Chapter Text
The restaurant was quiet, as it always was. Gene and Louise were upstairs, Tina was out at a Valentine's Day party and Linda was quietly tidying up the shelves under the counter, the only sound being her footsteps and the clinking of cups as she organized them.
Teddy had been in earlier to chat and eat, he talked about his plans for the weekend, something to do with that sports team Kathleen likes. Bob just hoped it didn't involve his restaurant like last time.
Teddy had gone all out for her which was very sweet but annoying, piling posters upon posters on Bob’s walls of hurling quotes and even going as far as to invite a group of hurling enthusiasts which seemed like a great idea for business however it only ended up being four people.
Bob and Linda were normally very chatty while they worked, Linda talked about her raccoons in the alley or her latest conversation with Ginger while Bob raised his concerns about the rent or the food they were low on.
But now they were tired from trying to help Louise finish a project she started last minute. They stayed up until three in the morning, gluing, writing, and cutting.
Talking almost seemed like it was too much effort and so they worked silently, occasionally making comments to each other about random things.
Mostly about how they thought it was incredible Louise’s project held up considering how crappy the glue was, what grade she got on it, and why she had decided to wait until the last minute to finish it. And start it.
Bob stared over at Jimmy Pesto’s restaurant lost in thought over their recent conversation about the rent and how they were going to pay it. He often found himself staring at the restaurant across the street when he thought about money, Jimmy never had to worry about paying rent on time because of how successful his business was.
It was always busy no matter the time of day and he honestly wondered how Jimmy kept up with it. Bob wanted his restaurant to be busy but he also remembered all of the times it had been busy and how stressful it could be.
Like on Valentine's Day last year when they turned the restaurant from Bobs Burgers to Urge the threat of being over capacity stuck in his head the entire time. They almost had been shut down by Hugo the health inspector.
He never wanted his restaurant to be that busy ever again but filling some of the booths wouldn't hurt. He stared at Jimmy Pesto’s a little longer, the spatula scraping the grill becoming slower as he got more lost in his thoughts.
He could see Jimmy slightly bent over one of the tables cleaning it, wiping food into a gray bussing tray while saying something to Trev. Bob always took a light note of the fact that Jimmy and Trev were ever rarely seen apart.
Although he never gave it much thought, he never gave Pesto much thought at all actually. To Bob, Jimmy was just a jerk who cared for no one else but himself. And enjoyed insulting Bob for what reason he could never figure out.
Maybe because he really did hate Bob or because it was a reflection of Jimmy’s own issues. Either way, Bob didn’t care to think about it, he kept to his restaurant and steered clear of Pesto as much as he could.
Trev on the other hand was a nice man, a little weird sure but Bob liked him nonetheless. When he wasn't around Jimmy at least.
Trev occasionally came into the restaurant when no one else was there, just to talk on his break. Linda enjoyed chatting his ear off about what crazy things the kids had done that week or the upcoming school events that she was a part of.
Bob could never understand why Trev liked to hang around Jimmy so much. They were polar opposites and Jimmy could be quite mean to him sometimes but it’s as if Trev brushed the insults off like they were nothing.
Bob couldn't imagine being around someone like that 24/7 though it seemed like recently Trev had gotten more firm with Jimmy and each time Trev’s tone would get sharp Jimmy would quiet down and back off.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by Linda sighing and he looked at her through the window.
“Everything alright Lin?” He asked
“I’m bored Bobby. Look at all of those lovely couples out there having the best day ever and here we are stuck in this restaurant cleaning!” She threw her hands up still holding the rag “It’s the most unromantic thing I could imagine!”
“Cleaning can be romantic. I made you a heart out of the clean cups remember? That was fun to..find..and then put back.” He trailed off growing uncertain at how romantic it had actually been.
“Yeah, that was a nice.” She mumbled quietly.
He was bad at Valentine’s Day and being romantic and he knew it, he did it right one time and got her a new wedding ring but the kids had lost it at the water park, and Bob still got a little upset whenever he thought about it.
His thoughts about the ring were stopped short by the ring of the door and he breathed a mental sigh of relief. Finally, they had customers.
“Wow, the place is really packed huh Bob? Gonna have to call the fire marshall to come shut you down!” He heard the familiar agitating voice of Jimmy Pesto.
He sighed and dragged his eyes up to stare at the man. Jimmy had that big stupid smile on his face and he stared back at Bob waiting for an answer.
“What do you want Jimmy?” Bob asked tiredly. He really did not have the energy for Jimmy’s insults today.
“Oh, I just needed to get away from my restaurant for a while. It’s packed with all the Valentine's couples! But you wouldn’t know what that’s like! Zoom!” He said and laughed. That stupid laugh.
“Oh beat it, Jimmy,” Linda shooed him with her rag. “We’re cleaning we don’t have time for your insults!”
“Hey come on I’m just teasing!” Jimmy put his hands out in an attempt to placate her.
“Go away Jimmy, if your restaurant is so busy why aren’t you over there running it?” Bob was agitated. He was enjoying the quiet, and of course, Jimmy had to come over and ruin it.
“Shouldn’t you guys be out on a date by now? I mean it is Valentine’s Day and it’s almost 7 pm.” He questioned, completely ignoring Bob.
“Or can you not go out because you need the money? For rent huh? Why don’t you run your restaurant better and you won’t have to worry about that!” Jimmy laughed. God that stupid laugh.
“Well at least we’re staying open for rent, you’re staying open because you don’t have a Valentine!” Bob snapped.
“I have a Valentine! He’s- she’s just uh- busy tonight! Yeah, that's right. She’s busy.” Bob saw the flicker of what looked like panic in his eyes. Did he say he’s?
“You have a girlfriend? Oh, who is it? Do I know her?” Linda, suddenly forgetting her annoyance was looking at Jimmy with an excited buzz.
“Oh, uh, she’s uh..out from a little way. You wouldn’t know her.” He sort of mumbled his words and was scratching the back of his neck and Bob furrowed his brows at the man. Why was Jimmy suddenly so nervous?
Linda oblivious to it just tsked and tossed the rag down to put her hands on her hips. “I know frickin everyone in this town! What does she look like? It’s not that Coleen Cavilleo is it?” She raised a brow at him.
“What? Coleen Cavilleo? No no. That woman’s like a praying mantis. Rips every man's head off that she meets.” Bob saw him glance nervously back at his restaurant a couple of times.
“Seriously you wouldn’t know her. She’s uh, from Kings Head Island!” Jimmy got a little too loud and snapped his fingers as if he just thought of the name.
“Kings head island?” Linda repeated, frowning. “Since when do you go over there?”
“Oh well, I have friends over there. We go do stuff all the time!” He proclaimed.
“You have friends Jimmy? I mean other than Trev? He said he’d never heard you mention any friends”. Bob questioned, recalling his phone call with Trev when he was asked to take Jimmy his hernia medicine.
“What?! Don’t listen to Trev! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” He snapped his head back to Bob in surpise, it the first time he had made eye contact with anyone since he came in.
“Well, he seemed pretty sure.” Bob said and Jimmy made a pssh sound.
“I have other friends!” Jimmy sounded as if he was trying to convince them of it rather than being so sure.
“Sure. Whatever you say.” Bob said shaking his head only slightly. He knew Jimmy didn’t have any other friends and he didn’t have to think too deeply as to why.
“Well, whatever! I’m going back to my restaurant, have fun with your boring old dump!” And with that Jimmy turned, walking back outside and setting the bell off again.
“That was weird.” Linda remarked as she watched him cross the street.
“Yeah, it was. I think he said he’s on accident.” Bob said peering out of the window as best as he could to watch Jimmy.
“What? What do you mean? When?” Linda asked breaking her gaze from Jimmy to look at Bob.
“When I said he didn’t have a Valentine. He said he’s and then corrected himself.” He said and Linda gasped.
“I didn't notice!" She said in amazement looking back at the street.
“Yeah. It was probably an accident Lin, there’s no way he's gay or something.” Bob said waving his spatula around as if to wave the thought away.
“You don’t know that! He could be!” She said her eyes lighting up with excitement.
“I doubt it. He just stumbled over his words, you saw him. He was nervous.” Bob said focusing back on scraping the grill.
“Nervous because he’s not dating a woman! He’s dating a man!” Her voice raised a little with excitement.
“Oh god. Lin, don’t get so excited. I doubt he’s with a man or anybody.” No one would be able to deal with Pesto, it was the entire reason he was divorced. Or so Bob assumed.
“No, I know it! He’s gay! Who do you think the lucky guy is?” Bob lifted his head at that.
“Lucky?” He repeated almost in disgust.
“Well maybe not lucky. You know what I mean!” She waved her hand at him in dismissal and Bob scoffed.
“But seriously! Who do you think he's dating?”
“Nobody.”
“Oh, come on Bobby don't be such a crum butt!”
“A crum butt? I’m not a—” He was cut off from her gasp.
“It's Trev! It’s gotta be Trev!” She exclaimed throwing her hands up as if it was so obvious.
“Trev? Why Trev?” He stopped scraping the grill to think about it.
Trev was too good for Jimmy, too kind, and too polite. Jimmy was neither of those.
“Think about it, Bob! They’re always together, friends aren’t around each other all the time like that!” She gestured with her hands as if to emphasize her point.
“Well, they work together Lin, of course, they’re around each other all the time.” He was looking for any reason to shut down her foolish thoughts. There was absolutely no way Jimmy was dating anyone let alone Trev.
“No outside of that! They’re always together!”
“How do you know that? Are you stalking them?” He teased. Linda scoffed.
“No Bob. Every time we see them out somewhere they’re together! Don’t you think that's odd?” She had her hand on her hip stealing glances every so often at Pesto’s.
“No, they’re friends. I guess. Friends hang out a lot don't they?”
“All the time like that? No! I don't hang out with Gretchen like that.”
Bob didn't have the energy to argue with her.
“Whatever you say, Lin.”
“I bet that they’re together and I’m gonna prove it!” Bob looked at her again, furrowing his brows.
“Prove it? How?” Had she lost it?
“I don’t know but I’m going to! I’ll think of something.” She drummed her fingers on the counter gazing over at Pesto’s.
“Just leave it alone Lin. Jimmy’s not worth your time and besides I really think he was lying about dating anyone.”
“Well yeah, he was lying about dating a woman!”
Bob sighed and set his spatula back in its usual spot. There was no use in arguing with Linda, once she got an idea in her head it was hard for anyone to change her mind.
“Let’s just head upstairs, we’re basically done down here for the night. I don't think we’re gonna get any more business.” It was irritating but Bob really didn’t want to sit in the restaurant all night waiting for customers that would never come.
“Oh all right but I’m telling you I’m gonna prove they’re together! I’ll figure it out.” She slipped her apron off and set it on the counter.
“Whatever you say.” He grumbled quietly.
He slipped his apron off and hung it up. With that, they were out the door and locking the restaurant up. Bob hoped Linda would forget all about Jimmy in the morning and they could go on as normal and Bob wouldn’t have to hear her crazy theories or plans. But of course that was usually too much to ask for.