Page 28 of Unbidden

“You know it. What can I do?” I ask while I look around. The place looks pretty packed for it only being five o’clock.

“Come behind the counter. You can put your purse down there under the service window. There should be an apron down there already for you. Be right back.” She winks before lifting her tray of drinks and taking it to the nearest table.

I hustle behind the counter and ditch my purse, setting my phone on silent mode before slipping it into my back pocket. I turn and grab my apron, tying it behind my back.

I wonder how many steps I’ll take while working here.

“All right, have you ever waitressed before?” the frazzled waitress asks. “Crap, I never told you my name! I’m Lindy. Sage, right?”

“Yeah, I'm Sage, and don’t worry about me. I was basically raised in a diner. Only thing I need to know is if we have specials and how to work your POS system.”

“Thank God,” Lindy says, looking all sorts of relieved. “Tonight is possibly the worst night to train. Hearing that you have a clue is a huge weight off my shoulders. Here’s your pad.” She hands me a standard order notepad. “How about you take the left side of the restaurant and I take the right? Easy enough? Write down your drinks, and then once you place the order, grab me and we’ll actually start a bill in the system for them. That way you don’t have to grab me every two seconds.”

“Easy enough,” I tell her while following her out from behind the counter.

The rest of the evening flies by at warp speed. Thankfully the POS system is just like my last job’s, so there honestly isn’t much to learn. I hustle to turn tables as fast as I can without rushing the patrons. By the time closing comes around, my feet are killing me, but I feel alive.

Lindy locks the door and sags against it. “And now we clean.” She eyes me wearily. “Why do you look so happy?”

“I love making my own money and being constantly moving. Plus, I didn’t have a single asshole tonight, which is a first.” I shrug before lifting the last tub full of dirty dishes from my section.

“Just wait. Where there are pretty girls, there are assholes,” Lindy teases before cleaning off the last of her tables.

We work in silence, listening to the Top 40 over the sound system.

“I take it you’re new here?” she asks after a while.

“Yeah, I moved here about a week ago.”

“What brought you here?”

“My aunt and her family live here, so I came to live with them after my mother passed.”

“I’m sorry. So, you go to school, then?”

“Yeah, Brighton Academy,” I tell her absentmindedly while filling salt shakers.

“Wait, you go to BA and you’re working?” she asks with humor in her voice.

“Yeah….”

“Oh, sweetheart, they won’t know what to do with you. But I can’t wait to learn what you think of that place.”

“It’s something, that's for sure,” I muse.

“Right? That place is its own brand of interesting,” she teases.

Before I can respond, there's a knock at the door. I turn and find V standing there in her skirt and heels, looking completely out of place.

“You know her?” Lindy asks with a raised brow.

“That’s my cousin and ride,” I say dryly.

Lindy laughs. “Get out of here. I'll text you your schedule tomorrow.”

I take off my apron and shove my tips into my purse without looking at them. “Thanks, Lindy. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Night,” she calls out. “Hey, Sage? Great job tonight.”

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