Page 15 of A Beary Nice View
“Do you want dessert, Alaric?”
The change in topic seems to throw him before he nods. “I’ll take whatever your favorite is in a to-go box.”
“Perfect. I’ll be right back with that.”
I place the order for his dessert but comp it right away. If Bradley asks, I’ll tell him it’s for the long wait. This is cheaper than comping anything else on his bill. Then I print out the ticket so it’s ready when the dessert is boxed.
“Hey, Bo.”
“Yeah, Dell?”
“I’m with you,” I tell him.
His eyes widen. “Wait, really? For real? Don’t mess with my heart like this, man.”
“I’m in. Fuck this place. Did you know Bradley’s been stealing our tips?”
“I’ve had my suspicions but could never prove it. God, that guy is such a dickface.”
“He’s the worst. Literally. I’ve never had a worse manager in all the time I’ve been working.”
The more I think about it, the more worked up I get. I should have quit this job months ago but I just kept putting up with it, thinking that there’s no way I could find something better. That stops tonight.
I grab Alaric’s ticket and his to go box, heading over to his table. Now that my decision has been made, I feel lighter than I have in a long time.
“Here you go,” I say to Alaric, setting everything down.
“You can take this right away. And here, put this in your pocket before the asshole can steal it,” he says, sliding a hundred dollar bill to me.
“Alaric,” I say, shocked. “That’s way too much.”
“I insist, Dell. I’ve watched you work your ass off tonight. You deserve it. Just think of it as making up for all your other tables.”
I think about it for a moment before finally nodding and putting it into my back pocket. “Thank you.”
“You’re more than welcome. What’s the point of having money if I can’t spend it on cute boys, right?”
I shake my head and grin. “You’re really something else,” I say fondly. Picking up the bill and his card, I hold it up. “I’ll be right back with this.”
After Alaric leaves, some of those nerves come back. Thankfully, Bo is here as well and the two of us stick to our plan. We finish everything that needs to be done, clean the dining room, and total out the registers. Just as Bradley is trying to leave, we stop him.
“Hey, Bradley,” Bo says, calling him over.
Bradley lets out a long, annoyed sigh, turning around to face us. “Yeah? Can this wait? I’m trying to get home at a normal time tonight.”
“No, this can’t wait,” I say, taking off my apron and handing it over to Bradley. He takes it confusingly.
“What’s going on?”
Bo does the same but instead of handing it over, he throws it at Bradley. “We quit.”
“Yeah. What he said,” I add on, crossing my arms over my chest.
“What? Is this some sort of joke?”
“Nope,” Bo says, cracking a smile. “We’re quitting. Starting now.”
“What about the rest of the week? Who’s supposed to cover? If you leave tonight, don’t eventhinkabout getting a good recommendation from me in the future!”
