Chapter 4: Bev's Diner

Besides a few men sitting at a counter, the diner was mostly empty. The men tipped their hats to us as we walked by. We sat in a booth and a heavyset woman wearing thick-soled orthotic shoes walked towards us.

“Well, you're early today!” she said cheerfully.

“Yeah, wanted to beat the dinner rush,” Luke said.

She laughed and gave him a friendly hug.

“Who’s your lady friend, have we met?” She looked me over, her hands on her hips.

Lady friend? I wanted to puke.

“No, this is Andrea, she’s in town for—” Luke started.

“Business,” I interjected.

“Oh, from out of town then?”

“Yes. I’m from Chicago.”

“Oh, Chicago… that’s strange, you look so familiar,” she said, eyeing his shirt wrapped around me. “Well, pleased to meet you, hun. I’m Bev.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said shortly, not wanting to make small talk.

“What’s your line of work?” she asked.

“I'm here on personal business,” I clarified and feigned a smile, but my curt tone said, ‘f*ck you, mind your own business.’

“I see… well then, I know what he wants,” she said, pointing her pen toward Luke, then set a menu in front of me. “But, I’ll let you look this over while I grab your drinks, what’ll ya have?”

“Anything alcoholic,” I responded.

She laughed.

“I’m not joking,” I added with a glare.

“Two beers,” Luke chimed in. “Whatever’s on tap, please.”

She gave him a funny look and smiled.

“Two beers coming right up,” she said and walked towards the kitchen.

“Nosey little lady, isn’t she?” I chuckled. “She knows your order by heart. You two close?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, we are.” He gave me a look and I held my hands up innocently.

“What!?” I asked.

“She was just being friendly,” he urged.

“She was just being nosy,” I scoffed. “And anyway, I was nice!?” I added.

“Right,” he said. “Sweet as sugar.”

I shrank in my seat a bit and looked at the menu to avoid his eyes.

Bev returned with our beers and I put my friendliest smile on.

“Thank you!” I said a little too cheerfully.

She hesitated.

“Sure thing.” What would you like to eat?”

I had forgotten to actually read the menu.

“Oh, um… I’ll just have whatever he’s having.”

“A medium-rare bison burger and a milkshake?” she questioned.

“Sounds great!” My voice was still too cheerful. Perhaps a little bitchy.

Luke watched with amusement as I drained half of my beer in one gulp. I ignored him and took out my phone.

“I haven’t been able to look up flights,” I said. “Maybe your phone has better service?”

“I know for sure that there’s a 4 pm flight tomorrow at the local airport that’ll get you home,” he replied.

“I’m hoping for a direct flight out of Sun Valley tonight,” I said, unbudging.

“Alright then,” he said. His large hands dwarfed the small phone that he pulled out of his back pocket.

I watched as he fumbled to type each letter into the search bar with his giant thumbs.

“Mind if I try?” I asked.

“Please do.” He handed me his phone.

To my horror, there were no direct flights available that night or the following morning.

“Ugh! Maybe I’ll just sleep at the airport here,” I moaned, laying my forehead on the sticky table and pulling it back up in disgust.

“There’s no reason for that,” Luke said, putting his phone back in his pocket. “There’s already a bed made for you at the house, and Bill most likely won’t even come out of his room.”

“And if he does?” I asked.

“And if he does, maybe the two of you could get over yourselves and actually have a productive conversation.”

“No, I’ve already decided to trust my initial instinct and let the buried past stay buried. I have no desire to have a relationship with a man that clearly chose not to be in my life… regardless of how much he allegedly loved my mother,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Suit yourself, but for what it’s worth, I wish you’d give him another chance before… it’s too late,” he said, his voice trailing off.

“Where do you live?” I asked, changing the subject. “Maybe I could crash on your couch?” Why am I blushing?

“I moved in with Bill about a year ago so I could look after the house and the animals.”

“Damn it!” I sipped more beer while trying to discreetly wipe my flushed cheeks.

“Andrea, he won’t even know you're there.”

I looked at my watch. 6 pm. It felt much later. This was truly the longest day ever.

“I guess I don’t really have a choice,” I said, then drained the remainder of my beer while Bev approached with our food.

“Care for another?” she asked.

“Yes, please,” I answered, not looking at her judgmental face.

“Sure thing. Bon appetit,” she said, laying down our plates and retrieving my empty mug.

The burgers smelled delicious and I was suddenly ravenous.

“Holy sh*t, that’s actually pretty damn good!” I said after inhaling a bite. I was feeling warm and fuzzy from the beer on an empty stomach.

“Wait ‘til you try the milkshake.” Luke laughed.

As a culinary connoisseur of sorts, I took this challenge very seriously. I set to work on the milkshake. Maybe it was my hunger or the buzz. Whatever the reason, the shake was indeed delicious. I lost myself in it until the very last sip, forgetting all about my second beer that Bev had brought out.

It was pure chocolate bliss. I looked up to see Luke smiling from ear to ear. Are those dimples hiding under that beard?

“What!?” I said. Glancing at his golden-green eyes.

“For such a tiny little thing, you sure can eat!” he said. “And drink,” he added with a laugh—his eyes seemed to be laughing too.

I giggled and felt oddly proud of myself.

“Tiny little thing? Hardly. I’m five foot eight. But next to you, I guess everything is tiny,” I said, pulling my second beer towards me. I noticed that he had hardly drank any of his.

“Not much of a drinker?” I asked.

“Nah, my mom’s a raging alcoholic, kinda turned me off of it.”

My pride fizzled and I suddenly felt silly.

“I don’t usually drink a lot,” I lied.

“Hey, you do you,” he said.

I shrugged and sipped my beer awkwardly, not wanting the warmth of the buzz to fade—my only solace on this long miserable day. The second beer had me feeling extra toasty and uncommonly social.

“What exactly do you do for Bill?” I asked.

“A little bit of everything… I’m kinda his right-hand man.”

“How long have you worked for him?”

“About 18 years, off and on.”

I did the math… he couldn’t be much over 30 years old. “18 years!? That’s child labor!” I exclaimed.

He laughed and took a sip of his beer.

“It was good for me, I started picking horse stalls in the barn when I was 12, kept me out of trouble and gave me a good work ethic. How about you? What do you do?” he asked.

I didn’t respond. I was too busy trying to figure out what right-hand men do on a cattle ranch.

“There are horses in that barn?”

“Yep,” he nodded.

“And you ride around on horses and wrangle cattle?” I asked, somewhat facetiously.

“Sometimes,” he said.

“Wow. So, you’re like a real-life cowboy?”

“I wouldn’t call myself a cowboy.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Cowboys wear silly-ass belt buckles and ride bulls to show off,” he said, shaking his head.

“You don’t wear silly-ass belt buckles?” I jeered.

“Nope.”

“Well, that's unfortunate because, truth be told, I was somewhat obsessed with cowboys and horses as a kid,” I said with a flirtatious grin.

“Sorry to disappoint.” He laughed. “And how exactly does a big city girl like you become obsessed with cowboys and horses?” he asked with a curious smile.

Yes, he definitely has adorable dimples.

“My nanny, Marcia. She is madly in love with Clint Eastwood. She met him as a kid and has been obsessed ever since. Most kids grew up watching Sesame Street but I grew up watching spaghetti westerns,” I explained as Bev brought out the ticket.

“That was absolutely delicious!” I said, my mood now genuinely improved.

“Glad to hear it,” she said flippantly and patted Luke on the shoulder as she handed him the check.

“Best of luck with your business endeavors, sweetie,” she said, emphasizing the words “business and sweetie,” then walked away.

Luke and I looked at each other and burst into quiet laughter as she walked away. I quite liked his laugh… when it wasn’t aimed at me.

“Everyone here is so damn polite, even when they don’t want to be,” I noted and pushed some cash toward him.

“That’s ‘cause it takes a whole lot more energy to be unkind,” he said.

I stood up to leave and all the blood rushed from my head. I sat back down hard.

Luke jumped up.

“You okay?”

“Yes, of course. I just stood up too fast.”

He extended his arm and pulled me up.

“Dinner is on me,” he stated, taking the cash from the table and pressing it into my hand.

“And you’re all so damn chivalrous!” I giggled. “Why, thank you, kind sir,” I added in my best southern belle voice while still hanging on his arm. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to use the powder room before our voyage.” I batted my eyelashes dramatically.

Luke laughed.

“You… are,” he said, then paused.

“I am what?” I looked up at him expectantly.

“You are something with a few drinks in you,” he replied, shaking his head with a chuckle, then pointed to the restrooms.

“I’ll meet you up front.”

In the bathroom, I washed my hands and hugged the collar of his shirt into my cheeks, inhaling its intoxicating scent. This made me suddenly very aware of how disheveled I looked in the mirror’s reflection.

I tamed my loose raven locks as best as I could and wiped away the smudges of makeup below my eyes, then plumped my lips and smiled flirtatiously at my reflection.

“Oh no!” I said aloud. “Stop it, Andy! Do not fraternize with the enemy!”

I had a way of falling briefly in love when I was drinking. Especially when I needed a distraction… I resolved not to fall in love that night but took one last sniff of his collar for good measure.