Perfectly Imperfect Mine (Garrison Brothers Book 1)

companionship was gone. She didn’t really miss Tyler, she just missed being with someone.
Sadie got up from the couch and headed to her room. She’d had enough of old memories for one night.

Chapter Three
“The way he’s always watching you.”
Melinda’s words had replayed in her mind for the last twenty-three hours.
She tried to recall a time when she had seen him watching her but couldn’t. It was she who watched him. A few times, while she was staring at him, he looked over. Their eyes met and she glanced away, embarrassed at being caught. Her face usually flushed, and she’d nervously find something on the opposite side of the diner to clean up. That only happened a few times. He rarely looked her way. Or had he?
She had hoped he would come in again but so far, he hadn’t. He had come in every night that she worked the past two weeks. On her day off, she managed to ask Pearl nonchalantly about whether he came in or not. Pearl didn’t make her suffer by teasing her, she simply said, “Nope, not yesterday. Isn’t it funny how he only comes in during your shifts?”
At the time, she thought it was coincidence. She was just happy she didn’t miss him. But now, with Melinda’s words popping back in her head, Sadie wondered. Was he watching her?
A waving hand captured her attention as her impatient customer gestured. She took a deep breath and walked over to table four.
They were few and far between but everyone got them—the complainers. This one was hers. He had returned his chicken because he said it was overcooked, which it was not. He had her bring him another soda claiming she brought him diet when he specifically asked for regular.
Sadie stood at the edge of his table and plastered on a smile.
“Can I get you anything else? Dessert?” Sadie had learned to just smile, even with the meanest of customers. Some girls, like Melinda, threw sass but Sadie took the high road, kill them with kindness. She hated confrontation, and tried to avoid it at all costs.
“The check. Now!” His tone was rather rude and without eye contact.
She talliedhis bill as he reached for his wallet. His wedding band caught her eye, large white gold with diamonds surrounding a red ruby in the center. Someone married this asshole? He was wearing a business suit, not the usual Bernie’s customer. He had the appearance of one who didn’t frequent diners. Sadie noticed earlier he kept checking his phone—maybe he got stood up by his mistress. If so, that was a very smart woman. He didn’t look all that bad, mid-forties, and in decent shape. He was mildly attractive, but his nasty attitude canceled that out.
Sadie barely had the chance to put the check down before he snatched it from her. She backed up when he abruptly came out of the booth and stood. He threw cash onto the table and stormed out the door. She watched as he left. While he looked mad, and in a rush, she noticed something else. It seemed to be a combination of nervousness and fear.
She grabbed the check and cash and counted it as she walked to the register. He left, a ten and three singles for a $12.82 bill. Yep, asshole!
“Can I get a refill?” A gruff voice bellowed from table six.
Sadie looked at the bearded potbelly trucker with his cup raised. She gave him a smile and held up a finger. She turned around, switched out the pot, and brewed a new one. These truckers drank more coffee than anyone else. It made sense because they had to be up all night driving. Sadie was perplexed by it though. Two cups and she was a jittery mess. These guys drank two cups in one sitting.
She grabbed the pot. It was time to make up for the asshole’s lousy tip. The Walk. She snickered to herself every time she thought of it.
She did “The Walk” over to Mr. Bearded Potbelly. Sadie was taught by the self-proclaimed best waitress ever, Cindy Morris. Cindy was a larger than life type of person. When Sadie first started working at Bernie’s, Cindy intimidated the hell out of her, but as she got to know her, she came to appreciate her.
Cindy worked at the diner for years, up until a year ago when she met “the love of her life.” Cindy was a legend at Bernie’s. There were rumors of blowjobs in the bathrooms and flashing her boobs for a larger tip, but Sadie never witnessed any of it. However, there were some truckers and locals who were very upset when Cindy left town with her new man.
As Cindy told the story, when their eyes met, the Love Gods shined down on them and true love was born. They couldn’t stand to be apart and drove off into the sunset in his eighteen-wheeler. The rumor mill was less romantic. She waited on him. She banged him, got knocked up, and married him. They did drive off in his eighteen-wheeler truck; that much was true. Cindy got her man and “out of this shitty job in this shitty town.” But before she did, she taught Sadie “The Walk.” It was a slow stride of ass and hips swaying, and a bounce in the step, sultry not slutty, Cindy explained. She also said Sadie was a natural. Sadie was still trying to figure out if that was a compliment or an insult.
Either way, she found out quickly. Done the right way, she could double her tips. Truckers were usually good tippers. But the cleavage, combined with “The Walk,” always helped.
With a plastered smile, hips swaying, and a slight bounce Sadie walked over with the coffee. Mr. Bearded Potbelly watched her as she neared him. He fully appreciated “The Walk,” as most men did. His eyebrows cocked up and the ends of his mouth curled into a grin. Yeah, full appreciation.
“Hey guys, I didn’t forget you, I