Page 39 of Edge
“Yeah, that’s so. Want us to show you?”
I turned to look for Irene and found her standing a few feet behind me, watching the scene.
“Should we do something?” I asked.
“We don’t need to,” she said without an ounce of worry in her tone. “That dipshit is about to get his ass handed to him.”
“Are you serious?” I asked in disbelief.
Irene nodded with a sly smile. “They used to be professional boxers. That’s how they met. After they retired from fighting, they teamed up, bought a gym, and started coaching.”
I turned my attention back to the front when the man balled his fists and took a step forward.
Walter clapped his hands together and grinned. “Come on, boy. Let’s see what you got.”
I gasped when the man pulled his arm back and threw a punch at Walter. In the blink of an eye, Walter dodged the punch and plowed his fist into the man’s face. He went down like a sack of bricks.
Buck looked down at the man and stuck out his lower lip, pretending to pout. “I didn’t get a turn.”
Walter ignored him and focused on the man on the ground. “Are you going to get up and leave on your own, or do you need a police escort?”
The man grumbled something I couldn’t hear and got to his feet. Buck held the door open for him and waved at his back as he left.
When the door closed, the customers in the diner clapped and cheered. Walter made a show of bowing for the crowd.
Buck held up his hand. “Okay, folks, the show’s over. Sorry about the disruption, Irene.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “There’s no need for apologies. I saw the way he almost ran you over coming through the door. He obviously needed a lesson in manners, and I’m glad he got it.”
Walter nodded. “We’ll get out of your hair now.”
“Stay out of trouble,” Irene said.
Buck winked. “We try, but trouble has a way of finding us.”
“Does that happen often?” I asked Irene after the breakfast rush was over. I had witnessed no altercations between customers, with the exception of the arguing couple, since I’dbeen working at the diner, but Irene didn’t seem surprised by the interaction.
“Not really,” she said. “Most of my customers are local and know I won’t put up with bullshit from anybody. Occasionally, we’ll get somebody who wants to cause trouble. More often than not, the customers will intervene and show them the door.”
“What happens if the customers don’t intervene?” I asked, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.
Irene grinned. “You’ll call the cops while I introduce them to the business end of my shotgun.” I’m not sure what kind of expression was on my face, but it prompted Irene to pat my shoulder gently. “Don’t look so worried. I’ve only had to do that a handful of times, and the last time was years ago.”
Despite her attempt to reassure me, I felt uneasy for the rest of the day. Every time the door opened, I stopped what I was doing and looked to see who was coming in. The last time a man showed up at my place of employment and caused a problem didn’t end well for me. Granted, the scenarios were very different, but panic and fear only needed minor similarities to make a connection.
Even though the rest of my shift was uneventful and the customers were pleasant, I was more than ready to leave when Marcy arrived. Surprisingly, she actually got there a few minutes early for once.
“Hey, Evie,” she said while obnoxiously smacking her gum. “Can you cover my shift tomorrow night?”
“I’m sorry. I already made plans with someone.”
She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “But you always cover my shift when I need you to.”
That was true. Unfortunately for Marcy, my priorities had changed. When I first started working at the diner, I took every opportunity I had to make extra money. By doing so, I’d been able to save up a decent amount and didn’t need the extra hourswith the same desperation I once had. I’d also met Edge and enjoyed spending time with him.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, even though I really wasn’t. Marcy had an unprecedented sense of entitlement and little to no work ethic. “If you can give me more notice next time, I might be able to help you.”
“I thought you didn’t know anyone in town,” she said snidely. “How do you have plans?”