Burgers and Bodies

by Gretchen Allen

  “What if I wanted something else today?” Jack raised a brow and sat down at his regular table.

  “Do you?”

  “Of course not. Why would you ask something so absurd?” Jack chuckled, looking at the table behind him.

  Normally, Hazel Hadley sat there, but she was out of town visiting her children. Saving Jack from having to ask, she let him know that Hazel wouldn’t be coming in for the remainder of the week.

  “Here’s your bagel. Do you want more coffee?” Joss asked.

  “I’m good for today. Just one cup will be fine.”

  “Everything okay?” Joss sat on the stool closest to Jack’s table.

  “Seems a little quiet in here today, doesn’t it?” he mused.

  “So far.” Joss nodded.

  She knew he was referring to Hazel not being there, but didn’t want to point it out. Jack and Hazel had an interesting relationship. It was routine for them to meet at the diner, sit at different tables, and have a light and comical bickering session every weekday morning. Some people thrived on routine, and Joss thought Jack might be one of those people.

  “Thanks for the meal,” Jack said, getting up. “I think I’m going to head out a bit early today. I hear it might rain and I came without my umbrella.”

  That was all Joss needed to hear. Her suspicions had been confirmed, even more so when she saw Jack pick up his umbrella from just outside the front door. He walked a mile to the diner each morning and never came without his umbrella. Joss thought it was sweet that Jack missed Hazel and told a little fib about why he was leaving early. She may not be much of a matchmaker, but Joss was determined to at least try to get the two of them together. She thought they’d make a great couple.

  The next few hours were much busier. Joss didn’t have time to think about anything other than serving tables. Luckily, Garth, one of the cooks, was working with her, so she wasn’t trying to juggle multiple tasks at the same time. Jack had been right. It was a rainy morning, and that always made the diner busier. For whatever reason, rain made people hungry.

  Joss glanced at the clock, seeing that it was about time for Ryan to come in. Ryan Leclair was not only a regular customer but also someone that Joss had gone on a few dates with. There had always been somewhat of an attraction between her and Ryan, similar to Jack and Hazel, but far less strange. After a long cycle of Ryan asking her out and her saying no, Joss finally sucked it up and asked him out herself. So far, it had been a great decision, because things were going really well. When the front door creaked open, Joss expected to see Ryan walking through the door.

  “Do I wait to be seated, or…?” the woman asked.

  “Sit wherever you like!” Joss tried to hide her disappointment.

  “Thanks,” the woman said, looking around for the perfect spot, finally settling on a table near the windows.

  “I’m Joss. I’ll be taking care of you today,” Joss paused, realizing the woman wasn’t paying attention. “Ma’am. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Coffee, please,” the woman said, staring out the window.

  Sometimes customers didn’t want to make conversation. Some didn’t even say hello to her. While she didn’t necessarily enjoy people like that, Joss never let it get to her.

  “Sure thing. Are you ready to order, or would you like a few minutes?” Joss asked.

  “Just get me the peanut butter and banana pancakes. Lots of syrup too, please.” The woman finally looked away from the window, her face red and eyes puffy.

  “Of course. I have just the thing.”

  Joss knew that look. Working in a diner, she saw people come in and out who were upset about one thing or another. Maybe she lost her job or was in a fight with her best friend. Joss would likely never know why the customer was upset, but she’d make sure that her meal was satisfying.

  Joss went into the kitchen and told Garth to make two extra fluffy peanut butter banana pancakes and that she’d do the rest. Once the pancakes were done, Joss piled them high with whipped cream, more bananas, both peanut butter, and chocolate chips, and then pulled out her personal stash of chocolate maple syrup. It was her absolute favorite, and she always shared it with people that were having a bad day. Joss poured some into a small dish and rested it next to the pancakes.

  “Here we go,” she said, setting down the plate.

  “Oh, wow,” the woman said. “What is all of this?”

  “Hopefully just what you’re looking for,” Joss said, smiling. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  As the woman ate, Joss kept an eye on her, noticing that she seemed to be enjoying her pancakes. The diner was busy, but not overwhelming. She knew Dina would be arriving shortly, so she began to pull all the sticky notes down. Joss knew Dina was upset with her for canceling their plans, but she hoped it wouldn’t affect their workday.

  “That was lovely. Thank you,” the woman said, passing her credit card to Joss.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Joss smiled, running the card.

  “Take ten dollars for yourself. You deserve it.”

  Going the extra mile was important to Joss. She didn’t do things for the extra tip, but it always made a difference for both of the people involved. She only hoped she’d made the woman’s day a little brighter.

  Chapter Four

  “See you next week,” Garth said, waving goodbye.

  “I need a vacation like that,” Joss said, grinning at Luke.

  “Take one.” He shrugged. “I’m sure someone could cover for you.”

  “Maybe someday. Hey, do you mind if I run outside really quickly to make a call?” Joss asked.

  “You’ll have to ask Dina. I can’t go to the tables like this,” Luke said, looking down at his shirt.

  The minute he’d arrived at the diner for his shift, Luke had spilled French dressing all over himself. He was able to clean up most of it, but it left behind a stain on his white shirt, so going to greet customers wasn’t in the cards for him.

  “I would, but she doesn’t seem to be speaking to me,” Joss explained.

  “Oh. Uhhh. I mean, should I ask her for you?” Luke asked, looking confused. “Sorry, I just haven’t been around adults that aren’t speaking in a while. I don’t really know how to proceed.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll just wait until later.”

  “Why isn’t she speaking to you, and what’s with all these pink papers?” Luke said, tossing one into the trash without reading it.

  “Sorry. I thought I got them all. She’s not speaking to me because I had to cancel some plans we had. I guess the notes are her way of saying things without actually having to talk to me. Honestly, it’s been a long time since someone has given me the silent treatment, so I’m not entirely sure what’s going on either.”

  Luke chuckled. “Is it really such a bad thing? I say, as long as it doesn’t affect your jobs, just let it go. It should be much quieter around here.”

  “I’d never dream of letting anything get in the way of my job,” Dina said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. “I have a ton of catering work to do, so I’m gonna go ahead and just take all the tables that come in now, so I can make some cash and Joss can take everything that comes in later. She can take the big party on her own, and I’ll help deliver food or whatever.”

  “Dina. You specifically came in early to help me with the reservation. You basically said that I’d never be able to handle it by myself… according to your note, anyway.” Joss crossed her arms. “Why do you get to decide what tables I take?”

  “You can do the catering work in between tables or after your shift. You can’t just dictate what’s going to happen,” Luke directed, after Dina hadn’t replied to Joss.

  “I have so much to take care of for this job, though. It’s important,” Dina muttered.

  “So is your job being a waitress here at the Day and Night Diner. If you can’t do both without being fair to your coworkers, then we will reevaluate.” Luke glared at Dina.


  Joss was quiet, looking back and forth between them.

  “It’s just that…” Dina began.

  “In fact, let’s do exactly that. Dina, you go ahead and take some tables while Joss goes over your catering notes. She’ll be doing the job. Joss, clock in for catering hours and when you’re done, come back out here. I’ll call you if it gets busy so that you won’t lose out on tips.” Luke nodded once and turned on his heel, heading to his office.

  Joss was stunned. She knew that Luke would always stick up for her so long as it was deserved, but this was a shock. He was a very lenient boss and business owner, and rarely ever took a stand when it came to how his staff handled things. He always said that so long as they took care of it and the customers were happy, he never minded how things were handled. Clearly, he’d changed his mind.

  “Dina. I don’t have to do it. I’ll go talk to Luke. Or maybe we can both take tables and work on the job together? I’d be more than happy to help,” Joss suggested.

  Dina pulled out her pack of pink sticky notes and scribbled something down. She stuck it to Joss’s arm and stormed off.

  Do it yourself!

  Joss stared blankly, watching as Dina left the building. She went into the office to talk to Luke, trying to figure out what her next step should be.

  “So that went well,” Luke said.

  “I don’t even want to do the job if it’s going to be like this,” Joss admitted.

  “Too late. I already blocked her from the catering folder on the computer. I changed the password and locked all the paper files in my filing cabinet. If she wants to act like a child, I’ll treat her like one.” Luke shrugged. “I’ll email you the invoice and find out from Dina if there’s anything we don’t have that’s of importance.”

  “Okay,” Joss agreed. “But what about right now? I think Dina actually left.”

  “Unless you want to call someone in to take her shift, it looks like you’re gonna have a busy afternoon,” Luke said.

  Joss still couldn’t believe how Luke was behaving. Sure, Dina was overreacting and being silly, but Luke never took charge like this. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. For now, though, she’d go over the catering information and see what she needed to do. The diner was still quiet enough where she could take care of her tables at the same time.

  She noted that Ryan hadn’t come in for the second day in a row and wasn’t sure if she should call him or not. She was missing him, but truthfully, she didn’t have much time to think about it now. As she went through the email that Luke had sent, she realized just how large of a job the catering event was.

  Maybe that vacation she’d mentioned taking earlier wasn’t so bad of an idea after all.

  Chapter Five

  After a long, hard day at the diner, Joss was finally home. She’d really only been able to skim the information about the catering job while she was at work. When she realized that it was in two days, she found herself a little overwhelmed, but determined to get the job done.

  Settling in on her couch, Joss opened her laptop. She had a notebook out and was ready to make a list of everything she needed to do. Thankfully, Dina had already gotten all of the food ordered on a rush delivery, so she didn’t have to worry about that part. Joss remembered that after one of their last events, she’d done an inventory of the stockroom and made sure they had everything for the next time around. Running around at the last minute was never something she liked to do, so it had been her way of making sure it didn’t happen, no matter who was doing the catering job.

  The event was being held at Natasha Farrell’s house, not too far away from her own house. Joss was familiar with the name but only knew Natasha in passing. While Lemon Bay wasn’t a big place, it also wasn’t one of those everyone knows everyone else sort of towns. Natasha and her business partner, Judy, were hosting a party. It wasn’t clear what type of event it was, only that it was business-casual, and that the caterer was required to be there the entire evening. Of course, Joss had to work the next morning, but she’d live. Long hours were something she’d become accustomed to over many years in the restaurant industry.

  The food was to be prepared at the diner beforehand, and thankfully, the majority of it was pretty easy. She’d be able to get Garth to help her out and would offer him a portion of the tip if there was one. One thing Joss noticed while going over the email was that the bill hadn’t been paid in full. Dina’s notes showed that Natasha had paid the deposit, and Judy was going to pay the balance before the event. Only, the event was in two days, and no one had come in yet. Joss searched for Natasha’s contact information but was unsuccessful. She looked up, down, and sideways for the name of their business as well, also coming up with nothing. Finally, Joss decided to search the Internet, fed up with Dina’s lack of details.

  Farrell and Faun’s Jewelry. Joss knew the women’s’ names had sounded familiar. She’d purchased a few pieces from them in the past. They did beautiful work. She called the phone number that was listed, hoping to get in touch with someone about the payment. While it wasn’t necessarily her responsibility to take care of things like that, she still thought it was better to be safe than sorry. She’d never hear the end of it if she did the job without being paid first, even if it was Dina’s fault.

  “Hello, Farrell and Faun’s,” a woman’s voice said.

  “Hi. This is Josslyn Rockwell with the Day and Night Diner. I’m looking for Natasha.”

  “She’s not available right now. Is there something I can help you with?”

  “Maybe. I’m calling about the catering event,” Joss said.

  “I see. Well, I’m Judy Faun, Natasha’s business partner. Perhaps I can answer your questions.”

  Joss felt comfortable discussing the money situation with Judy since her name was listed on the invoice as well.

  “It’s about the remaining balance for the event being held tomorrow evening.”

  “What about it?”

  Joss never liked talking about money, even when it related to business. “Well, according to my notes, the balance was to be paid in person at the diner before the event.”

  “Okay. So, what’s the issue?”

  “It hasn’t been paid,” Joss finally said. “The information I have listed stated that Judy Faun will be coming to the diner to pay the remaining balance.”

  “It says what?!”

  Joss was unsure where to go from here. She should have had Luke call, and really wished that Dina had the payment taken care of, but since that wasn’t the case, she was on her own.

  “I’m sorry. Are you saying the balance won’t be paid? I’m going to have to get in touch with my boss, if so.”

  “No. I apologize. What’s the balance? I can drop it off first thing in the morning. Is that too late?”

  “I think that will be fine,” Joss said. “The balance is $934.18.”

  “Seriously? I can’t believe her.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Joss cringed.

  “Thank you. I’ll bring it by in the morning. Is there anyone specific I should ask for?”

  “You should be able to drop it off with anyone that’s working. Thank you for your help,” Joss said, finishing up the phone call.

  Before she got a chance to call the diner and talk to Luke about her conversation with Judy and how surprised she seemed to be, she heard a knock on her door. Sighing, she got up, thinking about how nice a few minutes to herself would be.

  Joss opened the door. “You’re here early!” she said.

  “Sorry about that. I got in town ahead of schedule, and thought I’d stop over a little early in case you had any plans for the night,” Brandon, her landlord, said.

  “Come on in.” Joss moved aside. “So, what’s the meeting about?”

  Things were casual with her landlord. She paid rent early, never asked him for anything unless she couldn’t fix it herself. She paid to have her lawn taken care of, her pool, everything. He hadn’t raised the rent since she signed the lease seven y
ears previous.

  “There have been some changes in my life recently, and it means even more changes are to come. The long and short of it is that I’m going to have to sell the house,” Brandon explained, frowning.

  Joss needed a moment to process before she spoke. “What does that mean for me?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t even know what it means for me, but you’ve been a stellar tenant, and I wanted to come to you right away. You deserve to know the truth, so you aren’t scrambling to figure things out when the time comes. There’s still a lot for me to think about before anything actually happens, but I don’t see any other choice. I need the money I’d get from the sale.” Brandon finally sat down at the dining room table.

  “When? If you sell it, does that mean I have to leave or will whoever buys it continue to rent it to me?” Joss asked, hopeful.

  “I can’t answer that. Of course, I want you to be able to stay, but after I sell it, it’s out of my hands.” Brandon lifted his palms as though he was literally letting the house go.

  “Okay. Well, ummm. Thanks for letting me know, I guess. I’ll start looking for something else. I’d rather not take the chance that whoever buys it will let me stay.” Joss wasn’t sure if she was sad or frustrated.

  “I’m really sorry. Trust me when I say that if I didn’t have to do this, I wouldn’t.” Brandon fidgeted with the placemat.

  “I guess it is what it is. These things happen all the time,” Joss said.

  Brandon sighed. “I’m sorry again, Joss. If I hear of anything, I promise I’ll let you know, and I’ll give you the best reference I can.”

  Once Brandon left, Joss briefly considered calling Dina to see if she still wanted to get together, but instead, she turned off all the lights, shut the blinds, and dropped to the couch. It had been a long day, and all she wanted to do was rest.

  Chapter Six

  Joss knocked on the door three times before someone finally answered.