Max would be angry if he found out, but she couldn’t refuse to serve Jimmy’s posse. The five men had come in and headed straight for her section, sitting at their usual table. The normally boisterous group was eerily quiet, and they’d left Jimmy’s chair empty, as though he might walk in the door to claim it. It seemed word had reached the town of Jimmy Durant’s death. Everyone in the diner talked in hushed tones, falling quiet whenever she approached. Rose knew what they likely talked about—speculating whether or not Max killed Jimmy. For a change, no one wanted to give her advice or warn her to stay away from Max. They didn’t want to talk to her at all. Rose sighed, wiping down a recently emptied table and pocketing the small tip. Even though she tried not to get her hopes up, she really wanted Max to get the new job so they could leave Clarkston. It was too small of a town. She wanted to live happily with Max for the rest of their lives—without worrying what people said about them.
