Chapter 19

    Mariah

 

 

I’m still feeling less than great about my interaction with Kristy when I make it to the diner that night for my first shift. But as it turns out, I won’t have time to ruminate on it at all.

This diner is really busy. It is full of customers who are hungry and ready for the quickly made food that eating at a diner promises them. And there aren’t a lot of employees to help out.

Sterling greets me with that same bright smile, tosses an apron my way - and that’s about the sum total of my job training. This is quite different from the corporate world, where my days have been spent watching how other people do it and slowly learning from them. Here, it’s clear I’ll have to jump right in and learn on the job, all by myself.

“It’s super simple round here, hon.” He whacks a near-empty ketchup bottle on the counter, intent on making sure every last drop gets squeezed out of it before it gets tossed. “Don’t set yourself or anyone else on fire, don’t drop the plates, and don’t put up with any shit. We get our fair share of ornery regulars in, and they ain’t going to respect you one bit if you cave the first time someone threatens to douse you in hot coffee because their eggs aren’t cooked just right.”

I’m too surprised not to ask, “Who does that?”

My only answer is a peal of rough laughter from behind me.

I turn to see that the laugh is coming from a redheaded woman at the counter, slouched over her food and scrolling on a cell phone that looks like it fell out of a plane, hit a bunch of things on the way down, and found its way into her hand.

“Don’t listen to Sterling,” she says. “He’s just trying to frighten you because there’s nothing else to do around here this time of day.”

Sterling fake-glares at the woman. “Elle, why you gotta undermine me with my employees like that?”

“If I didn’t, then none of them would make it through their first shift, and you know it.” Elle looks up from her phone, eyes sparking with humor. I like her immediately. “So, you’re Sterling’s latest adopted sidekick, hmm?” she asks.

“I do not adopt my employees, Elle,” Sterling protests. “And I don’t need a sidekick. Unless he looks like Dick Grayson. That boy is fine.”

“Well, at least now I know he has a type.”

Elle laughs uproariously at that.

“Oh, I have lots of types, Mariah. Elle’s just sad she’s not one of them.”

“You couldn’t handle me even if I was,” Elle says. “One night with me would break you in half. You’d thank me for it, but still.”

“Sterling?” I ask, putting a false note of shyness in my voice. “I thought you were supposed to serve the customers, not the other way around.”

Elle chokes on her sip of coffee. Apparently, I can fit in here well. I’m already liking my boss and co-worker, and it seems pretty clear that they like me too.

“That’s enough out of you, new girl. Go scrub me some dirty dishes and think about what you’ve done.”

“I’m supposed to do the dishes?” I ask, a bit surprised. I thought I was hired to be a waitress.

“You’re supposed to do anything that is needed,” Sterling replies. “If you didn’t notice, we’re a bit short-handed around here, and we all pitch in.”

“Of course,” I answer.

Sterling’s tone is stern, but his look is midway between impressed and amused.

Still, I do the dishes.