Page 6 of Kipp

‘You don’t look too shabby either,’ Marshall replied, a big smile on his face as he broke out into a run and embraced Dale as soon as he was within touching distance. ‘I’ve missed you.’

‘I’ve missed you too,’ Dale replied, his heart full of joy at seeing his old friend in the flesh again. ‘We’ve got a lot of catching up to do. And this time I’m not going to cut and run. Well, not without telling you anyway.’

‘You’re damn right on that,’ Marshall replied.

Dale and Marshall took a moment to take one another in. Dale hadn’t been exaggerating when he said that Marshall looked good. With his shiny black hair and hazel eyes, he had always been handsome. But there was a glow to Marshall’s cheeks that really spoke to his living his best life. Dale couldn’t exactly put his finger on it, but Marshall seemed like he was deeply happy and contented. And it was a good look on him too.

‘Shall we take a trip down memory lane?’ Marshall asked, putting his arm around Dale’s shoulder. ‘We’re only a few minutes’ walk from The Hot Plate, so why don’t we lap up the sun and work up an appetite.’

‘I’m already pretty hungry,’ Dale admitted. ‘The food on the train wasyuck. And I didn’t really have any money on me before I left to grab anything. So… I guess I’m actually kinda starving.’

Dale felt himself blush as he spoke.

It didn’t feel good to be admitting how broke he was. And the last thing that Dale wanted was to come over as some kind of charity case. Marshall had already done him a huge favor by setting him up with a job and somewhere to live. Dale really didn’t want to push Marshall into going out of his way any more than he already had done.

But fortunately for Dale, Marshall was sensitive to the situation.

‘Hey, that’s cool, I’m hungry too,’ Marshall said, not making a big deal of things. ‘I’ll sort us out with some of The Hot Plate’s finest cuisine. And I’ll put it on my staff tab too, so neither of us will have to spend a buck!’

Marshall smiled warmly and the two of them began to make the walk toward what would hopefully prove to be a hot, succulent, and tummy-filling breakfast.

As they walked, it wasn’t long before Dale and Marshall began to discuss their memories of growing up in Eagle Ridge. Dale was two years younger than Marshall, but the pair of them had bonded at high school over their shared interest in all things Little. It was a bond that held them together tightly and Dale was regretting letting it slip more than ever…

‘I’m really sorry I kinda fell off the face of the earth,’ Dale said, a hint of sadness in his voice. ‘It’s just… when I left I felt like I had to make a clean break. I knew that unless I ripped the Eagle Ridge plaster off, I might never leave.’

‘I hear you,’ Marshall replied. ‘Honestly, it kinda stung when you stopped messaging. And leaving without a proper goodbye wasn’t great. But… that was the past. And I moved on. You’re not all that you know, Dale!’

‘Charming!’ Dale replied, laughing and appreciating that Marshall was choosing to throw in some of his customary sass into the conversation.

‘No, but seriously, I’m just glad to have you back,’ Marshall said. ‘The past is the past, right? The world would be a better place if we could also just focus on the here and now.’

Dale smiled.

Marshall made a good point. Eagle Ridge might have been Dale’s hometown, but it did represent a chance to truly break away from the mistakes he had made in recent years. And on top of that quite sizeable pile of errors was Benson. Dale had even managed to put a request to his cell phone provider to change his number. That way, Benson’s messages would be brought to a stop. And with no way of contacting Dale, Benson could well and truly be consigned to the soon to be distant past.

There was one man who Dale was keen to know more about however…

‘So, Max,’ Dale said. ‘When you told me about the diner, I couldn’t resist having a quick look online. This Max guy is pretty freakin’ hot. And I’m guessing that you must have noticed that too? Come on, spill.’

‘Well,um, I,um, I guess he’s okay,’ Marshall said, barely able to keep a straight face. ‘Oh fine, you twisted my arm. He’s smoking hot. No one could deny that.’

‘Ha!’ I knew it,’ Dale squealed with delight. ‘You like him!’

‘It’s not like that,’ Marshall said, rolling his eyes in a desperate attempt to hide his obvious crush.

‘And… is he a Daddy?’ Dale asked, thirsty for more information.

‘I think he is,’ Marshall replied. ‘But he’s my boss. So we don’t exactly go down that route when it comes to conversation. More like stock levels, pancake recipes, and whether the fryer is on the fritz again.’

The two friends gave one another a knowing look and laughed.

It felt great to be back in the groove with Marshall. Dale had missed his company. And even more than that, he had missed being able to take a stroll down a pleasant street and not have to worry about throngs of people jostling him out of the way in a rush to get to wherever they were headed.

The Eagle Ridge strip was still busy enough, but the general pace was far less urgent. The local residents were far more likely to stop, smile, and offer a way past them than they were to plough on regardless. And Dale was all there for it.

And it wasn’t long before the pair of them were pulling up to The Hot Plate.

It was time to get some much needed food and drink – and if Dale could take a peek at Marshall’s hunky boss, then that might just be the cherry on top of the cake.

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