Laura McHugh - The Weight of Blood

“Why don’t you take this one?” Gabby murmured. “Carl’s a good tipper.”

“Hello, sir,” I said, stepping around the counter and grabbing a menu. “Would you like to dine inside or outside?”

His laugh was husky and soft as he studied me, half-delighted, half-confused, as though I were some mythical creature he had heard about but wasn’t sure existed. I felt my face flush as Gabby laughed, too.

“No need to treat him so fancy,” she said. “He’s Crete’s baby brother. Comes every day at the same time, sits on that stool there, eats two burgers with pickles, and drinks his tea extra sweet. You barely need to talk to him.”

“You’re a sweetheart, Gabs,” he said, taking off his hat and ruffling his flattened hair. “Carl Dane. And you are?”

“Lila.” He enveloped my hand with his, which was warm and calloused, and pumped it up and down.

“She’s from Iowa ,” Gabby said, as if it were equivalent to Oz.

He was tall and sturdy and blue-eyed like Crete, but Carl’s nose was straight and his smile more boyish. I guessed he was in his early twenties, quite a bit younger than his brother, not too much older than me.

“Glad to meet you,” Carl said, releasing my hand but still staring, amused.

I stepped into the kitchen to give Judd the ticket and pour a glass of tea. When I came back out, Carl had a newspaper folded in front of him but wasn’t reading it. I set the drink down and started to walk away.. “Hey,” he said. “How you like Henbane so far?”

It took me a moment to think of something good to say. “It’s really green,” I said finally.

He grinned. “True. You been downtown yet? Crete let you out?”

“I just got here, really. I’ve only been here and at the farm.”

“Huh,” he said. “Well, you really ought to check out town, then, when you get a chance.”

“Yeah,” I said, chewing my lip. “I will. I need to get some groceries.” He looked like he wanted to keep talking, but I grabbed a rag and made myself busy cleaning tables until Judd called the order up. I served Carl’s food and carried the last of the dirty trays to the kitchen, squeezing past Judd as he left for the night. I’d started to scrape the contents of the trays into the trash when I realized just how hungry I was. We’d been too busy earlier for meal breaks, and I didn’t feel like fixing anything now that we were so close to closing. Plenty of times at IHOP, I’d snatched bites of food while busing tables—kids were always leaving pancakes untouched or stacking bacon and sausage to the side in finicky piles. I picked up a half-eaten burger and took a bite from the clean side. The door swung open, and Carl walked in as I stood eating out of the bus tub.

He stopped and stared, and I burned with embarrassment, my mouth stuffed full. “I was just gonna get some more pickles,” he said, reaching toward the cooler. I turned back to the sink and ran water until I heard the door swing closed. I hoped he wasn’t going to tell Crete I was eating the trash. It wasn’t like I was stealing; it was just going to be thrown out anyway. I made sure I was alone, and I took another bite.

I cleaned everything I could think of in the kitchen, hoping Carl would be gone by the time I came out. But he wasn’t. “Anything else you need me to do, Gabby?” I asked.

“No,” she said, not bothering to check my work. “You did great. You can go on home. Now hurry up so I can leave,” she told Carl, slouching on the counter next to him.

“I need to start coming in earlier,” Carl said, one burger still on his plate, “so I can actually finish my food.”

I hung up my apron and left the two of them to their friendly bickering, mentally calculating the tips in my pocket. The air outside was slightly less stifling than it had been inside. Crete’s truck wasn’t in the parking lot, and I wasn’t sure if I should wait for him or start walking. It wasn’t too far to the farm, maybe a few miles, but I was worn out. I could see the river edged by a wide, rocky beach on the other side of the road and wondered how it would feel to wade in, sink down into the clear, cool water, and let it bear my weight.

“Hey.”

Carl stood next to me, close enough that I could smell the sweat and dust that covered him. He held out a paper sack.

“What’s that?”

“I… It’s a burger.”

I glared at him.

“Look, I didn’t mean to embarrass you—”

“I’m not embarrassed.”

“Gabby figured you ate before your shift. She said next time—”

“You told her? Are you trying to get me fired?”

“No, I… I just thought you might be hungry.”

“Not anymore.” I walked over to one of the benches in front of the store and sat down. My feet hurt. Actually, my whole body hurt.

Carl came over and leaned against the wall next to me. “Look, I’m sorry,” he said.

I could tell that he meant it. And really, he didn’t have anything to be sorry for. He’d only been trying to help me out. “It’s okay,” I said. “No big deal. It’s just been a long day.” I took off my shoes and checked for blisters.

“I can give you a ride if you want. I’m heading over to Crete’s.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I think I’ll just wait.”

“Okay.” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” He started toward his truck, then turned around. “I didn’t mean that in a weird stalker sort of way, just that I always eat here, and… I’ll stop talking now.” He grinned, and I couldn’t help smiling back at him.

Just then Crete pulled up and stepped out of his truck. “Sorry I’m late,” he said to me. “Hope you weren’t waiting too long.”

“Your brother was keeping me company,” I said, putting my shoes back on.

Crete patted Carl on the back and slung his arm around his shoulders. The resemblance between the two was more obvious when they were standing side by side. They had the same dark brows, strong jawline, and slightly cleft chin. Crete was an inch or two taller and slightly heavier.

“So you met Carl. He’s a good kid. Perfectly harmless,” Crete said, and Carl rolled his eyes. “You still up for shooting some pool, little brother?”

“You bet,” Carl said.

“I’ll just take Lila home and meet you up at Bell’s in a few.”

Carl looked at me. “Maybe she’d like to come along.”

Crete answered for me. “Some other time. Poor thing’s barely had time to blink since she got here, she’s probably beat. Let’s give her a chance to settle in.”

I was exhausted, and week one probably wasn’t a good time to start disagreeing with my boss. But it would’ve been fun to go out with the Dane brothers. They were an interesting pair. It was obvious Crete was the dominant one, older and more assured, though there was genuine affection between them.

Carl shrugged. “I think you just don’t want her to see how bad I beat you.”

“You wish, kid.” Crete shook his head and chuckled.

“I am pretty tired,” I said.

Crete drove me back to the garage and made sure I got safely inside before leaving. I fell into bed without even brushing my teeth.

The next day at work, I couldn’t stop thinking about Cheri. Uncle Crete was back, and he spent the morning showing me how to handle the paperwork for canoe rentals. He didn’t say anything about the trailer, and I had no idea if Judd had told him I’d been out there. I wanted to talk to him about it, tell him my suspicions, but something made me hold back. I didn’t know for sure whether Cheri had set foot in that trailer. I had a necklace, plus what I’d always been told was an overactive imagination. So far, that was all.