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He nodded, easing a bit now as he looked behind me. His scowl turned up into a smile, and he waved, calling. “Sara, over here!”
I turned, watching as a woman with equally dark hair like Oliver’s made her way over. She wore a simple but pretty blouse that flowed to her waist, paired with a knee-length skirt. Her hair hung between her shoulders in a braid, and when she caught sight of him, she smiled.
“Good to see you put effort into your clothes this time.”
A teasing air lingered over the words, and then she turned to me with a nod. “I’ll take water, please.”
I nodded, leaving the siblings to it. Once I was back in the kitchen and getting the water, though, Emily stopped me again, her eyes sharp on Oliver as she tsked.
“I told you that he was the flirtatious type.”
Wait, did she not know that was his sister? How?
I thought the gossips would know everything here, but apparently not…
Forcing aside the irritation that was steadily climbing over Emily’s snap judgements, I pasted on a smile and shook my head. “Actually, that’s hissister, which you would know if you’d asked instead of making assumptions, and I need to get her water.”
Not giving Emily time to respond, I brought the water out and forced my smile into something more natural, but when Oliver saw it, he immediately frowned.
“Did they say something else?” He asked, and I groaned internally. Now his sister’s eyes were on me too, curiosity clear.
Ignoring the flush working over my cheeks, I waved my hand and set the water down. “It was nothing much, you should focus on your sister. It’s your birthday, right?” I pointed to her, and when she nodded, I smiled. “Happy Birthday. We have a special where you get a free piece of cake if you have your ID on you.”
She produced it, and I nodded. “Which cake do you want?”
She glanced between Oliver and I for a loaded minute, then shrugged. “Chocolate, but before you go, is everything alright? My brother usually doesn’t get wound up over nothing, and you do seem a bit off.”
Apparently, she was just as prone to worrying about strangers as her sibling was. Under other circumstances, I’d like that in a person, but now it was all I could do not to groan.
Knowing there was no way out, I answered quietly while avoiding both their eyes. “One of my coworkers warned me away from Oliver.”
From the corner of my eyes, I saw him stiffen, his sister’s smile falling into a scowl. Before they could get a word in, I continued. “She thought you two were here on a date and I…may have snapped at her a little.”
At that, his sister’s brow went up. “You did?” At the same time that she spoke, Oliver did too.
“Wait, you did?”
Of the two, he seemed more surprised and I huffed, ignoring the heat pouring over my cheeks now to grumble.
“Of course I did. I may not have known you for long, but I don’t like how she was talking about you, as if you were some sleazy cat that would rub against anything. You’re better than that.”
His sister’s smile widened a hair, and before I could look at Oliver to take in his reaction, she offered her hand and grinned.
“I like you already. I’m Sara, and you are?”
I took the hand and answered. “Jen, it’s nice to meet you.”
All but feeling Emily’s eyes on me from the kitchen, I bit back a sigh. “And while I would like to talk more, I’m on the clock. We can chat more later if you’d like, but for now, do you know what you’d like to eat?”
Thankfully she didn’t take offense, ordering without even glancing at the menu. “I’ll get your number from Oliver later, but you’re right, work is work. I’ll take the fried chicken, and Oliver will have the steak.”
He raised a brow, commenting with a hint of teasing to his tone. “I can order for myself, you know.”
She shrugged. “You order the exact same thing every single time we’re here. Excuse me for knowing what you’ll order.”
Seeing the sibling banter on the horizon, I politely bowed and returned to waiting tables after dropping off their order with the cook. Emily moved to stop me again before I could leave, her mouth pressed into a thin line.
“Now Jen, I know you’re new in town and that he has a pretty face, but-.”
