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CHAPTERFIVE
TESSA
“Tessa, your two-top’s up,”Manuel calls, pointing to the club sandwich and burger in the window.
“Thanks. You made the fries extra crispy, right?” I grab a tray and start loading it up, inspecting the food.
“If you wrote it on the ticket, I did.”
Ah, look at those golden brown fries. “And that’s why you’re my favorite cook.”
“Because I read the instructions you write?”
“Exactly.”
“Only you and Lexie do that. The rest assume I’m a mind reader.”
Lexie rounds the corner, digging in her apron for something, and hands me three crumpled bills, followed by two quarters. “Your half of the tip from that group of guys. Thanks for taking them. If I’d had to keep going over there, I might’ve punched one of them.”
“No problem.” Since she started working here a few months ago, we make a pretty good team. Plus, we’re the only servers under the age of forty-five. There’s a certain amount of mutual bonding in that.
“Uh oh. Here comes trouble.” She smirks, and I glance over my shoulder as I lift my tray.
Through the diner’s front windows, I spot her boyfriend, Ethan, who’s made himself a regular here since she started working. There’s someone else behind him, but I can’t make out…
What’s he doing here? And how does he know Lexie’s boyfriend?
“Looks like he brought Austin with him,” she says, heading to the door to greet them. “That’s new.”
She knows him, too?
Crap. Crap. Triple crap.
How is it that within a week, he’s invaded all these parts of my life? After our conversation in the laundry room last Thursday, where I made such stupid comments asI’m not a stripperand backed away from him like I thought he was going to attack me, I’ve been keeping my distance. And by that, I mean avoiding leaving the apartment if I heard the faintest noise outside that might be him.
How does he make me say and do the dumbest things? Why do I get so flustered around him?
I head for my table before he and Ethan enter, angling my body away from the door as I deliver the food.
Does he know I work here? Is that why he came? Or is it a coincidence?
I should go over to greet him and get it over with. I should also refill the drinks of my three-top in the corner. But instead, I scurry in the opposite direction toward the bathrooms and grip the edge of the sink as I take a deep breath.
What’s the big deal? I’ll see him tomorrow in the Stress Lab, anyway. But there, I’m in control. And here…
I glance down at my baby blue 1950s style uniform, the white half-apron dingy with stains. Turning on the tap, I wet my fingers and rub at the spots, hoping at least some of them come out. After that, I rewet my hands and tame the flyaway hairs around my head, wishing I’d done more than the simple ponytail to keep my hair out of my face.
Good enough, I guess.
I swing open the door, colliding with a brick wall that steadies me before I fall, two big hands gripping my shoulders before they let go.
“Tessa?”
I crane my neck up at Austin, something in my belly going warm and gooey hearing my name in that low, rumbly voice.
Oh my God, what is wrong with me? I just ran into him.
I open my mouth to apologize, but he beats me to the punch.
