"It's not like this is New York City or anything," Jeremy snarled back.
Susan turned to Dale and his dazzling eyes. "If you want a home cooked meal, go to Burt's Bar & Grill - it's not as bad as it sounds. And the only place to stay is the Lasting Hotel." She pointed down the road. "Follow this street, the hotel is on your left hand side and Burt's is on the right. You can't miss them."
"I appreciate your help. Both of you," Dale said looking over to Jeremy. "I'm sure I'll see you around town." His gaze found Susan's. "It's always nice to meet new people on my travels."
At the word "new" Dale winked and flashed a smile at Susan. She could hardly stand the chemistry that passed between them.
"Yeah, we'll see you at some point. That is, if you stay that long," Jeremy said.
Dale handed the spare helmet to Susan and she felt herself starting to slip away once more. Would you control your hormones! Your boyfriend is two feet away!
"Thanks," she said with a grin. "I hope we'll meet again." She climbed aboard Jeremy's bike and placed her hands around his waist. She wished it were Dale instead of Jeremy who was going to take her for a ride.
Putting the bike in motion, Jeremy wheeled it in a circle in front of Dale, who took a few steps back. "Don't get lost in our big metropolis . . . and if you want a drinking buddy tonight, be at Burt's at 11:00. I'll meet you there, okay?"
Not waiting for an answer, Jeremy shifted the bike into gear telling Susan to hold on, as she ventured one last look at Dale. He pointed to her and waved as he mouthed what Susan thought was, "See you later."
"What do you think of Dale?" she yelled to Jeremy.
"Seems all right," he called back, "although the way he looks at you is weird. It's like he's not really looking at you, but through you - or into you for that matter. Did you notice that?"
How could you miss it? Susan thought. "No, not really," she lied. "It's just your imagination."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
Jeremy put the bike into a higher gear, bracing himself to counter the on-coming wind. As their speed escalated, Susan held Jeremy's mid-section tighter and wondered how long it would take to get Dale to hold her this forcefully.
Dale watched as they sped off before heading toward town to find food and lodging. If things worked out (as he was sure they would), he'd need a room for several nights with a queen-sized bed, of course.
Sporting a cunning smile, he was soon passing stores with names like Lasting Hardware, Lasting Flowers and Lasting Sporting Goods. When he reached the entrance of Burt's Bar & Grill he surveyed the street he'd travelled down and laughed aloud.
"There's only going to be one thing that'll be lasting when I leave."
CHAPTER SIX
Olivia grabbed her work uniform and placed it in the gym bag. After checking herself in the mirror one last time, she bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen, where her mother was cleaning the stove.
"I'm off to work, Mom," Olivia said cheerfully.
"At 7:00? Burt knows you can't work past 8:30. Why does he need you for an hour-and-a-half?"
"Lucy said she'd be an hour late. Her son has the flu." Olivia grabbed an apple off the counter and started out of the room. "Don't worry, Burt promised I can leave at 8:30 and not a minute later. See you in awhile."
As Olivia went out the back door her mother stood motionless for a moment. "Was that mauve makeup she had on?" she wondered aloud. "Why would she want to wear that dreadful colour? Kids these days! If I'd worn that when I was her age, I'd be marked for life," she muttered, as she began to scour the stove top.
Olivia couldn't believe how nice it was outside or the great mood she was in. Wearing her ultra sexy lipstick and eye shadow, she had a new outlook on life. She hoped one of the customers would notice her not-so-subtle makeup. They seemed to be aware of everything else about her: the way she moved; her wiggle; her sweet voice; her ample breasts and her long legs. They couldn't stop looking at her before, so they would surely not miss her now that she was brimming with confidence.
Most of Burt's Bar & Grill's patrons were locals; farmers, small business operators, as well as teenagers who equated a night out with the purchase of a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake. On average, Lasting residents came in for a meal five times a year, a fact in which Burt took special pride. To him, service was the whole point of going out to eat. Unless the food was totally inedible, what most people remembered was how they were treated. If the service were lousy, that is what would be passed on to others for weeks to come, not the pork chops being a little on the crisp side.
As Olivia entered the dining room, she realized why Burt had sounded so urgent on the phone. The place was half full (which was twice as busy as usual for a weeknight), and it appeared that only Betty was on duty. Olivia walked into the kitchen and found Burt tending to several food orders.
"It's about time you did some work!" Olivia said playfully as she entered the washroom to change.
"I've been working since the day before I was born, Missy. Don't say that guff to me," Burt grumbled. "Get in that uniform and help Betty. Lucy swore she'd be here by 8:30."
Olivia reappeared, tucking and pulling at her uniform. "I think I'm getting . . . ah . . . big for this, Burt. Do you have any other ones, you know, a little bigger and wider in certain areas?"
Burt looked up and wanted to check his adult responsibilities at the door and let his hormones take over - at least until Betty came in with another order. It was plain to not only Burt's eyes, but to every red blooded male's who had stopped in lately, that Olivia's uniform was getting a little snug in a few choice "female" areas.
"Ah . . . yeah, I've got some bigger uniforms. They're in the back closet there. Pick one out after you're done tonight," Burt said, wiping sweat from his brow. He wasn't sure if the perspiration was due to the heat from the skillet six inches away or because Olivia looked like a goddess six feet away. Regardless, Burt was sweating pretty good. "You better get out there before Betty drops off her feet."
"Why is it so busy?" Olivia asked, pinning on her nametag.
"Don't know. From the number of suits out there, I'd guess a bunch of travelling businessmen decided they were hungry and got off at the first interchange they saw." As Burt wiped his forehead again, he saw Olivia's backside walk out into the dining room. "Man, if I was only 20 years younger," Burt growled at the sizzling meat in front of him. "Boy is it hot in here!"
Olivia and Betty figured out who would take which customers. Once this was settled, Olivia moved from table to table introducing herself as the new waitress, asking if everything was all right and filling up any empty water glasses. When she figured she had all her bases covered, she noticed a young man sitting alone at a corner table. Betty hadn't said anything about him. He must have slipped in unnoticed.
When she reached the table, the first thing she noticed was his incredible summer tan. "You must have been out in the sun a lot today," she said with a wide smile. When the man continued to stare at the menu, she took it that he wasn't the chatty kind. "Would you like to order or do you need a few more minutes?" Olivia asked in her best waitress voice.
From her vantage point, she couldn't see his entire face, but guessed he was a few years older than her. Without actually seeing his features, she wasn't sure if he was good looking. When he finally did glance up from his menu, Olivia almost gasped.
"I'll have the sirloin steak," the guest with the mythical features began.
Olivia was unable to speak for a few seconds. Her breath had been taken away by one look at the face of this - let's not mince words - this GOD! Olivia had heard about such men, read about such men, and even sat glassy-eyed staring at their pictures in magazines. Now here was one ordering dinner from her in Lasting! Betty is going to kill herself for not seeing him first!
"Do