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“What did he say?”
I guzzled the rest of my coffee and stared out through the back window. “He said that I was keeping him as my dirty little secret.”
“Well, he can’t blame you for that. The guy’s a walking advertisement for condoms and routine STD tests.”
Her joke made me chuckle, even though I desperately wanted Blade back in my life. “Every time he came near me at the charity event, I made sure that my parents were looking. And I pushed him away when they weren’t.”
“Ouch, girl.” She grimaced. “Yeah, that is a bit harsh.”
“I should have told him about needing a pregnancy test, too.”
Emily shook her head. “Do you know how many guys would freak out over that? You did the right thing by taking it alone.”
Her words hurt, even though she didn’t mean for them to. I was tired of taking pregnancy tests by myself, as though I were the only one who should have to deal with the consequences of her actions. It seemed only fitting that the guy should be there with me, holding my hand and reassuring me that everything would be okay. Even if they were just as, if not more, nervous than me.
“I don’t know what to do now.”
“Give him space and see if he comes around. You’re still the most unattainable girl at Exley, so he’ll come to his senses eventually.”
I shrugged, realizing that she was right. If it was meant to be with Blade, then things would work out. And if things weren’t meant to work out, then they wouldn’t. There was nothing I could do to change the course of fate.
“I still have one more problem, though,” I said.
“What’s that?”
“Money. I have no income. I had it really fucking good with Blade, and now what do I do?”
Once again, she patted the back of my hand, silently telling me what to do.
Later on that day, after hitting the books, I drove down to Lenny’s. Emily would be starting her shift in an hour, and I wanted to get there before her. The restaurant was pretty empty as I walked through the front door, once again greeted by the smiling hostess.
“Table for one?”
“Um, actually, can I get an application?”
I didn’t know what to expect, but filling the application out on the spot wasn’t it. I wasn’t ready, but the manager asked me to sit down at a back booth with him, where he proceeded to ask me every question under the sun. He questioned my reasons for wanting to be a waitress. The truth was that it was literally my last resort, but I smiled and told him that I was a people person. He asked me why I chose Lenny’s, and I told him the truth, that I wanted to work with my best friend. The final question was how many hours I was available a week, and I told him as many as he needed me to be. I instantly regretted the last bit.
He shook my hand. “You’re hired. Can you start tonight?”
I wanted to say no, but the next thing I knew, I was out back putting on a pink polo shirt and tying an apron around my waist. The manager handed me a notepad and pencil, patted me on the back, and introduced me to my trainer.
Who was, of course, Emily.
My first night at Lenny’s was spent shadowing Emily, who introduced me to every table as the new hire and her best friend. Several customers recognized me from campus, wishing me luck on my new job before rattling off their food orders. But others weren’t so polite.
It wasn’t long before I realized that most of them didn’t care about food service employees.
“That’s nice,” a guy said from behind his menu. “I’ll take the chicken tender dinner, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, and dinner rolls.”
“You got it,” Emily said.
“And if I gotta send anything back, it’s coming out of your tip. Understood?”
My mouth fell open as Emily smiled, took his menu, and went to input his order.
“What the hell was that all about? Why didn’t you say anything?”
She shrugged as she typed away on the computer screen. “Do you realize how exhausted I’d be if I got upset over every customer who treated me that way? Besides, all they care about is getting food in their stomachs.”
