“And it can’t be that bad there, right? I mean, you’re at least in the same time zone now. Isn’t there anything—or anyone—that seems promising? By the way, how long have you been there?”
“I’m just now passing the twenty-four-hour mark,” I told her. “And very few of those hours have been spent sleeping, so there could be hallucination involved, but I did have an interesting encounter in the back of the diner . . .” I trailed off, thinking of slippery nuts.
“And?” she demanded.
So I filled her in about Leo and his route, perhaps leaving out a few of the more embarrassing potato-water-related details.
“Ooooh, a summer boyfriend seems promising!” she crowed, launching into a rendition of “Summer Lovin’?” from Grease.
“Whoa, sister. My position on dating has not changed.”
I didn’t one-night-stand per se. More like . . . enough nights to get to know the guy’s body and what he liked, and to make sure he knew what I liked, but not long enough to get into anything serious. Easy. Simple.
“Yes, but you’re going to have some free time this summer. Maybe Leo would be good company.” I could practically hear her waggling her eyebrows.
“Who knows? My career is still my focus, so if I need a little something to take the edge off, I’ll get a guy on standby. No strings, no attachments. Just easy breezy fun times.”
She was quiet for a moment. “That’s totally how a guy would set things up.”
“Yeah, if a guy bangs chicks all over town, he’s just being a guy. But if a girl does it, she’s slutty, right?”
That’s probably how Bailey Falls people would react. I wondered again if this was a huge mistake. But as usual, Natalie knew what I needed.
“I think it’s kind of brilliant, actually,” she said. “You’ll make it work. Just find a way to run into him again.”
“This is silly to even talk about—it’s hardly the focus of my life. Now, what’s up with you? Break anyone’s heart lately?”
We chatted for over an hour, until I began to feel more awake and more like myself. And guilty for not maximizing every moment to figure out the diner before my mother headed off into the sunset. I promised I’d check in with Natalie again once I had things under control, and we hung up.
Chapter 5
I spent the next few days reacquainting myself with the family diner, picked my mother’s brain about everything I needed to know to keep things afloat. Who her vendors were, when she placed her orders, who had keys and could lock up, when deliveries were made, and was she absolutely, positively married to the idea of a blue-plate special? Married she was. But she didn’t say I couldn’t try out something new if I was so inclined. Excellent!
As I headed toward the prep table, I heard someone say Leo’s name. There was a small window between the kitchen and the station where the waitresses tended to hang, where they kept all the side items for their tables, like lemons for iced tea, extra napkins, etc. I sidled closer, staying out of sight ninja style. Sandy and Maxine were always good for local gossip, and I wanted to hear as much about Leo as I could. I was determined to redeem myself next time I saw him—as in carrying on an actual conversation.
“He’s just—dammit, he’s just . . . dammit!” Ruby said, swooning.
Maxine agreed. “I know, I hear what you’re saying. Did you see that cucumber he brought last week? Gave me ideas.”
“Girl, if Roy ever had a cucumber that big, you think I’d have left him?”
“Hell no! You’re better off though, you know that.”
“I do. I also know that I’ve never seen Leo around town with anyone. Maybe he’s just waiting for the right gal.”
“And you think the right gal for him is a fifty-seven-year-old waitress from Bailey Falls?”
“Point taken. But if I were thirty years younger, I’d be throwing myself at him.”
Maxine snorted. “You’d have to be thirty years younger. A cucumber that size would kill you now.”
“But what a way to go!”