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My mouth dropped. I flipped off the boss man as he strode out the door, leaving me alone to fill out the paperwork. A woman stumbled a few times around him, and he refused to let her forget.
???
Loretta was a plump older woman who reminded me of Gran. In those days, everything did, and I hoped it never changed. I kept her alive in my memories.
Loretta was much kinder than my gran, though. Gran said whatever she wanted without caring who she offended. She often indulged me growing up, but still shut me up when I asked about too many things.
Loretta didn’t rush or overcomplicate anything, even when I asked silly questions about the tables. The restaurant was divided into four sections. She gave me the tables and booths from sections two and four.
Loretta offered me a pen and notepad, and I began my first day of work at Homestyle. Although I figured Hudson did well with the restaurant, the number of people who came in for a weekday still surprised me. I stumbled a bit when taking orders, but it could have been worse. I just needed to study the menu more, so I could answer questions without hesitation.
I met another worker named Rebecca. She ran the cash register and helped clean tables. She didn’t look much older than me. Bits and pieces of her and Loretta’s conversation told me she was a mom to two mean boys.
Sometimes, Hudson would bring out my orders for me. It was the only time I saw him. There was a rectangular opening near the kitchen where we placed our orders. Loretta said to just put the order on the board by the window. After I placed the order there, Hudson or another kitchen worker grabbed the paper. One of them would ring a bell when the food was ready.
There was a shift change around two, and Sue limped in. When she saw me wiping down a table, she clucked her tongue. “Ya don’t take a job when I offer it, but ya will for Hudson?”
Thankfully, there were only a few occupied booths. I grabbed the spray bottle and rag, then walked toward Hudson’s grandma. “We both know you weren’t offering me a job. You were trying to give me your grandson.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “So? He’s still available.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“What problem are you causing me now?” Hudson stopped beside me.
He quirked a brow at her, then me, and I smirked. “She’s auctioning you off.”
“When is she not?” He scoffed and glanced at his grandma. “Come on, menace. You can make the soup since you’re—”
Sue held her palm up when he tried to grab her arm. “I’m not cooking today. I’m going to stay out front and look after our new worker.”
“Oh?” Hudson asked.
I stiffened and said, “I’m doing all right, thank you.”
Sue lifted a brow just like her grandson did. “Yeah, then why have those two pretty ladies been waving their hands at ya the last few minutes trying to get your attention?”
“What?” I turned quickly because I did have a couple of women I was waiting on, but they weren’t doing what she said. Even so, I was anxious that I kept someone waiting and hurried to their table.
TWENTY
HUDSON
The week flew by, and I wasn’t surprised to see that my houseguest worked every day from opening until closing. Having another server lessened the burden on all of my workers when the restaurant was packed. Even so, I was glad I set boundaries on how often Eugene could get overtime. I didn’t like the idea of her overworking. She’d have plenty of time to do well while with me.
Those days, Grandma pestered Eugene more than me. They put up a Christmas tree at Homestyle the other day. Well, Grandma barked out orders in a chair while Eugene put it together and hung the ornaments. I found it amusing sometimes, but I was worried. Sue wasn’t a simple woman. She crossed boundaries she shouldn’t had with the things she said. I feared she’d scare Eugene away before I got the chance to help her. Defending Eugene only made my grandma worse. She’d quirk her eyebrow in that insufferable way and say, “My friendship with Genie has nothing to do with ya. Mind ya business!"
The more I responded, the more she’d believe I had feelings for my houseguest. I didn’t. Eugene Quillen wasn’t my type, but I couldn’t tell Sue that. If I did, it would just make her worse.
I was so full of shit. I couldn’t stop staring at Eugene. When she wasn’t where I could see her, I was thinking about her. I wasn’t telling anyone that! If anything, Eugene might think I was a creep who kept her close by if she found out. Yes, I did want her around, but I wasn’t being creepy about it. I truly wanted to help by sticking close to her. Just made sense. I liked being able to look at her, too.
Fuck. Maybe I was a creep.
One Friday evening, I found Eugene in my kitchen. Her vibrant hair seemed a little faded as the days went by. Currently, it was drenched, lying against her back. Her shirt with holes in it was soaked through in spots, but it didn’t bother her like it did me. She stirred her coffee, hummed, and moved to the sink to clean the spoon she used.
Damn. She wasn’t a siren, but something about her kept calling to me.
She hadn’t noticed I was in the kitchen or that I walked up behind her either. When I was closer to her, a strawberry scent filled my nose. I lifted a lock of hair off her back. She startled, placed her hand over mine, and met my gaze. Her touch was as chilled as her hair.Butit didn’t bother her like it did me.
