“Amy,” Dani called out. “Two orders coming up.” She turned her head to Zach. “Eggs ready?”
“Yep,” he said, his voice lifting with pleasure.
“It’s not Amy, Dani.”
She whipped around. “Dad?”
“What are you doing? Where’s Molly?”
“Molly called me in the dead of night to tell me she was sick and couldn’t come in. I can’t talk now. Too busy.”
She took a spoon, ladled something onto the eggs. “Get these to Amy.”
Zach grabbed the plates, put them on a tray, and was out the door in seconds. “Wish Amy moved that fast.”
“When did you start working here? What about Emma?”
She swiveled around. “I’m really busy here, Dad. Give me a break with the questions.”
He backed out of the kitchen. Just before the door shut, he saw Dani put her hands on the counter and drop her head. She needed help. This was too much for three people to handle.
When he left the kitchen, he saw that the customers looked pleased. No complaints, no ‘hurry up, I’ve been waiting forever,’ comments.
Nevertheless, Dani needed help. He stepped outside and called the one person he trusted and had come to depend on.
Beau hadn’t been there for Dani while she was growing up, but he’d be there now.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Nellie decided that the next time Beau called, she would be unavailable. No more dates. No more dinners at his house. Distance. That’s what she needed. But when the phone rang and she saw it was his cell number, her heartbeat accelerated. When he told her Dani was in trouble, she was practically out the door.
As she went to her car, she realized Beau had just given her another reason to like him. His daughter was in trouble. Although he didn’t know what to do, he was going to be there for her.
She didn’t like how the mere sound of his voice could send her running, but here she was pulling into Molly’s.
The place was crowded.
Nellie went straight to the kitchen.
When she opened the door, Beau was at the large commercial sink spraying dishes and putting them into the dishwasher. He turned, the grateful look in his eyes making her heartbeat pick up.
“How did you know I needed help?” Dani asked, turning bacon strips on the grill.
“I called her,” Beau said.
“Tell me what to do,” Nellie said, putting on an apron.
“The customers didn’t get their rolls this morning. Could you bake some biscuits? We’ll pass them around free of charge to make up for the rolls. Not that anything will. But I can’t think of anything else. And Dad, you’re doing great with the dishes.”
Zach went to the storeroom and brought Nellie the ingredients she needed. It didn’t take long before two large trays went into the oven. “What now?”
“I hate to ask this.”
“Whatever. Just ask.”
“I need you here and I need someone to handle the register. Amy can’t wait tables and be at the register at the same time.”
“I’ll get that covered,” Beau said as he dried his hands, reached for his cell, and stepped into the storeroom.
Nellie and Dani exchanged a look.
Beau came back into the kitchen, a grin on his face. “Let’s get some music going. You’re all way too serious.”
The next thing they knew George Strait’s “River of Love” was drifting through the air. Beau went back to washing dishes. Nellie smiled as she pulled out a tray of perfectly browned biscuits. “I’ll take these out to the customers.”
“Just a minute.” Dani stepped back from the stove and eyed the biscuits. “They look great. Put some of those little packets of jelly and butter on the tray.”
Beau’s deep tenor belted out ‘Rowing on the river of love,’ in tune to the music. The next thing Nellie knew, Dani was chiming in. Zach came in the door, did a thirty-second air guitar, adding a hip-swaying bump and grind as he turned in more orders.
Nellie laughed aloud.
Beau turned from the sink, water dripping, hands raised, and did a quick two-step. Nellie couldn’t resist. Her hands filled with a tray of biscuits, she two-stepped with him. The fact they were at least four feet apart didn’t stop the sudden lift the action gave her.
“I can see how I’ll have to practice to keep up with you.” Beau laughed.
There was no way to keep the smile off her face. When Nellie stepped into the dining room, all eyes turned her way. The gossip mill would have something else to talk about, she thought, as she went from booth to booth and handed out biscuits.
The tray was empty in minutes.
“I didn’t get any,” Jan Bellows said from a back booth.
Five minutes later, Emma walked in and came over to talk to Nellie, who was trying her best to handle the register. “What can I do?”
“Beau called you, didn’t he?”
“Bossy, just like his daughter. But he’s right. I got his girl into this, the least I can do is lend a hand.”
“Can you manage the register? I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
“I’m on it.” She took over, propped herself on a stool just in time to take money from the customers.
Nellie watched Emma for a moment as she chatted with Frank Hudson as he paid his bill.
When he left, Emma grinned. “More customers than I’ve seen here in a while. And they’re all leaving happy. I knew she could do it.”
“You have something on your mind, Emma Wells. Are you going to tell me what it is?”
Emma chuckled, but didn’t admit to anything.
Marissa Armstrong, a new teacher in middle school came in.
“Hi! Haven’t seen you in a while,” Emma said.
“I’ve been busy. I heard there was a new cook. I wanted to touch base and see if she’d do my treats for the students the same as Molly did. I’m not a great cook and when school starts I’m busier than ever.”
“Why don’t I take you back to the kitchen. You can ask Dani yourself,” Nellie suggested.
Nellie introduced the two young women.
“We can’t serve chocolate-chip cookies like we once could,” Marissa said. “But Molly always came up with something healthy as well as tasty. I was wondering if you could do the same.”
Nellie took over the stove and watched as the two put their heads together.
“Let me know when you want them,” Dani said. “I’ll be glad to make whichever recipe you decide on. Whether I’m here or not, I’ll make them for you.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Marissa said as she left the kitchen.
“She seems nice,” Dani said.
“She is.”
Dani went to sit on a stool at the large island. Nellie pulled up a stool and sat down beside her. Beau put the last dish in the dishwasher, turned it on, turned the radio down a notch, and joined them.
“Are you okay?” Nellie asked Dani.
“This is overwhelming.”
“How did you end up here this morning? You weren’t supposed to come in until later.”
“Molly called me around five to tell me she was too sick to open. I went to her place, got the keys, and here I am.”
“You could have said no.”
Dani shook her head. “I thought about it. But couldn’t do it.”
Nellie gave the girl a hug. “The customers love your cooking.”
Dani looked around at them, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. “I couldn’t have done it without the two of you or without Zach.”
“Emma is tending the register.” Nellie shook her head. “You should see her chatting with the customers, taking in the money. She’s having a ball.”
“Wonders never cease,” Dani grinned. “Look at me.”
Zach came in with another load of dishes. “I’ll do these, Mr. Chandler. Crowd’s thinning.”
“Thank God,” Dani said. “Now all I have to do is decide what to serve for lunch.”
“
You don’t know?”
“No. I was going to figure it out last night, but when I saw the bed, I died.”
“We’ll do it now,” Beau and Nellie said at the same time.
Then laughed.
“You’re going to stay? Both of you?”
“As long as you need us,” Beau said, giving Nellie a smile that made her melt.
Tears in her eyes, Dani threw her arms around her dad and held on tight, then did the same with Nellie.
Nellie pulled back. “Let’s get to work. Did you have something in mind?”
“Zach told me what Molly serves. Today is meatloaf day. But that doesn’t sound good to me.”
“What does?” Nellie asked.
Dani wrinkled her nose. “Not meatloaf. I have a recipe for quick enchiladas. Or how about chicken and rice with a salad and a bit of broccoli.”
“Both sound great,” Nellie said. “But what if some of the customers don’t like enchiladas?”
“Make both,” Zach said from the sink where he was scrubbing the last of the dishes.
“Sounds like a plan,” Nellie said. “What do you want me to do?”
“I need a dessert. A fast one.”
“I’ll make some cheese-cakes. They’re fast and tasty. We’ll let the customers decide if they want cherries on top or plain. That is if we have the ingredients.”
“I’ll get whatever you need from Carter’s,” Beau volunteered.
Dani went to the pantry with Zach. When she came out, she had a list and Beau took off.
“We can do this, Dani,” Nellie promised.
And they did.
When the lunch crowd was fed and gone, Nellie fixed a plate for Beau and one for herself, then followed him to a booth. She was tired, but pleased. Dani had a real knack for this. The thought crossed Nellie’s mind that Dani could run this place if Molly retired. She’d need more help, but she could do it. She looked over at Beau. He’d be dead on his feet before he started patrol tonight.
Emma scooted in across from them. “I’m starved.”
Amy came in with a tray of iced tea and dropped a plate in front of Emma. “I knew you would be. Here’s the last piece of cheesecake.”
“About time. My mouth watered every time I saw it come out of the kitchen.”
Amy chuckled. “I’m eating in the kitchen where I can prop my feet up.”
The door opened. Nellie groaned. “Hope whoever it is wants a burger. We’re almost out of the specials. Looking around, she saw Molly limping in with a cane. Pain etched on her face, she looked terrible. Nellie’s heart went out to her.
Sitting down next to Emma, Molly let out a slight groan.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Nellie said. “You should be home in bed.”
“I hurt there, too. But I had to see how Dani was doing. It wasn’t fair to put this on her so soon.”
“We came to help,” Emma said, taking a large bite of cheesecake.
“We who?” Molly asked.
“All of us,” Nellie said. “Beau called to tell me Dani needed help. We jumped in to help her.”
Molly shut her eyes, but Nellie saw the tears leak through.
“It’s okay. I enjoyed myself. How about you, Emma?”
“Haven’t had this much fun in years.”
“You’re both nuts.” Molly laughed. “But I thank you.”
“Not as much as I do,” Dani said, pulling a chair up to the end of the booth.
“I’m really sorry, Dani. This isn’t what I’d planned.”
Dani shrugged. “You didn’t do it on purpose.” She looked at Molly, her blue eyes mere slits. “Or did you?”
Molly shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t do that.”
Emma pushed her empty plate aside. “Now, let’s figure out what we’re going to do until Molly can get back on her feet.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” Molly said.
“Not likely,” Nellie chimed in. “Look at you. Pain is written all over you. You can barely walk.”
Molly put her head in her hands. “I really wanted these last few weeks.”
“Have you been to the doctor?” Nellie asked.
“He said to take my meds and rest.”
“Then that’s what you’ll do.”
“Molly’s closing at the end of next month,” Emma told them.
“I can’t do the diner justice anymore,” Molly said. “It’s not fair to the customers.” She looked over at Dani. “The place needs someone young and inventive.”
“Like Dani,” Emma put in.
“Don’t look at me. This is temporary.”
“Why don’t we take it a day at a time,” Emma suggested. “Molly will be back on her feet long before she has to close.”
Molly nodded.
“Have there been any complaints?”
Dani chuckled. “Only for your rolls. Nellie made two trays of biscuits, passed them around to everyone, but that didn’t make up for those rolls of yours.”
“You’re giving away the profits again, girl.”
Dani shrugged. “Then I suggest you do what the doctor ordered and get back here to take care of things.”
“I counted the receipts and filled out a deposit slip I found in the bottom drawer. Do you want one of us to make the deposit?” Emma asked.
“How much?”
Emma scribbled a figure on a napkin and slid it to Molly.
Molly sat back, her eyes wide. “That’s more than usual. What did you serve today anyway?”
Dani told her.
“I’ll wait until I get my bill from Carter’s to see if we made a profit or not.”
“We need supplies,” Dani said. “Do you buy everything from Carter’s?”
“No. I get a shipment two days a week from a supply company in San Antonio. I’ll give you the number so you can call them.”
They talked business for a while, and Nellie wondered how in the world Molly could work another month in the condition she was in.
Beau leaned close and whispered, “Dani did great today.”
“You’re proud of her, I take it,” Nellie whispered back.
“You bet I am.”
Nellie’s gaze went to Dani. She had a pen and paper and was taking notes like crazy. Molly was giving Dani the recipe for her cinnamon rolls. Nellie was tempted to get out her pen and paper, but refrained. The recipe belonged to Molly. Maybe to the diner.
“I’m going to get my purse and go home,” Nellie said, scooting out of the booth.
“Me, too,” Beau followed her. “Rey probably thinks I’ve skipped out on him.”
Beau followed her into the kitchen.
As soon as the kitchen door shut behind them, he took her in his arms and kissed her soundly.
Before she sank into that place Beau’s kisses took her, Zach coughed, and Amy snickered.
Nellie pushed him away, fighting the heat rising through her.
“Sorry,” he said loud enough for Zach and Amy to hear. “Couldn’t think of a better way to say thank you for helping my daughter.”
“Sounds good to me,” Amy laughed. “Wouldn’t mind being thanked that way myself.”
Nellie had never been so embarrassed.
Ignoring Beau as best she could, she grabbed her purse and hurried out.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The days took on a new meaning. Nellie was up and out of the house before six every morning and not home until late afternoon. Donovan and Jimmy, with the help of Dugan and one of his deputies, patrolled the ranch every night. It was a busy time at the Callahan Ranch.
Nellie pulled up at Molly’s at six-fifteen, wondering how long the men could keep this up. Today was Saturday. It had been over a week. Surely they would get the news soon that the rustlers were behind bars. Her gaze slid to the sheriff’s office. Dugan’s cruiser was out front, which meant he was already at work.
She shook her head. It was too much. Donovan had never looked as tired as he did now. She’d seen Jimmy on her way to the gate
earlier and wondered at the look on his face. He was probably as tired as everyone else.
The town was quiet this time of morning. Give them another thirty minutes and the diner would fill up.
Molly limped in at least once a day to check on them, answer Dani’s questions, and brag about the fantastic job they were doing before she left.
Nellie opened the door and let the scent of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls wrap around her. After Dani took over, the old-timers who spent their mornings solving the world’s problems, had placed bets on whether Dani’s cinnamon rolls would live up to Molly’s. Nellie was pleased to know they had.
“Is that you, Nellie?” Dani called out.
“It is. As usual, the rolls smell wonderful,” she said, putting her purse under the counter. “What time do you start anyway? You’re always here when I arrive.”
“Around five, give or take.”
“Seriously, how are you holding up? It’s not as if you’re accustomed to this.”
Dani wore an apron over a pair of jeans and a scoop-necked tee. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked like a teen. Certainly not like someone who had taken on the responsibility of running a diner.
Leaning back against the counter, Dani wrinkled her brow. “I don’t know. The days go by in such a whirl I don’t think about handling it. I just do what needs to be done. Every day I wonder if I can make another day. Then I do.”
Nellie put on her own apron and got down the pans they would need. “You’re doing wonderfully well.”
“I just wish…”
“What?”
“I’ve changed the blue-plate-specials some. But if I could, I’d change more.”
Nellie paused. First thing every morning, she made a couple of trays of biscuit. There were so many requests after that first day it became her morning routine.
“Such as?”
Dani shrugged. “I never get a chance to cook the things I love. You know, the gourmet type foods.” She chuckled. “I’m not sure the customers would even like them.” She turned to the stove and went to work.
Nellie couldn’t wait to repeat this conversation to Emma. Not to gossip. Nellie wasn’t into telling tales, but Emma had confided in Nellie how she would like to see Dani take over the diner. Knowing Emma as she did, the woman would stop at nothing to get her way.
Promise Them (The Callahan Series Book 6) Page 18
