Accompany Me!

(This is for the Summer Lovin' Story Contest 2022. Please rate and comment!)

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Josie sighed, she was just thirty-two. Still, a young woman.(Well, at least she thought she was a young woman.) Despite that, here she was working at an out-of-the-way roadside Denny's. Its' customers were mostly long-haul truckers and prostitutes. She was just a waitress living off of minimum wage and miserable tips. What kind of life was she living? What had happened to her dreams? What had happened to her ambition?

If Josie's mother was still alive, her mother would be disappointed. Her mother had always had dreams for her. Hell, if she was really honest Josie was disappointed in herself. She deserved to be someone. Maybe not a surgeon, an A-list Hollywood actress or an astronaut but someone. Despite those former dreams, Josie just worked at an out-of-the-way Denny's as a waitress. She wasn't important and there was no one in the world who would miss her if she was gone.

On the grave-yard shift, Josie was the only waitress. Sure there was Larry, the cook, in the back, but now he was probably doing his "real job" of selling weed, cigarettes and beer to teenagers. He would only come, when...no IF they had a customer. Josie told herself it was her job to hold down the restaurant. To maintain order. She ran the place. During the grave-yard shift, this Denny's was "her" restaurant. But,tonight was a hot summer night and the Denny's was empty. Josie had already re-swept the floors and re-wiped the tables. She tried to take a little pride in her job even though she knew tomorrow it would be covered in sticky syrup and spilled coffee.

As she looked around, she thought that the Denny's was better than clean. It was perfect. People always valued things like the Louver or Sistine Chapel but no one appreciated a clean restaurant. They just took it for granted. For what it was worth and she knew it wasn't worth much, Josie could at least say she maintained a spotless restaurant. Since there was no one around, Josie started reading one of her romance novels. She might not have adventure in her life, but she'd always rooted for the characters in her novels. They had thrilling adventures while she didn't! Their days changed. Her days would stay the same until who knew when? Josie lived stuck in her ever repeating routine.

Josie had just got to an exciting part in her romance novel, when the bell rang. A man walked in. He looked road weary. Josie sighed to herself in frustration. It was always the same! Whenever she got to a good part, a customer came in. she secretly hated them for this. Automatically, Josie put on a fresh pot of coffee and grabbed a menu. It didn't matter that it was summer and steaming hot out. Customers always wanted coffee. Always!

Joise let the coffee percolate and took the plastic menu out to the customer.

"Hello, I'm Josie. I'll be your waitress tonight. What can I get you?" questioned Josie tiredly. She looked closely at the man for the first time. He was unshaven and wearing a worn out t-shirt and jeans. A Red Sox baseball cap was worn haphazardly upon his head. If she'd been able to afford it, Josie would bet her next paycheck on him stiffing her with the bill.

" Hey, Josie I'm Cahir. I guess I'll have a coffee and a Grand Slam with bacon. I could use some company if you have no other customers. But, I'd get it if you're busy." said Cahir in a lackadaisical manner.

Josie sighed to herself. It was really late...or really early. She could never tell on the nightshift. Josie wanted to get back to her book. Still, it had been so long since she'd talked to anyone. (Larry the loser didn't count.) Here was this stranger. He had an aurora of mystery about him. Cahir was different and intriguing. Her book was good but it could wait. "What the fuck." Josie thought to herself. I'll talk with him. Nothing can go wrong from a conversation.

"Oh, I'm not busy you can see there's nobody here but me...I'll grab your Grand Slam and get myself some coffee too." Josie went in the back to tell Larry they had a customer. He needed to cook. It was his job after all. Denny's paid him for it. Unsurprisingly and as usual, Larry the loser, had disappeared with one of his "clients". It was up to Josie to get Cahir, his Grand Slam.

The corporate management at Denny's liked to give the image that all their food was made to order. It couldn't be further from the truth. Everything, except the fried eggs, were made in the microwave. People may as well be ordering TV dinners. Where else could a person get both a pot roast or scrambled eggs at two am? Even though everything was made in the microwave, Josie could have killed Larry. Josie had been lonely in her routine. She wanted to talk to this mysterious man. It would be nice to have some new companionship, if only for a little while. Josie had been alone for too long.

Josie brought out the newly-brewed coffee and started frying the eggs. She wasn't a good cook. She'd thought she'd be able to fry some eggs without burning them but Josie was wrong. "Is everything okay back there? I smell smoke." questioned Cahir. If he was honest with himself, he also was lonely. He wanted someone outside of work and outside of his pack to talk to.

"It's alright. I'm alright. Everything is alright and done. I'm bringing it out now." said Josie. She sat the Grand Slam in front of Cahir. Josie was ashamed. She hadn't gone to college, she hadn't fulfilled her dreams and she couldn't even fry a stupid egg!

The burnt bacon and eggs further cemented the fact that Josie was a loser. Just a poor waitress working as a Denny's waitress on a lonely highway. Suddenly, it was all too much. Josie started crying big heavy sobs. She couldn't stop no matter how hard she tried.

Cahir's mouth dropped open and he looked at her in shock. Was he supposed to do something? He hadn't been around mortals in a long time. Perhaps, it had been a mistake to rejoin the human world. He shouldn't be at the university teaching Nordic literature. He shouldn't be in this restaurant. In fact, he shouldn't be in the mortal world. It had been a bad idea to take a job up at the university.

He should be in the wild. After all, he was a wild creature...or at least part of him was. It had been a stupid, half-ass dream at best to rejoin mortals. He should be with his pack...that was where he belonged. No matter how much he loathed their traditional ways. Now this human woman was sobbing in front of him. Cahir was startled yet he was mysteriously drawn to her and wanted nothing more than to comfort her. But, he didn't know how. What did mortals in this day and age want...especially mortal women? They were an enigma to him.

From behind, teary eyes, Josie watched Cahir. He made his way behind the register and poured her a cup of coffee. She watched as Cahir took two packets of sugar and a container of cream. He dumped it into her coffee. Cahir passed the coffee to Josie.

"Drink up. You'll feel better once you have something warm inside you. It's summer but the AC in here is very cold." stated Cahir. He slid the hot coffee across the counter to Josie. He hoped it would be true. He couldn't stand to see this beautiful creature cry. Why did this strange woman have to be so enamoring? He should really leave while the going was good. He couldn't afford to get involved. He had obligations. Also, she couldn't begin to understand what he was. No mortal could. Supernatural beings were beyond them.

"Thanks." murmured Josie softly. She looked up at his soft amber eyes. Cahir was handsome...very handsome. She took a sip of her coffee. It was good, sweet, creamy and warm. Before she realized it, half the cup was gone.

"Forget the stupid Grand Slam, I don't need anything right now Josie. I suppose I really didn't want it anyways. Right now, what I really want is to take care of you. It looks like you could use a friend. Let me do that for you! Now tell me, what's the matter?" questioned Cahir with concern in his voice. She was only a mortal but she was still part of this world like he was.

Josie didn't know why she started telling this stranger her troubles. It was late...or early. She was tired. No one else in her life existed who she could talk to. Josie had a lot of anxieties and worries. Now, for some inexplicable reason, she was confessing them to Cahir.

"Oh, it's just everything...you know. I have a crappy unfulfilling job and life..I suppose. All day long, it's what can I get you....what can I get you. Make coffee, wipe the goddam tables, smile, be pleasant. All of that fucking bullshit." Josie sobbed some more and took another swig of her coffee. She wanted something stronger like wine or whiskey. But, coffee would have to do for now.

"I used to want to do things. I was going to go to college. Get my degree in pediatric nursing. I just never got it together for one reason or the other. It's harder than it sounds, you've got to get the money, I don't qualify for financial aid,...you have to have a place to live and I'll tell you a bit of a secret... I'm really not that smart. But, I always thought I was smart enough for nursing...or at least a nursing assistant. Somehow, for a million different reasons, it just didn't work out for me. SO...long story short...for better or worse here I am! A waitress working at a shitty Denny's...with a drug dealer as a co-worker." Josie let out a short bitter laugh at the absurdity of her situation. Didn't she deserve more in life? Wasn't she meant to be somebody? Not an astronaut or the president or anything super glamorous, just more than a Denny's waitress.

Cahir gave Josie a small but comforting smile. He liked this woman even though she was a random stranger and mortal. He could tell that she was hard working and resolute. Josie had a run of bad luck but Josie also had grit. Cahir knew that Josie would accomplish her goals if she was given a fair chance. She was a determined woman. People didn't always have the opportunity to take their shot, no matter how much they deserved it.

Josie came to herself. She wiped her hand across her face and dried her eyes which were red from crying. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to lay all of this on you. Uhmm....I suppose your coffee is on the house. Thank you for listening?" questioned Josie. It had been nice to tell her troubles to someone. Even if it was a stranger, perhaps it was best that it was a stranger. Nothing could come from it.

Cahir smiled again at Josie and picked an ice cube from his water. Then he ran it over the trails of Josie's tears. "It's really no problem. I understand I really do. Sometimes, we just have to let everything out. Look I promise you that everything will be alright, one way or the other. Can I escort you home? I want to make sure you're okay. You've had a rough day and I wouldn't want you getting in an accident."

Josie looked up at the clock. She still had a half hour left in her shift. Technically, she should stay. Denny's was always open after all. But, it was after two. No one ever came in this late. She wouldn't have any tips. Larry was long gone. So Joise decided to be bad. She clocked out, locked up and went with Cahir.

She was halfway to her apartment before she realized that she was bringing a man... a strange man to her apartment. Josie wasn't that kind of girl. She didn't have the best job but she was a respectable woman. She didn't bring random men home willy-nilly. Josie lied about her apartment address. "Uhmm...this is my apartment. Pull over here." stated Josie.

Cahir took one look at the apartment complex. He knew from the expensive look of "The Willows" apartment complex that Josie didn't live there. She wouldn't be able to afford it. Cahir knew she was ashamed of wherever she lived. Still, he let her out. He didn't want Josie to think she was his prisoner. He wanted Josie to be comfortable around him. It had been a long time since he had a friend. He didn't know if he ever had a mortal woman friend.

Male werewolves, at least from his pack, just didn't do that. It would be seen as a betrayal of everything werewolves' traditions stood for. In his pack, male werewolves had codes they had to adhere to, hanging out with mortal women wasn't one of them. It was bad enough that Cahir had women colleagues at the college. Werewolves mingled with other werewolves and that was it. You had a duty to put the pack before yourself.

Josie stepped out of Cahir's car into the night. "Thanks for the lift." she stated as she pulled her jacket around herself. It was summer but this late at night there was a chill in the air. She walked around the apartment complex for awhile until she was sure that Cahir had left. Cahir left the apartment complex and parked down the street. Then he morphed into his wolf form. He just had to make sure that Josie got home safe. Josie was an amazing woman. She deserved to have someone watch over her. Cahir wanted to be that person.

In wolf form, Cahir followed her as she walked the half mile to her apartment. It was on the wrong side of town. It was cheap and broken down. Josie deserved so much more. But, for now it was the best that Josie could afford. Sometime, maybe, perhaps in a different life she'd live in a nice apartment complex like "The Willows" but for now, she lived here on Cheapside. But, at least she was saving money....for something...someday...then hopefully she'd get something better?

In the small entryway, Josie stepped out of her shoes and threw her jacket onto her worn armchair. It was late. She was so tired, her body needed rest. Josie headed to her unmade bed. She collapsed and fell into a deep sleep. Josie dreamed well. She didn't even hear the rustling that was happening outside her door.

Cahir used his werewolf stealth to clean up her apartment. He figured it was the least he could do for this woman. She deserved to have someone do something for her. Cahir heard Josie snoring loudly. He checked on her before he left the apartment. Cahir tossed a tattered sheet across her and watched her snuggle into it. Then he morphed back into a wolf and headed out into the summer night.

He got into his car and drove forty-five minutes to the next town. It was where he lived for now. In his long life span, he needed something to do, so he taught Nordic literature at the local community college. Sure, it wasn't Harvard. But, not everyone could go to Harvard. Cahir wanted to teach regular mortals not trust-fund rich brats. He wanted students who would appreciate what he had to offer.

City College turned out alot of health care aids, teachers aids and trade jobs. Jobs that were a necessary part of the workforce but not particularly glamorous or well paying. He taught Nordic Literature. It didn't have alot to do with the main programs at City College but his classes were well attended. Cahir's students' loved him and he enjoyed his job. He had fun with it. As a college professor, he had purpose while in his werewolf pack he was just a follower at best. Cahir got tired of being bossed around. At City College, Cahir's life had meaning. He was respected.

All day long Cahir taught his classes automatically. He did what he had to do. But, he couldn't get Josie out of his mind. She was so beautiful, yet so despondent. Josie was like a flower who was on the verge of blooming. She didn't know her full potential. He could bring that out in her or at least be there when she bloomed! That night Cahir decided to go back to the remote Denny's to see Josie. Sure Denny's food sucked but at least he'd get to be near Josie. After all that was what mattered!

He walked in and got himself a seat. The isolated Denny's had several other customers and Josie was busy serving them. After all, she was the only waitress for the whole place on the late shift, But, she soon made her way over to Cahir's table. Tonight, Josie's face lit up with a smile when she saw him. It was always good to have a return customer, especially one like Cahir, who treated her more than just a waitress. He treated her like a real person.

"So, Cahir what can I get you?" questioned Josie. She was glad that Cahir was back. For once, she was glad that Larry the loser was the cook again. He'd be too busy doing his "real job" and ignore them. Cahir wouldn't have a decent meal, who did at Denny's? But at least they could be together. Josie wanted that. She wanted time with someone outside her job. Cahir had the potential to be her friend.

"I really like you, Joise. I've been thinking about you all day." said Cahir. Josie looked at him from over her order pad. She really liked Cahir too, more than a customer, But, now was not the time or place. Josie was sure that Denny's probably had a HR policy about dating customers. Still, Cahir. was so handsome...and kind. Josie tossed all caution to the wind. Let Denny's HR be dammed!

He ordered a piece of cherry pie and a hamburger, as usual it was abysmal. Cahir looked down at it in disappointment but pecked at it anyway. He didn't want to be rude. Josie, ignored her other customers, and sat next to him.

"Thank you for the cherry pie and hamburger...it was good? I suppose? Josie look into applying at the college...for the summer semester. I'll have my colleague in admissions put your application on the fast track. We'll also try and get you a scholarship. City College wants students, who have chutzpah like you." With that Cahir stood up.

He hugged Josie. Kissed her once on each side of the cheek. Then before Josie could say anything, Cahir was out the door. He didn't want to leave her. Still it was best before she knew the truth. It had been wrong to kiss her, to give her hope. He'd been wrong to make her think that anything could happen between them. When he knew it was in vain, Cahir had duties and obligations to his pack. He should leave before it was too late, but as the thought went through his mind, Cahir knew it was in vain. He was already smitten by this mortal woman.

Josie stood there breathless, blushing a deep red. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to feel. It had been SO long since anyone had given her a display of emotion like that. Josie couldn't stand in the Denny's entryway anymore. What if a customer came? What if her legs collapsed beneath her from shock or desire! She didn't know what to do or think. She was thinking a million thoughts at once. Josie walked in, poured herself a cup of coffee, "stole" a piece of pie and sat down in a booth. She took awhile to gather her thoughts.

One thing was for sure, Josie was tired of working at Denny's. Be pleasant, take orders, make coffee, blah blah blah, the same old shit day after day. She knew she was still young, so she decided to take Cahir up on his offer. The worst thing that could happen is that it wouldn't pan out. Josie submitted her application to the City College, never expecting anything to happen. Nothing good ever happened to her anyway!

A few weeks went by and to her surprise, Josie was let in for the summer semester. She was going to start in Pediatric Nursing. She'd also received a small scholarship. It wasn't much, she'd still have to work at Denny's and live in her crappy apartment to get by but it was a chance for her to achieve the life she wanted. Thanks to Cahir, she had a glimmer of hope.

A few months went by. Josie had been so busy studying, she'd forgotten about Cahir. Then one night, late in the library. Suddenly, he was there.

"Come out for a cup of coffee with me? I still owe you for that Denny's dinner." questioned Cahir. Even as he said it, he didn't know why he was doing it. Taking a mortal woman out was against his pack's code. Plus there was the bargain that his great-grandfather made. The one which he had to follow if he wanted to keep his honor.