Page 77 of Totally Off Limits

“You mean because the triplets—”

“Are the pride and joy of mom and dad? Hell, yes. That’s exactly what I fucking mean. If you fight over who gets to be the king of the shit pile and who gets to be the lowly underling, you’re still in a shit pile.”

Now in front of the glass doors of the greasy spoon, Layne grabbed the handle and held it for Sierra to walk through. Inside, the place was as bright as day, and Sierra tried not to smile. This was the sort of place her mother would feel mortified to know her children were visiting. Sierra had seen greasy spoons like this in the movies—red and white checkered plastic tablecloths, booths covered in red vinyl, the smell of bacon hanging in the air as if they used it as air freshener—but she’d never dreamed of ever stepping foot in one.

It made sense, though. She imagined Layne visiting here frequently to get away from the oppressive air of the Hayden home.

“Have a seat, guys. Be right with you.” The voice of a middle-aged woman made its way to them. Sierra looked over to see her standing behind the stereotypical bar lined with red vinyl stools where a heavy man with a baseball cap ate something that looked sloppy. It was like a scene out of a movie, and Sierra tried not to giggle at the silliness of it all.

“Where you wanna sit, sis?” As she started glancing around, he added, “Just not at the bar. Otherwise, we’ll have to interact.”

That sounded just like their mother, but she wasn’t going to call him on it. After all, he’d been incredibly cool thus far.

Had he always been this chill and she just hadn’t noticed?

Still, she shrugged. “I really don’t care. You pick.”

With a nod, he moved around her and led them to a booth in a corner. There, they could still see the entire diner but they were far enough away that the discussion among the cook through the window in the wall, the waitress, and their patron was a mere drone.

Except when the waitress shouted over to them. “Are you wanting coffee, guys?”

Before Layne sat, he turned. “Fresh.If that wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“Of course.” At first, she acted offended, but when she grabbed a pot and began filling it with water, something they could see even from where they were, Sierra knew it had to be old.

“Thanks. I’ll make it worth your while.”

The woman smiled over at them as they slid in opposite sides of the booth. Sierra asked, “You come here a lot?”

“Enough to know you have to ask if you don’t want a greasy scum on top of the coffee. The first time I came here, it looked like they were serving me the bath water of someone who’d been working on an oil rig. I’m not prissy, but I like my coffee a little fresher than that.”

“Agreed.” Glancing outside, Sierra tried to take in the dark landscape, but all she could see were puddles from the rain, gas pumps, and a few semis off in the distance as the rain.

“Are you hungry at all?”

Now that he mentioned it… “A little—but I don’t have my purse, remember?”

“Yeah, ‘cause I pay close attention to your fashion sense.”

“That’s why I needed you to get me. I didn’t have a…” She stopped herself, not wanting to make Layne feel like he was a desperate afterthought. “No money and no car—so thank you again.”

“Nah. Don’t worry about it. And I can get you something to eat.”

“I’ll just get something when I get home.”

“This food won’t kill you.”

“That’s not it.”I don’t want to owe you any more than I already do.

“I’m gonna get some chili fries and I don’t want you stealing any from me.”

“Ugh. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“It’s rude to eat in front of others, Sierra. You know what mom would say.”

She laughed. “Yeah. She’d ask what the hell you were doing eating such plebian food.”

As Layne joined her laughter, he said, “The menu’s right there. Just look at it really fast. See if something sounds good to you.”

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