Page 16 of Haunted By You
“Unsweet tea, then.”
“Girl, you’re in Louisiana. We don’t do unsweet tea.”
Erielle set her teeth, but nodded her acceptance of that option, then as the woman turned away, she reached for a napkin from the equally cloudy dispenser and wiped off the menu so she could see the offerings.
The menu merely repeated the window signs, with prices that were shockingly reasonable. So the cost wasn’t keeping people away. And everything listed was comfort food. Not necessarily healthy, but…
The woman returned to the table with a styrofoam cup filled about two-thirds of the way, set it silently on the table, and waited.
“Um, I’m meeting someone, so I’ll order when she gets here.” So many questions filled Erielle’s mind, she couldn’t think what to ask first. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Hattie. Everyone around here knows me.”
“I’m sure they do. Do you, ah, need any help around here?” As far as Erielle could see, it was just the woman and the cook.
Hattie scoffed. “Does it look like I need help? Not from you, anyway.”
Erielle tried not to flinch at the hostility the other woman tossed out. Seriously, she used to be shredded by her mentor, by the host of the television show that boosted her career, then restaurant reviewers who thought she had a thick skin because she’d endured such abuse in public. So why did this woman’s tone hit a nerve?
But she backed off. She had other things to worry about.
Like where was Daisy? And would her arteries clog up from one meal here?
She took a sip of the way-too-sweet tea and watched the street, for any sign of Daisy’s sedan.
Finally, finally the car pulled up along the curb. Daisy hopped out, wobbling a little in her heels on the uneven asphalt as she reached into the back seat of the car and pulled out a briefcase. She held it against her chest instead of carrying it by her side as she looked up at the diner, sighed, and stepped up onto the high curb.
The bell clanged overhead as she pulled open the door with some force, and spotted Erielle. Erielle presented another hopeful smile as the woman strode toward her.
“Hi, sorry I’m late.” She set the briefcase on the table hard enough to make noise that drew the attention of the two men at the counter, then inspected the seat for a moment before she sat. She reached a hand across and shook Erielle’s hand. “How’s it going with the house?”
“My grandfather had a lot of books,” Erielle replied, not knowing how else to answer. “I hired a dumpster to be delivered.”
“Oh.” Daisy’s friendly expression dimmed. “That’s sad.”
“It is, but I don’t know what else to do with them. So many are mildewed.”
“Yes, but your granddad loved his books.”
Erielle bit the inside of her lower lip to keep from reminding Daisy she knew her grandfather best. She hadn’t expected to be grateful when Hattie came over and slapped down a second menu and demanded Daisy’s order. Erielle shouldn’t be glad to see Hattie treating them both the same, but she was kind of relieved that she wasn’t the focus of Hattie’s mood.
Daisy ordered a sweet tea, also. After they both ordered the meatloaf and Hattie marched off, Daisy turned to her briefcase, which Erielle saw now didn’t latch.
“There’s a lot to discuss about owning the town,” Daisy said. “There’s income from rent, of course, but also taxes to be paid, and upkeep to be done.”
“Upkeep?” Erielle’s stomach sank. She could barely do the upkeep on the house. Now she had to take care of the town?
“Your grandfather used a property management company, so people may complain to you, but they have to go through the company to get their issues resolved. That’s what they’ve been doing while your grandfather was in the home. The problem is, the buildings are old, and upkeep takes a lot of money, so it’s almost evening out, especially since you only really have four tenants. So if I were you, I’d see about renting more of these shops to have a bigger income stream.”
Again, Erielle bit the inside of her lip—she was going to get a blister. “I feel like that’s easier said than done.”
“What do you mean? I’d think it would be super easy. This town needs everything.” Daisy waved a hand toward the window.
“But getting people here when they have to start from scratch is going to be hard.” And no telling how much work those empty buildings needed. She didn’t know how long they’d been neglected.
Hattie returned with two heavy oval plates and set them down with such force, the old guys at the counter winced. Daisy scrambled to get her paperwork out of the way as some of the gravy sloshed over the sides of the plate. Erielle bit back a comment that she would say if one of her waitresses had behaved in such a way, but instead she tensed and looked at Daisy. The woman just pressed her lips together.
The meal was delicious, though, very homey and flavorful. Erielle found herself smiling at the woman behind the counter, who still frowned.
