By the time the lunch rush ended, Molly was exhausted, and there were still three more hours left in her shift. She’d always enjoyed cooking, but had never done it in a restaurant. No wonder. It wasn’t easy work. Still, despite the heat in the kitchen, she’d enjoyed the first half of the day, and on a positive note, she hadn’t been informed of any complaints about the food. So far, so good.

Trish, the head waitress, pushed the swinging doors open. “Hey, Mol. There’s a guy sitting at table four that’s asking to see you.”

“Me? Really?” It took Molly aback. Who could be coming to look for her? Surely not J.D. He couldn’t have found her already, could he? No. There was no way. “What does he look like?” She asked, trying to quell the fear.

“He’s pretty hot, if you ask me,” Trish said with a grin. That didn’t help. Plenty of women found J.D. hot. Heck, Molly had, too, until the first time he shoved against the wall and called her useless. Suddenly, his blue eyes weren’t quite as dazzling.

“Brown hair, kind of hangs in face,” Trish continued. “Green eyes. Clean shaven.”

Molly exhaled. J.D. had blond hair and a short beard. The man Trish described sounded an awful lot like Dak. What was he doing here?

“He’s got a kid with him, too. Looks about seven, blond. Says you’re his mom.”

“You’re serious?” Molly couldn’t keep the grin from forming on her face.

“Yep.” Trish nodded. “It’s slowed down out there, so go ahead and take ten minutes. You’ve earned it. Lots of compliments on the food today.”

“Thank you.” Molly untied her apron and pulled off the hairnet. No way was she letting Dak see her with that on. “I won’t be long.”

“No prob,” Trish smiled. “Who’s the green-eyed hunk, anyway? Come to think of it, wasn’t he with you yesterday when you were here? Is he your boyfriend?”

“No,” Molly said. “Just a good friend.” She hurried out of the kitchen and into the dining area, and sure enough, in one of the corner booths, sat Dak and Timmy. She walked over to greet them. “This is unexpected.”

Dak’s lips curled in a smile. “That’s the idea. We wanted to surprise you.”

“I didn’t even know where we were going,” Timmy said. “Dak just said he was taking me out to lunch.”

“Well, I’m glad he brought you here,” Molly said. “I hope you enjoyed your food.” She racked her brain, trying to remember what they ordered. The order tickets came in fast and furious over the noon rush. “Let’s see. You had the grilled ham and cheese, right?” she asked Dak. “With the fries.”

He nodded. “Yes, and they were very good.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve been told they’re a customer favorite here, and I didn’t want to mess them up.”

“Nothing to worry about there,” Dak assured her. “I’ve never had them before, so I don’t have anything to base it on, but they tasted great. Crispy, with good seasoning.”

Molly smiled. “Yeah, it’s kind of a secret what we season them with.” It was the first thing she’d been instructed on when she got to work.

“I had macaroni and cheese,” Timmy announced, causing Molly to laugh.

“You did? That’s a shock,” she teased. He ordered macaroni and cheese every chance he got. Perhaps she should’ve made the connection as soon as the order came in, but then again, plenty of people enjoyed mac and cheese. “Did you like it?”

“Uh huh!” Timmy exclaimed.

“He said it was almost as good as yours,” Dak told her, his green eyes dancing with amusement. “Then he found it was yours, and amended that statement.”

“Loyalty. I like that,” Molly said. “It’s very nice of you to stop by.” It was thoughtful of Dak, and she especially loved that he brought her son along. She was pretty sure she’d be smiling the rest of the work day.

“Can you take a little break and talk to use for a few minutes?” Dak asked.

Molly hesitated. “I’d like to, but I probably shouldn’t,” she said. “First day, and all.” She needed this job and needed to make a good impression.

Dak nodded, although the disappointed was evident in his eyes. “Sure, I get it. We don’t want you to get in trouble.” Just then, the door opened, signaling the arrival of more customers. “I guess duty calls.”

“Yes, ‘fraid so.”

“We’ll let you get back to work, then.”

Molly glanced at her watch, seeing that it was a little past one. “Only a few more hours,” she said. It would make for a long day, but she’d get through it. This little visit would help. “You’re still going to pick me up, right?”

“Yep,” Dak said. “Four o’clock on the spot, I’ll be waiting out front.”

“Great,” Molly said. “Thanks again for coming by,” she added, before hurrying back to the kitchen. Trish was already taking the orders of the new customers, and Molly didn’t want to keep anyone waiting.

***

IT WAS A LONG DAY, but a rewarding one, as well. Molly was more than ready to clock out at the stroke of four, but her fatigue aside, she couldn’t help but smile. She did it. In only the third day since she left J.D., she had her own job. She was earning her own money. She relished her freedom.

“Excellent job today,” Kelly praised as Molly prepared to leave. “I heard lots of good things about the food.” She smiled. “Much more than yesterday, when I was handling the duties. But hey, I didn’t kill anyone.”

Molly stifled a chuckle. She liked the manager’s self-deprecating sense of humor. “I’m sure you did fine, but thanks for letting me step in. I enjoyed the day,” she said. “Sure, it got kind of hectic and crazy at times, but nothing I couldn’t handle.” After a second, she added, “Well, I did burn one chicken sandwich.” Molly figured she might as well own up it. She suspected Kelly already knew about it, and had still praised her work.

Sure enough, the other woman laughed. “I assumed that’s what happened when the order was delayed, even though Trish tried to cover for you.”

“She did?” Molly made a mental note to thank the waitress the next day.

“Yeah, but I don’t miss much,” Kelly said. “Don’t worry about it. We ruined a lot more food around here the last few days when I had to try my hand as a short cook. I’m sure glad you came around when you did.”

“So am I, and I’m grateful you were hiring,” Molly said. “I really need this job.”

“And I really need a cook, so it’s a good fit all around,” Kelly said. “Maybe you’ll decide you like it and want to hang around longer.”

“Maybe,” Molly hedged. She didn’t want to completely rule out the possibility, but it was hard to envision staying once she could get the car fixed. Despite her sometimes rocky relationship with Dustin’s parents, if she had to start to over, she at least wanted to do it in a town where she knew someone. And it would be good for Timmy to be near his grandparents.

“Is there anything else?” she asked Kelly, “Or can I go now?” She figured Dak would be waiting outside.

“Just one more thing,” Kelly said. “I need you to fill out a W-2 so I can pay you. Things were so crazy yesterday, I didn’t get it from you then, but even if you probably won’t be working here for very long, I’ll still need your info for the tax man.”

Shoot! Molly hadn’t thought of that. She’d gotten away with registering at the campground under a made-up name, but she couldn’t do that here, not if she expected to be paid. “Right. We don’t want to upset the IRS.” 

She took the pen and form from Kelly and filled in her legal name as well as her social security number. As she handed it back, Molly tried to tell herself that it was fine. Even if J.D. cared enough to look for her, he’d probably start in Georgia. He’d never track her down in Endings, South Carolina, right?