Page 21 of Stained
“I said Brumhild!”
Alicia flinched, the ink in her pen smearing across the number she had jotted down.
She had only been working at Blue Bird, a chain restaurant, for about five days. One day of training, then unleashed upon the world. At least the pay was decent and she was guaranteed a good number of hours every week, but she didn’t get many chances for tips, and the stress levels were outrageous.I haven’t had to host like this since I was in college.Alicia had cut her teeth in the industry at Blue Bird’s rival, TGIWeekend.I should be way beyond a place like this. It didn’t help that most of her coworkers were either five years younger than her or freshly minted in this line of work. The only reason Alicia started off with higher pay was because of her extensive history. All the good it would do her if she had a nervous breakdown within two months.
“Silverman?” She rounded the podium, searching the waiting area. “Party of two?” Were they in the bathroom? Had someone else seated them without her knowing? It was hard to think clearly with the music cranked up and a hundred people eating burgers with smacking lips.
“H… hey!” She launched herself at the podium, where Mr. Brumhild helped himself to writing down his party information on her chart. His girth was enough to shove her away as she tried to wrench the ballpoint pen from his hand.
“Give me a second!” the man bellowed, writing something incomprehensible on the wrong lines. “There. See? I can do your job as well as you. You should move us up for that.”
Alicia stared at the mess left on her chart.I’m going to get screwed for this. Another hostess approached, taking one look at the scene and hurrying to find a party to sit. Yeah, Alicia didn’t want to fuck with it, either. At least she had some help from her coworker. That meant she could take the five minutes necessary to find a fresh chart and start over, replicating thenames and party numbers… and making sure the oh-so-helpful Mr. Brumhild was dead last. As much as Alicia wanted to get him out of her way and make him a server’s problem, she was not going to reward his wretched behavior.
“I'd better get a raise soon,” she muttered, hunched over the chart so nobody would bother her. The end of her ponytail flopped down instead. After tossing it over her shoulder, she sighed, resigned that this was her life for the foreseeable future.My punishment for fucking up that Midnight job. Fucking up. Ha!
“Ms. Colbert.”
She heard it. She heard someone say her name in the most deadpan voice imaginable. But in Blue Bird, one thought they heard many things. A deadpan voice? That was lost to the noise of frat boys getting drunk watching football on TV and sorority girls whining that their salads had too many carbs. You’re in fucking Blue Bird! Everything has carbs! And sugar! And gobs of sodium that will make your waistline increase four inches after one bite! Gwerkjkslgja!
“Ms. Colbert.”
The voice was still deadpan, but the urgency increased. Alicia glanced up from her chart and barely registered who loomed over her. Another woman with mousy brown hair and no makeup. Dime a dozen at Blue Bird.
She had written down one of many names when it hit her.
“Uh!” Alicia stood up straight, making her a whole two inches taller than Sarah Clayborn in her heels. “What are you doing here?”
The woman’s expression never changed. As always.
Before Ms. Clayborn could open her mouth, however, the front doors to Blue Bird flew open and admitted the most out-of-place party to ever grace the restaurant’s presence. Even Mr. Brumhild stopped his blubbering to stare at the men insuits. Children pointed. Women fanned themselves. Only those who were oblivious to Moreau, party of seven, continued their laughing and eating in the gallery. Alicia dropped her pen again. This time, no one hurried to pick it up.
“I tried to give you some warning,” Ms. Clayborn said drolly.
While most of the men entering the restaurant seemed unfazed by their new environment, it was Danica – sporting a sapphire blue jacket and matching cufflinks – who showed the most reaction. She took in the blue-collar diners, the rabble on TV, the smell of cheap burgers and beer, and the messy children through calculating eyes. When they settled on Alicia, it was not relief she saw, but,“You’re making me come to this pit to find you? I hope you appreciate this.”
“Mis… Ms. Moreau,” Alicia squeaked as Danica approached the podium, flanked by both assistants and whom she presumed was a bodyguard. “We… welcome to Blue Bird?”
None of the women looking on with gossip on their puffy faces could have figured that these two had raunchy sex not once, but twice. Would be a fine thing if she came for a third round in the middle of a restaurant like this!I would die. Even I can’t do that. Alicia didn’t think Danica could, either. The woman was pulling wet wipes out of her assistant’s pocket every time she accidentally touched something.
“Come with me, Ms. Colbert. We need to talk.”
Alicia’s eyes widened. Not in shock, but in absolute wonder that this was happening. “I can’t leave my job,” she told her. “You’ll have to wait until my shift is over.”
“When would that be?”
“Four more hours.”
“Four…” Danica narrowed those carefully sculpted brows. “I don’t have time to wait.”
“Well, I can’t afford to lose my job.” Alicia narrowed her eyes back at her. “You want to get me fired from two jobs, Ms. Moreau?”
One of the other men shifted back and forth on his feet. Another – Nigel Clayborn, the other assistant, right? How was he related to Sarah, again? – longed after a plate of onion rings going by. Probably don’t get to eat many of those around this woman. “I certainly do not wish to further jeopardize your employment opportunities, Ms. Colbert.” Danica cleared her throat. “But I don’t have much time. I’ve got a half hour window before I’m due…”
“At a meeting. Yeah. I’m sure.”
A short man dressed in the same black outfit as Alicia appeared, hands clasped together, and a round face attempting to take in the sight before him. This guy was way out of his element. Like Danica was out of her element lounging around a place like this.
“Is there a problem?” his preppy voice asked. He mostly looked at Alicia when he asked that. “Alicia? Ma’am?”
