She decided to sit at a table this time, and Derek came over with a menu as soon as she’d seated herself. He didn’t make eye contact when she asked for a coffee. The one from Red’s hadn’t been enough. Instead, he nodded at his shoes and scurried off. Rainy took out her phone. The group chat had ten new messages. She’d look at them later; right now, she wanted to see if she could find an Uber. It was twenty minutes away. She was the only customer, and while she sat, nursing her coffee, she realized that Taured could walk in the door at any second. What would she do? She didn’t know, but the mere idea of seeing him made every hair on her body stand at attention. Even more disturbing was the possibility that she wanted him to see her. But what was she going to do about it? She sipped her coffee and stared at the door. When Derek came by again, she asked him where he went to school.

“I was homeschooled,” he said, looking embarrassed about it.

“You an only child?”

He looked startled by her question.

“No... I have brothers and sisters. I’m...the oldest.” He said it like it was a bad thing.

“You’re setting a great example for them by being responsible and working.” Rainy smiled, and for the first time he looked her in the eye. While she had him, she ordered eggs and toast and asked for her coffee to be topped off. When he brought the pot back, she asked how long he’d been working there.

He was skittish, trying too hard to be careful and seemingly in perpetual terror of messing up. “Just the last two months, since I graduated. My dad owns this place, so—” His voice dropped off hopelessly.

“He wanted you to learn the business,” she interrupted him, rolling her eyes.

He blushed. “Something like that.” Now that she was looking at him—really looking—she could see a resemblance, and not just to Taured. The wide shoulders, the height, the neck pushed forward. Is it in your head? she asked herself.

“Sometimes dads suck,” she said truthfully. He looked like he wanted to say something, but a voice barked his name from the kitchen and Derek’s head snapped toward it. A trucker walked in and sat at the breakfast bar, putting his hat on the counter beside him.

“Gotta go,” he said. “Be back with your eggs in a few.”