Ghosts of Grady by J. L. Hyde

Author:J. L. Hyde [Hyde, JL]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: J. L. Hyde

Eighteen

It never feels good to receive a gift when it comes at the expense of someone else’s well-being, so none of us have admitted out loud how relieved we are that two separate national tragedies have taken the attention away from the Benard family this week. A mass shooting in Buffalo and a late-in-the-season category five hurricane approaching the coast of Florida have caused the news media to all but forget we exist. It’s the perfect day for Malorie to experience life as a normal human—with an eight-hour shift at work.

While the rest of us are guzzling coffee and dragging our feet, my sister is whistling an off-key version of a cartoon theme song while she dices potatoes and labels food containers for the walk-in cooler. I keep catching her gazing out the window over the prep sink and smiling. You can’t even see the lake from that window; it’s just a view of the wooded path leading to one of the guest cabins, but she shakes her head every time she catches a glimpse, like she can’t believe how lucky she is to be staring at a bunch of trees.

Dad and his crew arrived early this morning to continue construction on our “Sister Cabin,” as we’ve begun calling it, and he even caved into our demands for a patio facing the lake. The thought of having a steaming cup of coffee with my sister in our matching lounge chairs while we wave to the fishermen as they glide by is the perfect, quiet life of my dreams.

Speaking of the life of my dreams, Nolan is coming back to town today after a week in Wisconsin with his parents. He’s going to conduct a few interviews for the final episode of this season before going on a five-city press tour to promote the podcast. He said he’s taking a break for the Christmas season when he’s done, but I haven’t had the courage to ask him where that break will be spent. Dad says our cabin should be done by Christmas, and when Lou questioned that timeline, Dad responded, “Lady, if I tell you a rooster can tow a freight train, don’t ask questions—just hitch him up,” to which Lou acted annoyed, but I could tell she was trying hard not to smile.

The restaurant hasn’t been any busier than normal, but the tips have been fantastic. I’m not sure if the locals are pleased that the press has left town or if everyone’s just happy with the mild start to winter, but I’ve been making a minimum of twenty percent across the board. Curtis Rivers even stopped in with his wife and their son, Brogan, and they left a twenty-dollar bill, which is more than he’s ever left me or any other server at Benard’s in the decades he’s been coming here.

I’ve been saving my tips to surprise Mal with a fancy coffee maker for our new cabin. I took her to Escanaba yesterday to run errands, and after driving through Bigby Coffee for a caramel latte, she has a newfound obsession for crafted coffee drinks.

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