Queenie's Cafe Read Online Free PDF Page B

as Carlos finished mowing and headed toward the barn. At one time, they’d worried about the storms chasing customers away from Mom’s little diner, but that was no longer an issue. Mom sold the business four years ago.
    He scratched Molly’s black head and the dog leaned on his leg.
    “Who was that on the phone?”
    Luke looked around to see his mother standing in the office doorway. “Earl. He asked me to work in his Vero Beach store for a few days while one of his people is on vacation. What do you think?”
    She hesitated before answering. “It’s up to you.”
    “You never talked about him when I was growing up.”
    “My grandmother used to tell me, ‘If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.’ I chose not to say anything.”
    “Is he really that bad?” From the look on her face, he must be, at least in her mind.
    “Go ahead, get to know your father. You decide what kind of person he is. Did you ask him why he never contacted you before I won that money?”
    “He said he didn’t know about me.”
    “He knew.” She said it so softly he barely heard her.
    Luke didn’t want to upset his mother, but he was curious about his father. Mom had never said much about him, except his name. She never spoke of their relationship, only that they weren’t married and he didn’t pay child support. The man owned a big flooring business with eleven locations scattered throughout the state. Surely he could have helped them out, especially during the lean times when Mom barely made enough to buy groceries.
    Luke hadn’t met his father until after he graduated from college. Aside from lunch a couple times, they’d never spent any time together. Working for Earl for a few days would give him a chance to know the man.
    “When do you leave for your cruise, Mom?”
    “Tomorrow afternoon. Judy and Meg are going with me.”
    “Well, that should be fun.” Just like his mother to treat her two best friends to a vacation. She was a generous woman, and she could afford to be generous these days.
    “Keep an eye on things here at the ranch, Luke. You don’t have to be here every day, but check in with Carlos once in awhile.”
    Carlos was perfectly capable of taking care of the ranch. “Will you quit worrying? Enjoy yourself for a change.” She’d spent most of her life working in a diner. Now she didn’t have to work at all.
    Winning the lottery changed their lives, but Mom didn’t spend much on herself. She gave some away and invested in other people’s dreams. That said everything about the kind of person she was. Luke had a lot of respect for his mother. She’d brought them through the difficult times into prosperity. Although she hadn’t finished high school, she insisted he get a college degree. And he did.
    Now they worked together in their own corporation. No more struggling to pay the rent, no more working long hours in a dumpy diner. They’d broken free of that life.
    <>
     
    Laura drove to West Palm Beach to pick up her final paycheck from the diner she’d worked in for the past few months. She’d spoken with her boss the day after Queenie’s funeral, and he’d already hired someone to replace her.
    Just like Dad had replaced her with Florence.
    Using the pay phone in the restaurant, she tried to call the man she’d been dating off and on over the past three or four months, but she got the recording. “Corbin, this is Laura. I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving town and moving back to Kingston.” He wouldn’t miss her. They’d dated a few times, but it wasn’t anything serious. He was at least ten years older, with thinning hair and a bland personality. He was a pleasant enough guy, but not someone she could see herself with for the long term. She’d never told him much about her childhood, and aside from telling her he was a salesman who traveled a lot, he didn’t talk about his life. She’d often wondered if he had another woman somewhere, but she’d never