"Those tips are going to keep coming, doll face. Did you lose weight, cut your hair, or something?", Donna asked as she handed the girl two plates filled with food and gestured down the line to the window seats.
"Taking better care of myself, okay?"
"Yeah. It's bringing out that pretty smile I've missed so much. Keep it up, Kaycee."
She blushed lightly coming back over to start passing out coffee and asking anyone if they needed anything else.
Her shifts at the diner were short and mostly in the evenings. She got home at eleven after closing.
"Jane, I told you I'm fine. I shot you a text."
"I need to see you with my own two eyes, Miss Chapman," Jane stated not at all frustrated with the young teen just glad to see she was okay.
"Thanks."
They went their separate ways. Jane home and Kaycee to the shower to wash away the day.
She didn't eat because she was too tired just grabbed herself some water and sipped at it until her leg started to jump and she found herself on the phone with Eric again.
It happened like this for two weeks and then he finally came home.
Kaycee slept in her bed again not falling asleep in random places like the kitchen table, couch, or the hammock in the sitting room. She ate majority of her breakfast, let Jane baby her, and even smiled at Eric without being suggestive but more like a little girl trying to get her crush.
"How was work?", Eric asked as soon as Kaycee got into the back of the car he had sent to pick her up.
"It's not over yet. I have a shift in fifteen minutes. Sergio?"
"Yes, ma'am," the dark haired man let the partition up for the couple so they could talking privately.
"How much do you have saved up now?", he asked moving on to the next subject.
"Um... I've been working for like two weeks. I get tips but those tips aren't enough to pay all of my bills."
"I'm only asking because I'll double whatever you make and put it in our joint account for whenever you need it."
"Eric?! That's too much! I thought we were trying to make me more independent but semi dependent? Are you going to be here supporting me or not? And not financially?"
"I just want-"
"No, that's not the answer I want. I want a yes or a no."
"Can we talk about this over dinner?"
"I'm not going to be there for dinner, Eric. I'm working," Kayced hissed in anger glaring out the window at the audacity of her future maybe husband. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't make Jane stay up just to make sure I'm alive. I can take care of myself," she snapped.
He gritted his teeth but let her speak her mind without pushing at her and making the situation worse.
"I'm not trying to force you, Kaycee. I just thought it would help you get to your goals faster. I know you work hard and I would never take that away from you but I want to see you more than mornings at the breakfast table or at night when you're probably going to pass out within minutes of seeing me."
"I have two off days and hour breaks at the firm. We can plan something for those times. I don't mean to be so bullheaded but when I want to do something, I do it. I don't sit around waiting for someone else to hand it to me. Just don't push all of this on me so quickly."
"Okay, I won't," he stated sincerely reaching over to intertwine their fingers and rub his thumb over the back of her soft hands.
She nudged him in the shoulder before leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek and hop out of the car as it rolled to a stop.
"Text me real words, not emojis!", she teased.
"Will do!"
They were like a game of tug of war but she wouldn't change anything about them. She liked to see if he would give up on her just cause she was a little stubborn but he never did not even when he probably wanted to say I could get any girl that would do this for me without all this complaining. But Kaycee saw something in him that no one ever showed to her before; honesty.
He was honest with a good heart.
She could see herself being happy with him as long as he never changed that about himself.
