AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The cook shouts to Nina to pick up my food, but Silver walks out and waves her away. “I’ve got her.” She places my plate of chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes down, along with her plate of food, then pulls up a stool to sit across the counter. “Tell me to get lost if you’d rather be left alone, but I thought you could use some company.”
“I’d love some. So, your family owns this place?”
“My mom does. She’s run it for twenty-five years. I grew up in this dining room. She had me waiting tables in kindergarten.” Silver grins, looking behind me.
“Oh, quit your exaggerating!” The faint smell of cigarette smoke reaches me as an older version of Silver takes a seat beside me. “It was second grade.” She turns to scrutinize me. “You’re the new tenant.”
“I am. Calli Barnes.”
“Mona Mills. It’s good to meet you. I know you have Silver’s number, but if you have any issues, you’re welcome to come find me too.”
“Thank you. The cabin is adorable.”
“Isn’t it? I thought so too.” Mona leans her elbow on the counter, propping her chin on it. “When I bought it, I planned to live there.”
“You changed your mind?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t for me.”
Silver snorts and takes a bite of her sandwich. “You bitched about bugs, then spent two nights afraid to walk to your car after dark because you heard coyotes.”
“I am not the damn roadrunner. Living in the woods sounds good, but it turns out I’m a town girl at heart.”
“I’ve never lived in the woods or a small town. Indianapolis isn’t a huge city but it’s a big difference from here,” I explain, digging into my food.
“Culture shock for sure,” Mona agrees. “What brings you here? Do you have friends or family in town?”
“No, I just wanted a change. When I looked at the online ads for rentals, I saw your cabin and decided to go for it.”
Mona nods at Silver. “It’s like I told you when you were talking about moving to Nashville. People always think they want the opposite of where they grow up. City folks want to live in nature, country folks want to try the city.” She lightly slaps the counter as she gets up. “Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Welcome to town.”
“Thank you.”
She disappears through the swinging kitchen door. “Your mom is nice.”
The words are barely out of my mouth when Mona’s shout echoes through the diner. “Gary, what the hell did I tell you about leaving this stepstool out? I almost tripped over it! Are you trying to send me headfirst into the fryer, you asshole?”
Silver looks over the counter at me as I force down my sip of iced tea, so it doesn’t get sprayed everywhere. “Yeah, she’s a sweetheart.”
While I’m here, Silver would probably be a good person to ask. “Do you know of anywhere that’s hiring for part time work? Or a place to volunteer in town?” A job or a volunteer opportunity will be a good place to start if I’m going to build a new life here.
After pondering it for a moment, she nods. “The community center has a volunteer program. I think it’s mostly roadside clean up and yard work. Gray care is usually looking for people to hang out and spend time with their clients.”
“Gray Care?”
Silver grins, sipping her drink. “It’s actually called Golden Hours Day Center for Seniors. But it’s like a daycare for old folks so it’s gained that nickname.”
“Got to drop the kids off at daycare and dad off at gray care?”
“Exactly. What kind of work are you looking for?”
“Nothing specific. Something to get me out of the house a few days a week that’s not too demanding.”
“Well, the factories are full time only, but the grocery store and fast food restaurants hire part time. Actually.” She pauses and waves to her mother. “Mom, are you still looking for someone to help with the donuts?”
Mona is busy with a customer, but she nods.
“How do you feel about overnight work? We need someone to come in and help make the donuts. We had one employee quit, and another just had a baby so she can’t work as many hours. It’d be from about nine at night until four in the morning. I’m not sure what wage Mom’s offering, but I’ll check if you’re interested.”
