Page 10 of Home Hearts Hooves

I tidy up the place and get the work out the back done while I wait for my last client, then after Mr. Sutherland’s German shepherd is made up to date on his shots, I grab the RED Tech box and lock up.

The new diner is lit up brighter than a Christmas tree, with the new neon pink and green sign above it. Awnings with the same color scheme shade the windows from its blinding glow, but there is no escaping the color combination as it carries through every inch of the indoors. The booths alternate with the table green and booth seats pink and vice versa, and so do the stools that run the length of the old-time feel counter.

I grab a booth up the back and sit on the far side so that I can see Dean when he walks in.

“What will you have, love?” an older woman asks in a super sweet southern drawl that has to be for show. It sounds like she’s been asking that question for fifty years the way it rolls off her tongue. She might have been, but it sure wasn’t in this diner. Up until about two years ago, this diner was run by Sally-May, but like so many of the places around here, it got bought up. I guess we should be thankful it’s still a diner, at least.

“Just water for now, please. I’m waiting on someone.”

“Well, when she gets here, darlin’, you just give me a holler, and I’ll come on over and get your order,” she says, and I ignore the assumption that I am waiting on a woman and just smile and nod. This town is like any other in the country. There are those people who accept everyone for who they are, don’t give a shit about who they love, and then there are the asshats.

Dean is here. He shoves the heavy glass door open with one hand and strolls in with a saunter that I reckon only a real cowboy like him has.

I raise my hand and wave.

“Over here,” I call, my voice cracking a little, and I quickly grab the water and drink the whole thing down.

He sits at the table opposite me.

“Sorry I’m late. Have you ordered? If you have, it’s fine. I was about to leave, but then I got a call that Chewie was in the pool again. It took two of us to rope him and lead him back to his enclosure. I have no idea how he’s getting out.”

He’s talking a little faster than normal, and his face is growing pink with every passing second.

“You’re not late, I was early, and I haven’t ordered. I just sat down, really. How often is Chewie getting out?”

“At least once a day, today was twice.”

“Well, you’re here now. Let’s order.” I raise my arm and wave over the waitress.

“What will you have?” she asks, no sweetness left in her tone. It’s all truck stop, down to business from here on out.

“The veggie burger and fries for me and for you?” I ask Dean.

“Same, but throw a big steak on mine to liven it up.”

I chuckle.

“Sure you don’t want to go meatless?”

“Okay. I’m game to give this veggie thing a go, but maybe throw in a side of bacon just in case.”

She scribbles the order down on her notepad and heads over to the old-style ticket hanging spinner, connects the paper, and dings the bell twice. “Order up,” she calls, and I’m reminded why I still come to this place.

“What’s that smile for?” Dean asks.

“I was just remembering why I like coming here,” I reply, and he glances over his shoulder at where the ticket spinner and bell sit. You can see the cook through the window working on our burgers and shaking a basket of what are hopefully our fries in the fryer. There aren’t too many other people in here at this time of night, and all of them are already eating, so we’re in with a good shot that it is.

“You like the sound of the bell?” he asks with a confused frown on his face.

I chuckle. “Yes. But not for the reason you think. Dad and I would come here every Tuesday night. Mom would be at her book club or sewing club or whatever she used to do, and we came here. He’d order the steak, and I’d get the salad, and then we’d both get the pie for dessert.”

“It’s nice you have those memories. I bet it didn’t look like a unicorn vomited all over the place back then, like it looks now.”

“Ha, no. But as ‘in your face’ as it is, they never had a veggie burger until the new owner took over, so I don’t totally hate it.”

“We’ll see. You’re really hyping up the veggie burger here. I think I made a good choice asking for the bacon.”

“You watch; you’ll not even know that you’re not eating meat, it’s that good.”

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