Rowana's Arc

Chapter 14 of 2

The walls came down and the booths went in. Ford's crew finished the patio by Thursday. Angela hung the last string light and stepped back, pleased. The diner was twice the size now. Rowana walked the new floor and counted empty seats. She did the math. More tables meant more orders. Her kitchen crew could not cover a floor this big. She needed more hands before the grand reopening, and she needed them fast. She posted a notice in the window. By morning, three people stood at the counter. The first was James, Dr. Young's son, back from the war with a short haircut and a hard set to his jaw. He studied the enlarged bar the way a soldier studies ground. "I tended a mess hall overseas," he said. "Loud rooms don't rattle me." He poured a test cocktail without spilling a drop. Rowana hired him for the bar. Next came Emily, bleach-blonde and bright, Amelia's daughter. She talked fast and smiled faster. "I'll charm every table in here," she said, striking a pose like a movie star. Behind her stood her twin, Phoebe, dressed head to toe in black. The war had taken Phoebe's husband, and she still wore the grief. She spoke quietly. "I don't need the spotlight. I just need the work." Rowana hired Emily as a server and Phoebe to cook. The last was Eleanor, the town librarian, black curls framing gray eyes. Her husband had died in the war too, and she carried the same quiet. "I keep order all day in a quiet room," she said. "I can keep order in a loud one." Rowana hired her as a server on the spot. Five new hires. The floor was staffed. Rowana crossed the last task off her list. Saturday was the grand reopening. The crowd pressed through the door before the sun cleared the rooftops. James worked the bar fast. Emily spun between booths with trays held high. Phoebe cooked without a word. Eleanor steadied the room. The kitchen kept pace. For the first time, the diner could hold every person who walked in. Then Rowana saw her mother. Vivian had come, frail and proud, to see the reopening. She sat near the window. Rowana crossed the floor to her. Vivian smiled, lifted one hand, and then slid sideways from the chair. The room went still. James caught Vivian before she hit the floor. Dr. Young happened to be dining nearby and reached her at once. "We need to get her to the clinic," he said. Rowana froze between her mother and her packed diner. Emily gripped her shoulder. "Go," she said. "We have this." Eleanor nodded. Phoebe was already back at the stove. Rowana rode with her mother. She held Vivian's hand through the whole trip. Her mother passed that afternoon, with Rowana beside her. The diner ran smooth all day without her. The reopening was a triumph. Rowana came home to a full register and an empty house.