Ronald's diner

chapter 20

"Wade." she admitted with a sheepish little smile.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Well you could try naming your place something other than The Diner for starters." testing the waters with a little banter.

"I like it. Simple, to the point. It is a diner after all. Besides why would I call it Ronald's Diner?"

She looked at him for a second as if he'd grown two heads. "Your name is Ronald...and this is your diner...so ergo Ronald's Diner." When he only stared at her she threw up her hands. "Oh come on you used to always put your name on everything. You wanted to open a high class restaurant called Chez Ron and-"

"That wasn't me Kim." his tone flat.

She clamped her mouth shut so hard her teeth clicked. Way to bumble that one Possible she thought angrily to herself.

"I'm sorry." she offered meekly.

Standing he crossed his arms, looking down at her where she sat. After a few seconds he huffed. "Don't worry about it."

Looking anywhere but at him, she took in the little diner for the first time. It had a cozy old fashioned feel and she had to admit that she liked the random collection of things plastered on the walls and shelves near the ceiling. It was like stepping back in time into one of those pictures with hot rods and waitresses on skates.

Watching her absorb the place, Ronald felt a tiny swelling of pride. It wasn't much, but this place was his and his alone. Well, maybe not alone anymore he thought as images of Bonnie filled his mind.

"I like this place Ronald." feeling the need to use his name this time.

"Thanks." checking his watch again. "So now I know how you got here. Want to tell me why?"

She got the distinct impression this might have been a mistake coming here. She'd wanted to talk to him like they had the other day at Bueno Nacho. That had been nice and she wanted her friend back, even if they couldn't be best friends.

"I just wanted to talk." Boy this was a far cry from the days when she felt like she could do anything. Why was it so hard to talk to him?

"Uh huh. About what?" Was she squirming he wondered? She could not be squirming on that stool like a little girl waiting outside the principal's office. Holy cow she was!

"Promise not to get mad?" she asked with the hint of a pout.

Averting his eyes, Ronald turned to check on the coffee. "Not a chance. I reserve the right to get mad in my own diner thank you very much."

Crestfallen, Kim forged ahead any way. "Well I wanted to talk about some things. Things that never really were talked about, not really if you ask me. The kind of things that should have been talked about a long time ago, before things got so messed up and...and...and I'm rambling." sitting up straight she frowned. "I don't ramble."

Ronald turned back around and slid a mug of coffee across the counter towards her. "Here drink this. It helps with the rambling, trust me I know." Taking his own coffee and walking back around the counter to hop onto a stool next to her.

Kim took hold of the mug with both hands, enjoying the warmth of it before taking a swallow of the dark brew. She hummed happily as the coffee did its job and she began to feel less like a human popsicle.

"This is so good!" Cutting her eyes over to him above the rim of her mug. "How can you make coffee this good that fast?"

Wiggling the fingers of one hand in the air. "It's magic." he said, taking a sip from his mug.