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After her shift finished at Slap Shot, she scooted across the road to take over the reins from Emily. But as soon as Emily left, all hell broke loose. Three servers called off for the dinner and evening shift. That left her picking up the slack, waiting on tables. But she knew that she could handle less than perfect situations.
The night flew by. It was finally closing time. Jordan glanced around the still-busy dining room, then checked her watch. The Sin Bin never kicked customers out, though after the day she’d had, she was tempted. At this point, her head was thudding and she’d already taken a couple of painkillers. But she had promised Talia that she would take care of the restaurant, so that meant keeping the smile on her face for a while longer.
Eight tables remained when her watch buzzed to notify her that it was ten o’clock. She smiled to hide her atypical annoyance with the long day.
Three servers had offered to stay late to help with the straggling diners. That was something she loved about The Sin Bin. They were a family, the kind of family where no one was left behind.
The tables slowly departed one by one, and by eleven o’clock the dining room was empty.
“Folks,” she called to the servers. “I am so grateful for your extra time tonight, and you’ll be compensated for your generosity. But you’ve all had a long day, so go home and get some well-deserved rest.”
“But Jordan, the tables still need bussed,” Sally said.
She shook her head and grinned. “It’s fine. I’ll take care of it.”
“And I’ll help.” Noah’s voice made her jump.
She’d left a message for him at Slap Shot, but she hadn’t expected him to stop by, especially not this late.
“If you’re sure you don’t need our help…?” Bobby said.
“We’ve got this.” Noah said with a confident grin. “I’ll make sure the tables get cleared.”
Closing her eyes, Jordan rubbed her right temple. The room had started spinning, which meant her blood sugar was low. Then her stomach chimed in with an audible growl, reminding her that she hadn’t had a chance to eat all day.
“Ms. Baker, are you okay?” Bobby asked.
She nodded reassuringly, and grabbed a cleaning cloth as the servers made their way to the exit.
Before she could start wiping down the table, Noah gently took her arm. “You’re not okay, are you?”
“I think I’m just hungry. You know, low blood sugar.”
“When was the last time you ate?”
She thought for a second. “I had a couple of bites of avocado toast around eleven this morning.”
“Two bites?” he questioned.
“I was trying to get breakfast in before the food order and the liquor order showed up. Then the lunch rush started. Pretty soon I forgot all about my breakfast.” She made a face. “It’s probably still sitting over at Slap Shot in my office.” The thought of avocado sitting out this long made her already uneasy stomach turn.
“So you haven’t eaten since eleven this morning?”
She nodded.
“Come on, sit down.”
Jordan leaned against Noah and allowed him to lead her to a seat at the bar. “But I need to bus those tables—”
“They’ll still be there after you eat something. Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Noah disappeared towards the kitchen.
It was so nice to sit for a minute, knowing no one was demanding her attention. She was so tired that she didn’t even care what he was doing back there. He was probably searching for some crackers and cheese or leftover soup to serve her, because if Chef Tony hadn’t already gone home, he would be leaving soon.
Soon, he emerged with two plates. And they weren’t cheese plates or soup.
“What’s this?” Her expression must’ve been priceless, because Noah’s brow furrowed.
Each plate had a turkey club sandwich and apple wedges.
