Angels Fall

by. "How much do you think this is going to cost?"
    "I haven't got a clue." Brody shrugged. "My manliness doesn't extend into this area." Insurance was all well and good, Reece thought. But what about the deductible? She walked inside to see Joanie, hands on hips, frowning up at a curtain of plastic. She wore the work boots Reece had seen in the mudroom the first time they baked together, rough brown trousers and a tan western-style shirt with one of the breast pockets bulging a bit with what was, surely, her always handy pack of Marlboro Lights.
    Behind the plastic, Reece could see a couple of men on stepladders. The place smelled of coffee and wet. The big fan continued to whirl, chilling the air.
    "You're not on until eleven today," Joanie said without looking around.
    "I'm working off my part of this. Argue," Reece added, "and I'll just quit, move to Jackson Hole and get a job there. You'll not only be shy a couple of booths but a cook." Joanie stayed just as she was. "These boys've been at this an hour already. Go on back and rustle them  up a couple of cattleman's breakfasts."
    "How do they want their eggs?"
    "Fry 'em. Sunny side."
    Brody stepped up to Joanie as Reece headed back. "Did you get any sleep?"
    "I can sleep when I'm dead. Are you just here to chauffeur her around and send her smoldering looks, or are you apt to be useful? "
    "I can multitask."
    "Then go on in there, see what Reuben and Joe can use you for. We'll have customers coming in before long. Reece, make that three cattleman's."

    REECE SERVED THEM herself, at the counter, as Joanie had Bebe hauling in tables to make up for lost seating. The regular early birds were already dribbling in, and the always sleepy morning guy shuffled in the back door to wash dishes.
    No one complained about the inconvenience or the mess, but it held as top topic of conversation throughout the morning. When speculative looks were sent her way, Reece told herself it was no less than she could expect. But they ate her food, clattered dishes, and at ten sharp someone had the juke going over the noise of hammer and saw.
    She had the day's soup in the kettle and was making salsa when Linda-gail slipped back. "What an awful mess. You must be so mad at me."
    "I was." Reece chopped and considered trying out a little bruschetta on the lunch crowd. "Then I looked at the big picture and decided it wasn't your fault. Well, not completely your fault."'
    "Really? I feel like such an ass."
    "You were an ass." She paused long enough to grab a bottle of water. "But that was only one element that contributed to the general mayhem."
    "Oh. Reece honey. Your poor face."
    "Don't remind me." But since she had. Reece held the cold bottle against her bruised cheek for a moment. "Does it look terrible?"
    "Ot course it doesn't. You couldn't."
    "That bad. huh? Between the riot at Clancy's and the mess here, people are going to have something to talk about for a week."
    "It's not your fault."
    "No." Apparently her days of wallowing in guilt were over. Cheers. "It's really not." 
    "Does anybody know how it happened? I mean, who'd do something so stupid and mean?" Linda-gail looked around, watched Brody and Reuben carrying in some drywall " The bright side is, I heard Joanie say she might as well paint the whole damn place as slap some just on the ceiling. We could use some freshening up."
    "Crappy way to redecorate."
    Linda-gail rubbed a hand up and down Reece's back. "I'm just so sorry about everything."
    "It's okay."
    "Lo isn't speaking to me."
    "He will. But maybe you should do the talking first. When there's something you want, something you need, life's too short to play games with it."
    "Maybe. Reece, I want you to know that it you need to, you can stay at my place as long as you want."
    "Thanks." She glanced over her shoulder. "He gave me two drawers." Linda-gail's eyes went wide and bright. "Oh, Reece!" She wrapped her arms around Reece's waist and rocked side to side. "That is just awesome."
    "It's drawers, Linda-gail. But yeah, it's a nice step."
    "Linda-gail Case, I don't believe I'm paying you to dance." Joanie walked in, gave the soup a stir.
    "Rick's out front, Reece, wants to talk to you soon as you can. You can use my office if want privacy"
    "I guess that's best." But then she turned, saw the people lingering over coffee at the counter, at tables.
    "No. I think we'll have this conversation out front. People'll just talk about me more if we go behind closed doors."
    With a