The hamburger place was attached to a carwash.
Bella drove east down the highway and into the larger tourist area of Destin. Where Fort Walton was quieter, a bit more local, Destin seemed as if it had been created specifically for people to visit. Massive, high-rise condominium complexes lined the Gulf Shore, with scores of chain restaurants and shops sandwiched in between.
Jackson kept up the chatter the entire drive, calling out the names of the hotels and condos as we passed each one. I cracked the window and leaned toward the door, letting the warm air hit me in the face as we drove. Bella didn’t complain.
When she turned into the parking lot, I was confused.
“This is a restaurant?” I asked.
She pointed at the bright red sign. “Tops. It’s just a drive-up place. I know. It’s goofy. Attached to the self-serve carwash. But it’s good. Trust me.”
“Yeah!” Jackson said. “It’s awesome!”
He was already out of his seatbelt and opening the door as Bella pulled into a parking slot. He bolted from the car and attached himself to one of the small tables outside the car wash.
She smiled at him as she pulled out the key. “Can you tell he likes it? Unless we eat at my work, this is the only place we go.”
I nodded and got out.
“Come sit with me!” Jackson yelled.
“Go ahead,” Bella said. “I’ll order. Burger, fries and a drink is good? And no tomatoes, right?”
I smiled. “Yeah. Thanks.”
She walked over to the small window to order and I sat down on the metal chair across from Jackson.
“Have you eaten here before?” he asked, getting up on his knees and setting his hands on the table.
“Nope. But I guess you have.”
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s better than McDonald’s.”
“Better than your mom’s restaurant?”
“Well, it’s free at work, so it’s kinda different,” he said, tracing his finger aimlessly on the table top.
He was savvy for such a young kid.
I liked him.
The heavy traffic buzzed by on the highway, pushing waves of thick, humid air in our direction. The condos on the other side blocked my view of the Gulf.
“Do you have any kids?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“How come?”
I shifted in the chair. “Well, I’m not married.”
He squinted at me. “My mom’s not married.”
Again. Savvy.
“I guess I just haven’t met someone I wanna have kids with.” I swallowed against the lump that suddenly formed in my throat.
He nodded like that made sense. “Do you like Spongebob?”
I couldn’t help but smile at his pin-balling between subjects. “I do like Spongebob.”
“Maybe you could watch with me sometime?”
“Sure.”
Bella returned to the table with a red plastic tray overflowing with food. Jackson bounced with excitement as she pulled his burger and fries from the bag. He unwrapped the burger and took as big of a bite as his tiny mouth would allow.
She laughed. “He’s not one for waiting.”
“He’s hungry.”
She set my food in front of me. “He’s always hungry. Eats like a piranha. I think all boys do. Little ones, anyway.”
Jackson continued to devour the burger, oblivious to her words.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I said. “But thank you.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Again. For helping Jackson. And for the parking lot stuff.”
I wasn’t sure what that meant. Was she thanking me for bringing Jackson to her? For breaking Colin’s finger? I didn’t want to ask.
Bella took a bite of her hamburger and stared at me while she chewed.
It unnerved me. “What?”
“There are all these stories about you,” she said. “Out on the beach. Because you aren’t from here. All us locals notice when someone new shows up. And then love to run our mouths.”
I felt the slight stab of panic I always felt when someone alluded to the fact that I was drawing attention of any kind. “Oh yeah?”
“Oh yeah,” she said, folding the paper around the sandwich. “I’ve heard all sorts of things about you.”
“Like?”
She took a small bite and thought for a moment. “That you’re in the witness protection program. That you’re homeless. That you’re from New York. That you can’t swim.”
The panic subsided. “Ah.”
She set the sandwich down. “I didn’t say people around here were smart.”
I laughed and wiped at my mouth with a napkin. The burger was good. Far better than McDonald’s.
“I heard you were an alien,” Jackson said, ketchup dripping down his chin.
“Not an alien, I promise,” I said.
“Darn,” he said. “I wanted to see your spaceship.”
“Just eat, Jackson,” Bella said, shaking her head. “And just so you know, I don’t care and I’m not looking for an answer. I just thought you should know.”
“Thanks.”
“But I find it hard to believe you can’t swim. Working on a beach and all.”
I shrugged but didn’t answer. I stayed away from the water, so I could see how people might get that impression. I could swim. I just chose not to.
“What restaurant do you work at?” I asked, looking to change the subject to anything but me.
She made a face. “Stupid seafood place up the highway. Tourist trap.”
“Been there awhile?”
She took another bite of the sandwich and squinted into the sun. “Six months, I think? Seems like forever. But it’s a job and I need one.” She motioned at her son. “He eats like a gorilla.”
Jackson licked ketchup off his fingers, then grabbed another handful of fries.
“I gotta start looking for something else, though,” she said.
“Why’s that?”
She took a long sip from her drink. “Just to make ends meet.” She glanced at me. “It’s only part-time and money’s tight. We’re okay, but I don’t like that it’s so tight.”
I nodded. “Where does he go when you’re working?”
“During the school year, I work during the day when he’s in school. During the summer, he comes with me,” she said, frowning. “I can’t afford daycare and I don’t really want him going to one. My manager is cool. She lets me set him up in a back booth and he’s pretty good.” She smiled. “Actually, he’s really good.”
Jackson lifted up the fry bag and emptied the last few into his mouth.
“What did Colin want, Mommy?” he asked, out of the blue.
“Except when he asks questions,” Bella muttered, her cheeks flushing a little. Louder, she said, “Nothing, Jax. We just needed to talk.”
“About what?” I asked.
The blush deepened and she looked away. “Nothing, really.”
It wasn’t any of my business. I knew that. But I couldn’t help looking at Jackson and feeling that a kid like that didn’t belong anywhere within a hundred miles of that asshole in the parking lot. And if he was asking questions, there was something going on. Something a hell of a lot bigger than nothing.
“It didn’t seem like nothing,” I said.
“He won’t bother you again,” she said quickly. She wadded up the empty sandwich wrapper and dropped it in the paper bag. “I promise.”
“I don’t need you to promise that,” I said. “I can handle him. But it seemed like more than nothing.”
She set her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands, staring at her son as he tossed pieces of the hamburger bun to birds on the walk. I finished my food and sat there quietly, watching both of them.
“It isn’t nothing,” she finally said. “But sometimes, we have to do things we don’t want to do. Because we have to. Because there aren’t a whole lot of other options. That make any sense?”
I stared across the highway, watching the sun disappear behind the high-rises. Jackson chased after a bird and tumbled onto the grass next to the walk. I thought about Liz.
“Yeah,” I said. “Absolutely.”