Chasing Fate (Sentinel & Guide)

Chapter 41

[[Typed on my phone, not edited. Sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for reading. Comments and votes are greatly appreciated]]

By seven thirty sharp, Jack and Fate were in his Mercedes Jeep and heading down the highway towards Rhetson Creek. Despite sleeping longer than Jack, Fate still felt herself dozing off as they sped down the nearly empty highway.  The tenseness had faded from Jack's shoulders as whatever he'd talked about with his father had put him on more even keel. 

As with most small towns, Rhetson Creek was more of a rest-stop on the highway with a couple of gas stations and a divey diner just off the exit. 

Jack turned in at the diner, an old building that clearly hadn't been renovated in at least a decade. The faded red sign above the mid-century modern building looked ready to topple, and if it weren't for the three cars and semi-trailer parked outside, it would have looked completely abandoned. 

Jack jogged up and held open the door for Fate, "We have a little time. Let's get you fed." 

Fate blushed in guilt. Her stomach had been absolutely empty and gurgling quite a bit this morning. She was a pro at ignoring it but to Jack it may as well have been nails on a chalkboard.

Inside, the diner was relatively well kept and clean, though it had the smell of ancient grease and half a century of history. It reminded her of the various dives that served around Bent Valley. No health-food to be found here. 

At the bar was an old trucker finishing off a ham and egg plate while the counter waitress in her classic dress and apron topped up his sludge-black coffee.  

She turned as the bell over the door rang and her middle-aged face lit up. 

"Well if it ain't Jackie the beanstalk! Cletus! Look who the cat dragged in to see us," the woman called in a heavy southern accent that was exceptionally rare for these parts. 

Cletus, as his nametag read, poked his head out of the kitchen window to give Jack a big hairy eye, "Oh, so he's not too good to come visit us plebians, the raucous rabble! I thought he was too lofty to think of us, mere ants on th-" 

"Cletus baby don't get all Shakespeare on me I haven't had my coffee yet," the waitress tutted. 

"You don't DRINK coffee Babs." 

"This attitude is why we lock you in the kitchen." 

The two continued to bicker as Jack guided Fate to a booth. Despite the jabs, Fate felt an overwhelming sense of love permeating the entire diner. It was as if it was soaked into the wood and painted on the walls.  

"Scouts," he answered as she gave him a questioning look, "My troop came out to the Rhetson campgrounds all the time, and we'd eat here before leaving. They've known me since I was knee high." 

With a bit of shame he pointed to the wall behind the bar, which -like most of the building- was decorated with vintage photos and posters. On it was the promotional poster from his first championship, with his own signature scrawled in sharpie across it. Below was a before and after picture sequence of what must have been a teenaged Jack with a 6-stack of enormous pancakes. 

Fate was surpressing a chuckle at the sight of him sprawled out in pancake victory as her vision was obscured by a dress that was once bright red faded to a salmon pink, and a crisp white apron with 'Barbara' on the name tag. 

"And who is this?" Babs gave Fate a once-over as she popped out her notebook.

"Cuter than what you usually drag in," she gave Fate a friendly wink. 

"That's no way to talk about Elliot," Jack laughed, "This is my guide, Fate." 

Babs' eyes went wide as the surprise washed over her. Fate felt it buffeting her as Babs then confronted her own age. As the woman's eyes faded into the equivalent of a computer loading screen, Cletus yells unceremoniously from the kitchen. 

"It was all over the news Babs! I told you we needed to send a card!" 

"You know i can't stand the news! You shoulda told me!" Barbara snapped right back before turning her chipper smile back to Fate, "Well then, to make up for it, I'll get you two a cinnamon bun to celebrate the happy occasion. On the house. What do ya want for sides?"

"Farmohouse Omlette with extra bacon." Jack started, "And coffee" 

"Still a bottomless pit, I see." Babs grumbled fondly as she wrote up his order, "And you Sugar?"

"Fried eggs, hard, break the yolk" 

Babs gave an approving nod and fluttered away at a speed belying her large frame.  

Jack shuffled the cutlery around on the table. He suddenly realized that this was the first time the two of them had gone to a restaurant. It felt a little like a date. 

And at least for the next few minutes, it wouldn't hurt to pretend. He settled his hands on his chin and leaned in towards Fate in the same goofy manner he'd tried on dozens of girls since high school.

"So, what do you do for fun?" 

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Fate tried to keep her neutral and deferent tone towards Jack's line of questioning. She didn't throw too many questions back, nervousness ticking at her skull. But even for the most stoic, it's very hard to stay on distant speaking terms when you're both faced with a cinnamon bun so obscenely large that it might be illegal. It was the size of a cake, and when cut into, the cinnamon filling dripped everywhere.  

Jack got a good laugh at her open-mouthed stare, and a full chuckle when she could not hide her confusion at seeing an omlette the size of her forearm being placed beside it. 

Her own plate was muhc more reasonable, but  still there were three jumbo eggs to contend with. While she was still staring in awe, Jack had cut off a slice of the cinnamon bun. He cut his own hefty portion and they still hadn't made it through a quarter of the dish. More cinnamon oozed onto the plate, taunting them. 

Fate eyed the goopey, piping hot pastry with apprehension. usually things thsi big weren't all that good. As she brought a piece to her mouth, Jakc watched with rapt attention. 

"If you don't like it, I can get you something else," he ofered, moving to drag her plate away. 

Just then, Fate did something she hadn't dared to do since she met him. She swatted his hand away from her food. It was the best damn cinnamon bun she'd ever tasted in her entire life... Perhaps even two lives!

Chastised, Jack leaned back, laughing his head off with his hands raised in surrender. "I take it you approve then?"

A few emotions flooded over Fate as she realized what she'd done in defense of food. Beyond the mortificationo was a touch of fear that the sentinel would backlash. But all she felt from him was genuine releif and amusement. He was projecting how cute he thought hse looked with her face stuffed full of breakfast food even as he went to work on his own massive set. 

they ate in relative silence for a while until Jack pulled outh is buzzing phone. He fiddled with it for a few minutes before waving down Babs for the check. 

"That was Anton," He mentioned as Babs boxed up the remaining cinnamon-bun in a cake-box for the road. Fate hurriedly finished off her piece before they made for the door. 

Babs and Cletus sent them off with a wave and smile. Babs leaned into the kitchen window to laugh with her husband as they watched Jack hovering over Fate. Cletus let out a chuckle as Jack leaned in to wipe icing from her cheek. 

"You remember when we were like that, Honey?" Cletus was looking rather sappy from the window over the grill. 

Babs only laughed as Jack got away with licking his thumb clean. Say what you want about her age. She knew head-over-heels in love when she saw it.