Page 13 of See Me

I smile and nod. “Great.”

I swing my ass as I walk to the kitchen to hang the ticket in the window for Omar. When I glance over at Enzo, he’s sitting behind the bar wiping a tear from his eye. He moves his arm in a big circle mocking what I did over the table and slaps his leg. I have to turn away so the table doesn’t see me laughing. I spin the ticket and ring the bell for Omar. Then I go around into the kitchen and set some plates out to help him.

I walk over to Omar, get really close, and he leans in. “I wouldn’t be upset if you sneezed in the pasta.”

He draws back, eyes wide. “I wouldn’t.”

“I didn’t think you would, and I respect that, I really do, but if you were to do it just once in your life, it would be today. And that’s all I’m gonna say about it.” I leave the kitchen and walk back to the bar waiting for the bell to signal my food is ready.

Enzo still has a smile on his face. “This is going to end badly. Very, very badly.”

“Well, it’s been fun. Even though my feet hate me, I learned a lot this week. If today’s the last day I work here, I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me.”

He winces. “Fuck, don’t say it like that.”

We both laugh. Tomi rolls her eyes as she wipes the other end of the bar.

The bell rings and I march over to grab a tray. Only the salads are in the window.

Excellent.

I evenly distribute the plates so it’s balanced and sashay all the way to the doctors.

“Here you are, gentlemen.” I pass out the salads and tuck the tray under my arm. I turn to go and one… two…snap.

There it is.

“Excuse me.” I’m surprised he knows the words. “Where’s my pasta? We’re on a tight schedule.”

“Oh, you see, these are salads.” I point to all three dishes. “And yours is pasta. So it has to cook, silly. These are super fast to make because everything is already done. But, Omar, that’s our chef, he likes everything really fresh. He’s the best. And plus, you changed a few things so he’s probably making it from scratch. I’ll go check. Would you like another drink while you wait.”

He stares at me like he doesn’t believe I can tie my own shoes. “Whatever, yes another drink.” He shakes his head and I walk to the bar.

“Another Macallan, please.”

Enzo swallows hard. “Ella.” He says it like a warning.

“Enzo,” I mock. “It’s already done, so if this is my last day I’m going out in a blaze of glory.”

“You’re a spicy little thing, Blaze.”

I tuck my pen and notebook in my apron and lean on the bar. “So I’ve heard.”

Enzo puts the drink in front of me just as the bell rings. I twirl my tray up to balance in my hand and walk to grab the order. I stretch my face into a huge grin and saunter over to Dr. Dickface.

“Here you go.” I set the food down and his face goes from a scrunched-up scowl to an evil grin. “Can I get you guys anything else?”

“How about you make up the wait for me and sit on my lap and feed me?”

One guy chokes on his salad and my face flames red. I can tell his friends are shocked at his blatant disrespect. Not one smile on any of their faces and they all look at me to see my reaction.

I fake a laugh. “Good one.”

“C’mon.” He points to his lap. “I’ll make the tip worth it.” He slaps the shoulder of the guy on his right and laughs like thetipjoke was the funniest thing he ever heard. No one at the table cracks even a hint of a smile. “I’m sure making a living as a waitress is tough. Let me help you out.”

“Is that what you think? I’m just a waitress?”

He laughs. “Aren’t you?”

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