"That means more than you know. " She moves on to refill their coffee. The small kindness settles into her like a held breath let out. The rest of the shift passes without incident. Grant and his friends finally leave loud as they came.
Engines roaring out of the lot. Rosie exhales once the door swings shut behind them. "I'm sorry about all that, " she tells Josie, wiping the counter. I should have said something sooner. You don't have to apologize for him, Josie says.
I know. I just Rosie pauses, looking older for a moment. That family owns the ground under this diner. If I lose that lease, I lose everything my mother built. So sometimes I bite my tongue when I shouldn't.
Josie studies her for a moment, weighing something. That sounds like a heavy thing to carry alone, she says. Rosie looks up, surprised by the gentleness in it. It is, she admits. Most people don't say that part out loud.
I'm not most people, Josie says simply. She goes back to wiping down the tables, leaving Rosie standing there wondering what that means. Frank stays until closing longer than usual. Nursing a coffee that went cold an hour ago when Josie steps out back with the trash. He follows, using the excuse of stretching his legs.
"You did good today, " he says, leaning against the wall. Josie glances over. "Thank you. That boy's been running wild in this town a while now. Nobody's ever told him different.
Not in a way that stuck. You didn't back down today. That takes something. It doesn't take anything special, Josie says. It just takes deciding not to give someone what they want.
Frank studies her for a long moment. That badge. If I ask where it's from. Something flickers behind Josie's eyes. Guarded but not unkind.
My father, she says. He passed away. I'm sorry to hear that. Thank you. Frank nods slowly, filing away the hesitation in her voice.
I wore a badge myself almost 30 years, he says. Different kind of star, but I know what it costs a family. Josie's eyes meet his steady. You were a deputy second in command for a good while. Retired now.
He pauses. Something crosses his face he doesn't quite show her. There's not much that happens in this town I don't remember. Some of it I wish I didn't. That sounds like a heavy thing to carry too, Josie says quietly.
Frank almost laughs. Soft and tired. Fair enough. Well, he says finally. You ever need anything?