"Retro Rhapsody," by Hugh Lessig, in Scattered, Smothered, Covered & Chunked: Crime Fiction Inspired by Waffle House, edited by Michael Bracken and Stacy Woodson, Down and Out Books, 2024.
Judy manages a diner. Her problem employee is a fifty-something guy, twice her age, named Doutree who, wrongly, thinks he has a chance with her.
Her new employee is a cook named Army who is dependable, good-looking, and maybe has a secret. Or a whole lot of secrets.
Maybe one of these guys can help with the other. Or maybe he can make things much worse.
This is one of those stories where new layers are revealed every few pages. I enjoyed uncovering them.
