Never better

Laura returns Nate's kiss, her eyes closed as she takes in the sweet moment. And for one of the first times, she didn't feel the want to pull away... the want to leave. Though having always enjoyed Nate, becoming more comfortable with him, and enjoying these kinds of intimate moments, there had always been a barrier, hidden in the shadows. But today... today she had defied that barrier with her own strength born of peace. And she wouldn't let it keep her from the pure bliss of the sweet kiss, left to linger on her lips.

As Nate withdraws and rests his forehead against hers, she opens her eyes to stare at him, her mouth curling into a smile. Her eyes sparkle. "Mm... I think we should start where we left off every day." Giving a little laugh, color comes to her cheeks as she realizes she normally didn't say things like that. But she felt like it. And she was tired of holding in the words and attitude that mad her...her.

She gives Nate's hand another squeeze, then lets him move back around to his own seat again, picking up her fork. Taking another bite of salad, she grins at Nate again, then picks up her glass of iced tea to toast. "To a new day, a new outlook, and a new understanding."


Mackenzie keeps her chin rested on her arms, but her eyes look up and follow Aerith's movements. "Aerith," she repeats. "That's a pretty name." Looking to the cold milkshake, she purses her lips in thought, then seems to change her mind, shifting a hand to bring it closer to her. Taking out the straw, she licks the end of it, trying it out, then she nods. "Okay," she agrees to Aerith's offer.

Diving into the ice cream, some might wonder how often she got treats like this. Though seemingly wanting the whole thing, she just couldn't eat it all, and winds up with the glass only half empty, but a full stomach.

Slipping from her seat, she goes to follow Aerith around, not minding the customers a bit. She showed no fear or nervousness, just curiosity and a thirst to see and understand what Aerith did when taking orders and making sure everyone at the table was happy.

Mackenzie follows Aerith around the tables, then back to the kitchen, watching everything, and helping get some people's drinks. Though quiet, the look in her eye gave away that she was having fun.


Carson hangs up the phone with Misty, glad that she was at a spot in work that she could take a break and come down to Mom and Pop's. He didn't have time to wait for her though. He needed to start helping Aerith. He'd seen several more customers come in, and couldn't leave her high and dry. Though he knew she could throw a few meals together, she was more used to waiting on tables, not doing the cooking.

Getting back into the kitchen, he glances around, not seeing Mackenzie. Assuming she must be out on the floor with Aerith, he grabs his apron and looks up from under his ball cap to see the posted orders. They were already several behind. Tying off the apron behind his back, Carson moves quickly, prepping the oven and starting on some of the chicken.

Moving too quickly though, he doesn't watch himself, and burns his hand on one of the heated frying pans. Holding back a curse, he withdraws his hand to suck on his singed finger, rolling his eyes at his own stupidity. Going to the sink, he passes by the window to the front, and only then spots Mackenzie helping Aerith. For the first time, he just stands, watching her.

She really was small for her age... thin too. Carson wondered how good of care she'd been receiving, even when her mother had been alive. He wondered what kind of financial situation June had been in... had she even been able to afford proper care? Mackenzie wore a strong attitude, but was she physically strong? What had her childhood been like? Why did she want to spend time with him so badly? He didn't understand.

Without realizing it, he moves closer to see her more clearly. He watches her as she smiles at Aerith. She had traces of her mother in her, but he wasn't sure he could have picked her as being June's daughter. He wondered then, if what he was seeing was more of himself instead.

Carson's stinging finger makes him look back down and he sucks on it again for a moment before going to the sink and rinsing it with cold water. Staring into the sink, his mind drifts a million miles away. Only the sizzling chicken makes him realize that he'd better start paying more attention or else he'd be burning the food. Getting back to work was hard. But it isn't long before he's able to give Aerith several orders for the waiting tables.

Mackenzie helps Aerith, once in a while stealing glances into the kitchen at Carson. She would have gone to him, had he not pushed her away earlier. But she tries to be content with simply making herself useful, and wondering what the rest of the day would bring. Was she going to be taken somewhere else? Sent back to Arizona? Had Carson gotten a hold of Heather?

She fills up a glass with soda pop, just when the bell on the door rings again. She peers over the counter and spies someone she recognized. It was her father's girlfriend. Her eyes follow her as Misty walks back to the kitchen. But she stays where she is, not knowing where she was or wasn't welcome.

Misty's presence in the kitchen brings to Carson a sigh of relief. At a brief stopping point, Carson wipes his hands on his apron and goes to her, bringing her into a tight hug, followed by a strong kiss to the lips. "Thanks for coming."

Drawing away, the stress is evident in his eyes. "Mackenzie is here." He shakes his head. "She just... showed up. Said some stranger offered to bring her from Arizona. Now that social worker is on my butt, blaming me for kidnapping, and I've been told to turn the kid over to the local authorities or social services or whatever."

Carson takes a deep breath, knowing that what he'd just said really crammed everything into a nutshell. "Heather set me up, and I'm gonna be in a whole heap of trouble, no matter what I do. So... yeah."

He takes off his ball cap to wipe the sweat from his brow before slapping it back on his head to cover up his unruly hair. "I can't leave Aerith alone for any longer today - I already just a about put us in a bind, and that's not a good thing right now. Not after the conversation I had with Herb today." A deep breath follows. "Tell you about that later. For now though..."

His eyes drift back to the front where Mackenzie was now sitting on the other side of the counter, swiveling a little on one of the stools. "I need you... to do me a favor and... and..." He swallows hard. Take her down to the police station as a runaway.

Carson's mouth opens, but the lump that had risen in his throat seems to choke off the words. He looks back to Misty with desperation. Why was he going to put Mackenzie through that trauma? Hadn't she been through enough?

"I need you to..." Take her downtown! His gaze moves back towards the front again and he stares through the window at the little bonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who had had the grit and gumption to come all this way with a complete stranger.

Carson's shoulders drop. He closes his eyes and shakes his head. "...to come over to my place tonight. Dani won't be home before midnight, so by tomorrow I'll need a witness that I didn't hurt the girl."

He cringes, knowing that he'll get into trouble. "I'm so dead," he mutters. "Both Mackenzie and Heather have me over a barrel." He shakes his head, defeated. "So can you come over after work and... I don't know... bring a kid's movie or something?"

The smell of smoke fills Carson's nostrils and he suddenly spins around to race to the stove. "Aw dang it."


Kyle grins. "Yeah, but if you woulda given me permission for the chip, it wouldn't have tasted half as good."

Leaning back against the tree, he takes another bite of his sandwich. At Alice's question, he doesn't answer right away, but follows up with a quirky smile. "I'm good... never better." He nods. "Yeah... what more could I ask for? I feel like I'm a million miles from my family that I thought I wanted to be that far from, I'm on the road with a team every day doing something that really isn't my forte, I'm successfully beating out the pain of losing a girlfriend I should have been over ages ago, the weather here reminds me of all the springs of my childhood - which brings up a whole new slew of memories I don't want to deal with, and... I've had a king-sized headache the last three days."

His smile widens, though his eyes are dim. "So yeah. Couldn't be any better, right?"