Suddenly self-conscious that she had grease on her uniform and apron, or that her hair was out of place and looked silly pulled back like it was, she cleared her throat and said, “Excuse me. Sorry.”
“Everything all right, ma’am?” Kendrick asked.
His friend next to him—she recognized him, too, and thought his name was Isaiah—looked concerned, as well.
“Yes. I’m just fine. Sorry. Long night. As I was saying, sit wherever you’d like. The menus are on the table, next to the sugar and jelly. What would you both like to drink?”
“Coffee for me,” the strong Black man said.
“I’ll just have water, please,” Kendrick added.
His friend cocked his head. “No coffee?”
“I’ll be up all night if I drink it this late. I’m going to bed when we get home.”
The two walked to a booth and slid in across from one another. Samantha continued to listen as she made their drinks, but stopped long enough to call through the kitchen window, “Hey, Bill. You awake in there? We got customers.”
A grunt told her the older man who worked the kitchen was indeed awake. At least halfway.
The conversation drifted to her ears from the table.
“The coffee won’t affect me.”
“Seriously?”
“I could drink that whole pot and sleep like a baby tonight.”
“That’s insane,” Kendrick said with a slight laugh.
When she arrived with their drinks, they were looking over the menu.
“Thank you,” Kendrick said after she set his water in front of him.
She almost thanked him by name but thankfully caught herself before it escaped her lips. “You’re welcome. Did you need a few minutes to look over the menus?”
“I think I know what I want,” Isaiah said. “You go first.”
“I’ll have an omelet, please. All the meat you have.”
“Sourdough toast okay or would you rather have a biscuit?”
“Toast, please. No one makes biscuits in this town as good as they did back home.”
She smiled. “Where’s home?”
“Tennessee. Smoky Mountain Country.”
“Ooh! I’m from Kentucky!”
“Really?” His face lit up in a smile as he looked up at her. “Have we met?”
From across the table, the other man said, “Dude, Kentucky and Tennessee are big places. Just because they border each other doesn’t mean you’ve met.”
Kendrick laughed. “I’m not asking because of that. I’m just saying she looks very familiar.”
Samantha fought the urge to freeze. If she acted too suspicious, they’d figure it out. So, she tried to remain as calm and seem as casual as possible, shaking her head. “Have you ever been in here before?"
“Nope. We just happened to be in the area. First time in.”
