Finally, it was time.
The door to Moonstruck Diner swung open right as I reached for it, and I quickly stepped back, barely avoiding being smacked in the face as three men walked out. The men were deep in laughter, not paying me any attention.
A fact I was glad for, in all honesty.
I caught the door before it shut and slipped inside to my new place of work. My stomach churned with nerves as a heavy wave of smells hit me, mostly the various foods being cooked and the heavy bitter scent of beer. Thankfully, it wasn’t a horrible smell like it had been the previous night at the bar.
It couldn’t be that hard to be a waitress, right? I’d even practiced smiling last night because I thought that would help with tips, something I was doubting based on how bad I still was at it.
I couldn’t afford to make a single mistake. I had to save at least ten thousand dollars. I almost fainted thinking of that amount again. My plan was simple. Work however long it took to pay off the car, then I would high-tail it out of this weird-ass town.
Looking down at myself, I wore the closest thing I had to waitress attire. A black, tight skirt that fell just above my knees and a matching shirt, trying to mimic Marcus’ uniform as closely as possible.
Unlike the previous time I’d been in, the diner was busy. Scratch that…busy was too tame a word. Chaotic better suited the place. Nearly every seat was filled. The song, “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse played overhead, and one poor waitress was rushing off her feet, delivering meals, taking orders, darting from one table to the next.
A sharp bell rang from the kitchen window in the back corner where I watched the cook place three plates on the counter for collection. No sign of Marcus yet. A red-haired woman emerged through the doors of the kitchen backward and swung around, carrying four plates filled with food. She whistled and called out, “Dinner’s served.”
A nearby table cheered. The atmosphere was addictive and so cheerful. I was fascinated by it. I’d never been to a restaurant or diner where despite how busy they were, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
A sudden explosion of breaking plates shattered through the voices, and I twisted around to the sound. A waitress, slim with short blonde hair and her face covered in freckles, was frantically crouched low, trying to pick up all the broken plate pieces from the floor. A few people watched her, but no one got up to help her.
I didn’t think, and the next thing I knew, I was next to her, picking up the mess.
“Oh my god, thank you so much,” she whispered nervously, her cheeks stained red from embarrassment.
“It happens,” I explained, stacking broken and chipped wedges of ceramic into one hand. I was all too familiar with the fear of breaking things. Alistair made sure to punish me thoroughly if I dropped anything. The punishment tended to come in the form of him using his belt. My skin shivered at the memory, and I hastily picked up more of the mess.
Quickly, I followed the waitress into the kitchen and dumped everything into a trash can in the corner. The setup was simple in the room—a grill against the back wall, with frying baskets off to the side, a chopping counter on this end along with the sink, and metal shelving with bowls and plates filling every other space against the wall. Steaks sizzled on the grill, and it smelled heavenly. The cook stood with his back to us as he seasoned the meat. He wore a bright red bandana over his hair, black jeans, and a bright yellow tank top under a black apron. The man was tall, toned, and moving at a million miles an hour, plating up dishes, his bare arms glistening from the heat.
“You’re a blessing,” the blonde said and offered me a dish towel to wipe my hands.
I glanced down at her name badge as I cleaned myself off. “It’s my job, Eve,” I said, trying to joke, which had her looking at me quizzically. “I’m the new waitress Marcus hired, Rune.”
Her eyes widened, as did her smile in an excited surprise. “Sweet Jesus, thank you.” She threw her arms around me, her hug like iron shackles for someone thinner than me and standing only five foot three. Her reaction took me off guard at first, mostly because I wasn’t used to such open affection…and I wasn’t a fan of being touched.
“It’s been this busy every night for forever, and my feet are about to drop off. So let’s get you out there before we have a mutiny.” She giggled, and the sound was adorable, her nose wrinkling slightly in her beaming expression. I hadn’t even started work yet, and I was already beginning to get my hopes up about this place… Maybe I’d even make some friends.
I was getting ahead of myself, and it didn’t matter since I was leaving anyway, but it would be nice to have some friendly faces around.
She turned and looked around. “Rae, where do you keep the spare aprons?”
The cook turned and came toward us, offering me his hand. “Hey, I’m Rae.” His voice was deep and raspy.
When he smiled, all his teeth showed. He had that guy next door kind of look with a soft smile and a relaxed feel about him…but there was something odd about his eyes. A yellow rim surrounded his irises like nothing I’d ever seen before. His nostrils flared as I got closer to him to shake his hand. Strange.
“Welcome to the team, and just remember, forks are the restaurant’s version of socks.” He broke into a laugh, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at his very bad joke.
“You’re so lame, Rae. Are you still telling that joke?” Eve rolled her eyes.
“She’s new, and that means she hasn’t heard any of them.” He reached into a nearby shelf and came back with a black apron that he pushed into my hands. “Here you go, and good luck.”
“Thank you.”
He returned to the grill.
All strapped up, I glanced up just as the red-haired woman from earlier burst into the room. My gaze went straight to her name badge on her black shirt. Licia. She had wild red hair with curls that refused to be tamed and the deepest green eyes. She was maybe in her mid to late twenties and had the most beautiful complexion of clear, milky-white skin, a contrast to her ruby lips.
“Why isn’t anyone out there?” Her eyes landed on me. “I assume you’re the new girl?”
“Yes, I’m Rune. I’m ready to get started.”
“Good. I like your eagerness, and you’ll need it. For tonight, Eve will take all orders, and you just focus on delivering meals to tables and collecting dirty plates. You think you can handle that? We’re short on staff in the bar in the back, so you’ll need to pop in there and deliver drinks as well.”
“Absolutely.” How hard could it be? I was a servant at home, bringing Alistair and his friends meals and drinks all the time, collecting after them, as quickly and quietly as possible. I was well versed in the act of waitressing already. Hopefully.
“Well the food isn’t going to serve itself,” she called out loudly, clapping her hands, even though she was standing barely a foot away from us.
Eve pushed past me, and I joined her in the main room of the diner, where the voices and music seemed explosive. “Thanks for helping earlier,” she whispered. I nodded, already liking her. Especially since she hadn’t asked me anything about myself yet. Hopefully, she would keep that up.
“No problem. So, is Licia the owner?”
“She’s a co-owner of Moonstruck with her partner, Marcus. Then there’s also Wilder. He’s the big boss in charge of this place and most of the town. You have to watch out for him. Licia’s nice, but she does have a temper on her.”