​Chapter 7
            Nicole dreaded the meeting she was having with Marcus at noon. She could still feel the sensation of the kiss they shared last night. Her body yearned for more of it all night long. She couldn’t sleep, and felt restless. She heard her brother come home at one in the morning from the saloon. Then about three in the morning, Sierra was yipping, wanting to get out the door. Either she had to go to the bathroom, or she spotted something outside that got her attention. She got up from the bed and shoved her slippers on, and went to the door to let her out. When she opened the door, the April air was cool but felt good on her clammy skin. Sierra bolted out the door, barking as she ran. She walked out toward the picnic table and looked at the moon. She wished she’d gotten her camera. She loved taking pictures of the moon with the mountains. She coined the views as Elkhorn in the Moonlight. It was her favorite part of the day. It was even better when she was on top of the mountain at night. She could almost reach out and touch the moon.
* * * *
            Pulling the sheets out of the dryer, she looked up when Debbie enter the laundry room. “Can you believe your brother came home drunk last night?”
            “Yes. They were well on their way when I left the saloon.” Nicole wondered if Debbie knew he’d been smoking marijuana too.
            “He can’t get his ass out of bed this morning, claiming he’s got a hell of a headache. He’ll really have one if I go in there with a spoon and frying pan and bang it a few times or go in with the vacuum sweeper.”
            “You could send Sierra in there, she’d climb onto the bed and lick the heck out of his face.” Nicole laughed.
            “Oh yeah, dog breath along with beer breath and marijuana too.”
            So she did know.
            “It sounded like they had a hell of a time at the mine.”
            “Poor Luke, he apparently slipped and went down the side of the hill on his butt. No one rescued him and he had to go to his place and take a shower and get out sand-filled jeans he had on,” Nicole said.
            “Knowing Ronnie, he probably had something to do with that too. They were probably stoned when that happened.” Debbie rolled her eyes. “Guys do stupid things. Are you doing anything special today?”
            “I have a meeting with Mar….I mean, Mr. Blackhawk at noon today. I remembered where I saw the arrows he’s interested in. I’ll be looking at his maps to show him where they are.”
            “I wonder how he plans to get them. He’d have to wait until later this spring or the summer, don’t you think?
            “Yes, especially where these arrows are at. There’s still quite a bit of snow up there.”
            Nicole finished the laundry and went back to her room. She pulled out the box and went through more pictures to show Marcus about the surrounding area where the cave was at, hoping to be able to provide him with some sort of landmarks. Then maybe he’ll be gone to find the arrows and then gone completely out of her life. Good riddance. I mean, how can a man do that? Be married to a woman and cheat on her by kissing another one? What nerve! The worst part of it is that she not only enjoyed it, she wanted more.
            She looked at her clock. Five to twelve. Guess I better head out to the picnic table. The air was a bit chilly, so she threw on her jacket. She and Sierra walked out to the picnic table, and she sat down. She watched the birds twitter and squaked in and around the bird feeder that was off the edge of the deck. Hearing a voice, she looked up and saw Marcus coming through the causeway and Sierra walked up to him. He was on his cellphone, and he stopped and bent down to pet her. He had a mail tube under his arm. He disconnected his cellphone as he approached the picnic table.
            “Hello, Nicole.” Marcus looked at her thoughtfully.
            “Hi.” She sat with her elbow on the picnic table and her chin in her hand.
            “You got some more pictures for me to look at?”
            How did he know? She looked at him, and he nodded his head once as if pointing at the pictures she had under her hand. “Oh, yeah. I thought I’d get you some more pictures so that you can maybe have some landmarks. Although it’s been a couple of years and the area may be overgrown by now.” She handed the pictures to him.
            He looked at them and appeared to be studying one in particular. It was the picture she took of the entrance to the cave, where the large dead tree had wrapped its roots around it before it died. “This is a good picture.” He commented and then looked closely at the other pictures before he put them down and opened the mailing tube. “So, you think you may remember where these arrows are at?” he asked.
            “Yes.”
            “When did you remember?”
            “I actually remembered last Friday, and I lied to you about that because I didn’t want you to start drilling me about their location.”
* * * *
            She lied to me? That was one thing that Marcus hated more in anything else in the world, someone lying to him. If she lied about that, what else would she be lying about? Did she decide she would ‘remember’ just to trick him and get money from him? “Why did you lie to me about this?” He asked quietly. He kept his tone even, though he talked through clenched teeth.
            “I just told you, I didn’t want to be drilled about it.”
            “You could have told me that you remembered, but you just didn’t want to talk about it then. I could have spent the weekend trying to retrieve them.”
            “You would have missed out on having your family visit.” She pointed out to him.
            “That is true. However, I wouldn’t have invited them out to see me. Are you lying to me about this now?”
            “No. I-I don’t lie.”
            “But you just admitted that you did.”
            “Yeah, um, that’s the first time I’ve ever lied to anyone, I’m sorry.”
            “I’ve had to say your credibility just took a nosedive.”
            She looked at him, her eyes showed alarm. “I-I have never lied before Friday, and I’m not lying now.”
            Marcus continued to stare into her eyes and at her face. She seemed genuine, and she didn’t look like a person who would lie, but he’d been fooled before and being a lawyer, well, you always suspect someone is lying to you. But each client he ever had, he made it clear that if the client lied to him in any way, he’d drop them, just like that. He just didn’t tolerate it. The more he thought about it, the angrier he was getting. He pulled the maps out of the tube and laid them on the table.
            “Wow, these are quite detailed,” she commented.
            “That’s what topographic maps are for.” He knew his voice sounded more sarcastic than he wanted. He had to be careful. He hoped he wasn’t wasting his time with her. “What part of Elkhorn mountains do you think the Sacred Arrows are?” He said with quiet emphasis.
            “They are in the southeastern part of the mountains. There is no road to get to that end. You’d have to hike it through the tunnel, and past a gold mine, and over several very steep mountains before you get to it. It’s about a three-day trip just to get there on foot.”
            “Three days?” Cripe.
            “Yeah. Usually, whenever I go hiking and camping in that direction, I plan to be gone at least a week.”
            Marcus couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She had lied to him about remembering where the location was at, he wasted three days, and now she tells him that it’s a three-day hiking trip just to get there, and that means a three-day trip getting back. He’d be lucking to get back to his office in the two weeks timeframe he had planned on. Great. He pulled out the map of the southeast area and showed it to her. She leaned over and found the highway that went to the town that was between Helena and Butte. She found Mason, and then she saw the railroad tunnel. “Okay, here’s the tunnel you’d have to go through. It comes out on this side of the mountain.” She moved her finger to the other side of the mountain. “It comes out here somewhere, probably right here.” She tapped her finger on the spot. “Right here is the old mine shaft where they used to dig for gold.”
            “Why isn’t the rails shown.”
            “The tracks have been removed, and most of the bridges that held the rail line have been torn down. The only thing that exists to indicate there was even a rail line going through there are the tunnels. There are two tunnels. From here to here.” She pointed at the highway and then to where she had tapped it earlier. “Then from here, to here. If you ever look at the landscape along the highway, you can see the line where the rail tracks once were. The rail line was on the west side of Highway 45 until it got here to Mason, then before Highway 45 was ever built, the rail track came off the mountain onto a bridge that led into the tunnel on the east side of Highway 45. After it got passed the mines in the area, it crossed over to the west side of the highway again.”
            Marcus had to admit that she seemed knowledgeable about the area. “How many mines are there in the area?”
            “There are three. Winchester mine was one that my dad owned and is down the street. You pass it every time you go into Mason. The other two are on the other side of the overpass. Sandpiper mine, you can see from the highway, but Gulch mine is the one that you’d go through to get to Elkhorn mountains. The mountain ranges there are the highest, and there are a lot of vertical drops so, you’d have to travel where you can walk it. It’s not something where you can just climb it and be there. You have to go in around about way.”
            “You have a very clear vision of where this cave is, and how to get to it?”
            “Yes. I remember it clear as day, now.”
            “How soon can you get yourself ready for the hike?”
            “What? I’m not going there. You are. I can’t just take off and leave, I have work to do. Plus, it’s way too cold to go there right now. The mountains in that area still have snow on them.”
            “You think I would just know where to go by the information that you just provided?”
            “I just gave you very good information.”
            “Do you have the coordinates for GPS?”
            “No. I don’t.”
            “So, you think that I, who have never traveled these mountains before, would just have no problem finding that cave.” Marcus’s eyes narrowed as he regarded her.
            “I don’t have any idea how you intend to get there. Personally, I think you should wait until summer to do it. The weather in the mountains is unpredictable.”
            Marcus sat thinking about the situation for a second, then he said, “Name your price.”
            “Huh?”
            “I said, name your price. I need you to lead me to that cave, and I got to get it this week.”
            “You are not listening to what I say, I can’t take you there. I have work to do here. I can’t just get up and leave to go on a weeklong camping trip.”
            “You can for a price,” Marcus said grimly.
            “You can’t buy me off to get what you want,” Nicole said defensively.
            “Everyone is willing to do certain things for a certain price. Will thirty thousand get you interested and willing to go?”
            “I-I, thirty thousand? No, I won’t be brought,” Nicole stammered.
            “Look, Nicole. Let’s quit with the games. I’m going to go there to get those Sacred Arrows, and you are the one that is going to take me there and bring me back. I’m offering you thirty thousand for a week…week and a half of work. I think your brother and his wife can handle the motel for that length of time.”
            “I’m sorry.” She stopped for a few seconds. “I won’t be bullied. My answer is no.” She stood up to leave.
            “Just think about this. Like I said, thirty thousand for a week and a half of work. Think what you could do with that money. You could go to college to become a professional photographer or anything else you have an interest in. Or, you could invest your money and make more of it. I wouldn’t be too quick to turn it down, Nicole. As for the weather, I know you have lived through worst weather right here in Mason and know what to expect. I would not let you go up there without your GPS, your cellphone, and letting your brother know exactly where you’re at should there ever be an emergency. I’ll give you until tomorrow at noon to tell me your decision, and if I were you, I’d think very seriously about this. I intend to have my way in this,” he said sternly, grabbed his maps and the pictures she gave him, and walked back to the causeway and to his room.
* * * *
            Nicole sat speechless. She didn’t recall the last time someone ever spoke to her in such manner. He’s a pompous ass. Here I felt so guilty for lying to him, and finally told him the truth, and tried to show him where the cave was, and he turned around and demanded that I take him to it and on top of that…he..he kissed me! What the hell. She got up and hollered at Sierra, “Come on Sierra, we’re going for a walk.” She stomped her feet into the ground as she walked toward the creek. Sierra trotted alongside her as she walked. Think about it, he says. What could she do with thirty thousand? She stopped suddenly and looked at the water rapids in the creek. Well, if she were to tell the truth, she could really use thirty thousand. She’d definitely be able to go to school and get a degree in photography, something she really loved doing. Her brother could hire someone to work the week to help Debbie. She’d have to dig her camping gear out, no way was she ever going to get into the same tent as him. Her tent was made only for one person. He’d have to bring his own or sleep outside. Wait…what the hell is the matter with me? Why am I even thinking about this outrageous proposition? Thirty thousand, that’s why. That’s the only reason. That IS the only reason. “Right.” The idea of sleeping near him evoke all kinds of sensations and feelings she was not supposed to have. She had to run this whole thing by Debbie and see what she says. She usually has a practical and thoughtful intuition about these things. Still, he seemed to have gotten a bit angry at her when she told him that she lied originally because she didn’t want to be drilled by him. He even said her credibility had dropped in his eyes. She was in a pickle and didn’t know how to get out of it all or know what to do.
            After she calmed down, she wandered back to the motel and went into the kitchen where Debbie was, baking some apple pies. She sat down at the kitchen table and watched her.
            Debbie looked at her and asked. “Something on your mind?”
            “Yeah. Can I run something by you?”
            “Sure.” Debbie came and sat down across from Nicole.
            “I showed Marcus where the cave was that I found the arrows in. I think he got kind of angry at me because I told him that I lied to him on Friday about remembering where they were at. Anyway, after I explained to him where things were and gave him some pictures that he could use as landmarks, he told me that I was going to go with him and help him to find the arrows. When I said that I would not be going, because I had my job here, and because the weather was unpredictable in that section of mountains, he then said he was prepared to pay me thirty thousand to take him there and bring him back. I hinted that maybe he should wait until summer, but he has his mind made up that we are going, within the next few days, and that after I brought him back from the mountain, he would pay me.”
            “Wow. These arrows must be quite valuable.” Debbie fiddled with her earing.
            “They are. He says that they are Sacred Arrows, stolen from the Arrow Tipi behind the arrow keeper’s house. They have been missing for some time, and he is very anxious to get them.”
            “What are you feeling about it?”
            “I don’t know. At first, I was appalled. He demanded that I go with him, and I felt insulted that he said for me to name my price like I was holding out for monetary value. After he stalked off, I was so angry that I went for a walk along the creek, and began to think what I could do with thirty thousand.”
            “What would you do with that kind of money?”
            “I thought about going back to school and getting a degree in professional photography.”
            “Well, now that you’ve cooled down and are thinking about it, I think, you should go for it.”
            “What? Why?”
            “Hey, this is an opportunity to make a lump sum of money, and you know around here, no one has that kind of money, and certainly not us. We’re lucky to have him staying here this week, he’s been the only customer this week.”
            “The weather had never been a deterrent for you in the past. You know how to survive up in those mountains, he doesn’t, and he’s willing to pay you to keep him alive and get what he wants.”
            “He’s in a hurry to do this and wants to leave within the next day. I’d have to dig out my camping stuff.”
            “I think you’ll find everything okay.” Debbie had a knowing smile on her face.
            “So, you think I should go.” Nicole’s brows snapped together.
            “It’s really your decision to make, but it is an opportunity, and you’ll probably not get another like it. You could probably even look at buying yourself a house, you’d have a substantial down payment for one.”

​Chapter 6
            When her shift had ended that evening. She finished up and got the restaurant set up for tomorrow’s shift, then went into the saloon and sat down. She pulled the band off her hair and let it fall down her back.
            The saloon was remodeled by Dick Haufmeiser, half owner of the saloon and restaurant. When entering the saloon from the restaurant, immediately to the right was the bartender area with a half rounded counter and stools. The rest of the floor were an opened area with tables and bar stools. The walls were plastered with pictures of beer advertisements. On the outer wall, elk, mule deer, and a ram horn sheep heads were mounted, and a full body of a mountain lion. In the one corner of the saloon, was another stone fireplace still in use. There was a wall mounted, modern jukebox next to the entrance to the bar, and the opposite of that were three slot machines. Over the bartending area was a fifty-inch flat screen television and two smaller televisions, one at the front of the saloon and one at the back.
            “What can I get you to drink?” Cherry asked.
            “Just a glass of Mountain Dew.” Nicole looked around and saw a few regulars at the bar.
            Cherry brought her the coke. “Seems like business is finally picking up around here.”
            “Yeah, it was rather busy for a Sunday afternoon at the restaurant.” Nicole agreed.
            Cherry sat on the stool on the other side of the counter, across from Nicole.
            Arthur and Roger were seated in the middle drinking beer when Arthur said to Cherry. “I’d like to play that Shake a Day.”
            There were two sets of Shake a Day. On the little blackboard, it showed the amount of one hundred and seventy-five dollars for one Shake a Day, and two hundred and eighty-five for the other Shake a Day. Underneath that, it showed that it cost a dollar for three shakes. If the shaker roll three of a kind, they’d get a drink for a dollar, if the shaker got four of a kind, they’d get a free drink, and if the shaker got five of a kind, they’d win the pot minus ten percent to start the next round.
            Cherry grabbed the cup and the dice and took them over to Arthur. He handed her a dollar, and the first roll, he got two of a kind sixes, he kept that back and rolled the dice again, and got nothing. He rolled the dice again and didn’t get anything. While Arthur was doing this, Roger went to the jukebox and selected a bunch of eighty’s hits. The first hit song came on, Simply Irresistible, by Robert Palmer. Cherry and Nicole both started doing the body sway and singing just as the women in the video did back in 1988 when the it came out.
            “Heard the guys took off and went gold panning at the Winchester mine.” Nicole took a sip of her pop.
            “Yeah, it was kind of nice having Randy out of my hair for the afternoon.” Though Randy was a good friend of Ronnie’s, Cherry was a bit older than Randy and had teenage children. They weren’t married, but they did have a hot romance going on. Randy had some medical problem with his eyes, and he also liked to smoke marijuana. He grew his own stash well hidden from view. Not that marijuana was illegal in Montana, but growing it is questionable. Nicole suspected that Ronnie also smoked marijuana, but she had never confronted him about it. It wasn’t her business what Debbie and Ronnie did.
            Bill and Judy came into the bar, and went and sat at the opposite end.
            “How did the party go?” Nicole asked.
            “Fine. We had a blast. She literally dived into her birthday cake,” Judy said.
            They ordered their beer. Arthur handed Bill and Judy his iPhone with a picture on it. “Have you ever seen something like this?”
            Bill looked at the picture. “A wooden car? Never seen one. What is that, a Pontiac Fiero?”
            “It looks like a Pontiac T-bird to me,” Arthur said.
            Bill handed the iPhone back to Arthur, and he passed it along to Nicole and Cherry.
            The picture was posted with the message that a state trooper from Nebraska pulled a wooden car over on the freeway.
            “Boy, that looks like a lot of work,” Nicole commented. She handed the iPhone back to Arthur.  Randy, Ronnie, and Tim walked into the saloon.
            “Hey, sport. Did you work at the restaurant today?” Ronnie asked Nicole.
            “Yeah, I did. Find any gold?”
            “Just some flakes.”
            Nicole could smell the mixture of marijuana smoke and alcohol reeking from all three of the guys.
            They sat down at the center of the bar counter to Nicole and ordered a beer.
            “Where’s Luke?” Nicole asked.
            “He’s gone home to change his clothes,” Ronnie said, and all the guys started laughing.
            “Okay, what did you do to him?” Cherry asked.
            “Not a thing. His foot slipped out from under him, and he went sliding down the hill on his ass.” Randy said, and the guys laughed.
            “Is he okay?” Nicole asked.
            “He’s fine. He’s just got an ass full of sand and dirt.”
            “Once he got to sliding down that hill, no one could stop him,” Randy said between bouts of laughter.
            “It was like he was riding a toboggan, only he wasn’t on one.” Tim wheeled around in the stool and held his legs out and his hands in front of him doing an imitation of Luke riding a toboggan.
            Nicole drifted her attention to Bill, who was talking about the deer that he saw that came to the creek near his house when the door to the saloon opened, and Marcus walked in. At first, Nicole did not look, but it got quiet in the room for a few seconds before Cherry asked, “Hi, what can I get you?”
            “Scots and water, please.”
            Nicole froze in her seat. She knew who it was without even having to look. She recognized the voice and could even smell his Woodland cologne. The scent drove her crazy. She dropped her gaze down to her glass.
            “Hello, Nicole.” His smooth, velvety voice said quietly in her left ear.
            “Hi.” She clipped. She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want to be near him because everything about him drove her nuts. She had to repeatedly tell herself that he was married and had a houseful of kids.
            “Family all settled in for the night?” She gave him a sidelong glance.
            “They are on their way back to Amherst,” Marcus said.
            “So they were only here for the weekend?”
            “Yes. The boys have to go back to school tomorrow.”
            “What grade is Nathan in?” Nicole asked and took a sip of her pop. Last night she had the delightful little tyke with her for the evening, and he fell asleep in her arms. She felt different. She felt protective of him and wrapped her arms around him. She didn’t intend to fall asleep. She wondered why his mother and Marcus didn’t come for him.
            “He’s in first grade.”
            “He’s a delightful little guy.”
            “Yeah, he is a good boy,” Marcus agreed.
            “Said he broke his arm falling down the stairs.”
            “We tell the boys not to run in the house, but children forget and do it anyway.”
            Needing to put some space between her and Marcus, Nicole got up and walked over to the slot machines. She slipped her money in the Poker Keno slot machine and spun the wheel.  She stayed there for a little while, and when she got up to walk back to the bar, she noticed Marcus staring at her.
He grinned and asked, “Did you win anything?”
“I won forty dollars.” Nicole walked over to the bar counter and handed Cherry her ticket. Cherry went to the cash register and placed the ticket in a folder under the drawer. She pulled out the forty dollars and handed it to Nicole. Cool. Money to go towards buying a new tent for camping.
Luke came into the saloon, and everyone clapped and called cattails at him. No one knew if Luke was smiling because he was a naturally long dark red head, with a full orange colored facial beard and mustache. He had a baseball cap on backward.
“I see you survived your ordeal,” Cherry commented smiling.
“Yeah, hurt like a son-of-bitch though. I hit rocks and tree limbs all the way down.”
“Were you guys drunk or high on drugs?”
“Us? High on drugs? Naw.” Luke had a mischievous look on his face. One that told everyone that yeah, they been smoking a joint.
Soon, Elvira started up on the jukebox, and the guys asked Cherry to crank up the volume. Everyone except Marcus and Bill started singing along with the song. No one, though, could do any justice to the bass singer in the song. Marcus sat with his elbows on the counter, and his hands clasped together in front of his lips. No one could tell if he was smiling or not.
“So, you’re new here, are you visiting or moving in?” Cherry asked.
“I’m on a mission so I’m just here for a few days,” Marcus answered.
“What mission are you on?”
“A mission to find some native artifacts.” He looked at Nicole. “I’m hoping that Nicole will help me with this.”
“I’ll try.”
“What’s the population of this town, anyway?”
“About two-fifty. Back in its heyday, the population was about two thousand.” Nicole took a sip of her pop.
“Do people still pan for gold around here?” Marcus asked, looking at the guys that had returned from the mine.
“Yeah, you can go just about anywhere around here and pan for gold, even in the Mason Creek.”
“Have you gone gold panning?”
“I’ve gone a few times. I did it a lot when my dad had Winchester mine.”
“Noticed Mason has a couple of radon mines too.”
“Yeah, we have two of them. The Happy Widow mine and Mason radon mine.”
“Hi, Nicole,” A voice said behind her, and she turned abruptly to see who it was. It was Susie Owens, one of the other waitresses that worked at the café.
“Hi, Susie.”
“I was wondering, would you be able to trade a couple of nights next week with me? I have a school board meeting on Wednesday evening, and Thursday night is teacher’s conference.”
“I’m scheduled to work next weekend, did you want to take my place then?” Nicole asked.
“That would be great, thanks so much. I’ll let Darcey know tomorrow when I get in.” Susie pulled a strand of hair off her forehead and wrapped it around her ear.
Nicole used the interruption by Susie as her chance to make her escape. She grabbed her jacket and her purse and looked at Cherry and Susie. “I’ll see you all later.”
She walked out the door and headed back to her room. She didn’t want to risk getting into the discussion with him now about the cave and the arrows, and she didn’t want to lie to him either. She already lied to him once, and it weighed on her. She felt guilty as sin for not telling him that she remembered where the arrows were at. She was going to have to face him eventually and tell him. Hopefully, she can point the place out on one of the maps he said he got at BLM and send him on his way. The sooner he left, the sooner she can get back to normal.
Halfway through her walk, an SUV pulled up and parked in front of her, causing her to walk around the passenger side. Marcus rolled the window down. “Hop in, I’ll drive you back to the motel.”
She was tempted to say no, that she likes to walk, but it was dark out, and all she had in her purse was a can of pepper spray to ward off any wildlife.
“Okay.” She climbed into his SUV. She looked around. From what she could see, it was quite a fancy vehicle. It had black comfortable leather seats, he had a leather steering wheel cover that had fringes on it. The dashboard was lit up with all kinds of information on it. There were lights along the inside wall and floor of the vehicle that flashed different soft colors in accordance to the beat of the music he had playing softly. There was a Navigator in the middle of the dashboard under the inside rear view mirror.
Within a few minutes, Marcus pulled his SUV in front of Nicole’s room.
“Thanks, for the ride.” Nicole grabbed the door handle.
Marcus laid his hand on her left arm to stop her. “Is there something wrong? I feel as if I have upset you in some way.”
“No. Nothing’s wrong.” You’re married, that’s what’s wrong.
“Are you sure? What’s going on?”
Nicole was scrambling to gather her thoughts. “I remembered where the arrows are at.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, um, if you want, we can look at your maps tomorrow, and I’ll try to show you. I work in the mornings, so I could meet you out at the picnic table at noon.”
“Okay, that sounds good.” Marcus lifted his hand from her arm and touched her cheek. He leaned his body over the center of the SUV and kissed her gently on the lips. He pulled back so he was an inch or so from her and looked at her silhouette in the moonlight.
Nicole was stunned by the kiss. The feel of his warm lips and his warm breath on hers felt wonderfully heady. Her first kiss. It was everything they said it was in her romance books. She brought her hand up and touched his face. It felt smooth and silky, just as she imagined it would feel. He brought his hand up and encircled hers then kissed her again, this time, longer. She parted her lips slightly and kissed him back. She felt his tongue traced the softness of her lips and it sent shivers of desire racing through her. She had never experienced such pleasantness before. So this was what it was like to be kissed.
Suddenly, she remembered that he was married. Startled back to reality, she pulled abruptly away from him. She pulled her hand out of his and fumbled while feeling for the door handle.
“Are you okay?” Marcus asked, barely a whisper.
She found the door handle and yanked it opened and stumbled out. She hurriedly walked to her door and pushed it open and stepped inside her room. She slammed the door shut and leaned against it. Oh. My. God. I just kissed a married man, and it felt wonderful. How am I going to face him tomorrow?
* * * *
            Marcus sat in his vehicle, stunned by her reaction. It was going nicely, and suddenly she pulled away. What happened? She looked frightened and had that deer in the headlight stare. He was enjoying the kiss. It actually felt quite sensual, something he hadn’t felt for a woman in a long time.  Not since he first kissed his ex-wife, Rayanne, when he was in his twenties. Nicole was nothing like Rayanne. Nicole had an innocence demeanor about her. Maybe it’s been a while since someone had kissed her, maybe it’s been a while since she’d been with a man. She had a beauty that was far deeper than her looks. Hell, his son was really drawn to her. He wondered if she’d consider leaving here and coming to work as a nanny for his son. He’d pay her good, and she could go to college if she wanted and take up professional photography. She really did have an eye for taking pictures.
            He backed his SUV out of her parking space and parked it in front of his room. He got out and went into his room. Tomorrow he would find out where the Sacred Arrows were at. He wondered if she realized that he was going to need her to take him to the location? She can show him on the map where it was at, but he was going to need her memories to lead him to the exact spot. He had a feeling he was going to have to make it worth her while to go.
            Marcus rarely dreamed that he could ever remember. That night, he drifted off to sleep. He laid next to Nicole, her naked body was pressed hard against his. He ran his hand through her beautiful long hair, his lips were inches from hers. She had her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair as if fascinated by the feel of the strands. He claimed her lips and crushed her to him. His lips left hers to nibble at her earlobe. He brought his hand around and outlined the circle of her breast. She hitched her breath at the touch. He left a trail of wetness from her neck to her shoulder, then slowly, he drifted down to her breasts, and his tongue explored the rosy peaks.
            He pulled himself back to look at her lovely breasts, admiring them. The nipples were like beautiful, pink rosebuds. He drew his eyes up to hers and saw the passion in her eyes and the heat that stained her cheeks.
            Suddenly, a dog barked. He bolted upright, climbed out of the bed and walked to the window. He could hear Sierra, who ran off in the distance, but in the moonlight, he couldn’t see her. Just as he was turning to go back to bed, he saw a shadow move. He looked and saw Nicole, in a nightgown, walking in the moonlight. The nightgown was sheer, and he could see the outline of her body. Was she sleepwalking? Should he go out there and guide her back to her room? He continued to watch her, unsure of what he should do. Sierra ran back to her, and Nicole bent to pet her. They turned around and walked back to her room. 
e.”

Chapter 5
There was a banging at his door and Marcus went to open it. “Uncle Marcus, you got to come quick. Nathan fell on his arm,” Daniel said, rushing through his speech.
Damn. He followed Daniel out the door and around to the causeway, heading to the backyard of the motel. He stopped dead for a second when he saw the scene.
Nicole had Nathan in her arms, rocking him as he wailed about his arm. The sight was beautiful to him. Nathan had never tried to warm up to any woman he ever brought into their lives, yet with this creature, he is drawn to her like a magnet. He walked over to where they were seated and sat down next to Nicole.
“What happened, Nathan,” Marcus asked him gently.
“I slipped on a rock at the creek and fell on my arm. Daddy, it hurts.”
“No. I don’t want to go back to our room. I want to stay with Nicole.”
“You don’t want to go back and watch some movies?”
“No. I want to watch the movies with Nicole.” He huddled tighter into Nicole’s arms.
“I can let him watch some movies in my room and maybe you can come by later to pick him up?”
He was hesitant when Nathan said, “Please, daddy?”
“Okay. Under one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to take some aspirins for the pain.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you, Nicole.” Marcus smiled warmly at her. He watched as her expression changed from that of a loving mother to that of a steel look at him. Did he do something to anger her? What was it that his son was so taken by her? Did she have a maternal instinct in her that he needed in his life? His own mother had practically abandoned him. She brought him over one evening, suitcase in hand, and told him that Nathan was staying with him because she was engaged to be married and would be moving to Spain. He didn’t recall her ever hugging the boy, or talking to him in a motherly way, or just plain being his mother. In fact, after they got married, she turned into a cold-hearted bitch. He vowed then he would never get married again. The only other woman in Nathan’s life was Shana, and she did her best for him, trying to fulfill his needs, but he knew that Nathan really craved a mother’s love.
Before Nathan and Nicole settled down to watch a movie, she said, “How about we go and get some snacks?”
“Okay,” he said excitedly.
They went to Debbie and Ronnie’s kitchen, and she rummaged through the cupboards while Nathan sat in the chair on his knees.
“Hmm, I bet you like chocolate milk.”
“Yeah!”
Nicole pulled the chocolate syrup out of the cupboard and got two tall glasses, spoons, and two straws. She set them on the table and got the milk out. She sat down next to Nathan and poured the milk into the glasses. She squirted chocolate into Nathan’s glass and then in her glass. They stirred the chocolate then put their straws in. Nicole blew bubbles in her straw, and Nathan laughed. Then he blew bubbles too. They giggled together as they blew bubbles in between sipping and drinking the chocolate and milk.
After they had finished and she cleaned up the area, she asked, “What do you like to snack on besides gummy bears?”
“I like popcorn!”
“Oh. That sounds good, doesn’t it?” She looked at Nathan.
“Yeah!”
After popping the popcorn in the microwave, she put it in a large bowl. “Okay, let’s go watch the movie.”
“Yay.”
They got settled in the bed, surfed the channels until they found something to watch, and put the big bowl in front of them. Nathan snuggled up next to Nicole.
* * * *
Later in the evening, Marcus stepped out of his room and went to Nicole’s. The curtains were drawn back and the moon illuminated the room with a soft glow. He knocked softly on her door, but there was no answer. He turned the knob, and it was unlocked. He opened the door and stepped in. He was surprised at what he found. Nathan was curled up, next to Nicole with his head on her chest. She rested her chin on his crown and had her arms wrapped around him. He stood there staring at the two of them. Not wanting to wake either of them up.
The next morning, Nicole woke first and realized that Nathan had stayed the night with her. She hoped his parents didn’t mind. When Nathan woke up, there was a quiet knock at her door, and she opened it. It was Marcus. “I’m sorry. We fell asleep watching the movie.”
“That’s okay.”
“Daddy, guess what?”
“What, son.”
“Nicole and I made chocolate milk and blew bubbles in them.”
“Really. Bet you made a nice mess.”
“No, we didn’t, didn’t we, Nicole?”
“No. No mess.” She smiled
 “Nathan,  we’re getting ready to go to the café and eat. Let’s get you in some clean clothes and go.”
“Okay. Bye, Nicole.”
“Bye bye sweetie.”
Later that morning she sat at the picnic table reading. She saw a movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced to where the causeway was. Marcus was walking toward her. She quickly averted her eyes to her book and started reading again, even though the words were not forming in her mind. Her heart was racing, and she felt nervous. Why? He’s married and off-limits. Why was she still attracted to him?
“Good morning, Nicole,” Marcus said as he raised one leg over the picnic table bench and sat down.
“Good morning,” she murmured. She laid her book flatly on the picnic table, so he did not see what she was reading, and kept her eyes in the book, even though she could not read a thing. She knew he wanted to pressure her more about the arrows. She had it in mind to just keep the information from him and let him find it another way.
“Have you thought any more about where you think the arrows may be?” Marcus asked.
“No. I haven’t had time.” Why did she lie like that? She immediately felt guilty, because she never lied to anyone.
He studied her. His eyes started at her eyes, and slowly down to where her hands were holding the book on the table.
“I went to the BLM Friday and got a bunch of topographic maps of Elkhorn Mountains. I was hoping you’d be able to look at them, and maybe it will help you to jar your memory. Would you be willing to look at them?”
The boys came running back. “Daddy, you said we would go to Butte Falls river and look at rocks. Can we go now?” Nathan ran up and stood next to his father, then the other two boys came and stood next to them.
“Yes, we’ll go in a second.” Marcus looked at Nicole expectantly.
“I’ll look at your maps,” Nicole said, barely a whisper.
Marcus flashed his million dollar smile at her that made her swoon then looked at the boys. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah!” They all cried in unison.
“Thank you, Nicole. I will get with you later and show you what I have.” He got up and said to the boys, “Let’s go.”
            Darcey Haufmeiser, and her husband Dick, owners the Mason Saloon and Café, called Nicole later in the morning and asked if she’d be able to wait the tables from four PM to eight PM that day.
            Nicole decided to walk to work rather than drive her car. She left a half hour early and showed up ten minutes before her shift started and walked into the restaurant. To her chagrin, Marcus was sitting in a booth, with his three boys and wife. They were talking and laughing among themselves as she walked by. Marcus looked up and smiled slightly at her. It didn’t look like they had gotten their meals yet, so she had to endure their present and serve them their food. This sucks, what timing. There were several other tables occupied. Business had been slow lately at the restaurant and the saloon, and she was glad to see more people in the restaurant.
            As she rounded the corner to head to the kitchen, the door to the bar swung opened and Cherry, the bartender, waltzed through and headed to the kitchen with a food order. “Hi, Nicole,” Cherry said.
            “Hi, Cherry. Working tonight or just getting off?”
            “Working tonight. You coming on?”
            “Yeah.” She went to the kitchen behind Cherry and let Darcey know she was there.
            “Here’s an order for a hamburger and fries.” Cherry handed Darcey the food order and walked backed through the restaurant to the bar.
            “Hi, Darcey,” Nicole said.
            “Hey, Nicole. So glad you could come in and cover for Steve. He apparently has the flu, and it’s been going around.”
            “No problem. Anything I should know about?” She looked from Darcey to Maria, the waitress.
            “No, specials are on the board, and everything seems to be going okay,” Maria said.
            “Are you working until eight tonight, Darcey?” Nicole asked.
            “Yeah. Bill asked for tonight off for his granddaughter’s birthday.”
            Maria went out to the cash register, counted out the money and placed it in the bank bag. When she was done and left the restaurant, Nicole got the next shift’s money bag and counted out the bills, cracked the coins that were rolled and placed them in the till. She grabbed the coffee pot and went to several tables to refill their cups. When she got near Marcus’s table, a young voice called out to her.
            “Hi, Nicole!”
            She turned and looked at Nathan. “Hi. How is your arm doing?” She smiled weakly at him. She briefly looked at Shana. Envy filled her heart. She had long black hair, but not nearly as long as Marcus’s, deep brown eyes, some make-up on her face and she dressed smartly. Just as a lawyer’s wife should.
“It’s doing okay. Daddy gave me some pills to take.”
“Did you take it like a good boy?”
“Yeah.”
“He actually took a pain pill without giving me a hassle this time,” Marcus said, he raised an eyebrow while looking at the boy.
“That’s good.”
“Nicole said I should take it so I won’t be in any pain for the whole day.” Nathan looked up at Nicole and had a small smile on his face.
Marcus looked again at his son and then up at Nicole. “Really. So that’s why you took it without giving me a hard time, huh?”
Why didn’t his mother try to encourage the boy to take an aspirin? Nicole looked at Shana and then at their table. She asked, “Anyone want refills?”
            “I do. I want more apple juice.” Nathan sat back in the corner of the booth with his feet on the cushion and his arm wrapped around his glass.
            “Me too, the other two boys chimed in.
            “Okay, what are you two drinking?”
            “I’m drinking Sprite,” the older one said.
            “I want more orange pop,” the littler one said.
            “Okay, and you two?” She asked Marcus and the woman.
            “I’m fine,” Marcus said.
            “Just a little more water for me, please,” the woman said.
            Nicole took the glasses and went and filled them up. She returned and gave everyone their drinks.
            “Nicole, you work here?” Nathan asked.
            “Yes. I work part-time here.” She smiled at him.
            “I really like your dog, Nicole,” Bryan said.
            “Thank you.”
            “The dog is very pretty, what kind is it?” The woman Nicole thought was Marcus’s wife asked.
            “She’s a Blue Heeler.” Nicole’s smile left her face, but only Marcus noticed it.
            “She has such fine markings and features.” The woman continued.
            Nicole couldn’t wait to get away from the table. The last thing she wanted was to get into a conversation with his wife.
            “Nicole said that Sierra chases away all the boogie monsters,” Nathan said proudly as if he knew something no one else knew. Nicole heard Darcey call her from the kitchen, and she left to go back there.
            God, would the torture ever end? Why couldn’t she shake this man out of her system? Why did she feel so attracted to him? He’s married, for crying out loud. She brought the food out to his table.
            “Who has the chicken nuggets and fries?” she asked.
            “Me!” Nathan exclaimed loudly.
            She handed the plate over to him.
            “Who has the macaroni and cheese?”
            “I do,” the older of the boys said.
            “So, that leaves you with a cup of chicken noodle soup?” She asked the Bryan, the younger brother.
            “Yep.”
            She went back to the kitchen and brought out the adult meals.
            “Here is the garden salad.”
            “That’s for me, thank you,” the woman said.
            She handed the Mexican fiesta platter to Marcus. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
            Marcus looked around and then smiled up at Nicole. “No. I think we’re all set.”
            “Alrighty then, I’ll be back to refill your drinks shortly.”
            Nicole went over to the other tables and waited on them. She was glad to get away from that table.
            One couple that she knew, Lori and Doug, were sitting at the table in the center of the restaurant, next to Marcus and his family. She always enjoyed talking to Lori and Doug, they were always happy, laughing and cracking jokes. She had gone to make a pot of coffee and noticed that whoever put the coffee in filters and stacked them so that they would be ready to use, had used both a six and a twelve cup filters. She brought the two filters over to Lori and Doug, “I don’t think someone knows the different between six cup filters and twelve cup filters.”
            Doug, known for his dry sense of humor, said, “B cups or D cups!”
            Nicole walked away with her face heated, giggling. She caught Marcus thin lined smile as she quickly walked over to the coffee maker and made a fresh pot. 

​Chapter 5
There was a banging at his door and Marcus went to open it. “Uncle Marcus, you got to come quick. Nathan fell on his arm,” Daniel said, rushing through his speech.
Damn. He followed Daniel out the door and around to the causeway, heading to the backyard of the motel. He stopped dead for a second when he saw the scene.
Nicole had Nathan in her arms, rocking him as he wailed about his arm. The sight was beautiful to him. Nathan had never tried to warm up to any woman he ever brought into their lives, yet with this creature, he is drawn to her like a magnet. He walked over to where they were seated and sat down next to Nicole.
“What happened, Nathan,” Marcus asked him gently.
“I slipped on a rock at the creek and fell on my arm. Daddy, it hurts.”
“No. I don’t want to go back to our room. I want to stay with Nicole.”
“You don’t want to go back and watch some movies?”
“No. I want to watch the movies with Nicole.” He huddled tighter into Nicole’s arms.
“I can let him watch some movies in my room and maybe you can come by later to pick him up?”
He was hesitant when Nathan said, “Please, daddy?”
“Okay. Under one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to take some aspirins for the pain.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you, Nicole.” Marcus smiled warmly at her. He watched as her expression changed from that of a loving mother to that of a steel look at him. Did he do something to anger her? What was it that his son was so taken by her? Did she have a maternal instinct in her that he needed in his life? His own mother had practically abandoned him. She brought him over one evening, suitcase in hand, and told him that Nathan was staying with him because she was engaged to be married and would be moving to Spain. He didn’t recall her ever hugging the boy, or talking to him in a motherly way, or just plain being his mother. In fact, after they got married, she turned into a cold-hearted bitch. He vowed then he would never get married again. The only other woman in Nathan’s life was Shana, and she did her best for him, trying to fulfill his needs, but he knew that Nathan really craved a mother’s love.
Before Nathan and Nicole settled down to watch a movie, she said, “How about we go and get some snacks?”
“Okay,” he said excitedly.
They went to Debbie and Ronnie’s kitchen, and she rummaged through the cupboards while Nathan sat in the chair on his knees.
“Hmm, I bet you like chocolate milk.”
“Yeah!”
Nicole pulled the chocolate syrup out of the cupboard and got two tall glasses, spoons, and two straws. She set them on the table and got the milk out. She sat down next to Nathan and poured the milk into the glasses. She squirted chocolate into Nathan’s glass and then in her glass. They stirred the chocolate then put their straws in. Nicole blew bubbles in her straw, and Nathan laughed. Then he blew bubbles too. They giggled together as they blew bubbles in between sipping and drinking the chocolate and milk.
After they had finished and she cleaned up the area, she asked, “What do you like to snack on besides gummy bears?”
“I like popcorn!”
“Oh. That sounds good, doesn’t it?” She looked at Nathan.
“Yeah!”
After popping the popcorn in the microwave, she put it in a large bowl. “Okay, let’s go watch the movie.”
“Yay.”
They got settled in the bed, surfed the channels until they found something to watch, and put the big bowl in front of them. Nathan snuggled up next to Nicole.
* * * *
Later in the evening, Marcus stepped out of his room and went to Nicole’s. The curtains were drawn back and the moon illuminated the room with a soft glow. He knocked softly on her door, but there was no answer. He turned the knob, and it was unlocked. He opened the door and stepped in. He was surprised at what he found. Nathan was curled up, next to Nicole with his head on her chest. She rested her chin on his crown and had her arms wrapped around him. He stood there staring at the two of them. Not wanting to wake either of them up.
The next morning, Nicole woke first and realized that Nathan had stayed the night with her. She hoped his parents didn’t mind. When Nathan woke up, there was a quiet knock at her door, and she opened it. It was Marcus. “I’m sorry. We fell asleep watching the movie.”
“That’s okay.”
“Daddy, guess what?”
“What, son.”
“Nicole and I made chocolate milk and blew bubbles in them.”
“Really. Bet you made a nice mess.”
“No, we didn’t, didn’t we, Nicole?”
“No. No mess.” She smiled
 “Nathan,  we’re getting ready to go to the café and eat. Let’s get you in some clean clothes and go.”
“Okay. Bye, Nicole.”
“Bye bye sweetie.”
Later that morning she sat at the picnic table reading. She saw a movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced to where the causeway was. Marcus was walking toward her. She quickly averted her eyes to her book and started reading again, even though the words were not forming in her mind. Her heart was racing, and she felt nervous. Why? He’s married and off-limits. Why was she still attracted to him?
“Good morning, Nicole,” Marcus said as he raised one leg over the picnic table bench and sat down.
“Good morning,” she murmured. She laid her book flatly on the picnic table, so he did not see what she was reading, and kept her eyes in the book, even though she could not read a thing. She knew he wanted to pressure her more about the arrows. She had it in mind to just keep the information from him and let him find it another way.
“Have you thought any more about where you think the arrows may be?” Marcus asked.
“No. I haven’t had time.” Why did she lie like that? She immediately felt guilty, because she never lied to anyone.
He studied her. His eyes started at her eyes, and slowly down to where her hands were holding the book on the table.
“I went to the BLM Friday and got a bunch of topographic maps of Elkhorn Mountains. I was hoping you’d be able to look at them, and maybe it will help you to jar your memory. Would you be willing to look at them?”
The boys came running back. “Daddy, you said we would go to Butte Falls river and look at rocks. Can we go now?” Nathan ran up and stood next to his father, then the other two boys came and stood next to them.
“Yes, we’ll go in a second.” Marcus looked at Nicole expectantly.
“I’ll look at your maps,” Nicole said, barely a whisper.
Marcus flashed his million dollar smile at her that made her swoon then looked at the boys. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah!” They all cried in unison.
“Thank you, Nicole. I will get with you later and show you what I have.” He got up and said to the boys, “Let’s go.”
            Darcey Haufmeiser, and her husband Dick, owners the Mason Saloon and Café, called Nicole later in the morning and asked if she’d be able to wait the tables from four PM to eight PM that day.
            Nicole decided to walk to work rather than drive her car. She left a half hour early and showed up ten minutes before her shift started and walked into the restaurant. To her chagrin, Marcus was sitting in a booth, with his three boys and wife. They were talking and laughing among themselves as she walked by. Marcus looked up and smiled slightly at her. It didn’t look like they had gotten their meals yet, so she had to endure their present and serve them their food. This sucks, what timing. There were several other tables occupied. Business had been slow lately at the restaurant and the saloon, and she was glad to see more people in the restaurant.
            As she rounded the corner to head to the kitchen, the door to the bar swung opened and Cherry, the bartender, waltzed through and headed to the kitchen with a food order. “Hi, Nicole,” Cherry said.
            “Hi, Cherry. Working tonight or just getting off?”
            “Working tonight. You coming on?”
            “Yeah.” She went to the kitchen behind Cherry and let Darcey know she was there.
            “Here’s an order for a hamburger and fries.” Cherry handed Darcey the food order and walked backed through the restaurant to the bar.
            “Hi, Darcey,” Nicole said.
            “Hey, Nicole. So glad you could come in and cover for Steve. He apparently has the flu, and it’s been going around.”
            “No problem. Anything I should know about?” She looked from Darcey to Maria, the waitress.
            “No, specials are on the board, and everything seems to be going okay,” Maria said.
            “Are you working until eight tonight, Darcey?” Nicole asked.
            “Yeah. Bill asked for tonight off for his granddaughter’s birthday.”
            Maria went out to the cash register, counted out the money and placed it in the bank bag. When she was done and left the restaurant, Nicole got the next shift’s money bag and counted out the bills, cracked the coins that were rolled and placed them in the till. She grabbed the coffee pot and went to several tables to refill their cups. When she got near Marcus’s table, a young voice called out to her.
            “Hi, Nicole!”
            She turned and looked at Nathan. “Hi. How is your arm doing?” She smiled weakly at him. She briefly looked at Shana. Envy filled her heart. She had long black hair, but not nearly as long as Marcus’s, deep brown eyes, some make-up on her face and she dressed smartly. Just as a lawyer’s wife should.
“It’s doing okay. Daddy gave me some pills to take.”
“Did you take it like a good boy?”
“Yeah.”
“He actually took a pain pill without giving me a hassle this time,” Marcus said, he raised an eyebrow while looking at the boy.
“That’s good.”
“Nicole said I should take it so I won’t be in any pain for the whole day.” Nathan looked up at Nicole and had a small smile on his face.
Marcus looked again at his son and then up at Nicole. “Really. So that’s why you took it without giving me a hard time, huh?”
Why didn’t his mother try to encourage the boy to take an aspirin? Nicole looked at Shana and then at their table. She asked, “Anyone want refills?”
            “I do. I want more apple juice.” Nathan sat back in the corner of the booth with his feet on the cushion and his arm wrapped around his glass.
            “Me too, the other two boys chimed in.
            “Okay, what are you two drinking?”
            “I’m drinking Sprite,” the older one said.
            “I want more orange pop,” the littler one said.
            “Okay, and you two?” She asked Marcus and the woman.
            “I’m fine,” Marcus said.
            “Just a little more water for me, please,” the woman said.
            Nicole took the glasses and went and filled them up. She returned and gave everyone their drinks.
            “Nicole, you work here?” Nathan asked.
            “Yes. I work part-time here.” She smiled at him.
            “I really like your dog, Nicole,” Bryan said.
            “Thank you.”
            “The dog is very pretty, what kind is it?” The woman Nicole thought was Marcus’s wife asked.
            “She’s a Blue Heeler.” Nicole’s smile left her face, but only Marcus noticed it.
            “She has such fine markings and features.” The woman continued.
            Nicole couldn’t wait to get away from the table. The last thing she wanted was to get into a conversation with his wife.
            “Nicole said that Sierra chases away all the boogie monsters,” Nathan said proudly as if he knew something no one else knew. Nicole heard Darcey call her from the kitchen, and she left to go back there.
            God, would the torture ever end? Why couldn’t she shake this man out of her system? Why did she feel so attracted to him? He’s married, for crying out loud. She brought the food out to his table.
            “Who has the chicken nuggets and fries?” she asked.
            “Me!” Nathan exclaimed loudly.
            She handed the plate over to him.
            “Who has the macaroni and cheese?”
            “I do,” the older of the boys said.
            “So, that leaves you with a cup of chicken noodle soup?” She asked the Bryan, the younger brother.
            “Yep.”
            She went back to the kitchen and brought out the adult meals.
            “Here is the garden salad.”
            “That’s for me, thank you,” the woman said.
            She handed the Mexican fiesta platter to Marcus. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
            Marcus looked around and then smiled up at Nicole. “No. I think we’re all set.”
            “Alrighty then, I’ll be back to refill your drinks shortly.”
            Nicole went over to the other tables and waited on them. She was glad to get away from that table.
            One couple that she knew, Lori and Doug, were sitting at the table in the center of the restaurant, next to Marcus and his family. She always enjoyed talking to Lori and Doug, they were always happy, laughing and cracking jokes. She had gone to make a pot of coffee and noticed that whoever put the coffee in filters and stacked them so that they would be ready to use, had used both a six and a twelve cup filters. She brought the two filters over to Lori and Doug, “I don’t think someone knows the different between six cup filters and twelve cup filters.”
            Doug, known for his dry sense of humor, said, “B cups or D cups!”
            Nicole walked away with her face heated, giggling. She caught Marcus thin lined smile as she quickly walked over to the coffee maker and made a fresh pot.