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Both girls’ gazes went to the man grunting while taking another order. They grinned at each other and nodded in agreement.
After thirty minutes, and three more groups of people coming in, they still didn’t have their food. They didn’t even have their water. The man was doing the best he could, but was impossibly slow and couldn’t keep up. Several people ended up leaving. Janel felt bad for him. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t have any help.
“Do you remember helping Will at his restaurant during charity diners?”
Rica nodded. “Of course. It’s fun and we get to wear those cute uniforms.”
Janel had been watching Cranky’s waitressing method, which wasn’t very impressive. “What do you say we help this gentleman out? Maybe we can turn his frown upside down. We’ll take orders and he can stay in the kitchen.”
Rica’s eyes grew large and she shook her head. “Are you kidding! We don’t know how to waitress. Not really. All we did was carry plates of food out to people who could afford the two thousand dollar a plate meal.”
Janel pushed out of the booth. “Come on, we can do it.” Behind the counter, she found two aprons, order pads, and pens. She handed one set to Rica and tied an apron on. “I’ll take the left side, and you can take the right side. Get their orders and then put it on that wheel in the window to the kitchen. Then get their drinks. See, easy peasy.”
“How do I let you talk me into these things?” Rica muttered, shaking her head as she headed to the first table in her area.
Janel went first to a table of four. “Good afternoon. What can I get you today?”
She smiled and wrote their order down, being sure to include the variations they wanted. She continued gathering orders from the other tables in her area. Briskly, she walked to the window behind the counter and stuck each perfectly penned order under a clip. She gave it a spin and announced, “Orders!”
Cranky’s head jerked up from his position manning the griddle and frowned. “What the hell are you doing?”
Janel pointed to the orders. “Saving you. You have orders; I suggest you get to it. Your customers have waited long enough.”
His mouth dropped open and there was steam, whether from his ears or the pots on the cooktop Janel couldn’t say. Glancing at the orders hanging from the rack, he did the wise thing—shut his mouth and got busy.
From that point on, Janel’s time was spent getting drinks, refilling drinks, cleaning up a spilled drink, taking orders, and delivering orders while making everyone feel their dining experience was a rewarding one.
Occasionally she caught Cranky in the doorway to the dining room staring at them. He wouldn’t say anything and then he’d go back in the kitchen. Janel took that to mean they were passing his inspections. The customers seemed happy. The noise level of talking and laughing had increased as people stayed longer and ate more. She’d already served more than a dozen pieces of assorted pies and cakes.
There was one glitch when she didn’t know how to make coffee in the restaurant grade machine, and Cranky had begrudgingly showed her how to do it before lumbering back into the kitchen.
Since no one was available to work the cash register for checking out, they left the bill at the table and then collected the money or cards for payment and rang them up instead of having customers come to the counter to pay. She’d been told by more than one customer how happy they were that she was working there now. She’d stopped trying to explain how they were just filling in today and simply smiled. She’d already amassed a grand number of tips. Which, of course, she wouldn’t keep, but she was proud of them anyway.
She’d spent much of her life doing her royal duties and never had she felt more accomplished or more valued than she had for the past few hours.
She glanced over at Rica and found her smiling with a coffee pot in her hand while she spoke with an older couple. Even her cousin was enjoying this new experience. If their moms could only see them now.
By two in the afternoon, business had slowed and eventually the diner was empty. They were wiping down tables when the cranky man came from the kitchen carrying two plates. He placed them on the table they’d just cleaned.
“Here.” His one-word direction had them both staring at the burgers. “That’s your order, isn’t it? Sit down and eat,” he demanded.
Janel’s gaze met Rica’s with a grin. “Thank you,” she called out as he headed back to the kitchen. The aroma of the burger made her stomach growl, reminding her she hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast.
He paused before disappearing back into the kitchen. “The name’s Walter. And you girls are hired until my regulars get back. The dinner rush starts at five, so eat up and get the tables restocked.”
Rica’s eyes locked with Janel’s and she mouthed, “Did he say Walter?”
Janel nodded and they both had to bite their tongues and fill their mouths with food to keep from laughing out loud. The burger was thick and juicy and the fries were hot and crisp, and it was the best meal Janel had ever had.
CHAPTER 6
Dozer
The lot at the Stardust Diner was packed and Dozer ended up parking near the alley in back. He’d never seen it so busy. If he couldn’t get a table, he’d get his food to go. It was late, and he was hungry and too tired to bother with cooking when he got home.
They’d had a job today. It should have been a simple drop-off delivery, but incompetent idiots with tiny dicks had to fuck it up. Shots had been fired and fists had been thrown, and miracle of all miracles, nobody was seriously hurt. Prez was going to give the idiots’ boss hell and if it were up to Dozer, they’d never do business with them again.
There were a few more aches and pains as he got off his bike, thanks to a fucker who got in a cheap kidney shot. Stretching his back and neck, he thought—not for the first time lately—he was getting too old for this shit.
