Steak House

Chapter 3: New Dish

In the early evening, when the sky had just been touched with gold, Bentley snuck out of the house while his mother was passed out from drinking. As Bentley was walking down the street of Mary Lane, he expected to see the bright and flashing lights of Beef Machine. However, all that was there was a sign on the door that said 'For Sale.' Bentley stared at the sign. The restaurant had only opened for a day, and now it was somehow shut down. Bentley smiled and thought that it was only a matter of time. He smirked at the sign and moved on.

After a while, Bentley continued walking down the rest of Mary Lane to Jeremy's Steak. The familiar scent of delicious food once again hit Bentley. Bentley smiled slightly and headed in. He noticed that it was slightly more packed than usual. When Bentley looked at the menu, he understood why. There was a limited edition burger on the menu. Bentley's mouth started watering as he saw someone receive their burger order. It looked amazing and smelled amazing. It was also amazing that Jeremy was flipping burgers and steaks like a madman. Bentley grinned at the sight and shouted, "Jeremy, let me get one of those, too!" Bentley slipped to the front towards the counter and saw Jeremy smiling and sweating as he pushed out plate after plate of delicious steak and burgers. Bentley watched in amazement. Not every day was this busy, even with hoards of customers coming each day. Profits.

As Bentley's order was ready, Bentley stared at the burger in amazement. Beef Machine was the exact opposite of Jeremy's Steak. Bentley opened wide and took a bite. His eyes widen at the taste and texture. So good! Jeremy had finely grounded the meat and seasoned it so well. It was juicy, and the steak sauce on the burger had been tremendously improved from the last time Bentley tried it. It tasted tangy, sweet, and sour. Bentley closed his eyes and chewed slowly. As he ate, the customers got their orders and dug hungrily into the dish. The way they seemed to devour the burger was like wild animals. Soon, it was just Bentley and a couple of others eating slowly to savor the taste. Bentley finished up the crumbs on his plate as Jeremy walked over to Bentley.

"So, how'd you like my new special?" Jeremy grinned, and his eyes sparkled. "Jeremy, I don't know how you always come up with these! How much is this?" Beaming at Bentley's compliment, Jeremy said, "It's on the house, Bentley." "I can't do that! Let me pay!" Bentley said. He couldn't accept this meal for free. Especially not one that was this delicious. He wasn't that type of person. "No, no. I insist." Jeremy pushed away the dollars that Bentley had taken out from his pocket. Bentley huffed and left the money on the table, but Jeremy pushed it away from him. "Fine, then I'll put it in the tip jar." Bentley shoved the money into the jar and smiled triumphantly at Jeremy, who could only shake his head and smile.

Jeremy leaned in and whispered, "Do you know what happened to Beef Machine?" Bentley shook his head. "That's too bad. Did you enjoy their food?" Bentley replied, "No, it wasn't that great." Jeremy sighed in relief and said, "Bentley, you're such a good kid." Bentley stared at his plate and quickly glanced at Jeremy. "Jeremy, have you seen Evan today?" Bentley asked. Jeremy raised an eyebrow and said, "No, why are you asking?" 

"He's been missing since this morning!" Bentley said worriedly. 

"Maybe he ran away or something," Jeremy replied.

"But why would he? He's so happy at home...Do you think he might've gotten kidnapped?"

"That kid's too fat to get kidnapped," Jeremy said, shaking his head. 

 Bentley bit his lip and said, "That's true, but what if that was what actually happened?" 

Jeremy wiped the counter, and as he put the rag down, he said, "Bentley, I know you're worried, but you shouldn't overthink it too much." Bentley lowered his head and nodded. "See you tomorrow, Jeremy." He thanked Jeremy for the meal and slowly trudged back home; the thought of not finding Evan weighed heavily on his mind.