Food, Questions and An Idea

Taking a deep breath, Gideon placed his hand on the door and pushed it open. The soft jingling of a bell positioned above the door sounded out as he stepped into Forks' most popular dining spot, Carver Cafe.

Closing the door behind him, Gideon turned, surveying the diner. It felt reminiscent of an old-school diner, but in an unironic way. The place had wooden paneled walls decorated with red string lights and framed pictures. In the far corner stood a long, light-colored counter with black bar stools, surrounded by a dining area with wooden tables and chairs. Various lights hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow.

Finding a table closer to the counter, Gideon walked over, pulled out a chair, and took a seat before picking up a menu.

'Honestly, it's not a bad selection of food, though it's slightly limited for the main place people come to eat,' Gideon thought, his eyes scanning the menu, noting particular options he'd be interested in trying.

"Evenin', hun. What can I get you tonight?" A gentle woman's voice spoke from his side. Glancing upwards, Gideon smiled as his eyes flickered to the name tag stitched to the waitress's clothing.

'Cora.' Gideon read, his eyes flashing with recognition. Cora was a short African-American woman with large, curly black hair. He remembered her from the first movie, where she had a couple appearances before disappearing from the franchise completely.

"Hey, could I grab a steak with mashed potatoes, veggies on the side and a large diet coke and a slice of apple pie?" Gideon asked.

Cora nodded, quickly jotting down his order. "Sure thing. Food should be out in ten to fifteen minutes." Placing her pen back in her apron, she flashed him a smile before turning and leaving.

Leaning back in his chair, Gideon slowly watched the customers currently sitting inside the diner. It was sparsely filled, with a couple families enjoying their meals, but the majority of people eating seemed to be men wearing trucking or construction attire.

Subtly flicking his eyes to the front corner of the diner, Gideon watched Charlie and Bella Swan sit in silence, each reading their menus.

Charlie Swan was the Chief of Police in Forks. He stood at a respectable 6 feet tall, with short black hair, brown eyes, and a full mustache, known as his signature feature. Sitting next to him was Bella Swan, the teen who became the catalyst for almost every supernatural situation in the following two years.

Isabella, or Bella, had a very pale complexion with long, straight, dark brown hair and brown eyes, and a heart-shaped face. Her lips were full, standing out unnaturally with her sharp jawline. Gideon could see the appeal that the large majority of males found in her; her features worked in a way that could unintentionally draw someone of the opposite sex in.

He couldn't help but snort internally as he watched the father and daughter duo interact in such an odd and awkward way, as if they were complete strangers.

'I guess they would be almost strangers. She barely saw her father in the last couple of years, and deciding to uproot your life because your mother wanted to enjoy spending time with her new husband would make the situation all the more awkward.'

Noticing Cora come back, Gideon turned away from his people-watching and focused on the meal about to be placed in front of him.

"Here you go. Steak, mashed potatoes with veggies on the side, and a diet coke. I'll bring out the apple pie when you're done with your meal," Cora said as she placed his meal on the table.

"Thank you, it looks delicious." Gideon said, picking up his utensils.

He wasn't lying. The food looked delicious, and Gideon finally understood why this was such a popular place to eat. Cutting his steak and taking a bite, his eyes lit up with glee as he quickened his pace and began devouring his meal.

Enjoying his meal, Gideon's mind wandered back to his previous contemplation while driving to town.

'Maybe I should start a business in town? Something to pass the time, but nothing that would be too annoying to deal with.' Thinking back to the businesses he had driven by, Gideon slowly made a checklist of stores the town already had, as he didn't intend on creating a competitive market and destroying someone's income.

'Pawn shop? Nah, that would need a lot of additional work. Plus, even in small towns, they're notorious for being broken into. I'd do a general store, but I'd need to hire a decent amount of people, find good suppliers, and deal with micromanaging everything. What about a bookstore?'

As soon as the idea came into his mind, Gideon felt a spark of intrigue and genuine possibility. He compared the business to the others he had thought of, and compared to those, this one seemed much more manageable and could be opened and closed at more fitting hours.

'I could create a small store that could range from a large stock of older, more classical, unique, or special editions of books. Maybe I could even bring in some newer books that I know would eventually grow in popularity. Make a portion of the store something like a library for people to come in and work or read in silence?'

The more he thought about it, the more he could see his idea forming in his mind. Wood-based furniture and bookshelves, set upon plush carpets. Soft lighting surrounded the store, creating a mellow atmosphere.

Before he realized it, Gideon had completed his meal, his stomach cheering happily from the delicious food. Cora, noticing he had finished, quickly came over and picked up his plates, before returning with his apple pie.

"How was it?" she asked, staring at the cleaned plates.

"Honestly, the best meal since I've arrived," Gideon said, subtly nodding to the fact that this was the first meal he'd eaten since arriving. "Sorry for the odd question, I'm not sure if you can help, but I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of a person who deals with real estate in Forks?"

Pausing mid-step, Cora tilted her head in thought before she nodded. "If you take the left turn right after Newton's Olympic Outfitters, there's a small office that will be able to help you. Are you looking to move to Forks?"

Gideon shook his head in denial. "I recently moved about 20 minutes outside of town, but I'm hoping to open my own store here if there are any empty businesses around."

"Oh, that's great," Cora said with a bright smile. "Small towns like this could always use something new. Any chance I can know what you're opening?"

"I'm thinking about a small bookstore. I noticed the closest one was more than an hour's drive away."

Nodding in understanding, Cora brushed her apron to clear the wrinkles out. "Forks could do with something like that, especially for the high school. I remember begging my parents to take me to Seattle when I was a kid to buy a book."

Gideon smiled, but internally he was cheering at how his random idea could possibly be something useful and interesting for himself and the town.

"That's all the input I need to check out the agency tomorrow, thanks Cora."

"No worries, and welcome to Forks!" Cora said before she noticed she was being called to another customer.

Gideon chuckled as he took a bite of the warm pie, savoring the rich taste that accompanied the food. Noticing that the Swans had departed from the diner, Gideon realized he'd been inside for longer than he intended, but the warm and kind atmosphere inside made him feel completely relaxed.

Taking the last bite of his pie, Gideon wiped away the crumbs around his mouth before standing up and fishing out his wallet. He placed down a hundred-dollar bill.

'That'll be a thanks for the food and conversation.' Knowing he had such a large amount of money, Gideon realized that he had to shed the mindset of being unable to pay for meals. If he could give someone a little extra money, he wouldn't be opposed to it.

Swiftly exiting the diner and entering his car, Gideon turned on the ignition and reversed out of the parking lot, directing his car back home.

'Plans for tomorrow. I'll go early in the morning to the real estate agent, hopefully to find some out-of-the-way location to begin the idea of the bookstore. From there, I'll need to scout out and see if I need to get repairs done and create my own business. Maybe I should find someone who can do the design for the inside.'

Humming along to the beat of 'Feel Good Inc' by the Gorillaz, Gideon had an exciting idea.

'Esme Cullen is known by the humans in Forks as an interior decorator, plus she pretty much designed all the Cullens' homes. This might be a way to meet a vampire!'

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