Page 107 of Jake Forever
Chapter 38
Horrified, I stared through the restaurant window.
From what I could see, Ronnie was spitting mad, literally. He was yelling something to Jake, who, along with Bishop, had turned to look.
I couldn’t see their faces, but their stances looked easy and relaxed, like they didn't have a care in the world.
God, they were so damned cocky.
Of course.
I jumped up from the booth, only to collide with a waitress, not ours, who dropped her tray, sending dishes crashing to the floor.
"Oh, my God," I said. "I amsosorry." I looked down and saw broken glasses and shattered plates, along with the discarded remnants of scrambled eggs and pieces of syrupy pancakes, obviously from a table that had just been cleared.
At least, I hadn't ruined anyone's breakfast – well, except for the lady two booths over, who was now openly glaring at me.
What? Like I'd done it on purpose? I glared back at her. "Sorry, it was an accident."
And besides, I suddenly recalled, her breakfast was long gone.
But apparently, that didn't matter. With a huff, she returned to her paper, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like, "Accident, my ass."
Whatever. I had bigger things to worry about. I snuck a quick glance outside, where Ronnie was still yelling, and the guys were still watching.
In front of me, Selena had scooted out of the booth and was now crouching down to help the waitress pick up the mess.
Beside her, the waitress looked ready to cry. "Just stop it, okay? You're gonna cut yourself." She called out toward the kitchen, "Charlie, grab the broom. We got another mess out here!"
Under her breath, she added, "Just great. More out of my paycheck."
I paused.She'dbe paying for it? I spoke up. "But it wasn't your fault."
If anything, I figured the damage would be added to our bill, and rightfully so. I mean, I didn't expect anyone else to pay for my clumsiness.
The waitress picked up her tray and stood, blinking back tears. Turning to walk away, she mumbled, "Yeah, well tell that to my boss."
I wanted to say something, but before I could find the words, Selena, who'd gotten to her feet, called out, "Hey, wait a second."
The waitress stopped and turned around, but said nothing.
My sister grabbed her purse and yanked out her wallet. She pulled out a few bills and thrust them toward the waitress. "Does this cover it?"
The waitress gave the money a worried look. After a long pause, she said, "Actually, I think that's too much." Wincing, she gave a weak laugh. "I'm an idiot for admitting that, aren't I?"
"No. And it's not too much," Selena said. "It's for the trouble, too." Before the waitress could object, Selena placed the money on the waitress's tray and glanced again toward the window. "Oh shoot, hang on." She pulled out a few more bills and tossed them onto our table, telling the waitress, "Can you tell our server that's for breakfast?"
The waitress looked down at our table, still laden with food that was mostly untouched. "But you didn't eat any of it."
"Tell me about it," Selena said, glancing again toward the parking lot. "Sorry, but we've gotta run."
From a couple of tables away, the woman with the newspaper called out, "Halleluiah!"
Well, that was nice.
I grabbed my purse and, with Selena, rushed for the exit. By the time we pushed through the restaurant door, the situation was already escalating.
I moved to join Jake, but Selena grabbed my arm. "Wait."
