7
Kelly and Ava sat at their usual table in the resort restaurant. They had made a habit to enjoy at least one meal there daily, and today was no exception. They were already on their third day at that restaurant when they saw a familiar head of brown hair walking through the restaurant. Emma’s head barely cleared the booths as she rounded the corner.
“Hi!” she said, her eyes lighting up as she spotted them.
“Hi, Emma. Are you our server today?” Kelly asked.
Emma smiled and nodded. “Yep! Dad said it’s an emergency.”
“An emergency?” Ava asked.
Emma nodded emphatically. “Everyone is sick, so I’m helping today.”
Kelly frowned and looked over the edge of the booth toward the kitchen. Despite not really knowing Miles, she was surprised by the concern she felt for him. “Oh no. Is your dad okay?”
“Yep. But I’m sleepy. Daddy wanted Grandma to come get me, but she’s sick too.”
Kelly looked at Ava, her mind turning. She could help them out, even if she was on vacation. Hanging out in this small town had her anxiously trying to find something to do. She didn’t know how to sit still, having made their family business her life since the moment she could work in the store. It had been her identity, and she wasn’t sure how to step away from working nonstop.
A commotion near the front of the restaurant had all of them turning to see what was happening. A young woman in stilettos walked in with a few other women tagging along. The hostess brought them to a table near theirs, and they sat down.
Once the hostess disappeared, Emma looked over at the other table. “I’ll be back.”
Then Emma walked to the next table. “Hello. I’m Emma. How are you?”
“Hi, Emma. Um, you aren’t our server, are you?” a woman said.
Emma nodded. “Yep! What can I get you?”
Emma said the lines as if she had rehearsed them. But Kelly supposed she had. She grew up around the restaurant and had probably seen everything done several times. She could probably do the job just as well as any adult.
Kelly exchanged a look with Ava, and they both remained silent so they could hear the conversation.
“How about an adult?”
“Okay,” Emma said. “But I’m really good at my job.”
“They will not have children serving at your wedding, will they?” someone asked.
Another person sighed loudly. “God, I hope not.”
“Oh, you’re here to do the cake tasting,” Emma said. “My daddy has been waiting for you. I’ll get him.”
Emma walked past them and gave a wobbly smile. The sadness in her eyes at being treated less than for trying tohelp had Kelly smiling at her encouragingly before Emma disappeared around the corner. Kelly frowned at Ava, who had the same expression on her face.
A moment later, Miles appeared and smiled at the women sitting at the table. “Hi, I’m Miles, and I’m the chef here. Are you ready to try some cake samples?”
“Yes, we’d also like to speak with Karen. I believe she was the one I’ve been speaking with about the wedding.”
Miles nodded. “She has fallen ill, so I’m actually going to be handling it.”
Silence descended between them, and Kelly wished like hell she could see their faces over the booth walls.
“But you’re a chef,” she said.
Kelly and Ava’s eyes met and widened.
“Rude,” Kelly mouthed. Ava nodded.
