Thankfully, Janice didn’t come over to their booth, just continued around the dining room, looking for…something. Probably chores that needed to be completed. But the three of them had worked together, ensuring that they’d have a quiet half hour for lunch. It was three o’clock and all of them had been on their feet since five o’clock this morning. Yeah, they were legally entitled to a fifteen minute break during every four hours and a half hour shift. But they all knew that Janice didn’t adhere to the law. She knew the desperation prevalent in LowPoint and could hire a new person in a minute. Because even the docked pay on the remaining tips were higher pay than what a lot of the people earned in town.
“I can’t wait until tonight,” Marilee groaned as she took a bite out of her grilled cheese, moaning as the luscious flavor hit her. “Oh, this is good!”
“Try the soup. My basil plant is thriving and I put some in this batch.”
The ladies all took a taste, then closed their eyes as the flavors hit them. “Tony, you’re a genius!” they said.
He grinned, then tasted it himself, nodding with approval. “Yeah, this one’s a winner.”
“All of your meals are winners, Tony,” Marilee gushed. Marilee was the nicest of the three, but also the shyest and the most often targeted by Janice. Ivy, Daisy and Tony did their best to protect Marilee, but it was tough. Marilee was sweet and kind. She wanted to believe in the goodness of everyone. She was also the curviest, looking like a nineteen fifties pinup model with the smile and the blue eyes to match.
Janice wasn’t someone to be trusted. It was dangerous. Ask Mindy who was sitting a jail cell, facing possibly a six months sentence plus fines that she wouldn’t be able to pay.
“The menus need to be cleaned!” Janice yelled from behind the counter.
Daisy rolled her eyes. “Fifteen minutes,” she groaned. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a full thirty minutes for lunch?”
The four of them stood up and cleared the table, grumbling, but they also knew that Janice would lash out at them with additional cleaning duties if they didn’t start moving immediately. No one wanted to clean the toilets and the floors after clocking out.
By five o’clock, the dinner rush started as a trickle, but by six, every seat in the diner was filled and there was a line of hungry truckers out the door. Everyone was hopping, and Ivy waited. She saw the tip money on the table, and, before she could get to it, Janice was there. Instead of hurrying, Ivy hid behind some coats on a hook and slipped her phone out of her apron. She got a picture of Janice walking towards the table with the tip in the foreground. The next picture captured Janice’s fingers on the money and the next one was with Janice walking away, sliding the tip money into her pocket. Luckily, Ivy was able to get a photo of the edge of the money in Janice’s hand right before it disappeared into the woman’s apron pocket.
Caught!
Ivy walked by Daisy. “Cover my tables for a moment,” she whispered. Daisy nodded without question as Ivy followed Janice back to the office. Sure enough, she got more pictures of Janice stuffing the stolen tip into her purse. The woman was simply evil!
Tony tossed ten burgers onto the grill as he watched Ivy follow Janice. He knew that Ivy would be careful, but his muscles still tensed. He didn’t want Ivy to be caught. Janice would fire his friend on the spot, and this wasn’t an economy in which one wanted to be unemployed. Especially if Janice badmouthed Ivy to other potential employers. And yeah, Janice was the kind of person who would say bad things to other employers, even if they weren’t true. Janice was truly malicious to anyone that crossed her. And moving to a new job would be considered treachery in Janice’s mind.
He shook some spices over the burgers, flipped several sandwiches, ladled soup into three bowls and tossed battered chicken breasts into the fryer, all the while, watching Ivy to make sure that she wasn’t caught.
With a sigh of relief, he watched Ivy sneak back into the dining room, slipping her cell phone into her pocket. She winked at him as she picked up six plates of food, balancing them all carefully in her hands and on her arms. How those women carried so much was a mystery. Tony considered himself lucky if he carried two plates to a table without spilling half the food.
After working with these three women for a year, he knew that he loved them. Not like a man loves a woman, but…like a big brother, even though he was the youngest of the bunch. Daisy was the toughest of them and everyone assumed that she was cold and unapproachable. But Daisy was also the first one to sneak a meal to someone, or give them her tip money so they could buy cold medicine. Her heart wasn’t cold. Not in any way. In fact, just the opposite. It was probably too big and so she thought she had to hide it from the world. If Daisy cared about a person, she considered them family. And in Daisy’s world, she cared about everyone. She saw the good in people even when they didn’t see it themselves.
And Ivy…damn, that woman was funny! She was sarcastic and witty and saw things about the world that no one else did. She viewed the world with her own lenses. Tony loved hearing her perspective on various issues because she was thoughtful and careful. And smart as a whip!
Marilee…well, she was just too sweet. If Marilee were a drink, she’d cause cavities. He knew that others tended to dismiss her because she had flighty ideas at times, but Marilee had a good heart and a smile for everyone. Janice was harder on Marilee, because the bitter manager knew an easy target when she saw one. Janice stole Marilee’s tips, docked her pay for ridiculous reasons, and forced Marilee to do the hardest clean-up jobs. Tony, Daisy and Ivy tried to shield Marilee as much as possible, but Janice still made the sweet woman’s life miserable.
Several hours later, they slipped out the back door. “No moans and groans, ladies and gent,” Daisy commanded. “We have a celebration!”
Ivy and Marilee each grabbed one of Tony’s arms, leading him towards Daisy’s car.
“You ladies don’t need to do this,” he insisted, pulling back slightly.
“Don’t even try it!” Daisy said and stepped behind the threesome, adding her hands to his back in order to shove him towards her beat up, old car. “We’re celebrating! You turned twenty-one today. This is a major milestone in your life!”
“Yeah but…”
Ivy laughed and opened the passenger door of the vehicle. “We’re celebrating!”
The ladies laughed and danced with excitement as they shoved him into the car. But all three of them knew that they wouldn’t be able to get him anywhere if he truly didn’t want to go. He was just too big.
When he was finally settled, the three ladies danced their way around the car to their own seats. It took several tries, but eventually, Daisy’s old beat up Pinto finally started up. “And we’re off!” Marilee yelled excitedly.
They cranked up the radio, almost getting more music than static, and laughed on the drive in to Louisville. “Ivy, you’re getting the wine, right?”
“I’m on it!” Ivey said, lifting her hands as if she were a prize fighter.
Marilee jumped out of the back seat as soon as Daisy pulled up outside of the small grocery store. “I know my task,” she added and headed into the store.
Daisy turned to Tony. “Stay here,” she told him, pointing her finger at him and giving him a glare.
He laughed. “Why can’t I come in too?”
“Because if you come in, you’ll try and contribute money to the party and this is your birthday party,” she explained. “Besides, you don’t get tips. We have cash from the day, so just sit tight.”
With that warning, she slipped out of the car as well.
All three women headed in different directions, each with a specific assignment. When they had wine, cheese and crackers, they met up at the cash register, combining their tips to pay for the celebration food. “Got it!” Daisy yelped, clapping her hands with relief. “And a few coins left over.”
The cashier rang up the items while Marilee browsed through the items near the exit. Her soft, blue eyes spotted the
necklaces immediately, always loving pretty things. Her hand reached out, her fingers trailing along the ends of the crystals as her eyes read the sign. “Lucky charms,” it read. “Nothing is more powerful for good luck than a crystal.”
Biting her lower lip, she glanced over at her friends, even Tony who had slipped into the store despite Daisy’s warning to stay away. He shoved his hands into his pockets, offering up the small amount of change he had, willing to contribute.
He was such as sweet guy, she thought. He didn’t make tips and Janice docked his pay for stupid reasons, although not as often as the bitter woman stole from her.
She turned back to the crystals, wanting desperately to give her friends something in return for their friendship. Marilee was completely aware of all the times the three of them had protected her from Janice’s wrath. With a determined look, she picked up four of the prettiest crystals and carried them over to the cash register. “I want these,” she announced, and pulled out her stash of emergency money.
Daisy immediately understood what was happening and shook her head. “Honey, don’t spend your emergency stash on something silly.”
Marilee only smiled. “They are special. Crystals bring good luck.”
Tony laughed. “Marilee, these are just cheap plastic pieces. They won’t give anyone good luck.”
She shook her head. “You’ll see. They’re special.”
Before they could stop her, she handed over the money. The cashier, obviously realizing that his sale was in jeopardy, hurriedly put the cash away and counted back change.
“If they’re good luck, then why don’t we buy a lottery ticket?” Tony suggested.
Daisy rolled her eyes. “That’s just a regressive tax,” she told the four of them. “Let’s go. We have stars to watch.”
“What in the world is a regressive tax?” Ivy asked.
“It’s a tax where poor people, like us, pay more in taxes than the rich people.”
The three of them blinked, so Daisy continued. “The state has this lottery, but it’s the poor people who buy the lottery tickets, hoping to make it big. We’re poor. We’re standing here at nine o’clock at night, hoping that tomorrow we’ll be rich. But that’s just not going to happen.” They continued to stare at her and Daisy knew that she’d lost the battle. So she smothered her sigh and shook her head. With a smile, she threw up her hands and gave in. “But you know what? It’s fun to dream. So let’s do it. Everyone in?”
Everyone chuckled, Marilee jumping up and down with excitement. “Wait!” she called out. She then pulled the necklaces out of the paper bag and draped them around everyone’s neck. “Okay, now we can buy the ticket,” she announced.
They each dumped their remaining money down onto the counter, which was just slightly more than enough to buy one ticket. Then they stood there debating on the numbers to choose. “Definitely today, since it’s Tony’s birthday,” Ivy stated. They all agreed.
“Why not each of our birthdays?” Marilee suggested.
The four of them looked at each other and shrugged. “Sounds good,” they all agreed, then turned to the cashier who was rather impatient to get back to whatever he was doing before they walked in. But they ignored his impatience, too excited about their night ahead.
Minutes later, lottery ticket printed out and paid for, the four left the grocery store and jumped back into Daisy’s car. Thankfully, it started up on the first attempt this time, and the ladies cheered. Tony just shook his head, as if this was all too amusing, but he wasn’t going to show it. Tony maintained the He-Man persona at all times. On others, that persona might look silly, but on Tony, it seemed to come naturally.
“Are we ready to bring our Tony into the adult world?” Ivy called out.
Tony rolled his eyes and they all laughed, knowing full well that Tony had been an adult since his mother died. His father had been the worst sort of human being, slapping Tony’s mother around whenever he was in a bad mood and, worse, refused to get her medical treatment when she was diagnosed with cancer. The man was in prison now, convicted of killing someone during one of his fury-induced rages, Tony rarely acknowledged his parentage. Because of his mother’s passing and his father’s conviction, Tony had been on his own since the tender age of fourteen. He’d grown to over six feet tall by the age of fifteen which had been helpful because most authority figures assumed he was older than he really was and had escaped being put into the foster care system.
“We are!” Daisy and Marilee laughed, Marilee reaching over the seat to rub Tony’s shoulder.
They drove out to an open field where they parked along the side of the road. Daisy pulled a blanket out of her trunk and spread it on the soft grass. They all sat down and opened the box of wine, pouring it into the glasses they’d filched from the diner, then cut up the cheese.
As they munched on their meager celebration, they leaned back and stared up at the sky, ignoring the chilly air and just feeling free. “If we win the lottery, what will you guys do with your share?” Marilee asked dreamily.
Daisy snorted. “We’re not going to win. You know that it’s more likely you’ll be struck by lightning than win the lottery, right?”
“Ugh! You’re such a downer!” Marilee groaned. “Just dream a little, would ya?”
Daisy rolled her eyes, but in the darkness, no one noticed. “If I were to win the lottery, I’d…” she trailed off, not sure what she would do.
“I’d travel,” Ivy announced, leaning back on her elbows and gazing up at the stars. “I’d buy the best camera I could find and travel the world, taking pictures.”
Daisy sighed. “Let’s not talk about traveling the world, okay?”
They looked over at Daisy, hearing the stress that had suddenly come into her voice. “Have you heard from him?” Ivy asked, speaking about her brother, Gunner, who had joined the Navy. It was the only way he’d been able to get out of LowPoint, but that didn’t make Daisy worry less. Gunner was a great brother, sending money to Daisy every month even though she urged him to keep his money.
“He’s fine, I’m sure,” she said after a short pause, staring up at the stars. Everyone knew that she had just closed her eyes and said a silent prayer, begging God to make her statement true. “He was accepted.”
There was a startled silence for a moment, then Ivy and Marilee squealed at the same time. “To BUDS training – the elite Navy SEAL training?” they asked, shocked and bouncing on the blanket for a moment. “You’re kidding!”
Daisy smiled. “Yeah, he was excited too. He should be nervous, but you know Gunner. He forgets that he’s supposed to be scared.”
Marilee snorted. “Men!”
Ivy laughed. “I don’t know. Maybe men just know how to hide their fears better than we do. What is it, Tony?”
He shrugged and took another cracker loaded with cheese. To them, this was a gourmet meal. “I think it would be fun,” he said. “Maybe I should join the Navy.”
They women stared, horrified, for a moment, and then, moving as one, pounced on him. “Don’t you dare!” Daisy shrieked playfully, reaching down to tickle him while Marilee and Ivy held his arms and legs.
Daisy knew with shocking accuracy where he was ticklish and deployed her knowledge without mercy. “Okay!” he laughed, begging for mercy. “I won’t! I promise!”
When he gave them his promise, the three of them relented. “Not that we don’t love our men and women in uniform,” Ivy stated firmly as she brushed grass from her hands. “It’s just that your talents lean towards the kitchen.”
Marilee nodded. “I agree. If we win the lottery, you should open your own restaurant,” she suggested.
He thought about that for a moment. “I like that idea.”
Daisy laughed. “Yeah, but you should open it right across the street from Janice’s place.”
“And put her out of business, okay?” Ivy added.
“Deal,” he announced, grinning from ear to ear.
Ivy sighed. “Okay, so
Tony would open a restaurant. What would…”
“And go to business school,” he added. “Then culinary school. I’d like to learn to cook really well. I want to know all the tricks that the great chefs know, then show them a thing or two. I’d like to open restaurants all over the world, and several in smaller towns. Not in the big cities.”
“Why in the smaller towns?” Daisy asked. “They don’t have the population that could support a restaurant.”
Tony shrugged. “Think about it. Whenever we need something, we have to drive into Louisville to get it. LowPoint doesn’t have anything special. It doesn’t have anything to draw people to the town.”
“There’s no reason to go to LowPoint,” Ivy added.
“Exactly,” he agreed. “If I had the money and the expertise to create a really amazing menu, I’d build a restaurant in smaller towns. Some place outside of the big cities, a place desperate for revenue, like LowPoint, that would draw people out of the cities and into the smaller towns. Give the town’s economy a boost and provide a few desperately needed jobs.”
“So a bit of philanthropy added to your dream, huh?” Ivy asked. “I like it.” She turned to Marilee. “What would you do if you won?”
Marilee started to reach for another cracker, but pulled away, thinking about her hips and thighs. She’d gained a bit of weight lately and needed to watch what she ate. The pounds packed on easily for her and with her huge boobs, any additional weight just made her look dumpy.
“I’d buy that old Victorian house on the edge of town and get a dog,” she thought wistfully.
“A dog? That’s your dream? To have a dog?”
Marilee laughed. “Yeah. I’d love a dog. But also the house. Last week on my day off, I walked out to that house and went through it. It’s incredible inside! But everything looks old and dilapidated. It’s all covered in dirt and grime.”
“I know the place you’re thinking of. I’ve only seen it from a distance, but that’s the one that has the carriage house too, right? And those silly lions on pedestals outside of the long driveway?”
Craving Him (Sinful Nights Book 6) Page 9