CHAPTER TWO
Sydney
Working is the best way to clear my mind.
I’m too focused on whether I took table six a side of ranch or refilled the tea at table eight or entered table seven’s dinner order into the computer to think about my current situation.
“Hey, Sydney, I just sat your table nine,” Bella says and fans her face. “He’s a hottie.”
“Oooh,” I answer playfully even though finding a hottie, as she called him, is not on my to-do list.
I shoot her wink before I head off for my new guest.
“Hey, there, welcome . . . what are you doing here?” I snap when my eyes meet Mark’s emerald gaze. I don’t know how they grow them on the East Coast, but they do a pretty damn good job. Still, his attractiveness doesn’t excuse his actions.
“I want to talk.”
“Oh god. Mark, we had this conversation already, and I’m working.”
Nothing he would know anything about, I’m sure. Ha, I’d love to see him wait tables.
“This time I actually have something to tell you.”
“Text it to me later, okay?” I ask, keeping my voice down to avoid making a scene.
“So you cannotreply to me like you always do with a single word? Nope. I’ll wait right here.”
“I’m working,” I wave my note pad around me at the tables I’ve been assigned. One of them is ready to order dinner and another is ready to check out.
I step away, but Mark reaches out to grab my hand. “Five minutes, please.”
“Miss, we’d like to check out.”
“Yes, I’m—”
Mark twists in his seat. “Give me five minutes, ten tops, with her and I’ll buy your entire dinner. Order dessert. Order food for tomorrow. Just please give me ten more minutes.”
The father of the table glances at his wife, who shrugs, and then they nod. “We’ll take the double chocolate cake to go when you’re finished.”
I force a smile.
“That was disgusting,” I say to Mark.
It must be nice to just hand out money and not think of which bill you’re going to be late on this month or which subscription you need to cancel to buy a new pair of shoes because the ones you wear to work make your back hurt.
God, I miss Hulu.
“That’s how desperate I am to talk to you right now, Sydney,” he pleads.
All my tables are watching now. Fantastic. There go all my tips, I’m sure.
“Fine. How about you givemeten minutes to get my tables caught up and then I’ll get someone to cover for me so we can talk.”
“Thank you.” His shoulders relax as he looks at the menu.
I yank it from his grip. “If you seriously think I’m going to wait on you, you’re nuts. Go wait up front,” I tell him and hold out my hand.
Mark looks at it and then at me, and when he starts to reach for it with his own hand, I jerk it back. “I need your credit card to pay for their dinner.”
