Page 20 of One Last Shot
He smiled back and Boo looked at him.What wasthatface?
Interesting.
He took a booth near the door, and she slid in opposite him. The waitress came over with a glass of water for both of them.
“Midnight chicken?” she asked. Closer, she seemed in her early thirties, pretty, and definitely a sweet smile for Boss Mulligan. Her nametag read “Tillie.”
“For sure. And fries?”
“I’ll have Kody put down a fresh batch.” She looked at Boo. “Same?”
“Sure. Whatever.”
“You won’t be disappointed.” She turned back to Moose. “Late night rescue?”
“Something like that.”
“Everybody live?”
“So far.”
“One chocolate shake coming up.” She winked.
He watched her walk away for a second, then turned to Boo, who had an eyebrow up.
“Whenever I have a successful callout, Tillie gives me a chocolate shake. I’m not sure why.”
“And if not?”
“A coffee. Black.”
“Because she knows you’ll be up all night trying to figure out what went wrong.”
He lifted a shoulder but smiled.
“You like her.”
“She’s my favorite waitress.” He leaned forward. “So, you did a great job tonight. And every rescue we’re on, you’re calm, you know what to say and do. Frankly, Boo, you’re one of the best EMTs I’ve ever worked with.”
Oh. She let out a breath. “I don’t know why, but I thought I was in trouble.”
“Not even a little.” He sighed. “But Air One needs help. We’ve had a busy winter, lots of callouts.”
“It’s the world of cell phones. People calling in for things they don’t need to.”
“Yes. We’ve had our share of flat tires and panicked drivers in the ditch. But we don’t charge for rescues, so the coffers are thin. We operate on donations, and our donors are generous, but going into the summer months... I’m worried.”
So, this was about her job. “Are you laying me off?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What? No. I mean—I hope it doesn’t come to that. But...” He leaned back as Tillie delivered an overflowing chocolate shake, the ice cream dribbling down the side of the tall glass. “Thanks.”
Tillie put a long spoon and a straw down on the table. “Of course.” She looked at Boo. “You?”
“I’ll stick with water. I don’t want to eat like a toddler.”
Moose gave her a look even as he dug in with the spoon. “This here is man’s food.”
“A man who burns two thousand calories in his sleep, maybe.”