Fries and Shine

By Imogen Markwell-Tweed

Cole is a small town diner owner, struggling to keep up. Thomas is a hot-shot lawyer, struggling to find his place in his family’s sleazy firm.

When Thomas is sent to convince Cole to sell, no matter the cost, he finds himself immediately drawn to the gruff man. Before he realizes who he is, Cole thinks he might be in love; Thomas thinks he’s being punished.

Small time life throws them in each others’ way again and again and soon, Thomas and Cole have no choice but to acknowledge the inevitable: without meaning to at all, they've fallen hopelessly, and haplessly, in love with each other.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bryant Street Shorts
• Release date: Apr 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094417455

Imogen Markwell-Tweed

Imogen Markwell-Tweed is a queer romance writer and editor based in St. Louis. When she's not writing or hanging out with her dog, IMT can be found putting her media degrees to use by binge-watching trashy television. All of her stories promise queer protagonists, healthy relationships, and happily ever afters. @unrealimogen on Twitter and Instagram.

Book preview

Chapter One

At nearly thirty-five years old, Cole Clark had had his fair share of experiences. Good ones, like the time he’d won the county-wide bull-riding contest at sixteen, earning not only a hundred bucks, but a kiss from that year’s Homecoming Queen. There were bad experiences, too, like when his dad had died when Cole was seventeen, and he’d had to drop out of school to take care of his little brothers, Colin and Chris. And there were neutral ones, like most of his days since he’d taken over as owner of Fries and Shine, the diner where he’d worked most of his life, two years earlier.

But never before had Cole experienced anything quite as… baffling as this.

Okay, go! Noor commanded, before throwing their hands up. The movements of this TikTok dance were somehow both simple and complicated and Cole’s muscles ached just watching them move.

Is—

Don’t talk, Sage hissed, squinting as they went through the moves.

Sorry.

"Shut up, Cole! Isa stopped dancing, and put her hands on her hips to glare at him. You ruined the take."

Cole frowned. So… do I stop recording?

Noor let out a scream and Sage snatched the phone from Cole’s hands. The three put their heads together to review the footage.

Cole loved his employees. They were good, hard-working kids and had taught him a lot of things about being a good boss. He did not understand them at all though. He frowned, waiting to hear if they were going to need him to record another video or not, when a customer grabbed his attention.

Cole, could I get a top-off?

From her spot at the counter, Chloe waved a mug in the air, eyes glued to the laptop that she brought in every single day. Every single day, Cole grouched about this being a no-electronics diner. She’d reply with some witty pop culture reference that he didn’t get but made the staff laugh, and despite all this, every single day he would glare, but obediently plug the charger in behind the toaster when she inevitably asked a half hour later.

Cole grabbed the coffee pot and refilled her mug, then made his way around the diner to check on the other customers. A late Wednesday morning, it wasn’t too busy. Their breakfast rush had died down and after another hour, Sage and Isa would leave for class, while Noor and he would hold down the fort until the afternoon relief came for her.

Cole, as the owner of Fries and Shine, was there from sunup to sundown every day. He worked every day, come hell or high water, and fed the people of Pride Rock, Illinois.

When Cole was just sixteen, he’d gotten an after-school job there as a dishwasher. He’d worked his way up, to waiter to fry cook to manager, until, two years ago, the owners retired, and sold the place to Cole.

He’d made a few changes here and there: he’d updated the menu, and remodeled the interior, but the bones of the place were good — had always been good. He’d grown up there. His little brothers had grown up in the big booth in the back, while Cole worked long shifts to pay for the family’s clothes, food, and rent. Cole loved Fries and Shine.

It was a resting place, Cole thought. It was a place for people to breathe deeply and relax, feel warm, and eat good food. He paid his employees as well as he could and gave the kids who had too little at home free fries, and he tried his best to continue the legacy that the old owners had started when they’d given him a shot all those years ago.

Boss-man, Sage interrupted Cole’s musings, shoving their elbow on the counter to grin up at him. At twenty, Sage had been working at Fries and Shine for a year and a half now. They were Cole’s first hire when he took over, and even if they blared Taylor Swift albums a bit too loudly through the speakers, Cole was glad every day for the decision.

Sage-man, Cole said, and Sage groaned audibly. Cole filed that away — not a good joke for the kids, then.

Sage drummed their fingers on the countertop and gave Cole an appraising look. He did his best not to fidget, especially when their eyebrow cocked up, and their lips curled into a smile.

Have I told you lately that I love working here? they asked.

Cole was on alert immediately. No, he hedged.

Sage nodded — serenely, as if Cole didn’t know them so very well. I do! You’re a great boss.

Cole sighed. Which day do you need off?

They brightened. Friday. Noor’s going to ask, too, just so you know.

And then Sage was off, not even bothering to wait for an answer, and Cole would call himself a pushover if he wasn’t so fond of the kid.

Cole ducked behind the counter, grabbing the schedule — a physical calendar with coffee stains and pen ink — to see who could cover for Sage and Noor on Friday. He could hold things down well enough as long as he had Frank there to run the kitchen.

He hoped his brothers would be coming back this summer — with Chris graduated and Colin following shortly, they might decide to stick to the city for the summer. The idea of it filled him with anxiety — not just ‘cause he’d save some cash if they were working there, but because he didn’t like being this far away from them.

He pushed the thought out of his mind and refocused.

Frank wasn’t scheduled, but a quick text assured Cole that he would be fine to be there past noon, and Isa was good to be there until one. Perfect.

He gave Sage a thumbs up when they were refilling Theo’s water and Sage, apparently unaware of common restaurant etiquette, yelled loudly over the music, Noor! We’re good for Friday!

Noor, who knew about etiquette but didn’t care, shouted back, Fuck yeah!

Cole shook his head. The youth were going to kill him.

From her spot at the counter, Chloe waved the charger and her empty coffee mug.

Caffeine addict, he grumbled, refilling it with one hand and plugging in her computer with the other.

Paying customer, she pointed to herself. Cole snorted; from where she was sweeping, Isa laughed loudly at them.

Cole checked on everyone again, and made a few plates of fries and a couple of milkshakes for the kids clearly playing hooky from school, before Isa and Sage were done for the day. He sent them off with to-go containers of waffles and home fries and a promise to download the TikTok app on his own phone, which he had no intention of keeping.

A few new customers came in for lunch and Cole served them quickly and efficiently, moving in a way that felt more like instinct than habit. He carefully made sure to always be busy when the tables were ready to bus so that Noor could pocket the tips; they were trying to buy a pair of shoes that, frankly, Cole could not imagine anyone wearing anywhere, but Noor was desperate to own. Cole knew he paid them all well, especially for a town as small as theirs, but these shoes were fucking outrageous. Still. They wanted them, so they needed every straggling dollar.

With his own nest empty for the first time since age seventeen, Cole liked having the kids — and, yes, fine, they were all well into their twenties, but still — around to take care of. It made him feel like his diner had purpose.

After the last of the lunch rush was taken care of, he made Noor and himself plates for lunch, carrying them out as Noor dished out two gigantic slices of cherry cobbler. They refilled the customers’ coffees and then settled at the counter.

This is good, Noor said, around a mouthful of grilled cheese sandwich.

Cole nodded. "It is good," he agreed, around his own mouthful.

They were both disgusting but since no one else was there to judge them, they just kept eating and talking. Noor tried again to explain the importance of Taylor Swift’s birthday to her eventual retirement, and Cole tried again to make Noor agree to listen to a single thing by the Eagles. They both failed in their missions, as they did every day, but it was enjoyable.

Just as they finished, and Noor was pointing toward the speakers going, "See? See! Do you hear this?" the diner’s door swung open, bell chiming, and a new customer walked in.

A cursory glance behind his shoulder, then Cole froze. He blinked, head snapping back to Noor’s with wide eyes, before he looked back at the new customer.

Well, shit.

The man who had walked in was no Pride Rock local. Cole knew every person who lived in his small town, by face if not by name, and he was absolutely positive that whoever this guy was, he’d never been in Cole’s diner before.

Tall, with a shock of dark brown hair in messy disarray, the man looked like he’d stepped out of a dream. A restless one, if the bags under his eyes were any indicator, purple bruises swelling beneath his eyes like he hadn’t slept in days. His lips were full and a pale pink, chapped from the cold March weather, and his tailored suit was snug across broad shoulders.

When his eyes fell to Cole’s, Cole felt the look like a shock. He knew it was just his own body tensing and releasing quickly, but the jolt seemed to be transferred directly from the man’s moss-green eyes.

The man took a step forward; Cole inhaled.

The man was so sexy that Cole was immediately and sharply reminded of being fifteen, in his second year of high school, first realizing that he was attracted to other boys, even though he also liked girls. That transfer student his sophomore year had been so cute, his smile so heart-wrenching, that Cole had realized a very undeniable fact about himself between first and second period that day, even if he wouldn’t learn that the word bisexual existed until he was about as old as Sage was now.

This stranger would’ve yanked the same admission from him, if he hadn’t made it twenty years ago.

Nice, Noor said, appreciatively. Entirely accidentally, Cole shot her a look and she laughed at him. He didn’t blame her.

By the time Cole managed to swallow back his embarrassment at staking a claim on a stranger against Noor of all people, the stranger had walked right up to him.

Cole spun the round stool around, feet planting on the ground. Sitting as he was, he was eye level with the man’s throat. It took a long beat, and a rough swallow, for Cole to manage to drag his eyes up to meet the stranger’s.

Hello, the customer said, and cocked his head to the side.

This close, Cole could see the specks of hazel in the man’s green eyes. It made Cole’s mouth dry. Jesus. It had been too long since Cole had gone on a date if he was this smitten by a man’s eyes.

Hello, Cole replied, a beat too late, but besides Noor snorting beside him, it was fine.

Cole didn’t think about it until the man’s brows furrowed, lips pursing together as if to smooth out a smile, that he should probably have stood up. He needed to greet this customer, after all; get his number.

His order. Get his order.

Before he could decide how to transition from cotton-tongued admirer to competent diner owner, the man slid onto the stool next to him, turning to face the front. Slowly, Cole copied him.

Sandwiched between Noor and the hottest man he’d ever seen, Cole could feel the eyes of every patron in his diner on him.

I’m Thomas, the stranger continued, tilting his head again just slightly, his chin jutting in the tiniest hint of a nod. Cole’s pulse leapt.

Hey, Thomas, Cole said, thinking, that’s a good name.

Cole hoped he would order the pie; the pie was really the best thing he made.

I’m—

Cole stopped short at the man’s eyes catching his again, tongue swelling in his mouth. God, this guy was pretty. Then, smiling at him with crooked lips and sparkling eyes, the man gestured toward Cole’s diner.

Cole thought, this is it. We’re going to fall in love.

And instead, the stranger said: "So is the service always this slow

Reviews for Fries and Shine

[Kelsey Laurent · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this story with all of its small town charm and great hopeful energy. The characters are to die for as well

[Noor Azeem · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m a sucker for a hallmark-esque romance and this book absolutely delivered with its adorable Stars Hollow like small town, obliviously in love protagonists, and townies who can only truly be described as “zany.” I was smiling wide throughout this whole story and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a short but satisfying read!