~
She jumped in surprise, before spotting a lanky freckled boy on his bike.
' Um, thank you?' She looked to the sky, before back at the boy.
" Well... would you mind helping me? I'll pay you for your efforts." He nodded happily and between the two of them, managed to get the place.
" Thank you, and here's five dollars." She reached into her pocket and handed him the money, which he grabbed and hurried off.
' Gran's Diner... what an original name...' Kat thought to herself as she entered the eatery. Slowly she approached the counter and rang the little bell.
" Hey hun, are you an out-of-towner? I don't recognize you." Asked a slightly plump woman with oversized fake eyelashes.
" Uh yes Ms...," Kat looked at her nametag, "...Carol. My name's Katherine, and my car overheated. Is it possible I could borrow your phone?"
" Sure sweetie, it's outside by the bathrooms, and here's the number of a garage in the next town. Addlerville is so small that if we need auto repairs, we just go there." She pulled out a piece of notebook paper. Kat thanked her and hurried out the side door, just as an old black jeep drove up.
~*~
Jason opened up the door and entered through the kitchen. Sure he could go through the side or the front door like all the others, but he liked instead to be behind the scenes with all the workers. It also made his son happy when he got to "help" Carol out behind the counter.
" 'Evening Carol, how are you?" he asked as she came into the kitchen to get more forks.
" Jason, don't mean to tell me it's eight o' clock already! I don't even have Benny's macaroni and cheese ready!"
" Don't worry about it. Jim warmed him up a hot dog and the two are playing 'Candyland' in the storage room."
" Oh. So he doesn't want my mac and cheese anymore?" Jason sighed jokingly and shook his head.
" How is it that whenever I try and help, you always come up with a loophole?" Carol smiled a yellow teethed grin and batted her huge eyelashes.
" That's just my way."
" Yeah... I think I'm going to go home and take a shower. Do you mind watching Ben for m-"
" I'd be offended if you didn't let me. Besides, it's a Friday, and only Jackie and Marge come in for the meatloaf tonight."
" You know, we really need some life in this town. I mean it's bad enough that you know who's going to come into your diner on what days." With that, he kissed her cheek and went to say goodbye to his son.
~*~
About fifteen minutes later, after fighting with one of the mechanics, Kat entered the diner weary and frustrated. The mechanic had said that they wouldn't be able to tow her car until Monday, and that they were backed up, so it might not get fixed for a while. Groaning, she hopped up onto one of the stools and put her head in her hands.
" Did you get a hold of the garage hun?" She glanced up and saw Carol holding a sleeping little blond boy.
" Yes I did, thank you, but they said they wouldn't be able to get it until Monday."
" That's too bad. I'd have my husband Jim look at it, or even my girlfriend's son Tommy, but Jim's bad with those types of things and Tommy's in Nevada."
" Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine."
" Hey, I know just what would cheer you up. Could you hold Ben for me?" Kat nodded and took the resting child into her arms. He was so soft and sweet smelling, and she could do nothing but stroke his flaxen hair.
" He's cute, huh?"
" That doesn't even begin to describe him... what's his name?"
" Benjamin Thomas, but Ben is what everyone in town calls him."
" Everyone??"
" Well here in Addlerville, everyone knows everyone. Ah, here you go. Coffee with cinnamon and whipped cream and loads of calories. I love to drink this when I'm down." Kat smiled in thanks and carefully adjusted Ben in her lap so she could sip her drink. It was hot and rich, and just what she needed to calm her angry spirit. This definitely wasn't how she had planned to start her impromptu road trip, but still... this split second of contentment was worth it.
~*~
" I'm sorry I'm so late Care! I was going to come straight back here, but I got a phone call and it lasted longer than I thought."
" I should say! Benny's sitting in one of the booths coloring. While you're out there, can you switch the open sign?" Jason nodded and walked into the big room. Smiling as he saw a hint of blond, he walked over. But instead of seeing his little offspring, he was met by a sleeping woman, her face just covered by her light hair. She was gorgeous. Of course he took her untidy hair and slight drool into consideration, but still. She even reminded him a bit of Emily... He knelt down and, despite his own wishes, pushed the strands away from her face.
A proper nose, full pink lips, feathery eyelashes, and high cheekbones met his eyes, so different yet oddly the same as his wife. Emily had always said he had a thing for blondes, and if his instant attraction towards this woman was any idea, she was right.
" Hi Daddy!" He looked over his shoulder and saw Ben walk up to him, his coloring book dragging on the ground. The beauty stirred.
" Shh Benny, right now we have to keep quie-"
" Is that Mommy?" His innocent question made Jason's heart hurt. How he wished his son knew what his mom really looked like, but this woman did have similarities.
" No, that's Carol's friend, now c'mon." grabbing his son's hand and pulling him out of the room, he looked questioningly at his older friend.
" Hey Carol, who's that sleeping in the booth?"
" I think she said her name was Katie, or Kathy, or something. Anyways, from her accent she's Australian like that Crocodile Hunter guy, and she's stuck here in town until Monday. Her car broke down."
" That's too bad."
" Yeah. She came in here about two hours ago and called a tow truck. Didn't I tell you about her?" When Jason shook his head, the older woman began to ponder.
" Maybe it was Jimmy I told."
~*~
Very slowly, Kat woke up to her arm being shaken.
" Wake up!" It was the little boy she had held a while ago, Ben was it?
" Hello there. Were you told to come get me up?"
" You look a lot like Mommy." Said Ben, ignoring Kat's question.
" I do? Was your mum's hair blond before she dy- I mean, turned red?" Was that a compliment to be compared with Carol? I mean, she was probably pretty in her time, but now...
" Mommy's hair was always blond. Daddy said so."
" Jim said that?"
" What? Jimmy's not his father," Carol said laughing, as she brought Kat a tray with muffins and juice. Ben, spotting someone moving in the back, quickly left so the grownups could talk.
" He's not? But, but aren't you his mum?"
" No, no. Jimmy and I have never been blessed with children. Ben here is Jason Scott's son."
" Jason Scott? Is he a relative?" With that, Carol burst into giggles, her eyelashes batting up and down.
" No sweetie, I not related to dear Jason. As you'll see if you stay in this tiny town, we're all close to everyone, but I'm especially close to him. His momma and I were close friends since before the boy was born, and after she died I took it upon myself to help the Scotts out."
" Oh, I see. And Jason's wife? What is she like?" Kat regretted asking as a dark shadow crossed Carol's face.
" Emily... she was killed in a car accident about 3 years ago. The entire town was struck in grief. Her death was the first of its kind in our town since the '80's, and it put such a hole in our hearts. And Jason, well, the poor dear was all alone with Benny. Of course the community helped, but what can you do..."
~*~
Jason listened sadly from behind the kitchen door as Carol depicted the town in mourning after her death. To hear this was strangely interesting, as Carol had never told him her perspective. It had been a very dark month after Em's death, only to be brightened by Ben's first birthday.
" Hi Daddy!" Oh he loved his son, but sometimes Ben needed to be quieter!
" Is there someone back there?" he heard the blonde say to Carol in her accent, as both peered into the darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Ah, soon Jason and Kat will meet... I hope to have the next chapter up soon, so watch for it!
Zee: What second part? Glad you liked anyway.
Cobalt-blue: Thanks for reviewing! I look forward to seeing where I take this too. By the way, the epilogue for 'Forever Blue' was pretty ambiguous!
Dagmar: Thanks!
~
She jumped in surprise, before spotting a lanky freckled boy on his bike.
' Um, thank you?' She looked to the sky, before back at the boy.
" Well... would you mind helping me? I'll pay you for your efforts." He nodded happily and between the two of them, managed to get the place.
" Thank you, and here's five dollars." She reached into her pocket and handed him the money, which he grabbed and hurried off.
' Gran's Diner... what an original name...' Kat thought to herself as she entered the eatery. Slowly she approached the counter and rang the little bell.
" Hey hun, are you an out-of-towner? I don't recognize you." Asked a slightly plump woman with oversized fake eyelashes.
" Uh yes Ms...," Kat looked at her nametag, "...Carol. My name's Katherine, and my car overheated. Is it possible I could borrow your phone?"
" Sure sweetie, it's outside by the bathrooms, and here's the number of a garage in the next town. Addlerville is so small that if we need auto repairs, we just go there." She pulled out a piece of notebook paper. Kat thanked her and hurried out the side door, just as an old black jeep drove up.
~*~
Jason opened up the door and entered through the kitchen. Sure he could go through the side or the front door like all the others, but he liked instead to be behind the scenes with all the workers. It also made his son happy when he got to "help" Carol out behind the counter.
" 'Evening Carol, how are you?" he asked as she came into the kitchen to get more forks.
" Jason, don't mean to tell me it's eight o' clock already! I don't even have Benny's macaroni and cheese ready!"
" Don't worry about it. Jim warmed him up a hot dog and the two are playing 'Candyland' in the storage room."
" Oh. So he doesn't want my mac and cheese anymore?" Jason sighed jokingly and shook his head.
" How is it that whenever I try and help, you always come up with a loophole?" Carol smiled a yellow teethed grin and batted her huge eyelashes.
" That's just my way."
" Yeah... I think I'm going to go home and take a shower. Do you mind watching Ben for m-"
" I'd be offended if you didn't let me. Besides, it's a Friday, and only Jackie and Marge come in for the meatloaf tonight."
" You know, we really need some life in this town. I mean it's bad enough that you know who's going to come into your diner on what days." With that, he kissed her cheek and went to say goodbye to his son.
~*~
About fifteen minutes later, after fighting with one of the mechanics, Kat entered the diner weary and frustrated. The mechanic had said that they wouldn't be able to tow her car until Monday, and that they were backed up, so it might not get fixed for a while. Groaning, she hopped up onto one of the stools and put her head in her hands.
" Did you get a hold of the garage hun?" She glanced up and saw Carol holding a sleeping little blond boy.
" Yes I did, thank you, but they said they wouldn't be able to get it until Monday."
" That's too bad. I'd have my husband Jim look at it, or even my girlfriend's son Tommy, but Jim's bad with those types of things and Tommy's in Nevada."
" Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine."
" Hey, I know just what would cheer you up. Could you hold Ben for me?" Kat nodded and took the resting child into her arms. He was so soft and sweet smelling, and she could do nothing but stroke his flaxen hair.
" He's cute, huh?"
" That doesn't even begin to describe him... what's his name?"
" Benjamin Thomas, but Ben is what everyone in town calls him."
" Everyone??"
" Well here in Addlerville, everyone knows everyone. Ah, here you go. Coffee with cinnamon and whipped cream and loads of calories. I love to drink this when I'm down." Kat smiled in thanks and carefully adjusted Ben in her lap so she could sip her drink. It was hot and rich, and just what she needed to calm her angry spirit. This definitely wasn't how she had planned to start her impromptu road trip, but still... this split second of contentment was worth it.
~*~
" I'm sorry I'm so late Care! I was going to come straight back here, but I got a phone call and it lasted longer than I thought."
" I should say! Benny's sitting in one of the booths coloring. While you're out there, can you switch the open sign?" Jason nodded and walked into the big room. Smiling as he saw a hint of blond, he walked over. But instead of seeing his little offspring, he was met by a sleeping woman, her face just covered by her light hair. She was gorgeous. Of course he took her untidy hair and slight drool into consideration, but still. She even reminded him a bit of Emily... He knelt down and, despite his own wishes, pushed the strands away from her face.
A proper nose, full pink lips, feathery eyelashes, and high cheekbones met his eyes, so different yet oddly the same as his wife. Emily had always said he had a thing for blondes, and if his instant attraction towards this woman was any idea, she was right.
" Hi Daddy!" He looked over his shoulder and saw Ben walk up to him, his coloring book dragging on the ground. The beauty stirred.
" Shh Benny, right now we have to keep quie-"
" Is that Mommy?" His innocent question made Jason's heart hurt. How he wished his son knew what his mom really looked like, but this woman did have similarities.
" No, that's Carol's friend, now c'mon." grabbing his son's hand and pulling him out of the room, he looked questioningly at his older friend.
" Hey Carol, who's that sleeping in the booth?"
" I think she said her name was Katie, or Kathy, or something. Anyways, from her accent she's Australian like that Crocodile Hunter guy, and she's stuck here in town until Monday. Her car broke down."
" That's too bad."
" Yeah. She came in here about two hours ago and called a tow truck. Didn't I tell you about her?" When Jason shook his head, the older woman began to ponder.
" Maybe it was Jimmy I told."
~*~
Very slowly, Kat woke up to her arm being shaken.
" Wake up!" It was the little boy she had held a while ago, Ben was it?
" Hello there. Were you told to come get me up?"
" You look a lot like Mommy." Said Ben, ignoring Kat's question.
" I do? Was your mum's hair blond before she dy- I mean, turned red?" Was that a compliment to be compared with Carol? I mean, she was probably pretty in her time, but now...
" Mommy's hair was always blond. Daddy said so."
" Jim said that?"
" What? Jimmy's not his father," Carol said laughing, as she brought Kat a tray with muffins and juice. Ben, spotting someone moving in the back, quickly left so the grownups could talk.
" He's not? But, but aren't you his mum?"
" No, no. Jimmy and I have never been blessed with children. Ben here is Jason Scott's son."
" Jason Scott? Is he a relative?" With that, Carol burst into giggles, her eyelashes batting up and down.
" No sweetie, I not related to dear Jason. As you'll see if you stay in this tiny town, we're all close to everyone, but I'm especially close to him. His momma and I were close friends since before the boy was born, and after she died I took it upon myself to help the Scotts out."
" Oh, I see. And Jason's wife? What is she like?" Kat regretted asking as a dark shadow crossed Carol's face.
" Emily... she was killed in a car accident about 3 years ago. The entire town was struck in grief. Her death was the first of its kind in our town since the '80's, and it put such a hole in our hearts. And Jason, well, the poor dear was all alone with Benny. Of course the community helped, but what can you do..."
~*~
Jason listened sadly from behind the kitchen door as Carol depicted the town in mourning after her death. To hear this was strangely interesting, as Carol had never told him her perspective. It had been a very dark month after Em's death, only to be brightened by Ben's first birthday.
" Hi Daddy!" Oh he loved his son, but sometimes Ben needed to be quieter!
" Is there someone back there?" he heard the blonde say to Carol in her accent, as both peered into the darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Ah, soon Jason and Kat will meet... I hope to have the next chapter up soon, so watch for it!
Zee: What second part? Glad you liked anyway.
Cobalt-blue: Thanks for reviewing! I look forward to seeing where I take this too. By the way, the epilogue for 'Forever Blue' was pretty ambiguous!
Dagmar: Thanks!
~