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“Good morning.” The same silver-haired woman who’d been working the day before greeted me. “Just one?” she asked, sliding her large, owlish glasses further up her nose.
I tore my focus away from Sophia. “Yes, just one. Back corner booth, if you don’t mind.”
“Don’t mind at all,” she said, giving me the once-over.
I followed the waitress through the diner, catching Sophia’s eye once again. I tossed my coat into the seat and slid into the booth.
“My name’s Velma.” The waitress slid a laminated menu onto the table. “Can I get you started with some coffee?”
“Please.”
“You got it. Sophia will bring it right out.”
I watched as Velma and Sophia met at the coffeepots. Grinning from ear to ear, Velma whispered something to Sophia, jerking her chin toward my table. Sophia didn’t react. In fact, her expression was hard, and she seemed annoyed. It didn’t take me long to figure out why.
The two hunters she’d been serving when I arrived were completely inebriated, despite the early hour. Probably fresh off a night hunt. Their voices carried across the room, loud, slurring, and they stank of stale liquor. They were laughing, chiding each other about something. As they spoke, their bloodshot eyes kept flickering toward Sophia, and that’s when I realized they were talking about her.
Sophia ignored their sneers as she passed their table, carrying coffee and condiments.
“Good morning.” She forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Good morning,” I said, and as she began to pour my coffee, I took the carafe from her. “I’ve got it.”
She blinked. “Thank you.”
A burst of drunken laughter rang out from across the room. Sophia’s jaw twitched.
“What can I get you for breakfast?” she asked tightly.
“Yo, sweetheart,”Gorilla Gut hollered over his shoulder, oblivious to the fact she was assisting another customer—me.
Sophia’s cheeks flushed, with embarrassment or fear, I wasn’t sure. Either way, it wasn’t okay. No woman should have to put up with that bullshit at their place of work or anywhere else.
I felt a tingle in the base of my spine, a protectiveness I hadn’t felt in a very long time. Maybe ever.
Ignoring the men, Sophia held my gaze, a moment passing between us—one of her showing defiance to them, and one of me completely forgetting why I was there in the first place.
“Do you know those guys?” I asked.
“No. They walked over from the bar about ten minutes ago.”
“It’s seven o’clock in the morning.”
“The bar stays open all night. The owner, Chuck, lives in the basement. As long as he has patrons to give him their money, he stays open. We get a lot of his customers looking for food to sober up.”
“Hey, sweetheart! I’m talkin’ to you.”
My hand curled into a fist in my lap.
Sophia didn’t grace them with her full attention, but instead spoke over her shoulder. “I’ll be right with you.”
“Get me more coffee!”
“I said I’ll be right with you, sir.”
By now Velma was watching, as well as the few other elderly diners. The jukebox had even gone silent. The room was so quiet, you could hear the bacon sizzling in the kitchen.
My pulse began to pick up.
