Page 10 of Claymore
He brought over a menu and a pair of cutlery wrapped in a napkin. I started perusing the twenty-four-hour breakfast items when I spotted Ella with her bouncy strawberry blonde curls and the notepad in her hand. Her fingers were shaking as they took down the order of the nice old couple sitting in her section. I watched as she moved around, delivering orders, moving swiftly around the other waitress so that they didn’t end up walking right into each other.
I got up, taking my menu and cutlery with me as I slipped into a booth in her section. I looked over at the man behind the register, feeling the persistent glare pierce right through me. He whispered something to Ella, and she shook her head. I raised my eyebrows, waving at her with a smile. She was much more nervous than usual, so much so she didn’t even roll her eyes at me when she looked my way. I knew then that something was definitely wrong.
She approached me, reaching for her notepad and pen, sighing deeply.
“Claymore. What are you doing here?”
“I’m here because I’m hungry. If I’m not mistaken, that’s probably why everyone else is here too,” I said with a wink.
“Right, so you skipped out on all the diners and restaurants in Mascid to come to Sedona because what? The food’s better?”
“Yeah, darlin’. I did. I can attest to the fact the food is incredible here. Now, you gonna take my order?” I teased, pointing down at the notepad.
“What will it be?”
“A stack of buttermilk pancakes, four sunny-side up eggs, and a side of bacon. Oh, and a coffee, please.”
“You feeding a whole village?”
“What can I say? A man likes to eat,” I said, smiling.
She blew a little air out of her nose, shooting me a soft smile before she tore off my ticket, carrying it over to the kitchen. I could’ve sworn I saw her cheeks blush a little every time she snuck a glance at me. I slumped back in the booth, getting real comfortable while I waited for the food.
A little while later, she came over with a silver tray, setting everything down in front of me. She rushed off for a moment, coming back with the coffee pot to pour me up a full cup.
“You need anything else?” she asked.
I furrowed my brow, nodding for her to take a seat across from me.
“Hungry?”
“Claymore, I can’t just sit here and eat with you. I have customers. I have—”
“What customers?” I asked, glancing around the room at the empty booths and cleaned tables.
She pressed her lips together, tucking her notepad and pen back into the pocket of her apron before slipping into the seat across from me. I handed her a fresh plate and some clean cutlery, watching her eyes light up in anticipation for some good food.
I split the food in half, watching her spoon the perfectly cooked eggs into her mouth. Her eyes gleamed as she cut into the fluffy pancakes, wrapping her plump lips around them. Every subtle movement she made captivated me. I passed her the syrup bottle, watching her nose crinkle when she smiled. It was like she’d completely forgotten about all of her worries, like she was just relishing in how good this felt.
I couldn’t wipe the contentment off my face if I tried. I loved the way she had to sip on her coffee in between bites and the way she’d nearly knock everything over every time she reached for the pepper shaker. Part of me wished I could stay here forever, right here with her.
“Now, Ella, do you want anything else?” I asked, getting ready to flag down the other waitress.
The other waitress came over, smiling warmly, but I caught her giving Ella a suggestive glance. Ella beamed, chuckling as she put in an order for hash browns.
“Coming right up,” said the dark-haired waitress.
“Please get Ella anything she wants. I’m sure she’s had a long day.”
“Anything for Crystal’s best waitress,” she said.
“Thank you, Louise,” Ella murmured.
Louise walked off, putting in the final order of the night. Even though the place was open twenty-four hours, there was rarely anyone that came through at this time. I glanced down at my phone to see that it was well past midnight now. I looked up at Ella and I could see the exhaustion in her eyes, the paleness of her skin, like she hadn’t been getting much sleep lately.
Louise came back with a hot plate of hash browns and Ella started cutting it in half.
“If you’re going to share with me, I’ll share these with you. They’re the best. Trust me,” she said.
