Page 52 of 3 Daddies to Go
“Yes, we’re ready. I’ll take the bacon-stuffed pancakes, a side order of wheat toast, and three eggs over medium.”
“I’ll have the French toast, bacon, two eggs scrambled, and an order of home fries,” says Tag.
“Sounds good, honey. And for you?” asks Kelly.
“I’ll take an omelet with bacon, cheddar cheese, broccoli, mushrooms, and peppers,” says Tanner. “Can I also get a side of the cinnamon toast and an order of fried potatoes?”
“Of course.” Kelly grabs our menus. “Excellent choices. I’ll get those right in for you. Can I get you anything while you wait?”
We tell her we’re all set, and she disappears towards the kitchen.
“This does not look like a place that’s about to go out of business,” Tag points out.
We look at the eclectic wall décor. The tables and chairs all match, but nothing else does. There are pictures of random people, mostly women, on the walls. These must be the women Kendall was talking about, the ones whose recipes are on the menu.
“It was the flooding,” a voice says behind me. I turn to find an older gentleman eating a bagel and reading the paper, all by himself. “Sorry, boys. I heard you talking about the restaurant. There were some bad floods last year. Wrecked things pretty good and the family just hasn’t been able to get out of the hole since then.”
“Can you point us in the direction of the owner?”
“You’re not going to buy the place and turn it into condos, are you?”
Tag laughs. “No, sir. We just want to get to know them.”
The man eyes us suspiciously. We’re not wearing suits, but we still look like the businessmen we are.
“Well, whatever you do can’t hurt. That there is Jim,” he says, pointing to a middle-aged man by the counter. “His wife is Sheila, she’s over by the jukebox. They own the place together. Inherited it from Sheila’s mama.”
I quickly locate the quirky couple. Sheila’s outfit is much like the décor, all over the place. Somehow, it works on her. Jim is a bit more put together, but he’s still wearing overalls.
The guys and I make a silent agreement to hang out until the lunch rush dies down so we can chat with Jim and Sheila about the restaurant. Tanner is the money guy, but even I can see the place would turn a profit if it weren’t for whatever bad deal they got into.
“Thank you, sir,” I say to the man just before Kelly comes back with our food. She sets my plate in front of me, and I barely thank her before I dig in.
It’s the most incredible plate of pancakes I’ve ever eaten. They’re moist and delicious, and the maple bacon mixed into the batter is just salty and sweet enough to make it the perfect breakfast.
I groan.
“This is amazing.”
Tag and Tanner nod, their mouths full. It’s clear why everyone loves the restaurant because I would come here every day for breakfast if I could.
It takes us less than ten minutes to clean our plates. I’m tempted to ask for seconds, but the restaurant is clearing out. The kitchen probably hasn’t had a breather since the diner opened this morning. I’ll just have to come back tomorrow.
“I haven’t had breakfast that good in years. Hell, that was better than anything my mother could ever make.”
Tanner laughs.
“Very true. Your mother is a shit cook.”
“And proud of it. If I didn’t pay for the personal chef they’ve got now, I don’t think they’d ever eat at home. Dad really doesn’t need fast food every night.”
My parents didn’t ask me for anything when I started to do well for myself. They’re proud of me, but they didn’t want my money. The personal chef was a gift for their anniversary. One they wanted to refuse, but I convinced them was a good idea. I hear about how much they love Linda when we have our weekly phone calls.
When Kelly comes back, we order another round of coffee. Jim and Sheila are checking in on all the tables. We don’t ask Kelly to bring them over for us. We don’t want her thinking she’s done something wrong, when she’s been a great waitress. We’ll be tipping her well.
“Showtime?” Tag asks.
I nod and wipe my face. I make my way over to Jim and hold out my hand to introduce myself.