Corned Beef and Casualties by Lynn Cahoon

Author:Lynn Cahoon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-09-17T13:37:15+00:00

Chapter 5

Sunday’s after-church rush was in full swing when I got to the restaurant. There were a few seats at the counter, but Lille didn’t like folks waiting for to-go orders sitting there, so I stood near the hostess station.

Carrie waved me to a counter chair. “Come in and sit down. Your order isn’t ready yet, and Lille isn’t here.”

I glanced around the crowded dining room as I hesitantly moved to the chair. “Are you sure? I can stand here and wait.”

“There’s no need for you to be on your feet. One day, when you’re old like me, you’ll want to get off your feet when you can.” Carrie set a glass of tea on the counter in front of me. “So how has everything been going. You and that handsome hunk still dating?”

“Yeah, Greg and I are still together.” I sipped the iced tea and glanced around, wondering if this was my chance.

“I didn’t say together. I asked you if you were still dating. If you don’t get him to put a ring on that finger of yours soon, someone’s going to snatch him up from you.” Carrie leaned against the counter, arching her back. “Believe me, you don’t want to be on your own at my age. What I wouldn’t do to have a guy like him waiting for me after my shift to rub out the kinks.”

“You could get married again.” Carrie had lost her husband a few years ago. She had kids, I knew that, but apparently, she wasn’t hanging out at the singles bar, looking for a replacement.

“Too much work at my age. I’d have to get dressed up, go out looking for a guy; then I’d miss all my shows.” She called out to another waitress. “Sally, your food’s dying up here. Get a move on. Trainees. You can’t teach them anything.”

I’d happened to know that Sally had worked for Diamond Lille’s for over six months. But I guess that was a drop in the bucket compared to Carrie’s tenure. I decided to go for it. No time like the present. “Hey, Carrie? Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, doll. What’s on your mind? I didn’t hit a sore spot asking about you and that man of yours, did I?” Now she came around the counter and sat on the stool next to me. “Whatever it is, I swear it will stay between you and me.”

“And the twenty-some-odd people eavesdropping on your conversation right now. I wouldn’t tell her anything private.” Sally grinned as she picked up the order. “Jill, I haven’t seen you for a week. Where have you been hiding?”

“Busy, busy, busy.” I waited for Sally to leave the area to deliver the food. “So did you happen to wait on a group of five yesterday? Three guys and two girls?”

“With all the people who went through here yesterday, you’re asking me to pull a needle from a haystack, but I know why.” She nodded to the folded newspaper with Alana’s picture on the front page.

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