Page 3 of Biker's Baby

TWO

Iris

I looked around the restaurant,making sure my tables were all satisfied for the moment.

All the patrons looked like they were having a good time, and no one seemed to need anything from me right at the moment, so I could finish retrieving the refill pitchers I needed to grab for my last table.

I liked this diner. It was a cute little place that I’d found as just a luck of the draw sort of thing. I didn’t think I’d be qualified for the position, and with the strange hours I’d had to work with such a young child, I wasn’t sure anyone would be willing to hire me.

But the owner of the truck stop loved me from the moment I walked through the door, and she’d given me a job right on the spot. I’d started the next day, and I quickly settled into the job.

It was a restaurant located right off a truck stop. Though there was a diner at the stop itself, it seemed that we got our fair share of customers along the way. There were plenty of truckers and bikers coming off the interstate who were looking for what we had to offer just as much as they were looking for the good old home cooking of the truck stop diner.

So, we stayed busy enough, which was good for me.

I not only felt like I belonged in this environment, but I got plenty of tips for being here, too.

It wasn’t that I enjoyed being the eye candy to all the men who came through, but since I’d been involved with bikers and men who were the biker type my entire adult life, I was used to the feeling of having eyes crawling all over me at every hour of the day or night.

Then again, being able to flirt with those who came into the restaurant even when I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the situation meant that they were more likely to leave me with good tips, and that helped with keeping a roof over mine and my son’s heads, too.

He was my number one priority in life, and though there were some things that I’d had to put up with while being at this restaurant, knowing that he was waiting for me at home made it easier for me to endure the stares and the hours that I spent dealing with those people.

As soon as I was done with serving the refills, I looked over the dining room once more, checking again to ensure there weren’t any tables that were trying to get my attention. I tried to be really good about going back to each table as often as I felt I could without being a bother, checking on them and asking if there was anything I could get for them.

But I also made a habit of checking on the tables in between jobs, too.

That way, I never had to worry about any of the customers who might have forgotten to ask me for something, or who had run out of something they weren’t planning on using before I’d come back to check on them again.

With the tables occupied, I took the moment to slip to the kitchen and check my phone. I didn’t have any text messages, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to still call and check in with my neighbor.

She had been good enough to take on the responsibility of watching my son while I was at work. That freed me up for the long shifts at the diner, and though she always refused any of the pay I tried to give her, it did help cultivate our friendship.

“Hola, Maria!” I said as soon as she picked up the phone. “I was just calling to see how the day’s going. How’s Tris? Behaving, I hope.”

“Hola, senorita!” Maria’s voice was cheerful as ever, and I wondered where the woman got her enthusiasm and optimism for life. I’d never seen her having a bad day. Or, if she had, she never showed me she was going through anything.

“Tristan is doing fine. He played hard outside this morning, and he’s settled down for a nap now. He just went down about ten minutes ago, so I’m planning on him being asleep for a while yet. How’s your day?” she asked.

“Good, good, that’s what I like to hear,” I replied. “My day is going okay. I’m busy, and I’m not sure if I’m going to get off at my regular time. Is it okay if I’m a little late? Do you need me to be sure to pick him up right at six?”

“No, no, you’re fine!” Maria said. I could only imagine her waving her hand as she spoke, only emphasizing her point. “You earn as much money as you need to. I’m taking care of the boy, and he will be here when you get home.”

“Thank you, Maria,” I said. “I owe you one.”

“You owe me nothing! It is what good neighbors do!” she replied. I laughed. I wanted to stay on the phone and ask her about her own day, but I knew I would get yelled at for being on the phone during work. It was strictly against the rules, and with Jacob being our head cook today, I didn’t dare do anything that would get me in trouble.

I quickly wrapped up the conversation and slipped the phone back into my pocket. I didn’t want to attract any attention to myself being away from the dining room for too long, so I made my way back through the swinging doors and into the busy room.

But I stopped short almost as soon as I looked up.

The door chimed as a new customer entered. However, it wasn’t a customer at all.

My ex, Joel Osbourne, saw me and immediately gave me one of his biggest, creepiest smiles.

“Well, there she is!” he said as he spread his arms wide. I wasn’t about to hug him. The past few months had been a total nightmare because of him, and even though I’d broken up with him multiple times and told him each of those times I never wanted to see him again, he kept coming back.

“What do you want, Joel?” I asked as I pushed past him. “I’m working, so now’s not a good time to chat.”

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