Off the Menu

Chapter Three: Don’t Be Weird - Cole

I was working a double. My first shift was on prep, second shift would be on the line. After making my body weight in pasta, I had finally gotten through the prep list, making sure we had enough for what the powers that be projected we would need for the rest of the day. I cleaned up my area before going on the line to check with Nate to make sure he was okay. “Are you a double today too?” I asked.

“Nah, man. As soon as Ronnie gets here, I’m out for the weekend.”

“Lucky.” We both laughed. Doubles often sucked, especially on Fridays. I was off tomorrow though. “Well, I’m about to go on break, unless you need me to stay longer?”

“I’m good, go ahead,” he insisted. “I’ll catch you later.”

“Alright, see ya man.” We fist bumped and I walked away, my half full cup of tea in hand. I clocked out and pocketed a small handful of grapes before I started out of the kitchen. I froze before I even made it to the line of two-top booths next to the bar.

Eli’s back was to me, and across from him, there she was. I swallowed, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. It felt like it was moving into my throat from how fast it was beating. What was she doing here? We locked eyes for a moment, her brow furrowed slightly, head tilting before her gaze shifted quickly back to Eli. I pushed my glasses up my nose, blinking a few times.

“Cole,” the sound of my name snapped me out of my stupor, even if it was being whispered from the other side of the bar. I turned to face my brother who stood there, grinning. He knew. I could just tell by the way he was watching me. There was a gleam in his eye that read I’m going to make so much fun of you later. “You good?” he asked, voice still low to not distract the interview taking place a few feet away.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I just forgot to do something.” I turned around and headed back into the kitchen, then took the long way through the main dining room and into the lobby.

“Bye,” Layla, the hostess, called out as I pushed the door open.

“I’ll be back!” I threw up a peace sign as I stepped out into the heat, not turning to look back at her. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes against the sun for a moment before I started across the parking lot to my little haven in the bushes. I set my cup down on an upside down crate and pulled out my cigarettes, lighting one before taking a seat on another crate.

I watched through the bushes, my heart still rapidly beating away. Interviews usually didn’t take very long, so it would only be a matter of time before I saw her in the parking lot. I took a long drag on the cigarette, trying to calm myself down. Why did she have this effect on me? I didn’t even know her name. It didn’t make sense to me.

It didn’t take long before I was broken out of my thoughts by Riley joining me. “What was with you in there?” he asked as he sat on a crate across from me.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, adjusting my glasses again.

He blinked a couple of times, his eyebrows arching. I wasn’t getting anything past him. “You completely froze at the bar. You looked like you had seen a ghost.”

I scowled, picking up my cup with my free hand. I used the excuse of taking a sip to prolong having to respond. I was crumbling under his scrutiny though. “I told you, I had forgotten to do something.”

It was obvious from the look on his face, blue eyes piercing into me, that he wasn’t buying it. I sat the cup down then popped a grape into my mouth, trying to distract from his line of questioning. I saw the exact moment realization hit him and he put it together. His mouth fell open, the corners of his lips turned slightly upwards. “That’s her, isn’t it?”

“Who is her?” I asked, holding the cigarette up to my lips again. I held it in my mouth as I reached for my pack again. This time, I took out a joint.

“Nica.” Now it was my turn to arch my brows. How did Riley know her name? “She’s the one at Jasper & Jade that you’re in love with.”

I replaced the cigarette with the joint, lighting it and taking a hit before passing it to Riley. “I’m not in love with her. I don’t know her.”

“Infatuated with then.”

“I just think she’s pretty,” I took another drag off the cigarette while I waited for him to pass the joint back.

“So I’m right? It is her.”

“How do you know her name?”

“I met her this morning when I stopped for coffee. “She recognized my name from when she called up here and we started talking.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure yet if that was a relief or not. At least I knew he hadn’t gone over there snooping, trying to figure out who it was that I was going over there to see. I didn’t need him to make me feel like an even bigger creep than I already thought I was.

“She’s really good friends with Willow,” Riley continued. I knew he was trying to get some kind of reaction out of me. Trying to see if it was simply that I thought Nica was pretty or if there was more to it.

The conversation ended abruptly though as a Subaru pulled into the space in front of the bushes, the bass audible from the outside. The music lowered just before the engine was cut off and Jay and Mallory got out. “What’s up party people?” Jay shouted as he shut his door. The two of them joined us in the bushes, and the joint was passed to him. “How’s it been today, is it slow?” he asked as he hit it then passed it to Mallory.

“To-go has been slow, but the rest of it has been kind of steady, I think,” Riley answered.

“Not too bad then. What time do y’all go back?”

“I took my break a little after 4:30. I probably won’t take a whole hour though. Not when it’s already this late in the day,” I answered.

“f**k that, I am,” Riley said. “They’ll see me at 5:30.”

“When do y’all go in?”

“We’re both five,” Mallory answered, passing the joint back to me.

Jay lit up another one and the two joints were passed around until the two of them had to go in. I stood with them, stretching. “I’m going to head in too,” I said, not wanting to be left alone with Riley’s teasing. The three of us stepped out of the bushes and started across the parking lot, leaving Riley to his own devices. I almost froze again when the door to the restaurant opened and I saw Eli holding it for her. “See you Monday morning,” he grinned and she nodded.

“I’m looking forward to it.” She turned and I could see she was smiling too. We made eye contact again as she walked past me. It was the closest we’d ever been to each other. Her perfume lingered in the air between us. I was almost embarrassed to know I smelled like weed, cigarettes, and sweat while she smelled like peaches and honeysuckle. I pushed my glasses back up my nose, resisting the urge to turn towards her and watch her walk away.

I was broken out of my reverie as Mallory asked Eli, “New hire?”

“Yep. She’ll start Monday. Her name is Nica, she’s hosting to start, but she’ll be in the next server class.”

~*~

Having Saturday off was a blessing, but Sunday was a double, and as the hours wound down and it got closer to Monday, I could feel the anticipation building up in me. I still couldn’t believe the girl at Jasper & Jade that I’d been infatuated with, as Riley so kindly put it, was going to be working at Stella Cucina. I had yet to figure out if this was some kind of trick or punishment. I should’ve been thrilled, but I couldn’t help feeling like I was going to make an ass out of myself in front of her.

Monday morning came, and despite my exhaustion, I actually made it to work five minutes early. Eli let me in the back door, and once I had clocked in, he handed me my key for the back door and the morning prep list.

The first two hours were always a constant back and forth between getting everything turned on and ready for the day, and letting people in. With each buzz of the doorbell, my heart seemed to skip a beat, knowing at any moment it could be her.

At 10:30, the doorbell buzzed again. I made my way to the back door and peeked out the little window. She was turned slightly to the side, looking out into the parking lot. Even with her hair in braids, she had a few loose curls framing her face. The wind blew one of them, and she reached up to catch it and tuck it behind her ear. I swallowed, unlocking the door. Don’t be weird, I told myself as I pushed it open, holding it for her. “Good morning,” I managed, but I wasn’t even sure it was audible.

“Good morning,” she repeated. “I’m a little early. Eli told me 10:45.” There was a slight blush to her cheeks. I wasn’t sure if it was nervousness that caused it or her makeup.

“That’s okay,” I told her. “He’s in the office. He’ll show you how to clock in and everything.”

“Thanks.” She stepped past me, the sleeve of her blouse almost brushing against me as she crossed the threshold. I closed my eyes, inhaling her perfume, the same smell of warm peaches and honeysuckle from a few days before.

My eyes opened at the sound of Riley’s voice, “Good morning, Nica.”

“Good morning.”

They stepped past each other. His brows arched, his head tilting slightly as he fixed me with a knowing stare. “You’re being weird,” he spoke softly as he stepped outside.

I pulled my cigarettes out of my pocket and lit one. “I’m not.”

“Why were your eyes closed when she walked past you?”

“I’m tired, I was a double yesterday.”

“Right,” Riley rolled his eyes dramatically. “Don’t be weird. You’re going to scare her off.”