Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
“Absolutely. I’ll help.”
“You don’t have to do my job.”
“It’s my diner. That means it’s my job too. Everything is.” He smiled softly and got to work putting away supplies and wiping down the counters.
They cleaned up alongside one another with practiced ease, neither of them talking. DJ would have been worried about the silence, but he knew that was just Tanner’s way. He was a quiet, unassuming, but sweet guy. They hadn’t gone to school together because he was a handful of years younger than DJ’s twenty-seven, but before Tanner had inherited Jesse’s Diner, he had worked there, and DJ had been taking odd jobs at Jesse’s from the moment he was old enough to be hired, so they’d known each other for years.
“Everything looks great.” Tanner dried his hands. “Do you have a few minutes before Brewster needs you at the coffee shop?”
He took his phone out of his back pocket. “Yeah, I’m good. He told me to get there by eleven.”
Tanner nodded and then walked toward his office and DJ followed.
“Is everything okay?” DJ sat in the chair across from the desk.
Nodding nervously, Tanner bit his lip and then he closed the door, his back to the small room. “So, uh, I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything, but I overheard you on the phone.”
He grimaced. The last thing he wanted was for everyone in town to know about his problems.
“Sorry about that. It isn’t…” He didn’t want to lie and say it wasn’t what it sounded like, because frankly, it was exactly what it sounded like. “I won’t take a call at work again.”
“I don’t care if you’re on the phone, DJ,” Tanner said as he turned around and walked over. “But it didn’t sound good. Do you need help?”
“I have it covered.” It turned out he was going to lie after all.
“Do you need to borrow money?”
Borrowing money was exactly what had gotten his grandfather into this mess. He had been dead for nine years and DJ was still dealing with the consequences. Or more accurately, he had been dealing with the consequences since he and his sister had lost their parents and moved to Hope. Even back when he was alive and working, his grandfather gambled away more than what he earned. DJ started mowing lawns when he was nine to contribute to the household.
“I don’t need a loan. I appreciate the job. That’s all the help I need.”
“I’d offer you more hours, but I don’t know how you’d fit them in with everything else you do.”
Tanner wasn’t wrong. DJ worked at Jesse’s Diner most mornings, getting everything ready for opening, prepping for breakfast, helping the cook through the rush, and then cleaning up afterward. At night, he worked the counter or made pizza deliveries for Slice of Life. And in between, he took shifts at the Strong Brew coffee shop, Pike’s Grill, and anywhere else in town that needed someone to fill in.
“I don’t mind hard work.”
“That’s not what I meant. I just…” Tanner looked away. “Jesse was so much better at this,” he said quietly, like he was talking to himself more than to DJ. “If you need something, just tell me, okay? I’m living with Steve now so I’m saving money on rent. I can afford to help you.”
“The only help I need is your secret to landing that gorgeous man,” DJ said, mostly joking. Tanner’s boyfriend Steve Faus was hot. A little too preppy and put together for his taste, but definitely not someone he’d kick out of bed. The two of them had similar demeanors, both calm and hard-working, but Steve was twice Tanner’s size and nearly twice his age. They’d met through Steve’s son Mike, something Mike loved to brag about, and if he was drinking heavily, he’d also regale everyone with the story of how he set them up without their knowledge.
“I’d tell you if I had any clue how it happened. I assume I earned good karma in a past life or something because he’s more than I deserve and completely out of my league.”
He didn’t have all the details about Tanner’s childhood, but he knew that he had moved to Hope to live with his elderly grandmother just like DJ had lived with his grandfather. Neither of them had had much parenting and both of them had lost what remained of the adults in their lives when they were barely adults. They had a lot in common.
“You’re a good guy in this life, Tanner. You deserve everything you’ve got.” He stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans. “I’m going to take off. Thanks for the offer.”
“Okay. I’m here if you change your mind.”
“I appreciate it.” He stepped toward the door and put his hand on the knob.
“Hey, DJ?”
He turned back around.
“Do you think…” Tanner darted his eyes away, looking nervous. “I was thinking, if you want to, you can come over for dinner sometime? Steve’s house is much bigger than my studio was and there’s a full kitchen. I can cook there.”