I forced a smile as I placed the menus in front of them, my fingers lightly tapping against the laminated surface. "You can order whatever you want," I said, keeping my tone even, polite. Detached. Then, without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and walked toward the back of the café.
The moment I stepped through the employee door, I let out a quiet exhale, rolling my shoulders to shake off the tension. Seeing my father here wasn’t unusual, but Liam? That was another story. I didn’t know what he was doing here, and I wasn’t about to ask.
I grabbed my uniform—a simple black T-shirt with the café's logo embroidered over the chest and a pair of dark jeans—and changed quickly in the small staff room. My hands moved mechanically, fastening the apron around my waist, tying the string
