“I don’t know a pimp. It’s called a service.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Cool, I’ll get to work on that today.”
The Lamontes were our first customers for the day. We all exchanged pleasantries, and I started preparing their meal before they even sat down.
When I brought the food out to them, a stream of customers came in through the door. Outside there were two vans parked in the lot and I knew we were going to be busy for a little while. The thought brought a smile to my face. We’d been picking up lately, and I knew we were getting close to the busy season, but I had an inkling that Parker’s promotion had helped as well.
“Sienna, dear,” Harriet said, touching my arm. “Ken and I were talking about you the other day.”
“I hope all good things?”
Kenneth coughed into his handkerchief. I’d know that cough anywhere; he’d been doing it a lot lately. “Always,” he squeaked out.
“We were curious why you wanted to open a diner.”
I glanced over my shoulder at the other customers filtering in. Four tables worth.
“If you’re busy, we can talk later,” Harriet said.
I slid into the booth next to Kenneth. “I’m never too busy for my best customers.”
Harriet nodded and leaned closer to the table. “I’d love to know how you got here. Such a strong woman. You’re a great influence for other girls.”
“I don’t know about all that,” I started, “but I’ve always loved to cook, even when I was a little girl. We didn’t grow up with much money, so I had to make food with whatever we had. It was sort of like a fun game for me. And while there have been some disasters in the kitchen, it helped me understand cooking and opened my mind a bit. I think of recipes as a jumping-off point more than a blueprint. And I’ve always wanted to open up a place for myself, never really wanting to have a boss.”
“That’s lovely,” Harriet said.
“And I get to meet wonderful people like you.”
“Is business good?” Kenneth asked.
I shrugged. “It’s not as profitable as I wanted, but I live in a beautiful home and am able to pay the bills each month. So, I’d say it was worth it.”
Harriet looked at the other group who was starting to get loud. “We appreciate you sitting with us. But you should probably get back to work. We’ll talk later.”
“Enjoy your meal,” I said, sliding out of the booth.
Tony was already in the kitchen starting on the orders for the larger group.
“Sorry,” I said, grabbing the next ticket. “Harriet had a question and I rattled on too much.”
“Don’t worry about it. These people think this is a fast food restaurant. They can wait. Harriet and Ken are more important.”
I knew Tony would understand. We were almost the same person in a lot of ways.
“If I didn’t have this place, I would have never met them. That’s wild, right? I can’t even imagine it,” I said.
“They are pretty amazing. Did you know Kenneth was a Marine? That’s a tough job, man.”
I glanced out at the dining area; I could imagine Kenneth when he was a young man. Under the wrinkles and constant coughing, I could see him kicking ass as a Marine. I wished I had more time for them today. But I’d make up for it another day. They weren’t going anywhere.
We carried on with preparing the food. A few times, I glanced over at the Lamontes. Harriet was chattering away about something while I saw the back of Kenneth’s head bob as if he were in rhythm with a tune. They were adorable, and I hoped they’d keep coming back for a long time.
After the Lamontes and the van-crowd left, we had a steady stream of customers throughout the rest of the day. Tony covered for me while I ate my lunch. I made myself a grilled cheese and thought of Parker while I ate it.
“So, what should I prepare for food for the bachelor party?” I asked. “Maybe mini grilled cheeses. Oh! Sliders, too. Maybe more finger food-type things? Unless you think we should do a sit-down dinner? Not sure that would go with the stripper theme, though.”