Then he remembered and put his hand down. "You're friends with Tiffany."
And thanks for bringing her up. "Not really."
"Weren't you talking with her on the phone last night? In the vehicle?"
"She's the only person I knew who was awake then." This was inaccurate, since even Tiffany and the paramedics had been asleep when I called. "But I'll let you in on one plan I've already made. I'm going to Rashad's party Saturday night."
He bit his bottom lip.
"And while I'm there, maybe you could ride around on patrol with Tiffany. You seem to get along really well with her."
We both backed away from the table as Purcell reached between us with tattooed arms, setting down our plates. I hadn't realized how far forward we'd both been leaning.
"Tiffany is cute," John called from the other side of the booth, which seemed like yelling across the Grand Canyon in comparison with how we'd talked before. "She's nice. Not sexy, if that's what you're insinuating."
I wanted to inform Officer After that I was not insinuating a damn thing about Tiffany. I was fishing for information about myself alone.
And now I wondered if he was insinuating that I was not cute, that I was not nice. Which I had gathered. Or that I was sexy.
Oh hell, what was the matter with me? He wasn't even looking at me. He was wolfing down his lunch.
I picked up my fork. "Why don't you ask for the night off so you can go to the party?"
He glanced up from his food. "I can't ask off to go to a college party."
"Why not?"
"People ask off to go to their wife's high school reunion or their son's wedding. They don't ask off to go to a college party."
"They're not nineteen years old. Everyone should be able to ask off for what's important to them." I gestured to his plate. "Whatcha got there? Steak and eggs with steamed vegetables? Very healthy. Protein and vitamins, a runner's meal. All it needs is a smoke. Too bad you've already had your nightly cigarette."
He half smiled at me, showing one dimple. "What have you got?"
"The Meg Special."
"Eggs?"
"Sort of a Tex-Mex omelet. The Meg Special is different every day." I took a bite, chewed, and desperately needed to spit it out. I swallowed it and washed it down with coffee, which didn't really help.
"Tasty?" John asked. "A little hot," I croaked. "Need some water?"
"I can't ask for water," I whispered. "I have to be careful how I fix this. If I piss Purcell off, God knows what he'll serve to people for the rest of the night." I motioned to Purcell, and he walked over from the grill. I smiled. "How much cayenne you using?"
"A half."
My Lord, half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in two eggs. No wonder. "I like it, but it may be too spicy for the clientele. Let's try an eighth."
Purcell nodded curtly and started to turn away.
"Water, please," John called. He muttered to me, "Thirsty tonight."
Purcell brought John a glass of water. When Purcell went back to the grill, John nodded to the glass.
Watching Purcell out of the corner of my eye, I drank half the glass and slid it back to John. "Thanks," I breathed.
"Experimenting on the customers?"
"I told him an eighth before I left. He just forgot."
"Why don't you write it down?"
"He can't read." I took a huge bite of egg to get rid of it more quickly, then a swig of coffee and another long drink of John's water. "I try to work with him because he's a good employee. Shows up. My parents don't understand this."
"Are you going to stay here after high school and run the restaurant with them?' John took a bite of his blessedly mild food.
I laughed. "Hell no. I'm gone the night of June seventh, after graduation. I'm not even staying around for the party. And that's saying a lot, for me to pass up a party."
He swallowed. "You know this town so well. Better than I do, even. This place is yours. That's a really good reason to stay."
Funny, I'd never felt claustrophobic at the Elvis table before. I looked around the diner. Maybe it was the jukebox, humming low as it did when no
And thanks for bringing her up. "Not really."
"Weren't you talking with her on the phone last night? In the vehicle?"
"She's the only person I knew who was awake then." This was inaccurate, since even Tiffany and the paramedics had been asleep when I called. "But I'll let you in on one plan I've already made. I'm going to Rashad's party Saturday night."
He bit his bottom lip.
"And while I'm there, maybe you could ride around on patrol with Tiffany. You seem to get along really well with her."
We both backed away from the table as Purcell reached between us with tattooed arms, setting down our plates. I hadn't realized how far forward we'd both been leaning.
"Tiffany is cute," John called from the other side of the booth, which seemed like yelling across the Grand Canyon in comparison with how we'd talked before. "She's nice. Not sexy, if that's what you're insinuating."
I wanted to inform Officer After that I was not insinuating a damn thing about Tiffany. I was fishing for information about myself alone.
And now I wondered if he was insinuating that I was not cute, that I was not nice. Which I had gathered. Or that I was sexy.
Oh hell, what was the matter with me? He wasn't even looking at me. He was wolfing down his lunch.
I picked up my fork. "Why don't you ask for the night off so you can go to the party?"
He glanced up from his food. "I can't ask off to go to a college party."
"Why not?"
"People ask off to go to their wife's high school reunion or their son's wedding. They don't ask off to go to a college party."
"They're not nineteen years old. Everyone should be able to ask off for what's important to them." I gestured to his plate. "Whatcha got there? Steak and eggs with steamed vegetables? Very healthy. Protein and vitamins, a runner's meal. All it needs is a smoke. Too bad you've already had your nightly cigarette."
He half smiled at me, showing one dimple. "What have you got?"
"The Meg Special."
"Eggs?"
"Sort of a Tex-Mex omelet. The Meg Special is different every day." I took a bite, chewed, and desperately needed to spit it out. I swallowed it and washed it down with coffee, which didn't really help.
"Tasty?" John asked. "A little hot," I croaked. "Need some water?"
"I can't ask for water," I whispered. "I have to be careful how I fix this. If I piss Purcell off, God knows what he'll serve to people for the rest of the night." I motioned to Purcell, and he walked over from the grill. I smiled. "How much cayenne you using?"
"A half."
My Lord, half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in two eggs. No wonder. "I like it, but it may be too spicy for the clientele. Let's try an eighth."
Purcell nodded curtly and started to turn away.
"Water, please," John called. He muttered to me, "Thirsty tonight."
Purcell brought John a glass of water. When Purcell went back to the grill, John nodded to the glass.
Watching Purcell out of the corner of my eye, I drank half the glass and slid it back to John. "Thanks," I breathed.
"Experimenting on the customers?"
"I told him an eighth before I left. He just forgot."
"Why don't you write it down?"
"He can't read." I took a huge bite of egg to get rid of it more quickly, then a swig of coffee and another long drink of John's water. "I try to work with him because he's a good employee. Shows up. My parents don't understand this."
"Are you going to stay here after high school and run the restaurant with them?' John took a bite of his blessedly mild food.
I laughed. "Hell no. I'm gone the night of June seventh, after graduation. I'm not even staying around for the party. And that's saying a lot, for me to pass up a party."
He swallowed. "You know this town so well. Better than I do, even. This place is yours. That's a really good reason to stay."
Funny, I'd never felt claustrophobic at the Elvis table before. I looked around the diner. Maybe it was the jukebox, humming low as it did when no
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