Page 2 of Under Rusted Stars

“Hush,” she says. “Tony, Olivia is here.”

“Olivia?” he asks, peeking through the hot window. “Olivia! My goodness, girl! You’re all grown up!”

“I am,” I laugh.

“Well, why the hell did ya come back to this ol’ place?” he asks.

“I just couldn’t stay away from you, Tony,” I say with a sweet smile.

“That’s what I’m talking about, girl,” he laughs. “I’ve got you. Food will be up soon.”

I want to clarify what I would get, but I know they know. Daisy and Tony probably have the whole town’s order memorized. I’ve always wondered who this place will go to when Ms. Daisy dies. Tony is just a cook; she never married or had kids, so maybe it will just get sold off.

I am sitting here, trying not to make direct eye contact with anyone to avoid them talking to me. When hands cover my eyes, I nearly panic… Until I hear her voice.

“What’d I say if I found you 'round here in these parts?” a woman says with a dramatically low voice. I spin around, and Kate drags me out of my chair and hugs me so tightly that emotion surfaces.

Kate Owens was my high school best friend, but she was Kate Johnson back then. She’s married now, and I am so fucking happy for her. She married fresh out of high school like me, but Luke isn’t a piece of shit like Jason. They’ve been dating since diapers and are the very definition of couple goals. When I first moved, we spoke every single day. By the time Jason made me cut contact with everyone two years ago, we would go months at a time before talking again. It never mattered, though, because she and I can pick up the next day or years later. I have always known that when I was able to get back to her, she would be there.

I sniff back tears, and she pulls back and grabs my face. “I am so fucking happy to see you, Olivia,” she says. “I am going to feed you, pour alcohol down your throat, and make you tell me everything about your shitty husband. Then we can get Luke to bury him with his backhoe.”

“I’ve not seen Mom and Dad,” I say. “I haven’t spoken to them in… Fuck… Two years.”

“Girl, the whole town has been talking. You know Ms. Daisy loves you the most. She was so damn excited when you called her,” Kate tells me. She’s still tall, slender, with long blonde hair. Her skin is tanned, and she looks great. Time has done her well.

“Mmmm. I can only imagine,” I mutter. “But yeah, I called Ms. Daisy to rent her cabin. I didn’t even actually get to ask. She just kinda told me that’s where I was staying.”

“And if you think you are paying me rent, I’ve got another thing coming for you,” Ms. Daisy says, setting a plate of food in front of me. She sets another plate down in front of Kate, and I laugh. “What? I knew this little shit would be here as soon as you got here.”

“I’m also closing,” Kate laughs.

“Whoa! Ms. Daisy doesn’t work open to close anymore?” I ask.

“Nope,” Kate says. “When she had a heart attack, I told her I’d burn her diner to the ground if she didn’t let me help her.”

“That tracks,” I laugh and bite into my burger. Flavor explodes in my mouth, and I groan. “So good.”

“You eat up, baby. Take your time,” Ms. Daisy says, setting a key on the bar by my plate. “The cabin has everything you’ll need. I just had Paula clean it yesterday.”

“Thank you so much, Ms. Daisy. Seriously,” I say. “You don’t understand how much this means to me.”

“Olivia, baby… Do you know what brought me to Willow Creek?” she asks. I shake my head as I chew another bite, so she continues. “I fell for an older man when I was sixteen. I ran away from home, got married, and had a baby.”

“You have kids?” Kate asks.

“I’m supposed to,” she says. “Well, that man beat the piss outta me every day. One day, he shot me, shot our little boy, and then himself.”

“Oh my God,” I say. “That’s terrible.”

“I don’t tell you that to scare you, baby,” she says. “My point is, I get it. I get how hard it is to want to leave and actually follow through. I wasn’t nearly as strong as you are, baby, so hold onto that. Don’t let that man take any more from you than he already has. Okay?”

“I won’t,” I say quietly. She nods and pats my hand before walking off.

“No wonder she’s so damn grumpy,” Kate says.

“I heard that, Kate,” Ms. Daisy says, and Kate giggles.

“She loves me,” Kate declares. “So…”