“Better go piss all over her.” Stella cackles. I ignore it as I stomp to our table.
The second I get there, I hear him say, “What’s a pretty thing like you doin’…”
“Fuck off, asshole.”
“Nate.” Prudence sounds shocked.
I glare at her. “What? He’s encroaching.”
Her face turns a pretty shade of pink as she snaps, “I’m not a plot of land. Geesh.”
I’m not going to argue with her. She has no idea how things work around here. So, I look at the asshole who still hasn’t taken a hint and say, “Leave.”
“Jesus, dude.” He holds up his hands. “I had no idea she was claimed.”
“Claimed?” Prudence practically screeches that one. “I’m not property, for heaven’s sake.”
I beg to differ, but she’ll have to figure that out on her own, or I’ll tell her sometime but not now. Once that motherfucker leaves, I slide in across from her in the booth. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
“Let’s eat?” Her mouth is open. She’s gaping at me. “There’s a lot that just happened that we need to unpack, Nate.”
“Later.”
And like the angels were listening and have given me some help, Kenny, Stella’s only son, steps up to the table. “What’ll you have, asshole?”
“Oh. My. God.” Prudence, still bright pink, picks up her menu and growls something I can’t quite make out.
Ignoring her outburst, I ask, “What’s the special?”
“Hand-breaded tenderloin. Onion rings.”
I reach out and tug her menu down. “They make the best fuckin’ onion rings, Prudence.”
Handing him the menu, I say, “I’ll have a cherry cola and the special.”
I stare at Prudence and wait. And wait. “You need some help?”
“There are no calories listed next to the entrees.”
I chuckle. “That’s ‘cause everything here is breaded and fried.” I look over and up at Kenny. “Right, Kenny?”
“That’s correct.” He stares down at her. “We can make you a side salad or something.”
“Yes. I’ll have a side salad and….”
She’s still reading every word on the menu when I take charge, literally. I pull the menu out of her grasp and hand it to Kenny. “She’ll have the special with a side salad. Ranch, French, and bleu cheese dressing on the side.” Then, like the gentleman I am, I add, “I’ll share my rings with you. You’re gonna flip they’re so good.”
When I look at her face, the red has blossomed into a color I’ve only seen come from the ass end of a rocket ship. She’s about to explode. Prudence glances at Kenny who reads the situation much faster than me. He sputters, “I’ll, uh, check back in a minute.”
“You had no right. I can pick whatever I want to eat. If I choose to eat healthy, that’s my business, not yours.” She starts to slide from the booth but stops right before she’s out. “My whole marriage, he manipulated and controlled me. It was all about him.” On her feet, I can see she’s not only angry, but she’s upset. Her eyes are getting all shiny. “I’m not doing that again.”
“Prudence.” I reach for her, but she’s halfway to the front door before I’m even out of the booth. By the time I get outside, she’s move toward the gravel road. “Prudence?” I pick up the pace and reach her in no time. “Honey, stop.”
She whips around to face me, and my heart breaks at seeing how upset she is. “I never meant…”
“You––men never do.” She turns back around and begins the long trek home. On foot.
She’s typing something on her phone.
