. I turned her around, putting her over my shoulder, and almost immediately, her cries softened.