Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
He chuckled and winked at her. “Yeah, I got that, and now that I know, I’m going to tell everyone the truth.”
She let out a shocked gasp and pressed her fingers to her lips. “I’m so scared. Please don’t tell anyone.”
They all knew it, but the truth was, Amy knew everyone’s favorite. Again, this was why she’d been told she had a knack for taking care of people, and certainly for feeding them.
“Let me guess, the house special—waffles with extra maple, bacon, and scrambled eggs?”
“You got it.”
“Coming right up.”
“How are things?” Daniel asked.
She was about to step away when he spoke up. “Uh, good, everything is going pretty well. I can’t complain. You?” she asked.
“Yeah, a couple of arguing tourists, but then, when you mix them with beer, what do you expect?”
She couldn’t help but smile. Daniel was a good guy, she liked him, and she enjoyed going to The Reaper as well. She wasn’t a regular, but some Friday nights after a long week, she just needed to relax, and having a little dance helped her unwind.
The Reaper was the only bar in town. Where there were a lot of fast-food joints, as well as random snack bars that appeared and disappeared within a season, no one would dare compete with The Reaper. She didn’t know if that had to do with the scary rumors about Lost Creek, or if people were just afraid of Daniel.
Either way, it didn’t matter. She liked Daniel, he was a good guy, but she also knew he had a bad side she didn’t want to be on.
“Very true, but I feel if you started to mix with nonalcoholic beer, there would be a big problem.”
“Oh, yeah, huge problem. There would be riots.”
She chuckled. “Let me go and get your breakfast.” She chanced a glance around the café and saw no one else was waiting, or had entered.
Making her escape to the kitchen, she watched as Martha stood at the stove, handling the bacon.
The waffle batter was resting on the counter. Every morning, Amy came to the café and started the waffles from scratch. There were never leftovers, and if by chance there ever were, she tended to package them up, and whoever was last in the café got a little goody bag.
She had seen a rise in people staying quite late, which she didn’t mind. She hated the thought of anyone going without food, and there was not a homeless shelter in town, otherwise, she’d send to them. Amy loved to help where she could.
“I saw that handsome hunk,” Martha said.
Martha had been married for years, but she lost her husband a few years back to cancer. Amy had been there for her. She’d seen a lot of death in her time, but through it all, Martha only had eyes for her man. At no point did she ever call any man other than her Nigel a handsome hunk.
“Who?”
“That Daniel Long.” Martha gave a low whistle. “If I was ten years younger, I would take that boy for a spin, and trust me, he wouldn’t know what happened to him.”
Amy couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sure.”
“I know, but then, my Nigel was alive, and I know my love wants me to have fun.” Martha reached for her locket, kissed it, and then sent a prayer up. “I know he’s keeping an eye on me. Always taking care of me.”
“I bet he is,” she said.
“Oh, trust me, he is. I have no doubt about it. He loves me, and he wants to make sure I’m safe and taken care of. But I already know Daniel is taken.”
“He is?” Amy asked. This was news to her. She’d never known Daniel with anyone. Well, she knew he’d been with women, but she’d never actually seen them.
“Oh, yes, I know there is a special woman out there for Daniel, and like I was to my Nigel, she will have to be one of a kind.”
****
Daniel knew he didn’t have to wait long before his food came out. Amy served the best food, and her service was always efficient. He didn’t know of anyone ever complaining about her, not that they would dare.
“Here you go,” she said. “Waffles, extra syrup, bacon, and eggs. Just the way you like them.” She put his plate down in front of him, along with the small pitcher of extra syrup.
“Thanks. Do you want to sit with me awhile?” he asked.
Amy glanced around the café, and he saw her checking on each and every single person, before sliding in opposite him. He nudged his coffee toward her. Not that she would admit to it, but she tended to take care of everyone else, and rarely herself.
Martha had promised him she would keep an eye on her and make sure she ate. One of the days, several months ago, there had been a lot of noise coming from the café. Martha had been away, and Penelope had snuck off with a tourist, promising her the world. Amy had been alone.