Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 69534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
However, since he was a consistent customer, and I loved his dad—Mr. Durant was one of my regulars that tipped really well—I chose to deal with Taryn’s bullshit.
Speaking of Mr. Durant, better known as Tony, he followed on Taryn’s heels.
They chatted while I got the place started up, and Tony waited patiently for me to get the coffee finished up while Taryn huffed and puffed.
“What can I get you, Mr. Durant?” I asked, addressing Tony and not Taryn.
The door opened again and a haggard looking young woman came in carrying a car seat with a screaming baby in it.
Taryn narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath, “Great, just what I want to hear when I’m having lunch.”
I didn’t comment, but Tony snapped at his son to ‘control himself.’
The ass.
The third person in the door was my cook, and he shot me an apologetic look as he raced past me to the back of the diner.
The door swung closed as he made his way around the corner.
I got the coffee for Tony, then smiled at the young woman and said, “Just take a seat anywhere.”
She nodded and went to the booth in the corner of the room—which subsequently was where Taryn liked to sit.
I smiled at him next, knowing he was pissed that I didn’t address him first, and said, “You can take a seat anywhere, Taryn.”
He muttered under his breath that I was a ‘bitch’ and took off to a seat that was clear across the room from the screaming baby.
Tony took his coffee outside so he could catch up with a buddy, and I took the woman’s and Taryn’s orders—grilled cheeses.
I handed the order back to the cook and got them started on drinks.
Meanwhile, the baby continued to cry.
I set her cup of Dr Pepper down and said, “Can I walk around with him for a bit?”
I loved kids.
I just didn’t ever think I’d get any of my own.
I wouldn’t be bringing a child into this world when I couldn’t even take care of my siblings.
Then again, I’d have to find time to find a man first.
Speaking of men, the sexy face of the cowboy biker popped into my head, and I had to inwardly fan myself.
“Oh,” the woman was soft spoken. “Sure. If you are okay with holding him?”
I held out my hands and said, “I have four siblings, all of which I helped raise myself. Let me at him.”
She handed over the chunky little boy that looked to be about three or four months old.
The baby continued to cry, but I just turned him around on my shoulder and said, “I’ll just be right over there taking their order.”
Another group of people had walked in during our talk.
The woman looked over and nodded, her face a mask of relief.
I patted the baby’s bottom as I walked over to the group—another bunch of regulars—and took their orders.
Just as I got their order written down with some difficulty due to the wriggling baby in my arms, the bell over the door pinged again.
I looked up to find the young girl from yesterday.
Scottie, Posy had called her.
“Hey.” I smiled. “Just take a seat anywhere, and I’ll be with you as soon as I put this order in.”
Scottie went to the same stool her brother had taken the night before and sat, smiling at me. “You have a baby?”
“No,” I said as I filled up drinks. “That woman over there behind you does. But she looked like she was about to have a mental breakdown, so I offered to hold him for a bit.”
She nodded and turned to look.
Sure enough, the woman was likely no longer about to have a mental breakdown. She was now full blown having that breakdown.
She had her face buried in her hands and she was hunched over, shoulders shaking.
The baby in my arms gave a little hiccup, then stopped crying.
I turned so that the young girl could see and said, “Is the baby asleep?”
“Yep,” she answered.
“Good.” I sighed. “Let me get these drinks over, give the order out, and I’ll be back. Unless you just want to come get your own drink.”
Surprising me, she did just that, getting her own drink and then writing her own order down on a pad of paper before sliding it back to Lenny.
Lenny took it with a wink, and I got to work with a sleeping baby in my arms.
“I need some ketchup,” Taryn said when I placed his fries down in front of him.
I reached over to the table that was just a few feet away from his and gave him the bottle, which he took with an eye roll.
Ass.
Since the baby was fully asleep now, I went back to the car seat and placed him inside.
He didn’t wake.
But the woman finally looked up from contemplating her hands.
Her eyes were puffy and red, and I couldn’t help myself.