I would like to thank a reader by the name of Master Peter, who provided the inspiration for this story. Peter had just finished reading my story titled,
Dominating Rachel
, and requested that I expand on the concept portrayed at the beginning of that story. When Peter contacted me, I had been working on a story that had an ending with no beginning. Peter's idea gave me the beginning to match that end. Many thanks for that.
*****
The young waitress hurried from the rear of the small diner toward one of the booths near the front window. Her long, chestnut-colored hair was tied in the back into a ponytail, which bobbed up and down with each hurried step she took. She was pretty, but not extraordinarily so. Her best feature was her caramel-colored eyes, although she hid them behind a pair of glasses with rectangular black frames. The round shape of her face gave the misperception that she was overweight, when in fact she was several pounds lighter than her ideal weight. She was so petite, she looked as though she could walk across an empty cardboard box without making a dent.
She carried a coffeepot in one hand and a tray of food in the other. She carefully set the tray on one of the empty tables nearby, and placed a plate in front of each of the two customers seated at the table. There was some conversation between her and one of the customers, and she apologized profusely and removed one of the plates, setting it back on the tray.
Appearing flustered, she snatched the tray from the table and started toward the kitchen before suddenly pivoting and returning to the table. Apologizing once again, she poured coffee into each of their cups, grabbed the tray, and scurried back to the kitchen. She hadn't yet noticed the customer sitting alone at a table in the corner. He, however, was watching her with great interest.
When she returned to the dining room with a new plate of food, she nearly stumbled over one of the chairs in her rush to return to the table by the window. She set the plate in front of her customer and apologized once more before turning from the table. That is when she noticed the handsome older man sitting alone in the corner. He smiled and waved to her.
"I'll be right with you," she called in a sweet voice.
Moments later she came to his table and set a menu in front of him.
"Good morning," she said with a bright and flawless smile. "My name is Dani, and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with some coffee?"
"Dani," the man repeated, "I'm Hunter. And coffee sounds good."
Realizing that she had forgotten to grab the coffee pot on the way to the table, Dani spun away from the table and returned moments later to fill his cup.
"You must be new here," Hunter observed.
"Is it that obvious?" she said, short of breath. "Yeah, I just started this week, actually."
"Are you a student here?"
"I just transferred here, yeah."
"From where?"
"A small community college in Indiana that I'm sure you've never heard of," she said with a smile.
"You going to Palm Beach State?" he asked.
She nodded. "Go, Panthers!" she said, pumping her fist in the air.
"What are you studying?" he asked.
She paused for a moment. She assumed this man was politely making small talk, but it seemed as though he were generally interested in her responses. "Education," she replied. "I'm going for my Bachelor's Degree, and hope to become a teacher, eventually."
"Oh, yeah? What level?" He seemed focused on her every word.
"Uh...I'm leaning toward elementary," she replied.
"That's great," he said. "I can see you as a school teacher. All the little boys would have crushes on you, I'm sure. That can be a great motivator!"
It took a moment for his comment to sink in, and she responded with a nervous laugh. She could feel a warmth in her cheeks, and knew it would make her look ridiculous. She always hated her chubby cheeks, and blushing only highlighted them. She placed a hand over her mouth and pretended to cough, obscuring a portion of her face.
"So...can I place an order for you?" she asked.
"Sure," he said, without glancing at the menu. "I'll take the turkey salad. With balsamic vinaigrette."
"Okay," she chirped. "I'll get that in for you right away."
As she turned to walk away from his table, she could almost feel his eyes on her fat butt. He looked to be at least fifteen years older than her, and yet she couldn't help but feel flattered by the attention he gave her. Everyone else in the diner treated her like a second class citizen, but he treated her like an actual human being. He was also handsome -
very
handsome. He had that "rugged" look that she found irresistible, and he clearly seemed to take great care of himself, physically. He seemed confident and assertive. She could feel her pulse racing and the sensation of butterflies swirling in her stomach.
"Just stop it," she whispered to herself. "He's just being polite."
When she brought his food to the table, he peppered her with more questions.
"What prompted you to move to Florida?" he asked.
"I figured it would be nicer weather," she said. "I wasn't expecting it to be this hot! I also figured that it would be nice to go to school so close to the beach. Of course, between my school work and this job, I never have time."
"Are you putting yourself through school?" he asked. Noticing the uncertain expression on her face, he added, "if you don't mind me asking."
She nodded. "It's okay. My mom works hard, but she can't afford to put me through school. That's why I spent the first two years at a community college, to try to reduce the cost of that degree as much as possible."
"That's very smart," he said. "I'm sure your parents are very proud."
Her smile suddenly faded. She excused herself and checked on the customers at her other tables. He continued to observe her every movement. When he finished his meal, she returned to his table.
"Is there anything else I can get you?" she asked.
"Not this time," he said, prompting an expression of confusion on her face. "I'll just take the check for now."
She reached into her apron and placed his check on the table. "Well, thank you for coming in today. Will we be seeing you again?"