I look down at my watch and see it’s already past noon. “When are you leaving?”
He shrugs. “I was just finishing up inventory at my station, so say, fifteen minutes?”
“Yeah, ok.”
I go back to finishing up what I’m working on, once again getting lost in the zone until Dom says he’s ready to go and we head out.
Dragonfly is busy, but we snag seats along the back wall.
“Hey guys,” Spencer greets us.
“How’s it going?” Dom asks.
“Oh, you know, just another day of running around with my head chopped off.”
“And how is the spy?” I ask, because I still don’t trust the tiny human.
Spencer beams, and it’s contagious. Happiness radiates from him.
“She’s amazing,” he says, as he practically twirls. “We somehow timed her naps to be over the lunch rush. I don’t know how long that’s gonna last, but hopefully, until I get another server hired.” He looks around at the busy café. “This tiny little town has really come into its own, hasn’t it?”
“It has. Even Olly is hiring and expanding with the idea of the bakery.”
I know I was grumpy about him stepping away from The Diner, but I’m happy for him. It’s the idea of leaving something stable for something uncertain that makes me nervous. I’m fully aware it’s not me taking the risk here. Maybe that’s why it makes me nervous.
Spencer gives me a knowing look, and I roll my eyes.
“Beckett just pushed out a bunch of orders, so the wait for food shouldn’t be too long. What can I get you guys?”
“I’ll have the club sandwich with fries,” Dom says.
“And I’ll have the BLT.” They both chuckle and I wave them off. “Whatever!”
“Hey, I’m not saying anything. I had it two days in a row.”
“It’s just so good,” I whine.
“Tell me about it. I pay him, and he won’t even tell me what the secret is. I mean, it’s a BLT, for Christ’s sake!” Spencer yells extra loud.
“Never!” Beckett yells back through the swinging kitchen door.
“See!”
Dom eyes the door. “He’s stubborn, that’s for sure.”
The sound of pots and pans crashing together, followed by a string of colorful curse words, filters through the door, making Spencer jump and Dom frown.
“Is he all right?” Dom asks.
Spencer looks toward the door, and I can see the heavy worry in his eyes. “Yeah, I’ll go check on him.” Spencer sighs. “He’s been more on edge than normal, and yesterday, I heard him yelling on the phone with someone. It was a pretty heated discussion. I’m worried about him.”
“Jaxon has been worried, too,” Dom says. “I’ll see if I can get him to talk to me.”
Spencer nods his head. “Yeah, ok. Thanks. Your food should be out soon,” he says, tapping the table before greeting another customer.
“Have you thought about Jaxon’s offer to tattoo full-time?”
I shrug and reply, “I guess so. I still want to do piercings. But when I applied for this job, it was as a tattoo artist because I wanted a way to still create art.”
