Death Is a Drag

Death Is a Drag - Chapter 1

Author's note: Thanks for reading my story! If you find things like spelling mistakes or grammar errors, don't freak out ok? I'm publishing this here as I write it. But please do leave a comment if you like what you've read so far or if you're following it!

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"Zara, did you put up the specials board yet?" Jodie Swanson asked.

"I sure did. Did you remember to put up the Facebook Post?"

"Oh, I forgot. I have an awesome grumpy cat meme ready for it, too," Jodie said.

Jodie pulled out her phone and opened the Facebook Page Manager app. She was still getting used to this business of running a restaurant. In fact, when she'd bought the Pine Valley Inn and Diner, she'd never realized how much work it would actually be. But she was getting used to all the running around and she had to admit that she loved it.

Jodie had worked at the Pine Valley Inn and Diner when she was a teenager. It had been like a second home to her. It seemed so natural to be back here.

She didn't think this was where she would be at this point in her life though. It seemed like just yesterday that her and Ryan were starting their own web business. He did the web site design and the graphics and she did the writing and social media. Between the two of them, they had all the skills that any business needed to develop a strong online presence. You might think that being married to your business partner and then going home with him every night would drive a person crazy but they were so in love that Jodie enjoyed every moment she spent with him.

Life was good. The business was doing well. They were in love. They even talked about having children...someday.

Then, Ryan got cancer. It was fast. And painful. Within six months he was gone. Jodie was left to grieve and try to pick up the pieces of her life. She tried to go back to their business, outsourcing the stuff that Ryan did, but she lost her passion for it. After a year of trying, she sold the business and the house that was filled with memories of him and tried to move on.

It took her a couple years to realize that she didn't even love the city they lived in anymore. She worked random jobs, lived in a little apartment, and slowly went a little bit crazy each day. When she heard that The Pine Valley Inn and Diner was for sale, she made some quick moves, talked to her financial advisor and found herself moving back to the small town of Pine Valley quite suddenly.

Everyone thought she was crazy. But all she could think was that she'd loved the place so much. And, after a meeting with the owners, Earl and Bobbi-Jo Farmer, she could see that she would have no problem making money. The Pine Valley Inn and Diner was a part of Pine Valley history. It had been around for so long that no one in town could remember a time when it didn't exist. At one time, it had been a drive-in and motel but in the sixties, someone had built the diner extension. There were twenty rooms and they were almost constantly booked. There was even a nice suite with it's own little kitchen space and a bedroom attached to the motel so Jodie didn't have to find a place to live.

Strangely enough, the sale of the PVI came with the senior waitress - Sylvie Dawson. Sylvie was in her sixties and had been working there for at least thirty years. In fact, she had trained Jodie when she was a teenager. She was the same as Jodie remembered her - strict and no-nonsense. She just moved a little slower than she used to.

Jodie finished putting up the funny meme that went with the specials post on Facebook. Almost immediately after putting her phone back in her pocket, it began to vibrate. People were already liking the post and commenting on it. The PVI Facebook Page had only been up for a little over a month but Jodie was getting amazing results from the food pics and the memes that she posted twice a day.