The Waitress's Secret

“Right.” She took a swallow of her coffee, hoping a jolt of caffeine would help her follow a simple conversation.

“I talked to John. He’ll tow it to his garage this morning and get to work on it as soon as he can. I didn’t know your cell phone number, so I told him to call me when he knows what the problem is and has an estimate. Does that work for you?”

She nodded. He’d handled everything with one phone call, saving her the hassle and the stress. She knew she should be grateful, and she was. If only he didn’t remind her of her brothers rushing in to save the day. “That works great. Thanks.”

“Sure.” He glanced at his watch, then pushed away from the wall. “I need to get to the restaurant. I’ll catch up with you two later.”

Arden managed to keep her eyes from following him as he left.

“How about breakfast?” Joni asked. From the twinkle in her eyes, she hadn’t missed Arden’s struggle to not watch Brandon leave.

“Breakfast sounds great. But you told me you’re not much of a cook and, to be honest, neither am I. The best cook just left the house.”

Joni laughed. “I didn’t mean here. Brandon would lose his mind if I touched his precious stove without his written permission and step-by-step instructions. There’s a great diner in town where everyone goes for breakfast. Even Brandon, and he doesn’t make a practice of eating other people’s cooking.”

“Okay. I’m in.”

Ten minutes later Arden and Joni entered Mabel’s Diner. The place looked exactly like Arden imagined a small-town diner should. Red vinyl booths lined the walls. Square tables with chrome chairs with red vinyl cushions filled the middle of the room. Framed pictures of movie stars hung on the walls at odd intervals. An old-fashioned jukebox played an ancient doo-wop song. It was positively charming.

Several people called hello to Joni, who returned their greetings. Every booth was filled, so Joni led the way to one of the tables. Arden grabbed a laminated menu from between an old-fashioned sugar bowl and the salt-and-pepper shakers. There was so much to choose from. Omelets, waffles, pancakes, bacon, sausage, even pork chops and fish.

After looking over the selections, she glanced up at Joni, whose menu remained untouched. “You already know what you want?” Arden didn’t know how she was going to decide what to eat. She loved food and considered eating her hobby. Fortunately, she had a high metabolism or she’d be the size of a sumo wrestler.

Joni nodded. “The special on Tuesday is excellent. Grits, breakfast potatoes, two sausage links, two strips of bacon, two pancakes and two eggs cooked any way you want as long as you want them fried.”

“All for two dollars?” Arden quipped.

Joni didn’t laugh or even smile. Instead, she placed her hand on Arden’s and gave a squeeze. “Don’t worry about the cost. Breakfast is on me.”

Arden had opened her mouth to correct Joni’s misconception about her finances when the waitress stepped up to their table, pad in hand and ready to take their orders.

“Hi, I’m Lynn and I’ll be your server. Are you ready?”

Joni nodded at the perky teenager. “I know what I want. What about you, Arden?”

“I think I’ll try the special.”

“Good choice,” Joni said. “Two specials.”

“Okay.” The waitress scribbled down their orders and promised to return right away with their orange juice.

“You don’t have to buy me breakfast. I have money.”

“And a broken-down car. My mother is a teacher and I know they don’t make much money. Especially new ones.”

“I know how this must look, but—”

“No buts. Just accept breakfast with the same good grace you accepted our hospitality last night. Simply smile and say thanks.”

Having someone offer to pay for anything was a new experience for Arden. Usually it was the other way around. People sat on their hands waiting for Arden to whip out her wallet and pay for their meals. And if someone did treat her, it was only because they wanted something in return. Joni didn’t know she was a Wexford, so she obviously didn’t have an ulterior motive. Joni was being nice because she was a nice person.

Still, she didn’t feel right leaving Joni with the wrong impression. It felt like lying by omission. And she hated liars. But Joni was adamant about buying breakfast and Arden didn’t want to insult her by refusing her offer. She’d let Joni buy her breakfast now and she’d treat Joni later.

Arden smiled. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” Joni replied.

Their waitress returned with their food, setting the plates before them. Arden picked up her fork, breathing in the delicious aromas. As they ate, Joni told Arden about life in Sweet Briar. She mentioned little tidbits about the different residents, but none of it was mean-spirited or gossipy. From what Arden heard and saw, Sweet Briar was almost too good to be believed.

When they finished eating, Joni took several bills from her wallet and dropped them on the table.

“I should at least leave the tip,” Arden offered, rummaging through her purse.

“Not a chance. But if you want, you can help out at the youth center. I need to get some things together before the kids arrive.”

“Sure. Whatever you need.”

“Great.”

After a short drive Joni pulled into a paved parking lot in front of a three-story building. Arden had come to think of Sweet Briar as a quaint town, so the dynamic mural with graffiti art wrapping around the outside of the building came as a pleasant surprise.

Joni looked with pride at the building. “The youth center was built by the city, but the tax dollars we receive only go so far. Donations and grants keep us afloat. At least most of the time. We’re popular with the kids, though, and we’re filling a need. That’s what matters.”

Joni popped open the trunk and grabbed a couple of boxes. Arden did the same and followed her inside. The trunk was loaded with bags and boxes so she knew several trips would be necessary. Joni turned off the alarm and flipped on the lights. “Just drop everything on the front counter for now.”

Arden set down her load and looked around. The most fabulous mural drew her attention and she crossed the room to get a better look.

“What do you think?” Joni asked, walking up behind her.

“It’s great. Very dynamic.” And that was putting it mildly. It was one of the best pieces of art she’d ever seen. Not that she was an expert by any stretch of the imagination. But she had been dragged to art galleries more times than she cared to remember and had been exposed to top-tier art. This was definitely of that quality. It was not something she expected to see in a small-town youth center.

“Isn’t it? The artist is Carmen Taylor. She grew up here and moved to New York some years ago, where she did quite well. From what I understand, she’s very famous in the art world. She donated this mural and designed the one outside. Volunteers painted that one, but she did this one herself. She’s getting married Saturday.”

“To the chief of police. Trent somebody.”

Joni arched her eyebrows. “My, my. You haven’t been in town twenty-four hours and already you’re in the know.”

“Not really. Kristina Harrison mentioned the wedding yesterday. The bed-and-breakfast is full of wedding guests, which is why I couldn’t stay there.”

“Brandon is catering the rehearsal dinner and the reception. It’s quite the coup. A few bigwigs from New York are coming. This could really help Brandon out.”

“I thought his restaurant was doing well.”

“It is. But he always says that if you aren’t growing and moving up, you’re stagnating and on your way down.”

Arden nodded. She’d heard her father and brothers make similar statements over the years. Even though Wexford Industries was a huge corporation, the principle still applied.

“Come on, let’s grab the rest.”