Jamile held his hands up.“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m busy.”
“We have important matters to discuss, Pierre.”
Jamie rolled his eyes.“You know I don’t go by that name and now is not the time for talking.There are going to be a lot of people coming and they will be expecting food, so unless you’re prepared to put on an apron and help, I suggest you get out of the kitchen.”He looked at his mother.“To be quite frank...mother, I doubt there is much of anythingtodiscuss.”
Marlene stomped her foot.“I will not be spoken to like that and there is the matter of the will that needs to be addressed!”
Jamie started to cube up the butter, dropping it into a large stainless-steel bowl already containing a large amount of flour.“I don’t even know about a will, so I’m not the one you need to talk to.”He glanced up at her.“I knew you had to be sticking around for something, and as usual, it’s all about the money.What’s the matter?Did your latest sugar daddy cut your allowance off again?”
Chapter Three
Walter was puttingthe finishing touches on the sausage gravy when Jamie pulled out the first tray of biscuits.He placed them into the top drawer of the bread warming box that sat next to the door of the dining room.The waitstaff would get whatever biscuits or corn bread as needed.The second tray, which was already in the oven, would be ready in about five minutes.
Dexter had already put three pans of meat loaf into the bottom oven of the big six-burner stove, and the aroma was tantalizing.Timmy was forming meat patties for burgers.Jamie could see that tomatoes, onion, lettuce, and pickles were already placed neatly in small hotel pans, sitting on a larger container full of ice.There was one small stainless-steel container empty.He knew that Timmy would fill it full of cheddar cheese closer to service time, which was quickly approaching.He’d also fried up some bacon that sat in a single hotel pan on the back of the stove to stay warm.Things were moving right along.
“Hey, Jamie, you wanna come and have a look-see?”Flo asked from the doorway of the kitchen into the dining room.
“Yeah, just let me put this tray down.”Jamie put the empty, but still hot, tray down next to his workbench.
He walked into the dining room, following Flo.It was all he could do to keep the tears at bay.Flo had always asked his grandmother to check out the dining room before opening time.It was just the way things were done.Done his Mamaw’s way.
Minnie and Hazel were standing, as usual, close to the front door.Flo walked over and stood by them.Jamie overlooked the room.There were small bud vases on each table with a single daisy in each.As he walked through the dining room, he noticed that all the salt and pepper shakers were full, as were the sugar caddies, all centred around the daisies.In front of each chair was a folded paper napkin, a fork to the left, a knife and spoon to the right.On the corner of each place setting were coffee cups, turned upside down on a matching saucer.Once again, Jamie closed his eyes to fight back the tears, but this time, this time, he couldn’t keep them back.He let them roll down his cheeks.
“Oh...now there, now there,” Flo said softly as she held him.“It’s okay.No need to try and be all brave in front of us.We’re family.”
“We are.”Hazel hugged him, and then Minnie joined in on the group hug.
Jamie wiped his face once he was able to.“It’s...perfect as usual.”He looked at the counter bar, the spinning stools, the place settings there.“Just as it should be.”
He was about to return to the kitchen when he noticed his mother pacing back and forth in front of the diner, cell phone in hand, gesticulating as she spoke.There was no doubt to anyone who saw her that she was angry and frustrated.Jamie sniffed, wiped his nose on a paper napkin he’d nabbed from underneath the old cash register, rolled his eyes, watching his mother and went back to the kitchen.
“We all set and ready to go out there?”Walter asked as he stirred the gravy, pepper shaker in hand, not even looking up.
“Yep.”Jamie stuck another tray of biscuits in the oven.“I’ll start on the corn bread now.”He stepped over to Dexter, who was cutting up green tomatoes.“How much longer on those meat loaves?”
Dexter looked at the small timer fixed to his cook’s shirt.“About ten more minutes.”
