Sugar & Spice

Chapter 17

A/N: Dedicated to YourLostWithoutMe :D

The next morning, Crissy was up early, dressed and waiting eagerly at the door. But it was her boss who showed up first, his stooped figure shuffling through the snow. He wore his signature plaid hat with the beaver lining he so proudly declared he trapped and skinned himself. The earflaps were tugged low and nearly brushed his shoulders. She hurried to let him in.

"Sorry about the trouble, Mr. Scott," she said. "I hate to bother you when it's this cold outside."

He waved her off and pulled at his scarf that was wrapped up around his nose. "It's all right, Crissy girl. It's good for me to get out of the house every once in a while. Doesn't happen often enough at my age." He chuckled then broke off in a rough cough.

"Can I get you anything?" Crissy asked.

Again, Mr. Scott waved her off. "A new body to replace this old used up one. But I don't suppose you've got a secret stash of those around. Getting old isn't fun, Crissy girl, you just stay your pretty young self forever, all right?"

He paused and seemed to reconsider. "Actually...you wouldn't happen to have any of those little peach cobbler pies around, would you?"

Crissy smiled. "In fact, I have two left with your name on them. They're in the kitchen."

As they made their way to the kitchen, Mr. Scott asked, "So how bad is it? When that Amy troublemaker called, she told me a little about it but that girl talks so fast, I can hardly pick out every other word she said."

Crissy stepped aside and gestured to the stove. "Have a look yourself."

Mr. Scott studied the damage for a moment. He hobbled closer and ran his hand along the counter, over the charred marks on the wall.

"Well, not as bad as I thought," he said. "Suppose we'll have to get someone in to fix the place up pretty soon."

Crissy retrieved the peach cobbler pies from the refrigerator along with a spoon from the cabinet. "I have a friend coming over in a few minutes. He offered to help out. If it's all right with you, of course."

Mr. Scott nodded. "Fine, fine. You young people have a better time of it keeping up with these sorts of things than I do. This place is more yours than mine now, anyway."

Crissy nodded to the doorway and held up the pies. "Breakfast?"

His eyes lit up. "Don't mind if I do."

Crissy offered her arm and Mr. Scott slid his hand into the crook of her elbow as they returned to the shop and chose a booth near the window. Mr. Scott peeled off his hat, scarf, and coat and set them on the bench next to him. Crissy slid the pies and spoon over to him and clasped her hands under her chin, watching him as he dug in.

"My Maria – may she rest in peace - always wanted to open a diner when this place was nothing more than a backwater town," he said. "She would have been proud to see what you've done with this here restaurant."

Crissy ducked her head, pleased. "Thank you, Mr. Scott."

He sighed as he took another bite of the cobbler. "Well?"

She frowned. "Well what?"

"What do you think? A new stove? A nice big fancy one? A good cook like you must have dreamed about a new stove ever since you got here. I've been promising to replace it for years. Now I don't have much choice."

Crissy hesitated. "I don't need anything fancy, really. Just one that works."

"Crissy girl, you've been keeping this little diner alive, not me. It would have died a long time ago. You deserve a nice piece of equipment. You've been making do with that old rattlin' thing for too long as it is."