Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Igotta admit, thosewere the best onion rings I’ve ever had.”Salzy leaned back in the seat of the pickup truck and belched loudly.“Hot dogs were good too.”
“Pig.”Jamie sucked the bottom of the soft drink cup dry.“This is one thing I’m going to miss about Atlanta.That and hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts.”
“Oh, yeah.They are the best.”Salzy fastened his seat belt.“You ready?”
“Yeah.Let’s get this over and done with.I got us a room at the Peachtree Plaza Hotel.I thought if we were going to splurge, might as well do it right.”
“Fancy?”
“Kinda.It’s not as high-end as it used to be, but the views are killer.”Jamie looked out the passenger side window.“I thought we’d have dinner at my old restaurant.That’s if they’ll even let me in.”He looked over at Salzy.“I didn’t give any notice, and the manager is fightin’ mad at me.Can’t say I blame him.”
“Um...I didn’t bring anything but jeans and a T-shirt.”
“I’ve got some polo shirts.As you said, we’re about the same size.You can wear one of them, and jeans are fine.It’s not super fine dining.They’re pretty easy on dress codes.”Jamie fell silent for a moment.“It’ll be nice to be able to say goodbye to my staff, well, former staff.”
“Speaking of which,” Salzy glanced at Jamie.“Unless we get up at O’Butt-thirty, we won’t be able to wish your current staff bon voyage.”
Jamie didn’t move his gaze from outside the window.“Maybe I’ll call them.They’ll understand, and I’m sure they’re going to be so excited they won’t miss me too much.”
Salzy grunted.“You don’t know them that well then.”
“Can’t be helped.”Jamie looked at Salzy.“This needed to happen, and things are moving so fast.”
“That’s the truth.I wonder how things are going at the diner?”
“I’ll give Joesph a call before dinner and see.”
* * * * *
Joesph looked downat himself and then at Mike.“We are both gross.”
Mike laughed.“I’ve been worse.Nothing a shower won’t fix.”
“Yuck,” Joesph said as he rubbed his short, cropped afro—a fine dusting of white snowing down.“A very long,longshower.”
Mike shook his head, his flattop haircut never moving, but another shower of dust floated down onto the concrete pad behind the diner’s kitchen door.“Yep, I’ve been much worse off than this.”
“Is there a place in town that can make a good martini?”Joesph continued to shake and rub his head.
“Um...There’s the Copper Kettle.It’s on the pricey side, but the food is okay, and they have a nice bar.They even have an antique copper coffee machine.”
“Sounds like my kind of place.”Joesph looked up at Mike.“How about dinner?My treat.You’ve been a huge help today.It’s the least I can do since Jamie isn’t here to cook for us.”
Mike looked down at himself.“I’ll have to go and grab a shower and change.They’d never let me in the place looking like this.”
