Chapter 23

Deja and Mort had been living together for 13 days now and things were running smoothly. She'd told her mother about it and she took it pretty well. She couldn't wait until she finally got the chance to meet Mort. She'd spoken with him over the phone a few times, but that wasn't enough.

Deja loved living with Mort but, there were a few bad habits she was learning to deal with. But she figured she had to be getting on his nerves about some things as well.

Sitting around the house was driving her nuts. She and Mort had discussed her getting a part time job before she went back to school in the fall. She had already checked out the local college and their programs. She could work and go to night school once classes started.

Mort had taken a trip to the city to meet with his literary agent and Deja was bored. She decided to drive into town and see where she could fill out applications. She enjoyed working at the diner back home, so her first stop was at a small place called 'Dale's Diner.'

She sat down on the bar stool and waited for the waitress to come over. A short, heavyset woman of about 50 made her way over to Deja.

"What can I get ya?" she asked.

"Actually, I wanted to know if you all were doing any hiring?"

"Not at the moment. We just hired our newest girl about three weeks ago. I hear they need someone over at 'The Lounge' though." She pointed out the window to a small bar across the street.

"Thanks," Deja said. She left the diner and made her way to 'The Lounge.' It was very dark inside. The door slammed shut behind her and the only two customers in the place stared directly at her.

"Sorry," she winced.

She walked up to the bartender and asked for the manager. After a few minutes passed, a very attractive man came out. He was about six feet tall, had short blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes.

"Hi," he said, shaking her hand, "I'm Todd Baker, the owner. Ralph said you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, I'm Deja Brown and I just wanted to know if you all were doing any hiring?"

"Yeah, actually we are. I'm looking for a waitress and bartender." He gave her the warmest smile. Deja immediately felt at ease with him.

"Well, I don't bartend, but I'm pretty good waitress," she said, smiling.

"You have a beautiful smile, if you don't mind me saying."

"Thanks." Deja could feel her face growing hot with embarrassment. She wasn't used to men being so forward with her. "So," she said, trying to take attention away from his last comment, "can I fill out an application?"

"That's not necessary."

"Why not?" she asked.

"I've had that 'Now Hiring' sign outside for three weeks straight and you're the first person to inquire about it. You've got the job."

"Just like that?" Deja had to be sure she was hearing correctly, this seemed too good to be true.

"Yep, just like that." He gave her a sweet smile. "When can you start?"

"Well, I hadn't really thought about it," she admitted, "I wasn't really expecting to get hired today."

"Let's see," he started, "today is Tuesday...if you could come back on Thursday we could start the training process. My sister, Lilly, works her shift that night and she is the best at training newcomers."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Deja replied excitedly.

"See you around 4 pm then, Deja?" Her name seemed to roll off his tongue like butter. The way he said it was so smooth. She wasn't sure if it was a wise choice to take a job with him as her manager. She figured their was only way to find out, and that was to take the job.

"Yeah, that'll work."

They shook hands again and Deja made her way to the door. She glanced behind her as she walked out and Todd was still watching her.

Deja was lying on the floor doing her pilates workout when Mort walked in. It was about 9 pm and he looked completely exhausted. He was glad to finally be home.

"Hey, sweetie," Deja said, as he laid his things down by the door.

"Hi," he answered.

"How was the meeting with your agent?"

"Good. She likes the direction the book is taking and thinks it'll be a hit," he said, smiling at her.

She did the last of her excersizes and joined Mort in the kitchen. "There's some baked chicken, asparagus, and mashed potatoes in the fridge," she said.

"You cooked?" he asked, obviously surprised.

"Don't be so shocked, I do have some skills," she laughed. "Oh and I've got some more good news."

"And what would that be?" Mort began removing the leftovers from the refrigerator and piling them onto a plate.

"I got a job!" A huge smile spread across Deja's face.

"Where?" Mort was now very interested in what Deja was saying. He couldn't believe she was able to find work so fast.

"This place in town called 'The Lounge.' Ever heard of it?"

"Yeah," he said, "I've been there a few times. What are you doing there?"

"Waitressing. And I start in two days. Todd Baker, the manager, really needed some help and I guess I came by at the right time."

Todd, that name sparked a memory for Mort, but he couldn't quite picture a face. He took his plate out of the microwave, sat it on the table and began eating. Todd? Why did that name sound so familiar to him? The last time he'd been to 'The Lounge' was about four years ago and Sheriff Newsome's brother, Alvin, was the owner then. He passed away a little over six months ago, and that's when this Todd guy must've taken over.

"You're mighty quiet," Deja said, breaking Mort's train of thought. "What's on your mind?"

"Oh... I was just wondering where I'd heard the name Todd Baker before. It sounds so familiar."

"He looks like he might be around your age, a few years younger maybe. It's possible you hung out in the same places in town," Deja offered.

"Yeah, I guess that could be it." Mort decided he'd take Deja in to work on her first day so he could see for himself who this guy was.

It was 3:30 on Thursday afternoon and Deja was finishing getting dressed. Mort told her he'd take her in to work that night and pick her up. She didn't mind since this was her first day. She was a little nervous and would need someone to talk to on the way there.

Deja ran down the stairs, put her jacket on and waited for Mort to finish eating his sandwich. It was now 3:45 and Mort still wasn't ready. Deja was becoming agitated. "Are you ready?" she yelled.

He came into the living room with a can of soda in his hand. "It only takes like ten minutes to get into town, why are you in such a rush?" he questioned.

"I do not want to be late on my first day. Let's go," she said, pulling on his free arm.

Mort put his coat on, grabbed the car keys and they headed out the door. Ten minutes later they were parked in front of 'The Lounge.' Deja leaned over to give Mort a kiss good-bye, but he told her he'd walk her in.

"Hi Deja," Todd said, smiling as he saw Deja make her way over to the bar where he stood.

"Hi Todd." Mort followed behind Deja. "This is my boyfriend, Mort Rainey," she said, stepping to the side to allow the two men to shake hands.

Suddenly it hit Mort. He did know this guy. He'd had a minor run in with him a few years back.

Todd and Amy had become acquaintances towards the beginning of her and Mort's marriage's downfall. Todd worked at the library and Amy would go there to clear her mind and read. Mort found her activities very suspicious and began to follow her. He thought she may have been cheating on him with Todd, but things turned out to be innocent.

One night while waiting for Amy to leave the library, he saw Todd walking her to her car. They hugged and the sight infuriated Mort. He leapt out of his car, planning to make mince meat out of Todd. When he was about to go in for the blow, he saw the tears in Amy's eyes. She'd been crying. Todd was just trying to be a good friend. He was actually sending her home to try and talk to Mort. Amy was upset with the way things were going with Mort and needed a friend to talk to. That friend happened to be Todd Baker. Mort apologized for roughing Todd up, took Amy home and had a long talk with her. Things were better between the two for a while, but as quickly as things went up, they went back down. Only this time Amy turned to Ted. And it was more than friendly.

Mort reached out to shake Todd's hand. Todd had an uneasy look about him, but he tried to put his best face forward, for Deja's sake. She obviously had no clue the two men knew each other and he didn't want to be the one to tell her of the mishap.

"Nice to meet you," Todd said.

"You too," Mort replied.

Since neither of the men made mention of it, Deja figured they didn't know one another. Turning to Mort, she said, "Well, I probably need to get started. You'll pick me up tonight?"

He nodded his head and she gave him a kiss good-bye. Mort walked out the door and Todd introduced Deja to his sister, Lilly.

It was almost closing time, and Deja had really gotten the swing of things. Working at 'Lucy's' was a big help to her. She really liked the crowd here and they were pretty good tippers. She couldn't wait to tell Mort all about her first day on their way back to the cabin.

After all the customers had gone home for the night, Lilly, Deja, Todd, and two others began to close up. Todd had assured Deja it only took about 30 minutes to clean up everything so she decided to call Mort and tell him to be on his way.

After four rings, the answering machine picked up. Deja left a message for Mort to come get her, hung up and tried calling again. Again, the machine picked up. She hoped he'd get the message before everyone left.

Everyone but Deja and Todd had gone home for the night. It was 15 minutes after they finished cleaning up and Mort was still nowhere to be seen. Deja was fuming. She couldn't believe Mort would do this to her. She felt even worse that Todd had to sit here and wait with her.

"I'm really sorry," she said apologetically.

"No problem. Look, you haven't gotten in touch with him yet, so why don't you let me drive you home?"

"Yeah, I guess. I'm really sorry, again."

"Stop apologizing. I don't mind at all." He locked up and they headed out to his car. Just as Todd was about to open up his car door for Deja, Mort pulled up beside them.

Rolling down the passenger window, he said, "Deja, honey...I am so sorry. I fell asleep and didn't hear the phone ring. I'm so, so sorry."

Deja rolled her eyes. She would have a few choice words for Mort as soon as they were alone. She thanked Todd for everything and told him she'd see him tomorrow. Making her way to Mort's car, she became even angrier. She couldn't believe he'd forgotten about her on her first day at work. That would be the last day she'd let Mort drive her to and from work.

Sliding into the passenger side she gave Mort an icy glare. "I can't believe you forgot about me! You ass!"

"Deja, I'm sorry, I just fell asleep. It'll never happen again."

"Damn right it won't happen again! This is your first and last time picking me up from work."

Mort could tell Deja was upset, so he decided to let this one go. They drove home in complete silence.

Deja woke up the next morning in a total panic. She had been so preoccupied over the last few days that she'd forgotten her period was five days late. She knew it would come on eventually, but now she was becoming worried. She didn't have to be at work until 5 pm, so she decided to take a trip to the local pharmacy and pick up a home pregnancy test. She didn't want this bothering her all day.

She'd gone to bed mad at Mort, but today was a new day. She didn't want to be upset with Mort anymore. After taking her shower and dressing she walked out to see Mort at work on his computer.

"Good morning," she said cheerily, leaning over to kiss him.

"Not mad anymore?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nope," she smiled. "I'm actually headed into town for a minute. Do you want anything?"

"No, but what are you getting?"

"I...I just ran out of fashion magazines to keep me occupied, so I'm gonna go pick a few up." She felt like that sounded believable enough.

Within 40 minutes Deja had purchased her items and was back at the house. To make things appear credible she made sure not to forget the magazines. After placing the magazines on the coffee table, she made a beeline for the downstairs bathroom.

She'd never been so nervous in all her life. She wasn't even sure of what she'd do if she was pregnant. Her and Mort had never discussed it and she wasn't sure if she was ready to be a mother quite yet. She wanted desperately to start school in the fall and if she was pregnant she didn't know if that was an option.

The longest three minutes of her life had finally ended and her fate was etched on a plastic strip. She took a deep breath and looked at the test. There was a pink positive sign. She blinked her eyes a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, it was positive. Deja had another life form growing inside her.

Just then, there was a knock on the bathroom door. "Is everything okay in there, Deja?" Mort asked. She couldn't let him know about this just yet. She wasn't even sure how she would handle this herself. She threw the test and it's box into the trash and opened the door.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" She tried to appear as normal as possible.

"You were just in there for a while. I just wanted to check on you."

"I'm good. Just need to take the trash out." She leaned down and closed up the trash bag before Mort could get a good look inside.

She made her way outside and put the bag into the outside trash can. Mort felt something strange about the situation, but let the feeling pass.