Page 27 of Just Friends

Rebecca pushed the back door of the Ellis Diner closed and shoved her shoulder against it forcing the key to work the lock. Turning to find one tall, built, gorgeous, if not crazy, man leaning against her automobile. He wore khakis and a dark blue windbreaker that had WOPD printed on the left side of the chest. Things were quiet after he’d presented her with a dead deer five days earlier. He had a full beard; hadn’t shaved since she last saw him. His reflective sunglasses kept her from seeing his eyes, but he grinned.

“Haven’t seen you around lately,” she said on approach.

“People won’t stop being idiots,” he replied.

She laughed. “Idiots keep you in a job.”

A smile spread across his face. “You want to go to dinner after visiting your dad?”

“Can’t. There’s a fiftieth-anniversary party at Huntington tonight and the caterer fell through. I’m heading there now,” she motioned to the car where he leaned against the driver’s side, blocking her entry.

“Are you okay?”

She sighed. “I’m more than happy to do it, but I can’t go out to see my dad and make certain he’s taken care of.”

“I’ll get there in a little bit and check on him.”

She shook her head. “I’m sure you have enough to do.”

He reached out and grabbed her arms pulling her close to him, almost against him. For a second, she thought he’d kiss her again and held her breath. Clearly, he understood where her mind went and smiled an appreciative look, but didn’t kiss her. “It’s no trouble at all,” he whispered. “I’ll catch up with you later.” He removed her keys from her hand, unlocked, and opened her car door, then handed them back.

???

He pulled into Huntington Farms and parked in the small employee parking lot of the barn. She didn’t rebuke him for the quick peck he’d given her after the clown incident, and today she expected another at the car. Should he have kissed her? Since she’d turned him away after the first kiss, he’d been gun-shy to do so again. But she’d flirted with him. The question remained now, did she want him or was she just entertaining herself? He needed to know.

Through the service entrance, he proceeded to the kitchen and propped against the entry. The room bustled with half a dozen people moving in different directions at once. The sound of knives hitting against cutting boards, the fire flared up on the stove. Rebecca clad in one of those large white chef coats moved gracefully back and forth putting the final touches on plates of fancy looking food. An army of servers lined up and marched out taking the masterpieces with them. She straightened with an exhale then yawned; then she caught sight of him in the corner and tapped a guy beside her saying something. He nodded and glanced toward Weasel as she started her way to him.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” he replied. Short strands of stray hair had gotten loose from the bun and were plastered to her temple.

“It’s hot in here. Let’s go outside.”

“I don’t want to interrupt.”

“It’s fine,” she walked past him into the chilly night air. He followed and shut the door behind them. Illuminated only by the full moon, that glowed overhead. An owl’s hoot echoed from the distant trees. “I have a few minutes before firing the next course.”

“Firing? Is it doing a poor job?”

The smile reached her eyes; they sparkled, and she shook her head at him. He liked it.

“How’s my dad?”

“Good. I made sure he was clean, dry and happy. We watched some Wheel of Fortune, and then I read him several chapters of that book. And let me inform you, the writer gets police work all wrong.”

“You didn’t tell him actual stories, did you?”

“Oh, come on… I know I got in trouble for telling Danny stories, but your dad’s a grown man.”

She laughed, and he stepped close and ran his hands along her arms until he wrapped his fingers around her wrists. “Tell me.”

She was no longer laughing. “What,” she sighed.

“Do you ever think about that night?”

“Which night?”

“New Year’s Eve, inside, right in there,” he leaned in to her ear. “That kiss.”

---