***
Megan, a slender brunette with a lot of lipstick and vivid blue eyes, definitely had the hard edge Billy had warned about, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. She did, however, seem to dislike me within moments of our introduction.
“Do you see this apron with the M on it?” Megan pointed a pink fingernail at the apron hanging on the hook. “It’s mine. So don’t touch it . . . ever.”
“I’ll try my best to keep away from it,” I said, holding back a smile and wondering if she was being serious or facetious. She was hard to read.
Charlie scooted past and rolled her eyes. “And why would she want to touch that ugly, old apron of yours, Meg?”
“Because it’s the best apron we’ve got.” Apparently, she was being serious. “That’s why I marked it with an M. Now, go ahead and fill the napkin containers, Eden. The lunch crowd will be pushing through that door any minute.” She reached below the counter and pulled out a package of napkins. “Do you know how to fill them?”
“I think I can figure it out.”
Charlie slithered between us with a tray of freshly filled salt and pepper shakers. “By the way, Meg, he’s not over there today either.”
“I know. I checked for him earlier. It’s going to be another dreary day around here.” Megan started pulling clean water glasses out from the rack.
I ripped open the napkin package and pulled out a stack. “Who’s he?”
Charlie started placing salt and pepper shakers along the counter. “He’s this dreamy guy who works over at the construction site. The guys who work over there are mostly volunteers, so they don’t always show up.”
“But when he does come,” Megan patted a stool at the counter, “this is where he sits.” She shot me a hard as ice glare. “And he’s my customer, so hands off.”
“Did you put an M on him too?” I asked.
Charlie’s laughter was halted by Megan’s admonishing scowl. “Well, it’s not really fair that you always get to wait on him, Meg.” Charlie looked over at me. “Aside from being breathtaking, he’s a really big tipper.”
“Just remember he’s mine.” Megan pointed her long finger at each of us. “End of discussion.”
I concentrated on my napkin task and hoped that Megan was done laying claim to aprons and customers. Time passed quickly while we readied the restaurant for the lunch rush. And, as if on cue, a large group of boisterous and dust-covered men and women traipsed through the door at noon.
It had been more than a year since I’d waited tables, but after a few stumbles, and a disastrous fumbling of a box of straws, I got into the rhythm. By the end of the shift, my feet were tired, my apron was crusty, and my pockets were filled with tip money. I was pleased and excited about my first shift until Megan came over to dampen my spirits.
“Hey, I refilled the water on that table of yours in the back corner while you were busy with another customer,” Megan said, and I knew exactly where this was going. “So half of their tip is mine.”
I looked at her. “Really? You think one round of water filling is worth half of the tip?”
“Damn right I do.”
I shrugged. “That suits me just fine because while you wandered to the back to text your friends, I filled the water at three of your tables.” I walked over and touched the ends of each table that I’d assisted with. “So, I guess half of those tips belong to me.”
Megan’s mouth twisted to the side as she realized she’d backed herself into a corner.
“Or we could just call it even,” I said.
Megan stuttered over her response. “F—fine.” She stomped past me to the kitchen area. Charlie shot me a wink and a thumbs up.
“She’s in an extra bad mood because her guy didn’t come in, and it’s hard to know if he’ll ever come back.” Charlie started wiping down the tables and booths, and I picked up a cloth to help her. Just as quickly as the rush had started, it had diminished to two older men leaning over the counter sipping their coffees. “She actually thought she had a chance with him, I guess. Megan bounces from guy to guy hoping something will stick, but, so far, no luck.” She looked at me with a crinkled nose. “To be honest, I think she scares them off.”
“After what I just witnessed, I don’t doubt it.” I dipped my rag into the hot bucket of soapy water and wrung it out.
Charlie did the same. “This guy didn’t look like the kind who could be intimidated though. A real hottie— with attitude to boot.” She laughed. “You did real great today. I think Billy made a good choice. He comes in less and less to check on the place. His arthritis is really starting to takes its toll on him. Anyhow, Megan has sort of appointed herself the boss around here. I just pretend and put up with it.”
“That’s probably easiest,” I said, although I doubted I’d be able to put up with too much of it. I’d already decided to just stay clear of her whenever possible.
“Hey, my boyfriend is coming by to pick me up. We were going to catch a movie. Do you want to come along?”
“That’s really nice of you Charlie, but to be honest, I’m beat. I think I’ll just go up, shower off the smell of French fries, and plop down on the bed.”
She started gathering up ketchup bottles. “You’ll get used to being on your feet soon enough. What were you doing before you started here?”
I didn’t know how to respond, and truthfully, it wasn’t a job I could explain in a word or even a sentence for that matter. “I was sort of person-sitting. I know it sounds strange, but technically, that’s what it was.”
Charlie’s neatly plucked brows lifted in confusion, but she didn’t pursue the topic. “Anyhow, I’m glad you’re here now.” She inclined her head toward the kitchen area where Megan had stomped off to. Her voice lowered to a whisper. “It was kind of hard working alone with Miss Bossy Pants.”
“Thanks, Charlie. I’m glad to be here.” We finished the shift. Megan left before everything was done, but I was just as pleased to see her go. Charlie’s boyfriend, Cody, picked her up, and I locked up the diner.
Billy had told me I could eat whatever I liked from the kitchen, so I made myself a cheese sandwich and climbed the stairs to my room, thinking about the first cheese sandwich I’d made with Finley. Earlier when Billy had shown me the place, it looked simple, clean and livable. Now it looked dreary and sad.
I sat on the bed and picked at the sandwich realizing just how lonely the place was after the diner had closed up for the day. Traffic buzzed by every few seconds, and I could hear shouting and the clamor of wood being tossed around across the street at the construction site. But I felt completely alone. My life had gone from zero to a thousand miles an hour and back to zero in less than a month.
The water pressure in the shower was as bad as the yellow apartment, but this would be worse because at home I hadn’t had to worry about rinsing the smell of greasy diner food off my skin. The television set looked like an antique, and the picture quality fit its ancient appearance. There were no books or magazines. I pulled open the covers on the bed and crawled under. I thought about Finley and wondered how she was doing. And I thought about Jude and how I’d never see him again, and I cried myself to sleep.
Chapter 24
After three days on the job, like any new animal in the herd, I’d set the tone between Megan and me. She’d made several attempts at trying to prove that she was in charge, but like with the tip ordeal, none of it worked. So she settled on just ignoring me, with only the occasional sneer and grunt of disapproval to connect us. Charlie and I, on the other hand, got along really well, even if she tended to be a bit silly at times.
Charlie and I were moving mindlessly through our morning routine, talking and laughing and taking advantage of the hour before Megan’s arrival.
“You know, Cody and I are going to this club tonight, and there’s this friend he’s been dying to match you up with,” Charlie said as she wiped off the napkin holders. “Trey is a total hottie, and I just know you’d love him. You two would be perfect for each other.”