Page 56 of Just Ten Seconds

Jackie scrunches her nose at him. “See how much I love you?”

He elevates his brows as he nods toward the dining room. “Babe, you’re gonna scare the customers with that voice.”

“Leave me alone. It’s sexy, and I sound like Scarlett Johansson.” She takes a swig of water, followed by a chaser of coffee. She plops down on a stool with a sigh.

With my arms loaded with plates, I walk past her. “You just relax. I got your tables today.”

I deliver plates to the tables by the wall. “Blueberry blintz, pancetta pancakes, and one spinach and feta omelet. Can I get you anything else?”

The table of three start eating without looking at me.

“I need syrup,” one of them says.

“And orange juice,” says another.

“Coffee,” chirps a third as they take bites of food.

I deliver Mr. Kenner’s scrambled eggs to a sourpuss face.

“Thank God, there’s no garnish. Last week, there was parsley on my egg,” he grumbles loudly toward the kitchen, lifting his fork in the air. “Nobody likes grass on their scrambled!”

I give him a chastising tsk. “Now, Mr. Kenner, why do you always give Nick such a hard time?”

“Change,” he states crisply. “That’s all these youngsters want to do. Change everything when some things are perfectly good just the way they are.”

“A little change isn’t so bad.”

“A little, my ass. Just wait until you get to be my age. You’ll walk down the street and not even recognize where you are anymore.” He looks around the table. He moves the napkin holder over and drops it with a dramatic thud. “This belongs here. Now, where the heck is the—”

Before he gets a chance to ask, I hold up a bottle of Heinz. “Here you go.”

It grosses everyone out that Mr. Kenner likes ketchup on his eggs, but it’s something we’ve gotten used to.

“Just the way you like it,” I say kindly.

He gives me a twisted lip, which is the closest thing I’ll get to a smile. I’ll take it.

“I don’t know why you try so hard with him. He’s just a mad old man,” Jackie says as I walk up to her at the counter.

I lift a shoulder. “I don’t know. You don’t think he was always this angry, do you? I think time changes people.”

“Like someone I know.”

I give her a deadpan stare, which makes her laugh.

“I know what to say to wipe the dumb expression off your face,” she says.

“What?”

“Your boyfriend’s walking in.”

I spin around to see Dean on the sidewalk, hitting the lock button on his key ring. The headlights of his blue pickup light with the horn of a car that’s just been locked.

Amanda is at his side, her hair in a messy ponytail, and her pink cast sways as she skips ahead of him to the front door of the café.

“Morning, Mara!” Amanda says, making Jackie rub her temple. Amanda looks at her with a mixture of confusion and concern. “Are you okay?”

“Too much Pepsi.” Jackie takes a deep breath.