“How many ways do I need to say it, Tony?” I said sharply.
Tony lifted his hands in surrender. “I’ll drop it. But I think he’s being a dick if he drops you after getting together with that chick.”
“He’s not dropping me,” I said defensively. “He’s probably in some post-proposal high. Maybe she’s changed after getting what she wanted.” It made me sick to think they were having sex, but at least Parker would deserve it after waiting an entire year. He was a man, after all. A man in love with a whore. I stifled a smirk at the thought.
“Maybe, but it’s still a dick move on his part. Especially after you helped him.”
It did suck that Parker hadn’t been in contact with me for two weeks. This was the longest we gone without talking in all the years we’d known each other. Even with his string of girlfriends in the past, he’d always made time for me. I wasn’t about to tell Tony how much I missed Parker. I had a feeling he knew, though, so saying it out loud would only make it true, and I wasn’t ready to do that just yet.
My mind was distracted by the influx of customers that morning. It was school break, and there were a lot of tourists in the area looking for a normal place to have breakfast. A few of the customers told me that this was the first place they saw in several different apps when looking for restaurants in the area. Even though Parker wasn’t talking to me, I wondered if he
had gone through with his promise to help me out using his connections.
Other than that, I tried to push him out of my mind as I cooked for a full restaurant.
“Hey-yo!” Tony said from the dining area.
I glanced through the pass-through and saw Harriet and Kenneth Lamonte slowly making their way across the room to their regular table. It was the only one empty and Tony had been good about guarding it for our best customers.
When I cleared the grill, I went out there and greeted them.
Harriet fluffed her white poof of hair after taking off her giant straw hat while Kenneth groaned his way into a seated position in the booth.
“Morning, guys.” I looked down and let out a whoop. “Harriet, girl, those are some nice nails.”
She waggled her wrinkly fingers at me. “Do you like the color? The woman said it was called Three Alarm Fire.”
“It’s hot, woman.” I turned to Kenneth. “You better watch out for this one.”
He chuckled and then proceeded to cough into his handkerchief. He sputtered a few times before speaking. “I’ve been watching out for this woman since I met her. It was a good thing I scooped her up and married her before she could get away.”
“Well, I wanted to look good for Ken since it's our fortieth wedding anniversary today,” Harriet said and took Kenneth’s hands across the table.
“Wow! Forty years. That’s quite an accomplishment. Congrats! Are you going out to dinner somewhere special?”
“No, no, dear. This is our special meal.”
I pressed my hand against my chest, feeling the warmth inside. “You wanted to spend your anniversary here? That’s so sweet.”
“We love coming in here,” Ken said. “And the food is better than all of those fancy places that the tourists go to.”
I smiled. “Well, today I’ll make you anything you want; just name it.”
They ordered the same special they did every single time they came in, even after I tried convincing them to try something new. It was obvious that whatever they were doing was the right thing. Forty years! I couldn’t believe it. “Coming right up.”
The morning rush had died down a little bit, so I was able to take my time making their meals. I added a few extra spices and a lot of love. I brought them out the dishes myself.
“Here you go,” I said, sliding the plates in front of them. “Enjoy.”
Harriet touched my hand; hers were freezing. “Thank you, dear.”
“You’re welcome. And I wanted to let you know they are on the house.”
“Oh, no—” Kenneth started to protest.
“I won’t hear a word from you, mister. This is my anniversary gift to you. I only hope that one day I can say I’ve been with someone for forty years.”
“It’s not easy,” Harriet said honestly. “But I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.”