All I've Ever Wanted - Adrianne Byrd [22]
Kennedy was dead on her feet. Dead asleep that is. By 10:00 a.m. she’d declared the day a total disaster, which didn’t leave much to look forward to.
She’d lost count of how many customers had deserted her station, fuming.
“Do I need to send you home before the lunch crowd swamps this place?” Bennie asked in a low and irritated voice. “You’re not much help to me if you’re going to be chasing away the customers.”
“Cut me some slack. I’m in the middle of having a bad life. Do you mind?”
“By all means, go ahead. Don’t let my measly little business get in your way.” His meaty hand covered his heart, but his look of sincerity was a mockery.
“You’re a real piece of work, Bennie.” She snatched the coffeepot from the burner and went to refill the cup of one of the diner’s regular’s, Mr. Riley.
“A penny for your thoughts,” he said when he looked up at her somber expression.
“Why pay for what you can get for free?”
He smiled. “You got me on that one.”
Kennedy returned the gesture, though the corners of her lips trembled a bit beneath the strain. “You’re sweet for asking. Thanks.” She patted his hand. “It’s just one of those days.”
Bennie suddenly appeared at her side. “Kennedy, when you two are done flirting, you might want to attend to the customers at table twenty-three. They’ve been waiting for ten minutes.”
She clenched her teeth, wishing like hell she could bite him.
Bennie laughed and snapped a towel at her behind. “Get a move on it.”
If she hadn’t known Bennie for most of her life, and considered him a good friend, she would have reamed him a new one for that smack.
She arrived at table twenty-three and reached for her order pad without looking up. “Hi. Welcome to—”
Her mouth fell open when she raised her eyes and recognized her customers as Detective Collier and his smug partner.
“What the hell are you two doing here?”
Dossman frowned. “I’m willing to bet that you’ve never made employee of the month. Am I right?”
Her back stiffened. “Isn’t this police harassment?”
Collier was a picture of innocence wrongly accused when he looked to his partner and said, “I thought that this was called breakfast.”
“Times are a-changing, I suppose,” Dossman said with a shrug.
Kennedy controlled herself in time to stop herself from screaming a stream of obscenities. “Maybe this is a matter I need to take up with your superior.” If nothing else, at least the threat sounded good.
“Does that mean that you won’t be taking our orders?” Collier’s innocent expression remained unchanged.
“You know, I’m starting to think your names should be Detective Abbott and Detective Costello.”
“She has jokes,” Dossman marveled.
“I’ve noticed.”
Collier turned a smile in Kennedy’s direction and she had to fight to suppress the butterflies in her stomach.
“You look like hell,” Max said. “Didn’t you get much sleep last night?”
The butterflies vanished. “I slept fine. Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Hmm. I’m glad one of us did. I worried about you and your son all night.”
She clenched her jaw and stared at him. “My son and I are fine.” She flipped her order pad closed. “If you came here to pester me about that murder, then you’re just wasting your time.”
“Because you weren’t there, right?” Max questioned.
She slapped her palm against her forehead. “By George, I think he’s got it.” Her expression hardened. “Now, if you two are finished wasting my time—”
“You haven’t even taken our order,” Dossman said, pretending to be insulted.
“Heck, we haven’t even gotten a cup of coffee,” Collier added. “Maybe we should have a word with your superior.”
She stood there, infuriated, while they simply looked at her. “Fine. Two cups of coffee and then I want you two out of here.”
Dossman glanced down at his menu. “And a ham-and-cheese omelet.”
“Make that two,” Collier added with a wink.
Delivering a left hook would no doubt land her in jail, but she entertained the thought all the same. “Two coffees, two omelets, anything else?”
“Toast,