Come and Get It by Beyond the Page Publishing Page A

the guys loved to see her lean over the counter
and shout those words to them.
    Allen stepped up to the counter and
grabbed his food. Behind him, the sounds of construction abruptly
stopped. “Well, here come the thundering herds, Dixie. I’d best get
a seat while the getting’s good.”
    Dixie grinned and leaned over the
counter. “Come and get it!”
    Business was brisk as usual. Dixie’s
talent as a cook and her naturally cheerful disposition combined to
make her little enterprise a success. She prepared healthy,
good-tasting food, served up generous portions, and did it all with
a smile and pleasant conversation.
    “ Well, hey there, Hugh!
What can I get ya today, sugar?”
    Hugh was a big man and he ate like
one. Before Dixie started serving food at the local construction
sites, Hugh was a heart attack waiting to happen. Now he was losing
weight, building muscle, and could outwork two men. “I’ll have some
of that gumbo, Dixie Rose. And one of those barbecue chicken
sandwiches.”
    “ Comin’ right up,
darlin’.”
    Dixie turned away to fill his order
but kept on chatting. “How’s that pretty little girl of yours,
Hugh? Daisy Jean saw the wife and her up to Doc Spencer’s last
Friday. Hope everything’s all right.”
    “ Aw, she’s okay. Just a
case of the sniffles,” the big man assured her. He opened his
wallet and handed Dixie a twenty-dollar bill when she swiveled
around to hand him his food. He waved away her attempt to give him
back his change. “Keep it, honey.” He inhaled the delicious scent
of her gumbo and sighed happily. “Rita Mae says to tell you thanks
for the recipes you emailed her. She don’t cook this stuff near as
good as you, but she’s tryin’.”
    “ Well, good for her,” Dixie
said, as the next man in line stepped up to the counter. “Hey,
Bubba, what’re you feelin’ like today, sugar?”
    Bubba was a blusher and his face
turned bright red every time Dixie so much as looked at him. She
found it inexplicably charming. “Some of that gumbo’ll do me just
fine, Miss Dixie. And could I have an extra corn bread muffin with
some of your special honey butter?”
    “ You sure can, honey.”
Dixie filled his order quickly, and took his money. The longer
Bubba stood there gaping at her, the more the fellows would tease
him, and she figured he took enough ribbing as it was. Thirty years
old and he still couldn’t control his pecker. Even now his dick was
probably harder than a steel pipe.
    The rest of the crew ordered their
food, paid for it, and took their seats at the tables. Conversation
lagged as the men ate their dinner. Dixie circulated among them
filling up glasses with sweet tea, and pouring coffee, occasionally
stopping to swap tall tales with one of her customers.
    One by one, the men pushed away from
the tables, disposing of their trash in the receptacle she provided
for them. They stood around talking about men things, mostly having
to do with work and trucks, and women. One might bend Dixie’s ear
for advice on how to handle a touchy situation with a girlfriend,
while another would discuss the merits of diesel versus gasoline.
Dixie could speak knowledgeably on a variety of subjects that
interested her customers.
    “ Shit, here comes Nelson,”
Hugh grumbled, dumping his trash in the can.
    “ Now, I thought you liked
ol’ Nelson,” Dixie said, hand on her hip.
    “ I don’t mind Nelson none.
It’s that asshole that’s with him. No offense, Dixie
Rose.”
    “ None taken, sugar.” Dixie
watched the two men walking toward them. She’d always considered
Nelson a big man, but he looked like one of Santa’s helpers
compared to the fellow next to him. And, whoa mamma, was he fine.
F-I-N-E fine, can I get an amen? “What’s his problem?” Dixie
whispered to Hugh.
    “ He’s the architect. From
Los Angeles, California.” Hugh had done the perfect imitation of
former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    Dixie couldn’t help it. She let out