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"This one's open for you, JD."
I cringed as I looked at Cal to find that he was patting the stool next to him.
"He might want to sit right here," I said, tapping the bar. I said it loudly enough to get the man's attention, and he stopped walking and looked at me.
"This one's open," I repeated.
"But so is that one. Isn't it, Cal?"
"It's open. And JD doesn't eat lunch at the same time as me because he's too busy at work."
"I'm about to sit here and eat with you today, my man. I had stuff to tie up, so I'm eating late." He had been walking as he spoke and by the time he finished, he was standing behind my open barstool.
"I'm serving this section," I said.
He made eye contact with me. His eyes were so dark, I almost couldn't see the pupils. He seemed mysterious, verging on dangerous.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"Nothing. I just thought you might want to sit in Isaac's station since you knew him."
"I know Cal, too," JD said. "What's up, Cal?"
"JD's my best friend over here," Cal said, standing to give JD a half-hug.
"This is Misty's new girl," Cal said, informing JD. "She's got a boy's name, but then she told me she likes the Beatles and she's always wanted to try throwing a frisbee. And then… what did you say about the Beatles?" he asked, looking at me.
"Just that I liked them." Cal looked confused, but I wasn't sure what he was trying to say, so I turned my attention to JD. I grabbed a nearby menu and went to set it in front of him. "Can I get you something to drink while I give you a minute to look at the—"
"I don't need a minute. I don't need a menu. My dad's in the kitchen. He saw me come in. I will take a cup of coffee, though, please. Black. And some ice water. Thank you."
"Sure," I said, without reacting to the bomb he just dropped on me. There was only one man in the kitchen who could be his dad and that was Jim. That would mean he was Rita's grandson and Isaac's cousin. I had heard them mention JD.Was this JD Alexander?
I went to the nearest drink station and made a water and a coffee.
For the next half-hour, things went great with JD and Cal. I brought Cal his coffee at twelve-forty-five on the dot, and he liked that I remembered. The two of them talked, mostly, but I chimed in when I went over there to check on them.
Cal's departure was as timed as his arrival. He left every day at one o'clock just as sure as he came in at twelve-thirty. Back in the day, he used to hang out in one of the bar stools for hours at a time, but for years now, he had been staying for thirty minutes every day and not a minute more. Two different people had told me that fact.
Cal walked out before JD, and as soon as he did, I went over to clear his dishes. "Hey, I wasn't trying to say anything with Cal here, but what do you think you're doing? What is it you're trying to do by working here?"
I looked at JD with a shocked expression. He stared at me like he expected me to answer his question. There was a man sitting right next to him on the opposite side of where Cal had been. I leaned over the bar, favoring the empty spot so I could speak quietly.
"I'm trying to earn money," I said. I wanted to add, "That's what you do at jobs," but I held my tongue.
"By trying to dig up some story and sell it to the tabloids? There's nothing to tell. So, leave my family alone." He wasn't speaking loudly, but he also wasn't whispering. JD was straight-faced and unflinching, and I cringed, feeling embarrassed and humiliated. I took a deep breath, fighting to hold back tears at his scorn.
"Just so you know… no. You're way off about me."
"Why are you here, then?" he asked.
"To work."
"To wait on tables?" he asked, tilting his head at me like he couldn’t believe anything I was saying.
"Yes, to wait on tables," I said. "Maybe I came here thinking I would talk to your grandma, but I have nothing to do with the tabloids. Miss Rita asked me if I wanted a job and I took it. I’m not trying to write a big story. Maybe at one time, I thought of that, but I didn't have any actual plans. And then your grandma offered me a job, and I really did just want to work here. I'm not trying to expose anything. Although your touchy attitude makes me think you guys are hiding something. Are there dead bodies in the freezer or something?"
He looked at me seriously. "No."
