~~~
I spent most of the day watching television and thinking about Duncan. He was coming over tonight when I was finished at the diner, and all three of us were going to try and videotape some more ghost activity. Nathan now believed it was really a poltergeist and was even talking about hiring an expert to help us.
Nathan dropped me off at the diner just before four o’clock. It was busy and the waitress who was supposed to train me, Susan, appeared stressed out.
“Just follow me around for now and when it slows up, I’ll go over the menus and tickets,” she said, stepping around me with a tray full of food.
“Okay.”
I followed her to a busy table while other customers tried getting her attention. She handed out the food and then I followed her back to the counter, where she handed me a coffeepot.
“Better idea, why don’t you just go around and see if any of my tables need coffee or soda refills?” she said, pointing to her section.
Unfortunately, it never did slow down and I spent most of my time following her around or refilling beverages. At the end of the night, my feet were sore, but Susan had shared some of her tips, so I was happy.
“Sorry the training sucked today,” she said, removing her apron. “We’ve been so busy ever since Amy…” she looked away.
I nodded. “I understand.”
She turned back to me and her eyes were moist. “She was a good friend. It’s going to be hard to replace her.”
“I doubt I could ever replace her,” I said. “In fact, she was the one who gave me the application in the first place.”
“Listen, if you can stay a little later tomorrow night, I’ll go over everything else with you that we missed during our shift. Friday evenings are always busy, so plan on being here, late.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Just remember two of the most important rules: the customer is always right, even when they’re wrong, and to always smile, even when you want to slit their throats. Especially the super picky customers.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
She stared at me for a minute.
“What?” I asked.
“You know, you look very similar to Amy. Different color hair, but your features are similar.”
My cell phone began to vibrate.
“It’s my ride,” I told her and answered the phone.
“Hi,” said Nathan. “My car won’t start.”
“What do you mean?”
He sighed. “The battery must be dead or something. I’m trying to get ahold of Duncan, to see if he can give you a ride home.”
“What about mom?”
“I can’t find her keys anywhere. Caleb’s already picked her up, and she forgot her cell phone here on the counter.”
“Great. Okay, let me know if you talk to Duncan. I’ll just hang out here for a while.”
I hung up the phone and Susan tapped me on the shoulder. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to listen in but… do you need a ride?”
“I might.”
“My brother should be here in a half hour. I’m sure he’ll give you one.”
I smiled. “Thanks. I can’t wait until I get my own car. Relying on someone else for a ride all the time is so frustrating.”
“I know. I’m going outside to have a smoke, you want to join me?”
“I don’t smoke but I’ll come out with you”
We both grabbed a couple of sodas and I followed her out the back door of the diner where there was a picnic table. We sat down in the darkness and she cleared her throat. “At least it’s a nice night. The moon is full and there aren’t any clouds.”
It was true; the stars were bright and it was a little cool outside, so we weren’t getting bitten up by mosquitoes. It seemed really peaceful, although I kept thinking about Amy and her warnings about how dangerous it was at night in Shore Lake.
Susan lit up a cigarette and took a long drag. “Oh, man, I needed that.”
“So… you were friends with Amy?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said, looking away. “I still can’t believe she’s gone.”
“She seemed really nice when I met her.”
Susan looked at me and nodded. “She was a sweetheart. Her boyfriend, though, he was scary. I’m glad she dumped him.”
“She had a boyfriend?”
She blew out another stream of smoke. “Yeah, Ethan. He hangs out here sometimes at night with his crew. They’re all kind of freaky if you ask me.”
“Why, what do you mean?”
Susan shrugged. “I don’t know; there’s just something strange about them. They come in here, hardly saying a word to each other. They just sit and stare at us, sipping their coffee. Ethan is the scariest. He’s cute, but there’s something about him that makes me nervous. He has these penetrating blue eyes that give me the creeps. Anyway, I really hate serving them, but they’re paying customers, so we can’t exactly kick them out.”
I cleared my throat. “Weird. So, why did she break up with this Ethan guy?”
She laughed. “Amy always had quite the imagination. Everyone thought she was a little… nuts, and maybe, she really was. I mean, she did kill herself. Anyway, she once told me she thought he was a vampire.”
“What?” I choked on my diet soda.
“I know, right?” she smirked. “A freakin’ vampire! Although, if I did believe in vampires, he’d be the first on my list of suspects.”
My throat was really dry as I took another sip of soda. First Abigail, and now Amy; both believed there were vampires roaming the town.
“We’d better go back into the diner,” she said, putting out her cigarette. “My brother will be here soon. I’ll see if he can give you a ride.”
My cell phone went off again as we entered the diner.
“It’s Nathan,” said my brother. “Duncan’s coming to pick you up.”
“Great, thanks,” I said.
“Make sure he brings you straight home. Don’t go jumping his bones or anything.”
“Ha-ha. You are such a comedian.”
He laughed and hung up.
“I’m getting a ride from a friend,” I told Susan. “Thanks for the offer, though.”
“No problem. Oh, my brother’s here,” she said, looking at her phone. “He just texted me. I’ll see you tomorrow, at four o’clock again?”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
After she left, I sat down at one of the booths, to finish my soda and wait for Duncan. As I watched the front door, a group of kids around my age walked through. One of the other waitresses seated them.
“Same as usual?” asked the older waitress, who I’d met earlier. Her name was Darlene and she was close to retiring.
“Just coffee,” said a broad-shouldered, dark-haired guy, ordering for everyone. He handed her back the menu and our eyes met.
Embarrassed, I looked away quickly and stared outside at the parking lot, watching for Duncan.
Before I could blink, someone slid into my booth and I was suddenly facing the stranger whose eyes I’d just met.
“Um, hi,” I said, sitting up straighter.
“Um, hi, yourself,” he said with a slow, lazy grin.
Oh wow…
“I’m Nikki,” I replied, feeling myself blush at the intense way he was staring at me. I knew it had to be Amy’s ex-boyfriend, and he was undoubtedly gorgeous. He had thick, dark eyebrows with icy blue eyes; his face was perfectly sculpted with high cheekbones and a strong chin. His lips… they were sensual and even fuller than mine.
“You’re new in town?”
“Yes,” I replied, now studying his face more closely. He was definitely a little pale, which reminded me of the fact that Amy had accused him of being vampire. As I stared at him, I reasoned that most girls my age would have swooned at such a good-looking guy, but after everything that had happened the last few nights, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.
“Welcome to Shore Lake,” he replied, looking into my eyes again
.
“Thanks.”
It was weird, but we sat there and stared at each other for a while without talking. Soon, I started feeling a heat somewhere inside of my belly that turned into an overwhelming ache of desire, further south.
“I, ah…” My heart was pounding in my chest and I felt a strong urge to touch him. It was almost overwhelming.
“Nikki,” interrupted Duncan, standing next to our table. “Are you ready to go?”
I looked at Duncan and the spell, or whatever it was, was broken. “Yeah,” I said. “I’m ready.”
“Goodbye, Nikki,” said Ethan, with a small grin. “I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
“Goodbye,” I murmured, looking away. I was confused at the intense rush of desire I’d had for Ethan. He was a total stranger. How did that even happen?
“Who was that?” asked Duncan as he followed me out to his truck.
I don’t know how I knew, but there was no doubt in my mind that Ethan was still staring at me through the window. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. “You might think I’m crazy, but I’m pretty sure he was a vampire.”