Dave Pelman picked up his discarded tie from the counter. He looked at it for a moment. Then he set it back down. "I'm going to need a different job," he said to no one in particular.
"One where I don't leave it 2:00 in the morning." You can come work here, Harold said from the kitchen. I'll pay you in eggs. That's genuinely tempting, Dave said. Brenda looked at the monitor under the shelf.
The time stamp was still running. The camera was still recording. The grainy high-contrast image of the diner, the counter, the booths, the empty booth nine looked back at her like a mirror. She thought about what Mike had said.
The story it tells is the story of two men who made a wrong choice and then made a right one. She thought about that. Then she reached under the counter past the Louisville Slugger and found the small notepad she used for orders. She tore off a sheet.
She wrote a phone number on it, her nephew's the one who did glasswork. She slid it down the counter to Leo. You call him in the morning, she said. He'll come fix the door.
Don't worry about the pay. She paused. Consider it, I don't know. Consider it the diner's contribution to the situation.
Leo looked at the number. He looked at Brenda. He opened his mouth. Don't thank me, Brenda said.