After years of waiting tables in a truck stop and putting up with a boyfriend who did nothing but drain her of money and energy, her stomach and blood pressure had been a mess, and she’d been having trouble sleeping at night. Once she’d cut Darren and multiple pots of coffee every day out of her life, things had gotten much better. Now she had a one-cup-of-instant-coffee-in-the-morning-and-no-men rule and—other than a couple cups of high-test that left her jittery halfway through her drive east and that one incident with Drew—she hadn’t broken it.
Time to make a list, she told herself when the meager amount of caffeine she allowed herself started kicking in. Calling the insurance company had to be a priority, as was checking in with Butch at the garage. The insurance company would probably want an official report so, as Drew had said, she’d have to stop by the police station. She desperately needed milk. Rosie would expect her to show up at the lodge for a real welcome-home hug before the day was over, and she should stop in at the diner and see Paige, who was not only her sister-in-law, but her new boss.
The Whitford Diner first, she decided. Eggs. Bacon. Home fries. Raisin toast. It was enough to propel her into the shower and then out the door.
Where she lowered herself into the driver’s seat of Drew’s Mustang and stuck the key in the ignition. But she paused a moment before firing up the engine, looking through the windshield at the house she’d rented for who knew how long. It was small but tidy, with gray vinyl siding and white trim around the windows. There wasn’t much for landscaping, but the lawn had been mowed recently and she wondered by whom. She hadn’t explored the backyard yet, so she had no idea if there was a lawn mower lurking in a shed, if one of her brothers had done it, or if the real estate agent had arranged to have it done before Lauren took it off the market.
She’d felt pretty sorry for herself last night and before she rolled out of bed. She’d wrecked her car, her house echoed and she had to start a new job. But now she breathed in deeply through her nose and blew it out through her mouth.
She had a friend who cared enough to lend her his classic Mustang. She had a lovely house that wasn’t filled with somebody else’s stuff, but was waiting for her to find new treasures to fill it up. She had a family who loved her enough to make sure she had the bare necessities even though she’d told them she’d be okay. And, thanks to her sister-in-law, she had a job waiting for her.
For somebody making a fresh start, she had an awful lot going for her.
With a much better outlook on life, she backed the car out of the driveway and headed in the direction they’d come from the night before. She concentrated on shifting, making sure she didn’t grind any gears while getting used to the clutch. It had been a while since she’d driven a standard. Since the town hadn’t changed much, it didn’t take her long to get her bearings and, before long, she was pulling into the parking lot of her sister-in-law’s restaurant.
It wasn’t busy, but Liz hoped to chat with Paige a bit, so she took a seat at the counter just as the swinging door to the kitchen opened. A young woman who wasn’t Paige stepped out. She wore a Trailside Diner T-shirt with a little plaque that said Tori pinned to it. Tori’s dark blond hair was pulled into a short ponytail, and her honey-brown eyes crinkled when she smiled in greeting. “You want coffee?”
What Liz wanted was to dump sugar and cream straight into the full, fresh pot and down the entire thing, but she shook her head. She’d had her cup of instant for the day. “A small OJ and a large ice water, please.”
“So you must be Liz,” Tori said when she returned with the drinks.
“What gave me away?”
“Tall, with dark hair and blue eyes like your brothers, and you’re driving Chief Miller’s Mustang.” She laughed, pulling an order pad out of her apron pocket. “Plus, Paige told me you’d probably show up looking for breakfast.”
“Rose left me some banana bread and pumpkin muffins, but I need bacon.” She also ordered the eggs, toast and home fries to go with the bacon. “I take it Chief Miller doesn’t let a lot of women drive his car?”
Oh, that was subtle. Liz wanted to kick herself, but sipped her water and forced herself to look only mildly interested instead.
“I’ve never seen anybody else drive it, but I figure for your family, he’d make an exception.”
Right. Because Drew and her oldest brother were best friends. “A tree jumped out and crumpled my fender in the rainstorm last night.”
Tori laughed. “Hate when they do that. I’d have wrecked my own car, though, if I’d known that beast was available as a loaner.”
The cook yelled Tori’s name and she left to deliver a tray of food to a table in the back. Liz sipped her water, trying to pretend it was coffee and failing miserably. She should have scrounged up enough change to get a newspaper from the rack out front or brought a book to distract her.
“Is Paige around?” she asked when Tori moved within earshot.
“She’s off today. Mitch flew in last night to spend a couple of days, so she asked me to cover for her. Ava comes in for the afternoon shift, but you probably already know that. When are you starting?”