( DaKota^^^)
I walked downstairs to the rich smell of farm-fresh eggs, bacon, and waffles. It made my stomach growl and made my nerves go all fuzzy inside. "Good morning." Every one said at the same time, I wasn't surprised Ash stayed over last night.
"Morning!" I said and took the plates from the cabinets and placed them on the table. I took my place at the table, next to Ashley. Ash was across from Caleb, and my parents were at the ends of the table.
Before we dug into our delicious breakfast we joined hands and bowed our heads. "Lord, thank you for blessing us with this nutritious meal, letting us live another day, and doing what we love. Thank you for letting us have our daughter and sister back and keeping her safe. Thank you for a great life. Amen." My father said and then we all finished the Amen, together.
Mom put the big spoon in the eggs and we passed the very hot dish around. I took two scoops of the eggs, three slices of bacon, and just one Belgium waffle. "Mom, this looks good." I said to her and she just smiled at me. "So Caleb, Ash, when's the wedding?" I ask them and they both smile, probably at the thought of them being together forever.
"July 18." Ashley said and I smiled, holy that is just around the corner!!
"Oh my goodness, that's really soon!!" I gasped and they both nodded towards me, while Caleb was scarfing his food down his throat, he was always a messy eater. Best of luck to Ashley.
"Do you want to review some things with me later today?" Ash asks me and I turn towards her and nod with a sweet smile.
After breakfast the girls cleaned everything up and washed and dried the dishes, now it was time for chores. I pulled my very long hair into a high ponytail and pulled on my Ariat square toe boots and started walking to the barn.
It was a really nice morning, already about 60 degrees, it was perfect. I walked through the huge barn doors and went to the feed area, and decided to start with the pigs. I loved the pigs, even though they were loud, and kinda disgusting, they had a cute thing about them. I poured their feed into a bucket and walked out to their pen, where they were squealing when they saw me, or the bucket of food.
***************
It was about ten o'clock when I was done with my chores, and now it was time to take a warm and relaxing shower. Having to shovel poop and be around dirty animals didn't leave a good smell on you, plus the sweat I worked up didn't help.
I walked up to my room and took off my shirt, leaving me in a sports bra and jeans. I looked for box that was labeled, 'Bathroom', and I threw it on my bed and opened it. I unpacked the box and it all went into the bathroom in my room, and it was the only boxed unpacked..
I felt great when I was done with my shower, I felt energized and I was getting excited to go to the diner. I looked at myself in the mirror when I was moisturizing my face. I was one of the few girls who actually liked their natural look, not to be self centered though. I don't know how, but my natural face glowed and looked smooth and young. I already had long eyelashes, so that also gave me an edge, and my dark hair complemented my face and skin tone.
My makeup just consisted of foundation and mascara, but not a lot of foundation because I still wanted a natural look. It was a simple and easy process and only took about ten minuets. My hair was a different story. My natural hair is a very beach curl, not like the nice pictures you see on the internet, it is curlier and thicker. Sometimes it was nice to wear down, but other times I either straighten it or curl it.
I walked out of the bathroom and sat in my cushioned chair grabbed the journal from my nightstand. I know, how girly of me to keep a journal. But I just don't it for fun, I started doing it after I got raped. It help me let out my anger out, and everything I wanted to say out loud but I couldn't. Sometimes I did a paragraph, or as long as three pages.
I wrote everyday, except for last night, I was too tired to write about my day. So while my hair is drying, I might as well do it. I clicked the pen so the ink side was out, and I got comfortable and started writing.
My hand cramped from writing while I was on my second and final page. My hair was almost dry to the point it would only take a minuet to blow dry it. I added the last period and closed the book and clicked the pen so it closed.
I did not want anyone to read this, so I had to think of a clever way to hide the journal. The nightstand is way too obvious, under the pillow is too cliche, but under the cushion of the chair was good. I stuck it under there and sat on top to see if I could feel it, nope. Alright, it's staying there.
Being the lazy person I am, instead of unpacking the boxes, I just threw clothes around my room as I was looking for something to wear. I walked out to the balcony to see if I wanted to wear skinny jeans, boot cut jeans, or jean shorts.. I'm gonna go with jean shorts on this warm day.
I picked out a simple loose army green shirt and the jean shorts that had some loosely distressed strings around the pockets, and were the right length in the back. Now was time to do my hair, and I think I'm going to curl it.
I finally curled my hair and I flipped it up and down a couple of times, to give it a natural look. I looked one last time at the big 1.75 inch curls, that were very romantic and bouncy. Okay, now it was time to go to the diner!
*************
DaKota's Diner, in big cursive letters was on display on top of the retro stainless steal building. It was your typical diner look, and the main colors were baby blue and a soft pink. Blue was my favorite and my family picked pink that went with that blue. The waitresses also had cute uniforms, it was just shirt they had to wear, and they could either where jeans, a skirt, or just simple black pants.
(without hat)
I pulled into a parking spot and noticed it wasn't packed, nor empty, just enough. Before I got out of my truck I checked my hair and makeup, all good. I noticed all the trucks parked in the front row, and they looked familiar to me.
As I pulled the door open, the bells dinged, signaling a customer and attention to yourself. A big smiled formed on my face as I looked around and then I heard, "DaKota?!" And by the voice I knew who it was, Maybell! Maybell and I were really close since she worked here, and she told me that I reminded her of herself when she was younger. Maybell was in her late 50's now, but she sure didn't act like it.
She came racing from the counter island and she engulfed me in a hug. "Hi Maybell." I hugged her back, she still uses that perfume older people use, it makes me laugh. We pulled back from each other and I looked at her more clearly. "You haven't aged a day!" I say and she rolls her eyes at me.
"Look at you! Such a beautiful young woman." She emphasizes young because she hates getting older. I always teased her about it, but she was gorgeous for her age. She had dark hazel eyes, a very good completion, and short curly blonde hair.
"Thank you," I blushed at her and tuck a piece of hair behind my hair, I always did that when I was embarrassed or tongue tied. "How's business?" I ask her as we walk over to the counter, to get more privacy in our conversation.
"Pretty good, but I bet it will be even more better once people know you're back. Definitely more boys." She winks at me and I shake my head at her. "So how was your cousins house?" She asks me, at first I'm confused, but I realize what my family told everyone for a cover story.
"Oh it was good, but I really missed this place, especially the diner." I say as she's doing something with the register.
"Well that's good to hear. Hudson wasn't the same without you." She says to me.
"Oh I don't that's true." I laugh awkwardly.
"Just trust me honey, now I have to get back to work. I'll talk to you later, yeah?" She says as she grabs her notepad and walks over to a table. I grab a menu from under the counter and begin to look through it until I hear, "Hey wolf girl!!" I haven't heard someone call me that in a very long time.
I smiled and turned around on the stool and looked around until I saw Rusty, Jake, and some other guy at the round booth. Jake and Rusty were some of my close friends before I left. They were very good friends with Caleb, which is how I met them. I pushed myself off the stool and walked over to their table. Rusty and Jake slid out of the booth and both hugged me in a tight embrace. "Hey guys!" I chuckle as they let me go and plop right back into their original spots.
My eyes go towards the stranger under a black cowboy hat, holy sweet virgin Mary. This stranger was the most beautiful cowboy I had ever laid eyes on. He had a perfectly structured face, an impressive jawline, and broad shoulders. When we made eye contact, I could just melt into his brown eyes. His lips pulled into a very cute crooked grin. "I don't ever think we've met, I'm sure I would remember such a pretty face." This is the very first thing he says to me, wow. My cheeks rush into a dark pink color, and I tuck a piece behind my ear, damn it! His voice was so attractive and he had a light accent from the south, when did he get here?
"I'm DaKota Jones." I say to him and he smiles.
"I'm Cooper Blackwood." He says, why does he have to have such a hot name to go with his face?! I had to stop looking at him, so I turn my attention to Rusty.
"Cooper moved here a few months after you left," Rusty informed me. "When did you get back?" Rusty asks me.
"Just last night." I say back to him.
"Where did you go again?" Jake scratches his head, trying to think.
"Uh, my cousins." I say and clasp my hands in front of me and look down.
"Why again?" Jake questions me more, and I think hard about the answer. I don't remember what my family told everyone. Hurry up Kota, think!
"Family business." I answer blankly to him and I think of something else to say. "I'd thought I'd come up and see how things were going today." I say looking around the diner.
"Well not to be rude, but when I was here last week, that really young waitress really fucked up my order," Jake said and I chuckled since he said that she was a new waitress.
"Well maybe I could talk to Maybell about the way she trains newbies." I am slightly joking, but serious at the same time.
"You think you can do that because you're Colby's daughter, huh?" Cooper says to me, and I was slightly taken back. Did he think just because I was my dad's daughter, that I got everything I wanted? I looked at Rusty and Jake and they looked sorry for him. Did he just forget my name, or was he dumb?
"Did you forget my name?" I ask him, placing a hand on my hip.
"No." He scoffs and he sounds like's confused and also offended.
" What's the diner called?" I ask him and he looks at the menu, and I can tell by his face, that he realized, but I wanted to clear it to him. "I own this place." I smirk at him and lean down put my hands on the table, leaning in a bit, and he just clenches his jaw, but looks sorry at the same time. I have no idea where this confidence came from.
"Well it's very good and I love it." He tries to make up for his false accusation, but I just shrug it off. I look at him one last time and put my eyes somewhere else.
"So my dad's throwing this cook out tomorrow evening, you guys interested?" I say to them and they look at each other and nod.
"If there's free food, I'm always there." Jake says making me laugh and I nodded because it was true.
"Okay, great. Well I'm gonna go say hi to some other people, it was really nice to see you guys and good to meet you Cooper." I say and Cooper sends me a golden boy smile, and I look a little bit too long for my liking, damn his good looks.
"See ya DaKota." Jake and Rusty say as I leave their booth, and I start to go talk to The Jefferson family.
********COOPER*******
The boys and I were laughing about something stupid Jake had just said, and I stopped laughing heavily when I heard the bells ring, ans saw an angel walk through the door. Seriously, this girl was a jaw dropper. Her long tan legs caught my attention, toned and perfect.
Even with her hair curled, I could tell it reached her tailbone. But her face, she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, and I've been around. She looked innocent and very sweet. And when Maybell said what I'm guessing was her name, it made me smile softly. DaKota, such a unique and pretty name.
Her smile was the real show-stopper, she had straight and pearly-white teeth that could brighten anyone's day.
The weird thing was I felt something turning in my stomach. I'd never had this feeling in my life before, what could it be? Was I nervous? Why would I be, it was just a girl. I flirt with girls all the time, why would she be different?
I was looking at menu when I heard Rusty say, "No way, Jake look." He sounded astonished and taken back. Curious, I look up to where he was looking and it was the girl.
Jake turned back to us and smiled widely, "Holy shit!"
"Hey Wolf girl!" Wolf girl, what kind of name is that? "DaKota" looked back at Rusty and she smiled at them and walked over to the table. How would go about this? Go right to the flirting, play around, or just say hi?
Rusty and Jake go up to hug her, and that feeling is back into my stomach. What the hell is going on with my body? Her voice intrigues me when she says, "Hey guys!" I can't help but stare at her, she was so damn cute. Her eyes met mine. Jesus, what didn't this girl have? She had a perfect body, face, and now she has these eyes that I could look at all day.
"I don't ever think we've met, I'm sure I would remember such a pretty face." I say to her, using my charm I'm rumored to have. I see her cheeks turn into a pink shade and she tucks a piece of her hair behind her face. Hah, my charm strikes again!
"I'm DaKota Jones." She says to me, she made her name sound perfect.
"I'm Cooper Blackwood." I introduce myself to the pretty lady and she gives me a small grin.
"Cooper moved here a few months after you left," Rusty says and then adds, "When did you get back?"
"Just last night." She says, leaving my eye contact to his. Making me smirk, gosh I'm so full of myself.
"Where did you go again?" Jake scratches his head, trying to think.
"Uh, my cousins." She hesitated with her answer.
"Why again?" Jake questions.
"Family business." She says and then no one says anything. "I'd thought I'd come up and see how things were going today." She says and checks out the diner.
"Well not to be rude, but when I was here last week, that really young waitress really fucked up my order," Jake said and she laughs at him. That laugh...
"Well maybe I could talk to Maybell about the way she trains newbies." She said to him. She's kidding right? Just when I thought there would be a different kind of girl in this town, another stuck up one comes in.
"You think you can do that because you're Colby's daughter, huh?" I say to her and she looks taken back like no one has ever talked to her like that.
"Did you forget my name?" She says and puts her hand on her hip. Well I do know her name.
"No." I scoff, does she think I'm dumb?
"What's the diner called?" She sasses to me and I look down at the diner, even though I already knew the name. Oh God, I just set myself up for a burn. "I own this place." She evilly smirks at me, and puts her hands on the table and leans down more. I see she's got some fire to her, I like it.
"Well it's very good and I love it." I actually felt a little bad about accusing her of being a snob.
"So my dad's throwing this cook out tomorrow evening, you guys interested?" She changes the subject, which I am grateful for.
"If there's free food, I'm always there." Jake says making us laugh.
"Okay, great. Well I'm gonna go say hi to some other people, it was really nice to see you guys and good to meet you Cooper." She sweetly smiles at us, and I send her my best goodbye smile and she looks a little longer at me and then leaves.
"See ya DaKota." Jake and Rusty say, and I watch her walk away, paying more attention to her bake side. Oh good Lord.