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He opened his eyes wide and yawned. “I’m awake. I’m listening.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I’m almost to my car anyway. You two go on to bed,” Kira said.
“Call us in the morning, alright? And don’t worry too much about the interview, sweetheart. Something will come up, I promise,” said her mom.
“Yeah. I’m sure it will,” Kira murmured. “G’night.”
“Goodnight,” her parents chimed.
Kira hung up, her smile disappearing instantly. As she looked at the phone in her hand, she noticed that there were a ton of missed calls. Kira’s stomach twisted into knots. She felt guilty for ignoring her former coworkers’ phone calls. Lily had been texting her with a million question marks. Katja had left voicemails asking if Kira was okay and why she’d left the casino.
She didn’t want to explain it to them. Hell, she didn’t even want to be associated with the casino anymore. She didn’t know who she could trust. Even Luka had turned out to be someone she hadn’t thought he was. She never would have accepted a job there in the first place if she’d known the truth.
But now she was facing the very real possibility of going totally broke. Tears stung in her eyes as she trudged along the dimly lit street. It wasn’t the safest neighborhood for a young woman to walk alone at night, but she didn’t care. She was so defeated.
As she was passing by a restaurant that was so dark and dingy it seemed to have closed down, someone burst from the entrance and stumbled right into Kira. She yelped and jumped back while the old man in front of her dropped a Styrofoam box of cake all over the sidewalk. Kira clapped a hand to her mouth.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” she muttered, dropping to her knees to help him clean it up.
“No, no. I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful,” said the old man. He looked sweaty and stressed out. He wore a plain white shirt and jeans with a messy white apron. He scooped the bits of cake into the box, but his hands trembled. Kira was instantly reminded of her own father. She felt a rush of pity for the man and took over the process.
“Here, I’ve got it,” she told him, handing him the box. She offered him a hand and he took it, using her arm to steady himself as he stood up. She helped him over the threshold into the darkened diner.
“You’re very kind,” he said.
“It’s no problem. I just feel bad about your cake,” Kira told him.
“No worries, there’s more in the case. Would you like a slice? It’s on the house,” he offered. He shuffled behind the counter and an overhead light flickered on. It made a faint buzzing sound. There was, in fact, half a chocolate cake in a refrigerated case.
“I’m okay, thanks,” she answered.
“Not hungry, hmm? You must have just come from a dinner date, looking so nice on a night like this,” the old man mused.
Kira smiled. “Sadly, no. Just a job interview.”
“Ah, I see. Did you get the job?” he questioned.
She looked down at the counter. “No. But that’s okay. I’ll keep looking,” she said.
“Well, I don’t know what kind of work you’re looking for, but I sure could use an extra pair of hands around here,” explained the old man.
“You mean, like a waitress?” Kira perked up.
He nodded. “Exactly like that. I can handle it most of the time, but it gets a little busy during the rush hours,” he said. “You interested?”
Kira bit her lip, considering the offer that had fallen right into her lap. She was so surprised, she was almost speechless. The old man chuckled good-naturedly.
“You don’t have to say yes or no right now. Just show up whenever you’re ready to work, if you want,” he said.
“What about an interview?” she asked.
He smiled and slid her a slice of cake in a box. A new one, this time.
“I think I’ve seen enough to know you’re a good person. That’s all I need to know,” he replied warmly. “Well, I’d better close up. Hope to see you again soon.”
“Wow. Thank you so much. I’m Kira, and I’ll definitely be in touch soon,” she said.
She wished the man goodnight and walked out, smiling, with cake in hand. The smile stayed on her face the whole way home. Finally, she had found what seemed to be a low-key, normal, quiet waitressing job with a friendly, trustworthy boss. As she slid into bed that night, she was already planning to go back the next day and accept the offer.
