Page 47 of Forgotten Pieces

“Your usual?”

“Calloway.”

I ignore Trace as he tries to get my attention. Ryder’s eyes shift between me and Trace.

“Or do you want something different? Late lunch, early dinner?”

“Tacoma Calloway, you will be fired unless you talk to me right now.”

I wince. I glance up at Ryder who has a small smirk on his face. “Maybe you better talk to him.”

I shake my head and Ryder looks at me quizzically.

Some of Ivy’s crassness has worn off on Trace because where I would assume he would talk to me in private, he decides to talk to me right in front of all his customers. “That door was locked for a reason.”

“It’s always locked,” I answer.

“Not in the morning.”

I turn toward him with my hands on my hips. “Well, it ain’t like I’m here every morning.”

He shakes his head, a smile appearing on his rugged face. “You scared that poor girl half to death.”

“What girl?”

“The new girl Ivy hired. She kept going on and on about how you stormed around the diner, pouring your own coffee, stampeding over her. Mumblin’ about how you said Ivy was full of sausage.”

I crack up at that. “Well, she was. Now tell me Trace how exactly you got that much sausage in her. I swear she was about to break in two. Inquiring minds want to know.” I find a piece of paper on the bar and grab a pen. “Let me take some notes. Now it looked like it was all about the angle, right?”

Trace grabs the pen out of my hand and throws it back on the bar. “Don’t walk through that door when it’s locked.”

“Oh come on, Dick Tracey. Oh wow, that name means so much more now.” Trace starts to walk to his office and I follow. “You two looked hot. I just want some tips. Well more than the tip.”

Trace stops and turns around and I nearly run into him. “Let’s pretend this morning didn’t happen.”

I pout. “Whatever you say, Dick.”

He smacks me upside the head and storms off.

I walk back over to Ryder. “Sorry about that.”

“You walk in on them fucking?”

I lean against the bar in front of him. “Yep.”

“What’s wrong?”

I look down the bar to make sure no one is around or needs anything. “Sometimes it hurts to see two people so in love.”

Ryder’s face drops as if he understands what I mean. “I think—”

“Yo cuz, sorry I’m late. There was an issue with the electrician at the place we were working on.”

Ryder looks at me, an apology written on his face.

“Sorry was I interruptin’ somethin’?” Mac asks.

The kitchen bell chimes signaling an order is ready. “Not a thing,” I say and hurry off to the order window.

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