Page 148 of Rags's Awakening
“I saved it for you. I had a feeling one of you would show up tonight. If only I could do that with winning lottery numbers, I’d retire.” She laughed.
“And walk away from all this?” Rags teased.
“Especially at times like this.”
She glanced over her shoulder when someone yelled out “Ma’am?”
“Hang on, a sec. Let me take care of this,” she said.
“No worries. Take your time,” he said.
He watched her hurry to a table with a couple and two teenagers: one glued to his phone, the other stared out the window, ignoring the adults.
“Hi, Rags.”
A soft hand brushed his.
He turned. “Hey, Julie.”
“It’s packed in here,” she said, pulling her hand back.
“Always is at this time.”
“I forgot that. It makes sense, though with parents getting off work and all, right?”
He grunted, his gaze drifting back to Maddie who waved him over.
“Table’s ready,” he said to Julie, heading that way.
“Remember how many times we used to come here?” she asked sliding into the booth.
He shrugged and picked up the menu.
“We used to order chili cheeseburgers with extra fries.” She smiled. “And share the double fudge shake. Do they still have it on the menu?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you come here a lot?”
“Yeah. This is our booth, and this special lady is our favorite waitress.” He smiled as Maddie put a cup of steaming coffee in front of him. “How’re you and the kids doing?”
“Good. They’re both in sports, so it keeps them out of trouble.” Maddie sighed. “They aren’t kidding about the teenage years. But I can’t say too much ’cause I gave my mom hell.”
“I guess I did, too.”
Maddie’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “You? I don’t believe that.”
Rags laughed.
“He was a real rebel,” Julie said, her gaze fixed on him.
“Was? I still am,” Rags said, lifting the coffee to his lips.
“And your mama still loves you.” Maddie laughed.
“He’s a lovable person all the way around,” Julie said, her stare lingering on his face.
“This shit’s getting too mushy. Bring me a bacon burger with extra cheddar.”
