Rising (Anderson Special Ops #2) - Melody Anne Page 0,82

two in the morning.

“Good evening,” Joseph said as he sat one seat away from Mr. Melville. “I hear this place has the best peanut butter pie in all of the state of Washington.”

“You’d be correct on that,” Mr. Melville said with a smile. It was difficult to find anyone in the area who didn’t know who Joseph Anderson was. “I’m Buck,” he said, holding out his hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Anderson.”

“The honor’s all mine, Buck. Please call me Joseph.”

“What can I get for you Mr. Anderson?” Erin asked, proud her voice wasn’t stuttering too badly at basically having a celebrity in her place.

“I’d love a cup of decaf and an extra-large slice of peanut butter pie.”

“Coming right up,” she said.

Erin’s fingers were shaking. She’d been thinking about how miserable she was and then she’d had a great conversation with one of her favorite customers, and now Joseph Anderson was in her place. Both of them had gone through so much more than she could imagine enduring. And there were so many people in the world who went through a heck of a lot worse than her. She truly had nothing to complain about.

She came back with the pie and a cup of coffee, then resumed her place at the counter, leaning to take extra weight off of her leg. It was still sore, but she was much, much better.

“What happened?” Joseph asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

“What happened with what?” Erin asked.

“Your leg. I notice you’re limping,” he replied.

“Oh, it’s not that exciting,” she said. “I was foolish and running somewhere I shouldn’t have been, and I tripped and got a branch shoved into my leg. It’s much better now.”

“Ouch,” Joseph said. “I’ve done a few things like that in my lifetime.”

“Yes, we all have to make some mistakes to grow and learn,” Mr. Melville said.

The three of them shared small talk for the next thirty minutes. Erin went out to help another customer while Mr. Anderson and Mr. Melville talked about the good old days. Erin noticed two large SUVs in her lot with a couple of large men standing outside. She hadn’t thought that a man like Joseph Anderson wouldn’t be able to simply slip from his house in the middle of the night and show up at a diner without some sort of protection. Even though Joseph was a large man, he was also very famous and some people were incredibly jealous of him. She appreciated he was trying to hide his security, trying to just be like any other man in a normal world. She was probably safer than she’d ever been at her diner with his security detail outside.

Of course, having that thought made her think of Steve and his friends. She’d felt pretty dang safe when they’d been at her place as well. All of these people led exciting lives, and here she was standing still. Even Mr. Melville pressed forward, taking the next step in his life. And she was still at the diner. Her grandparents would be so disappointed in her. That was a thought she hadn’t had in quite a while. Was it time for her to move on? The thought of letting go of the diner broke her heart. But couldn’t she keep the diner and still go back to school? She wasn’t sure.

She moved behind the counter, hating that she was walking slower than normal. She chose to work the night shift because she loved the customers who came in — well, most of the time. Sometimes real jerks came in, but they were the exception and not the rule.

“Do you want refills?” she asked the men.

Mr. Melville put on his hat as he scooted from his seat and slipped his jacket on. “I have to get back home. As much fun as I’m having chatting with Joseph here, I know my body, and I’ll be asleep five minutes after walking in my door,” he said with a chuckle.

“I’d love to chat again,” Joseph said, holding out his hand. “It’s truly been a pleasure.” Joseph shook the man’s hand and held out his card. “Please give me a call sometime.”

“I’d enjoy that,” Mr. Melville said. Then he smiled again. “This night has confirmed I’m doing the right thing in moving to my new place. I’m looking forward to daily conversations. I think Martha will be happy for me.”

“I think she will, too,” Joseph told him with a suspicious gleam in his eyes.