Re-shaping the Universe (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency)

Chapter 10

Seattle that afternoon was bright and sunny, with a crystal-clear blue sky. The diner was situated on one of the routes a little way out of the city, in a small town. But the pie was one of their best kept secrets, and Todd and Farah had discovered it on a date one day when the weather had been particularly inclement.

Todd, Farah and Dirk sat, happily eating their way through a sharing platter before they finished with the legendary pie for dessert. Between them, they laughed and joked, not remotely concerned about the case which had just landed in their laps. As they laughed together, the bell above the front door rang, and a young woman walked in. She was cute, with beachy blonde waves, and a slightly masculine air about her. Her jumpsuit was cute and fashionable enough, but dressed down with a pair of black Converse, and a baseball cap.

"I'll take a slice of apple with custard, please," she called to the waitress, and then took a seat, directly facing the gang. Dirk looked over and smiled at her. She smiled back, and Dirk blushed.

"You know her?" Todd asked quietly, a small smirk on his face. "You're tomato red, Dirk! Go say hi!"

"Not my type, Todd."

"Is anyone ever your type, Dirk?" Farah asked, returning her attention to the photographs they'd been given of yet another missing person. Dirk was very good at finding people.

"Some people are, yes," Dirk said, clearing his throat.

As they ate, the girl kept looking over at them. For a while, it seemed like she was looking at Dirk, and Dirk grew more and more fidgety as the time went on. After a while, though, the girl held up a book, and her attention was thrown into question: was she smiling at Dirk, or simply looking into space? The girl stood after a moment and moved to the bar.

"What can I get for you, sugar?" the waitress asked, smiling.

"Hi, yeah... um... you got any cherry pie?"

"Sure do!"

"Great... can I get two slices, please? One for me, and one for the cute chick over there?"

"The girl?" she nodded. "Sure, hon. You want a drink with that?"

"Coffee, please. Decaf, or I won't sleep."

"Comin' right up."

The girl sat herself back down and smiled at Dirk again. The waitress dropped her pie off, and then a slice to Farah.

"Oh – we didn't order –" Farah began.

"Oh no, sweetie, this is from the sweet girl over there. Said I'm to give it to you." The waitress left the pie on the table, and it was Farah's turn to flush.

"Who's got an admirer now, hmm?" Dirk asked, suddenly confident now the attention wasn't on him.

"Well... wait, oh my god – it's cherry!" Farah grinned, patting her hair absent-mindedly.

"Just... gonna remind you that you're taken," Todd muttered, shaking his head. The girl didn't look up again, not until she'd finished her book and the gang had gotten at least a little way through their case. A half-hour later, and the girl stood, putting her book into her deep pocket. She threw a fifty on the table, and made her way over to the gang.

All three of them quietened down as she approached.

"Hi... um... sorry to interrupt... My name's Jayne, I was...ahem, wondering if you wanted to go maybe grab a drink sometime?" she spoke to Farah.

"Me?" Jayne nodded, biting her lip.

"I just... you're real cute, you know? Like, kind of my dream girl..." Jayne played with her fingers nervously. Farah beamed.