She went to the restaurant with a heavy heart, but she wore her calm armor. It was her first day and she refused to mess it up. When she arrived, they had just opened. Zara greeted everyone softly, then quietly slipped into her work, cleaning tables with careful focus.
Halfway through, a voice sliced through the morning air.
“Is she the new waitress… the one with a kid?” a girl whispered loudly, yet with no intention of actually keeping it down.
Claire quickly nodded and hushed her. “Jenny, that’s enough. Keep it down.”
But Jenny’s eyes were already burning with hostility, her lips curling into a smirk. “Will she even manage with a kid? How bad…”
Zara’s hand stilled. Her fingers tightened around the towel, the cloth trembling slightly in her grip. Claire shot Jenny a firm look.
“I sa
