Page 44
“It’s not as odd as you think.”
She watched through the window as my brothers walked Grandma to the car. “So those are the bet brothers?” she asked.
“They are.”
“Huh.”
“What?” I said.
“Nothing. I’m just wondering if you look like them. It’s hard to tell.”
“God, I hope not,” I said, watching them put Grandma in the car. “They’re so ugly.”
She cracked up next to me. “I’ll get you another kid’s menu.”
“Thanks.” I looked up at her. “Hey, so I got this thing and I was wondering if you’d maybe want it?”
She tilted her head. “What thing?”
I rallied my courage and reached in and pulled the stuffed cat from my Santa suit.
She broke into a grin. “Really?”
“Laci said you might like it.”
Her eyes went soft. “I love it. Thank you.” She took the plushie and smiled at it. “It looks like Christmas,” she said, a little sad.
“It does? Do you have a picture of her?” I asked.
“Yeah.” She dug in her apron and pulled out her phone. The photo she showed me was her screensaver. She was posed in front of a Christmas tree, hugging a black and white cat. She looked so happy.
“You’ll get her back,” I said.
She nodded as she tucked her phone away, but I don’t think she believed me. “It’s starting to feel like if I do, it’ll be a Christmas miracle.”
She tucked the doll into her apron with its head popping out. “There are more regulars here, by the way,” she said.
“Oh yeah? Who?”
She gestured to a couple sitting across from each other a few booths over. “They come in a lot.”
They were laughing across the table and leaning into each other.
“What do they order?” I asked.
“They usually order a bunch of different pancakes and rate them.”
“Huh. Can you ask them which ones are their favorite? I’ll try those next.”
“Sure. You keep this up and you’ll be out of here before me.”
“Would you miss me?”
She narrowed her eyes. “I think I would.”
I smiled. Then I cleared my throat. “Hey, you think after I get out of here you’d like to—”
Two young men from a table in the middle of Rhiannon’s station got up and speed-walked out the front door.
