The door chime rang as Aimee Jo walked inside, drawing immediate and unwanted attention in her direction. She tried to ignore it as the welcoming coolness of the air-conditioned restaurant provided instant relief from the baking sun outside.
The two men sitting at the counter turned in their barstools and stared a little too long, much to her dismay. One guy was tall and lanky and downright creepy, especially the way he stared at her with his mouth open. The other guy was short and fat and had a perverted smirk on his face that disturbed Aimee Jo even more.
They both kept staring at her, and second thoughts of going back outside entered her mind. She was used to men looking at her, but not gawking at her, and they were definitely gawking. She was never sure on how to handle unwanted attention, so she looked away, hoping that they would stop if she ignored them.
While waiting for someone to seat her, she focused her attention on the older couple sitting together instead. They were slowly eating and talking quietly to each other. They reminded her of Mr. Larry and Ms. Ella from her church. They were always so nice to her and treated her like one of their own. They were especially supportive of her these last few weeks. She could call them; she knew they would come get her right away, but she didn’t want them driving all the way out here. Besides, she could never go back home, not after last night.
While Aimee Jo searched the room again for a waitress to seat her, she locked eyes with the handsome man sitting all the way in the back. Their eye connection lasted for a few seconds before Aimee Jo shyly looked away, pretending she wasn’t just staring at him. She couldn’t help it though, he was cute. She glanced toward the back, just to get a second look, when they locked eyes again.
He was wearing a gray T-shirt that fit him like a second skin. Although she couldn’t see his entire body from where she stood, his muscular arms and broad chest clued her in that he was in good shape. His short hair and roguish stubble made it hard to determine his age, but she would guess he was at least twenty-five, but no older than thirty. He definitely was easy on the eyes.
She watched as he lifted his chiseled arm and placed it over the bench. He still hadn’t taken his eyes off of her. The serious expression he wore now made her a little less daring. Did she know him? Did he know her?
Aimee Jo continued to watch him. He didn’t smile, nor did he look away. He just kept staring. Unlike the creeps sitting at the counter, she liked that he was staring. She felt on display, but on display just for him. She considered turning for him, to let him see all of her.
It was like something out of the novels she read and the movies she watched. Guy sees girl across the room, at a lavish ball. They feel an instant attraction for one another as they slowly start walking toward each other. They meet in the middle of the dance floor as he takes her in his arms and begins to dance with her. They dance and their eyes never leave each other’s, and before long, the guy leans down and gently kisses the girl, and at that very moment she belongs to only him. While caught up in her fantasy, Aimee Jo took a step forward.
“Go ahead and sit anywhere you like, honey.” The waitress at the counter startled Aimee Jo out of her daydream. She retreated to the nearest empty booth next to her and immediately sat down. She looked down at the table, taking deep breaths, and not daring to look up to see if he was laughing at her.
After taking a few moments to calm her racing heart and allow the heat to leave her cheeks, she finally looked up and was relieved to find he was no longer staring at her, but looking at his cell phone instead. Maybe she made the whole romantic scenario up in her mind. After all, she was always being accused of having her head in the clouds.
But Aimee Jo had no time for daydreaming, not right now. She was in serious trouble. She prayed the troopers were good at their job and found her car. She could have sworn she’d locked it before going inside the store, but obviously she hadn’t. If she hadn’t have stopped, and just kept going, she would still have her car and she’d be almost to Mississippi by now.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head forward in her hands as she rubbed her temples. The pounding headache was still there. She needed that soda more than ever now.
The loud sound of clanking dishes jolted her back up, just in time to see the waitress heading her way. Finally, she could get her drink order.
“Excuse me,” Aimee Jo called out, but watched the waitress ignore her and walk right past her and head to the back where the good-looking guy sat. Aimee Jo continued to watch as he put away his phone and gave the waitress a smile. And what a smile it was; it made him even sexier if that was possible. Of course, the downside being that he wasn’t smiling at her, but at the waitress.
Aimee Jo watched as the two conversed back and forth like old friends in the quietness of the room. The waitress was definitely flirting with the guy, and that laugh of hers was driving Aimee Jo nuts. It reminded her of the school girls laughing at her when they would make fun of her, especially the rich girls. A spark of jealously hit her as she continued watching the flirtation between the two. If she wasn’t nauseated before, she was now.
One thing was clear though, what happened earlier was all in Aimee Jo’s pounding head. Now she was even more embarrassed by her earlier behavior. She shouldn’t be surprised though, reading men had never been her strong suit.
As much as the scene disgusted her, she couldn't help but watch. The waitress kept touching his shoulder and acting silly, and there he sat, just eating it up. Why should she care? It’s a free country and they were allowed to flirt if they wanted to. But did they have to do it now? Maybe if he would stop trying to score with the waitress, she could do her job and remember that she still hadn’t taken her drink order, Aimee Jo thought to herself.
It was as if he heard the ramblings in her head, because before she had time to look away, he was staring at her again. He was no longer smiling, and to Aimee Jo’s shock, the waitress turned to look at her too.
Aimee Jo quickly turned her head to look out the window again, but so quickly that the pain became worse and the heat in her cheeks returned. Any minute now and she might be sick. They were talking about her, but why? She didn’t know them. Were they judging her? Was her dress okay? Was she looking slutty again? The bitter phrases of the past were suddenly haunting her.
“What can I get ya?” the waitress asked, and by her persnickety tone, Aimee Jo could tell she wasn’t too happy to be waiting on her.
“I’ll just have a Coke, please, with lots of ice.” Aimee Jo looked at the menu that was placed in front of her but pushed it aside as thoughts of food made her nausea worse.
“Sure, honey, I’ll be right back.” The waitress left the menu anyway and headed back to the counter.
Aimee Jo glanced toward the back of the room and noticed the guy was eating his meal with gusto and wearing a huge grin on his face. He glanced up at her for a split second and winked.
Time ticked by as she sipped her soda and stared back and forth between the clock above the counter and the empty parking lot through the window. It had almost been an hour now since the trooper had taken off and still no word. Occasionally, she would look up and steal glances at the guy in the back, only to look away again when he would catch her.
Once, before she could look away fast enough, their eyes had met and she could have sworn she saw him grin and wink at her again. She wouldn’t lie— a part of her loved the attention he seemed to be giving her now and not giving the waitress. But the waitress was sure giving it her best shot. While Aimee Jo would have to practically tackle the waitress to get a refill, the cute guy in the back never went with an empty glass.
Movement outside distracted her from the flirting, and that’s when she noticed the trooper’s car pulling up. She practically jumped from her seat and grabbed the ticket the waitress had left on the table. She only had a hundred-dollar bill and didn’t want to break it over a dollar-fifty soda, so she scrounged around in her wallet for enough change to pay and leave a small tip. By the time she finally found enough change, the trooper was standing beside her.
“Did you find my car?” she asked, knowing from the look on his face that the answer wasn’t going to be good.
“Yes, ma’am, we did, but I’m afraid it’s in pretty bad shape.”
“How bad of shape?” Aimee Jo asked, her voice going from excited to meek in a split second. She wasn’t happy with the serious expression on his face. It was a familiar expression that Aimee Jo had seen too many times in her life. She knew the news wasn’t going to be good.
“I am very sorry, ma’am, but I am afraid the vehicle is completely totaled.”
Aimee Jo thought she was prepared to hear the bad news, but she really wasn’t. She just kept shaking her head, in denial about what he was saying. “Are you sure it’s my car?” she said, hoping he was wrong.
“Yes, ma’am, we verified the plates. I’m sorry.” He stood beside her, giving her space and a moment to collect herself.
Aimee Jo didn’t know what to do. Part of her was ready to cry, while another part of her wanted to laugh. At any moment, she would probably be hysterical and the trooper would have no choice but to lock her up.
You’re crazy. They will never believe you. The voices in her head taunted her as she fought to remain calm and stay focused.
The trooper touched her shoulder, bringing her back to the present situation. He had a look of real concern for her, almost like a fatherly concern. What she wouldn’t give to have a father right about now. A real father to give her a hug and tell her that everything would be okay. “Are you okay, miss?” He released her shoulder when she finally looked at him.
If it wasn’t for bad luck, Aimee Jo doubted she would have any luck. So, her car was toast, but what about her belongings? Suddenly, she had a glimmer of hope. “What about my things? Is my stuff still inside the car?” she asked, hopeful that maybe he had some good news for her.
“Not much, I’m afraid. Many of your things were thrown from the car. That is how we found the vehicle in the first place. We got a report of someone tossing things out of a vehicle along the highway. Then we found it abandoned a few miles later in a ditch on a side road. Whoever stole your car was long gone by the time we got there. We did find your suitcase and we picked up as much as we could. What we could gather is in the trunk of my car,” he said, motioning his head to outside.
Aimee Jo put on a brave face as the trooper stepped back to allow her to walk ahead of him as they headed outside, silently praying to herself. “Please, oh God, please let my stuff be okay. I will use some of the money to buy another car, or a bus ticket. Please, dear Lord, just please let the money still be there.”
When the trooper opened the trunk of his car, Aimee Jo immediately recognized her monogrammed lavender suitcase. It was dirty and scraped up some, but still appeared to be in good shape. She didn’t hesitate as she quickly started unzipping it. Maybe for once, luck was on her side.
Once it was open, all hope was shattered. The once jam-packed suitcase was now almost empty. A few articles of clothing and her meemaw’s bible were all she could see—a few clothes, no makeup, no jewelry, and no tampon box. They had found the money and now she was really going to be sick.