Page 121 of Property of Fang
“Sure.”
“Thanks, Daddy.” She tugs her hand from mine once we reach the safety of the pavement and barges past Loki’s legs to catch up to Jenna.
Darko scouts a booth table near the roadside to fit us all, and Loki snags menus from the service counter as we pass. I slide in last, Molly positioned to my right, Jenna to hers. Darko’s back on his phone, and Loki sits opposite me with the menu in front of his face. I swallow hard and grab mine.
A sigh punctuates the air to the right.
“Would you like a cheeseburger, hamburger, nuggets, or a mini pizza?” Jenna points out each option on the menu as she reads them to Molly.
Of course.Molly can read basic words, but not very quickly.Father of the year again.
“Hamburger,” she says. “And a strawberry milkshake.”
“Is that okay?”
I look right and meet Jenna’s questioning stare.
“She can have whatever she wants.” I get the feeling it’ll be one of the few times she does.
Jenna looks down, focusing on Molly again. “You get fries with your burger. What sauce would you like?”
“Ketchup.”
I stare at the menu, yet none of the words register. Swear I’ve read the sides list five times now.Fuck. Get a grip, boy.
“What you havin’?” Loki asks Darko.
“Same as always.”
Suave fucker slides out of the booth to go order for the both of them.Yeah, we’re good, thanks.
“What are you eating?”
Jenna sighs at my question. “I guess I’ll have the Waldorf salad.”
“It’s a burger joint, Freckles.”
“And I’m gluten intolerant.”
“Is that even a real thing?”
She glares at me over top of my daughter’s head. “Should we feed me a burger and find out?”
“Fine.” I lift the remaining menus and go line up behind Loki.
There was a time when there’d be at least two servers in here working the tables and taking orders. But the economy has been rough, especially in small towns, and it was an easy way to save money by letting the serving staff go and making the customers do the work. The weight of people’s stares is nothing unusual,almost a comfort as I wait my turn in line, gaze fixed on Loki’s patch before me. Any normal day, and I’d search out every one of the judgmental fuckers, pull up a seat, and stare right back at them until they were the ones to shy away. But I can’t be assed. Not when I’ve got a long night of wrangling two females ahead of me.
Molly needs her daddy to reassure her everything will be alright. And I need Freckles to reassure me I haven’t completely fucked our relationship beyond repair.
I’ve got a lot of apologizing to do and no idea on how to start.
Loki leaves with his order buzzer. I step up to the register and meet the blank stare of the young guy behind the counter.
“What table, please?”
Do my colors not give it away?“Same as the last guy.”
He taps our booth number onto the touchscreen. “And what would you like tonight?”
