Loving You

III. Stunned

Monday, December 7th, 2015

The weekend flew by quickly, and although I had made several promises to relax, Hugh and I worked on fixing the porch and trying to get the critters out from underneath it. Duke and Bexley had been huge fans of that part. She was always bringing me spiders and ants and other creepy crawly creatures and asking me everything there was to know about whatever it was. Together, the two of us managed to pull off some of the rotting boards and replace them with brand new ones, as well as coating the entire porch with a few layers of stain. Really, it was mostly me doing all the work, while Bex got in the way and Hugh delegated from a lawn chair with a beer in his hand.

"Aspen!" Gran exclaimed happily, when I arrived at work on Monday afternoon, carrying Bexley on my hip with Duke trailing close behind. We'd gone through the back entrance since Duke really wasn't supposed to be in the restaurant, but he usually stayed in the staff room with Bexley, unless they were causing mischief. "Thank goodness. I missed you!"

I laughed, ducking out from under Gran's strong arms and setting Bexley on the ground to run around as she pleased. "I thought you couldn't wait until I left." Dropping mine and Bexley's backpacks on the ground, I glanced at the woman who'd been my surrogate grandmother since the night I'd met her.

Gran tsked under her breath. "I couldn't. And then I couldn't wait 'til you got back. Jana and Rebecca are practically helpless without you running the floor, especially on the busy nights. I'll tell ya, it always amazes me how many of those damn tourists show up for Jazz Fest." Following her as I tied my apron around my waist, the two of us headed out into the dining room.

"The fact that our hot springs are picturesque also helps."

Gran rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah." Her grim expression did a rapid 360 when the bell above the door rang out. "Welcome to Rosie's Diner! Have a seat wherever you'd like," she greeted the customers cheerfully.

The afternoon flew by with a steady stream of patrons flowing through the doors. By nine o'clock, the only folks in the diner were a tourist couple in Rebecca's section and the truck driver sitting at the counter reading one of his crappy romance novels.

"Why don't you clock out, Becca? You look beat," I suggested, closing out the tab of my last table, and slipping the tips into my apron.

"Really?" Rebecca sighed loudly, relief written all over her face. She swiped a hand across her forehead wiping away the sweat and shooting me a thankful grin. "You're the best. Jimmy asked me out on a date for later, but I still need to get ready." She squealed a little and her eyes lit up the way they always did when she talked about Jimmy Barnes.

"Go, go," I shooed, waving her off. Rebecca's entire demeanor brightened up, and she blew me a kiss before skipping back into the staff room.

"You're too sweet for your own damn good, kid," grunted the truck driver, not glancing up from his book as he turned the page.

I blushed a little at the compliment. "She's been here most of the day, she deserves a break." Topping off his coffee mug, I couldn't meet his eyes. "How's the missus, Dru?" I changed the subject as I grabbed a rag and started wiping down the counter. I didn't really know how to stand still.

"Annoyed that I'm away so much. She misses my snores," Dru grumbled back, his eyes sliding over the words, drinking in every single corny one of them. He was a heavyset, balding man with a beard nearly halfway to his belly button, and a leather jacket with spikes running up and down the arms that I'd never seen him without.

"So, when're you gonna start your own book?" I shot him a knowing look, that he studiously ignored.

"Eh, you sound like my wife, sweetheart." He finally glancing up from his novel for the first time since he'd entered the diner. Setting it to the side, he leveled me with his piercing gaze, intimidating by most rights, but then he smirked, and his stony eyes lit up brightly. "Already started." He sounded both shy and proud.