Page 19 of Ash

"Problem?" Alice shook her head. "That man tried to hurt you. I'm just so thankful-"

"We." Don interjected from the doorway leading to the kitchen.

Alice's cheeks flushed with warmth again. "Yes, we're so thankful that you weren't hurt. You're not the first woman to come in here needing some help."

Suzannah heard the subtext in her words. "What... what happened?"

Alice's shoulders sagged a little and a shadow crossed her features.

Suzannah reached out her hands and gripped Alice's hand gently. "I don't want to bring up bad memories."

"I came in here once, trying to hide my bruises." Alice looked at Suzannah with a smile she mustered up. "Sal. He was my husband. He used to smack me around. Drunk or not, it didn't matter."

Suzannah leaned closer to her. "That's horrible."

"Itwas. I'm glad I put him behind me." She looked back at the kitchen.

Suzannah could see Don moving around in the kitchen.

Alice continued her story. "We were here on a road trip the night that Sal hit me the last time." Alice sounded almost sentimental at the thought. "Don was working both the kitchen and the counter back then. There's not a lot of business at certain times here. We drove in around ten at night and we were theonly two in the diner. I said something to Sal. I don't even remember what it was, but Sal got mad, and he slapped me, knocked me off of my chair and onto the floor.

"Don came across the counter like a mountain lion jumping on his prey. Before I could catch my breath, Sal was bloody and crying like a son-of-a-gun and Don was threatening to make him the next day's special."

Suzannah grimaced at the idea. "That sounds... gross."

Alice nodded. "But it was an effective threat. Sal stumbled out of here, jumped in the car and I never saw him again."

There was something in her voice that struck a chord in her heart and Suzannah rubbed her hand on Alice's arm. "I'm glad. Really glad. You found a great place to land."

"Sometimes," Alice murmured, "it's not about the place, Suzannah, but the people who are there."

Heavy footfalls crossed the floor before the door opened and Suzannah heard the jingle of the bells.

"Alice?" Don's voice wasn't nearly as deep as it had sounded before. In fact, it sounded almost... tender. "I think her ride is here."

Surprised, Suzannah turned her head. And with Alice's encouragement, she stood.

Alice walked beside her to the door and that's when Suzannah saw an old-fashioned truck in the parking lot. "That... that was quick."

The driver's side of the car was already empty, and she watched as a man walked around to the passenger door and opened it.

He wasn't the tallest man she'd ever seen, or the biggest, but the look on the woman's face when the passenger door opened said that she was head over heels and crazy in love with the man.

Suzannah's heart filled up in her chest and she heard Alice beside her sigh.

The man with his salt and pepper hair took her hand and helped the woman down to the ground, gently tucking her against him and pressing a gentle kiss on her forehead before closing the front passenger door.

"Wow." Alice sighed again. "That's sweet."

Don grumbled behind them. "You want that?"

Alice turned around to face him and Suzannah kept her attention on the window before her, but she could see a little bit in the reflection where Don gathered Alice up in his arms and pressed a kiss on her cheek. And she chided him with a warm sigh in her tone.

For that, Suzannah was happy.

And a little jealous.

When the couple reached the front door, Don opened it up and held it for them. "Come on in so you don't catch a chill outside."

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