Brenda’s kidding pulled another small smile from Jade. “Flirting and making a life with someone are two different things. I’m not looking for a husband.” As Jade started to move she wobbled slightly.
Brenda still wasn’t convinced that Jade shouldn’t just go home. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m exhausted from all the time I’ve been putting in working, but I get off in a couple more hours, so there really is no point in leaving. Plus, we’re already down a person. I don’t want to add to the stress of this night. As soon as I get home, I’m going to crash.”
There was absolutely no way Jade could leave early given that they were short staffed, and she needed the money badly. Taking time off for being sick was a luxury she couldn’t afford, especially on Fridays when tips were always so good. There wasn’t any wiggle room this month since her roommate, Katrina, just up and moved out a few days ago. She left without warning leaving behind a financial mess.
Jade had always given Katrina her half of the rent because it was her apartment. She trusted that she had been paying it. Jade was stunned when she came home late, dog tired from work yesterday, to find an eviction notice on their door. Jade couldn’t believe it. That girl hadn’t paid rent for over two months! Jade had only one week to come up with this month’s and the past two month’s rent. Fortunately, she had managed to scrape together most of the money using a small amount of savings she’d put away for school, but was still almost a thousand dollars short. It killed Jade to have to use that cash. It was the first time she’d ever been this close to going to college. Year after year, Jade had put it off because she couldn’t afford it, but this upcoming semester she’d saved enough for two classes. Her hope of going to school was put on hold—again. The worst part about it was even after using her savings and this week’s paycheck, she was still short. That’s why going home sick tonight, or any other night for that matter, was out of the question. If she could work every day next week at Mario’s and get a couple of extra days at her cleaning job, she would only be short a few hundred dollars. Who needs sleep? She hoped that maybe the landlord would give her a break and a bit more time to pay the rest.
Jade took another deep breath. Her chest hurt, but she felt steady enough to get moving. “Thanks, Brenda. I really am fine now. I better get these appetizers and drinks to my customers before this food gets cold and I don’t get a tip.”
Jade walked through the double doors from the kitchen back onto the main floor, while attempting to balance the large tray without dropping anything. She stopped at table three and smiled despite her headache. “My apologies for the delay, but I’ve brought your water.” The woman with the bleached blonde hair and overly botoxed face gave her a slight nod and what looked like a smile before responding.
“Goodness, I’m dying of thirst.” Jade really couldn’t tell if that was a smile or if she was being sarcastic since her face seemed literally frozen. The woman was distracted by a call on her cell phone and bent, reaching into her purse to answer it. Her dinner companion took that opportunity to wink at her. Jade didn’t respond. She pretended to not even notice. Undeterred, he slid his business card into the pocket of her apron as if she’d invited his advances. Why did men think just because she was a waitress that she was absent any morals and values? Instead of smacking his hand away, Jade moved out of his reach. She quickly twisted the cap off of the little, blue bottle and poured the contents into a crystal glass. She’d experienced overly forward men before and was almost numb to it. Instead of cursing the man out and possibly losing her tips, or worse her job, Jade wondered why anyone would pay twelve dollars for a glass of water.
By the time she was done filling the glass, the woman had finished her call. Thank God Jade thought, as she turned to face both of them. She smiled and asked, “Do either of you need anything else?” The man returned her smile innocently enough before shaking his head no, and the woman looked straight through her waving Jade away as if she were nothing. Rich people could be so rude. It didn’t matter; Jade was glad to go, especially after the gross advances by her dinner date. She couldn’t help but wonder if her lifetime of bad luck would ever end.
Jade couldn’t get away fast enough. In her haste, she accidentally bumped into Natalie, another waitress, as she moved over to her other customers at table five. She mouthed sorry, and Natalie responded by mouthing the words back no biggie. Again, Jade pasted on a smile, this time for a rambunctious group of five young businessmen who were more than a little full of themselves. She hoped her voice didn’t reflect her lack of patience and how god-awful she felt. She dug down deep inside herself and called on all of her customer service skills, while grinning through the pain. “I have your appetizers and drinks, gentleman. Chef Mario’s shrimp biscuits are excellent tonight. I hope you enjoy them.”
One of the guys blurted out, “I’m sure I’d enjoy those biscuits much better if you fed them to me naked.”
Ugh…jerk. This guy is a piece of work. Instead of saying what she really thought Jade took the politically correct way out. “Oh…come on now, then the rest of my customers might get a bit jealous, and we can’t have that.” She unloaded her tray and continued to smile through all the cat-calls and flirting, dreading every second of it. She hated spoiled insignificant, rich guys, and this table was full of them. She definitely deserved an Oscar for the feigned interest she showed, always being courteous and careful not to do anything that could be mistaken for reciprocating their flirty attempts. After a few minutes of banter back and forth with the rowdy bunch, Jade pushed a piece of hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear. With as much enthusiasm as she could muster, she spoke. “I’ll be back to take your orders in just a bit.” As she took a few steps away from the table she couldn’t help but hear one of the men say, “Do you see the ass on her?” She would have rolled her eyes, but it would have caused her too much pain.
Jade placed her empty tray on a hostess station before moving on to table two. She checked her watch. One hour and forty minutes left. It felt as if she’d been on the floor for two hours already. Jade looked down to her order pad and pulled it out of her apron pocket, while greeting the new arrivals. “Good evening and welcome to Mario’s Steak and Seafood. May I take…” When she looked up, the smile on her face froze, and the words died on her tongue. Jade gazed into four sets of eyes, but one pair of iced-blue ones were all too familiar. She hadn’t seen them for almost ten years. Before Jade could recover, her own eyes widened, and her hands trembled slightly as she held her pen over the pad. It couldn’t be him, not him. Jade blinked rapidly and swallowed deeply before attempting to find her voice so she could do her job. She squared her shoulders, then cleared her throat. “May I take your order?”
Chapter 3
“Cricket?” His voice was warm like honey. Cole Thornton, live and in person. He was obviously just as surprised to see Jade as she was to see him. It had been nine years, six months, three weeks and two days since the last time she’d seen him, in the flesh at least. He’d been all over the newspapers and magazines for being some kind of wiz in business. In person, she could see that he had grown out of his boyish good looks and into a ridiculously sexy man.
The wind had been completely knocked out of her, but somehow she managed to speak. “It’s Jade…now.” Her voice gave out as she spoke her name. She nodded her head up and down, while she nervously cleared her throat. “Jade.”
His dinner companions were looking at her a more curiously. The blonde beauty with the perfectly white teeth, straight nose, and clear blue eyes seemed to be the only one brave enough to ask what was on everyone else’s mind as she looked from Cole to Jade. “You two know each other?” She said her tone incredulous.
Never breaking eye contact, Cole answered, “Yes. This is Cricket.” He noticed an almost imperceptible cringe from Jade when he called her by her nickname. “I’m sorry, old habits die hard. I mean Jade.” Saying her name felt awkward as he tried it out. “We grew up together.”
&nbs
p; The blonde pasted on an insincere smile. “Oh, childhood friends. How…nice.”
Jade didn’t miss the icy undertone in her voice. She glanced back down at her order pad before looking up again. She needed that extra moment to get past the shock of seeing Cole. It was obvious that blondie was very uncomfortable. Now, with the pounding in her ears at epic levels, Jade did what she would normally do in a situation like this. She attempted to diffuse the situation and spoke as if running into Cole wasn’t a sucker punch to the gut. She laughed a little. “Yes, we knew each other… seems like a lifetime ago.”
His eyebrows furrowed together as if he didn’t like her response. “Yes, it was a long time ago, but Cricket and I were thick as thieves.” This time it wasn’t an accident when Cole emphasized her childhood name. His lopsided grin slowly spread across his face as he continued to stare and reminisce. “We were as close as brother and sister until I moved away and we lost touch.”
Jade pressed her lips together. Lost touch? Really? Is that how he remembered it? She hoped her internal battle didn’t reflect on her face, giving away what was actually going through her mind. Take a breath Jade. You can do this. She could now add nausea to the long list of ailments she’d been suffering through tonight. All Jade wanted to do was get away from this table and his piercing blue eyes as quickly as possible. In her current state, she couldn’t handle seeing Cole. Hopefully, Natalie or Brenda would switch with her. She rocked back and forth on the heels of her feet. Her voice was elevated more than usual as she spoke. “Right! Thick as thieves. Speaking of which, Chef Mario has a fantastic first course called Pirate’s Treasure. It’s a seafood medley of shrimp, the finest crab and lobster you’ll find this side of heaven, prepared with his very own fondue recipe. It’s a popular item here. Can I get one started for everyone while you decide on what you’d like to order?”
Blondie replied, “That sounds heavenly.”
All Cole could think about was getting Cricket alone so he could find out what happened to her all those years ago, and more importantly, why she didn’t seem as thrilled to see him as he was to see her. Ignoring the obvious was hard. It wasn’t only that she did not seem excited to see him, but she also wasn’t a scrawny little girl anymore. Cri…Jade, he corrected himself, had grown up into a stunning young woman. Her eyes, round and doe-like in shape, had always intrigued him. And, while they looked tired, strained even, there was something else in those haunted eyes that added to her attractiveness. It was calling out to him. Cole continued to watch her as she took down everyone’s order. He didn’t snap out of his dreamlike trance until she spoke to him again. “Mr. Thornton what would you like to drink?”
He almost choked as he laughed. People who worked for him called him Mr. Thornton but Cricket? Though he hadn’t seen her in years, it still sounded absurd coming from her. She was way too tense. She had always been incredibly shy, maybe that was it. His friends seemed more than a little interested in their reunion and it probably was making her nervous. Of course, after almost ten years, she may have learned how to manage it. Instead of saying what he was really thinking, Cole downplayed his excitement. “Yes. Just bring me whatever they are having.”
Jade smiled tightly as she scribbled his order on her notepad. “Great! Please give me a few minutes and I’ll bring your drinks and appetizers right out.”
She turned, and as her legs carried her away from the table, it seemed like everything around her faded to black. Was she having an outer body experience? Was that really Cole? While there was plenty of activity in the background, she wasn’t aware of any of it. Why? Because Cole Thornton was here. He was in her restaurant. Over the years, Jade had dreamed of what it would be like to see him again, but it was never with him looking so polished, wearing a designer suit and a million watt smile. Her dream meeting was a little more realistic; she would slap the hell out of him for abandoning her.
When Jade made it back to the kitchen, she looked down at her practical uniform, black slacks and polo. Not only was Cole still the most good-looking man she’d ever seen, she really did look like death warmed over. The wayward strand of hair had fallen back into her face again. She blew at it. There was just too much going on in both her mind and body. Out of nowhere, she started to see yellow spots. Jade bent over and placed her hands on her knees then closed her eyes. She inhaled sharply.
Brenda walked back into the kitchen just in time to see Jade doubled over. “That’s it. I’m going to tell Mario you can barely stand up. You need to go home now.”
She waved her off. “No…no. Don’t Brenda. I only have an hour or so left.” Jade stood upright again. “While almost every part of my body hurts, my more immediate problem is a guy at table two. Can you switch with me? I’ll take your worst customer.”
“You are one stubborn girl do you know that?” Brenda thought it over as she rubbed slow circles on Jade’s back in a motherly fashion. “I would give you table eighteen with the set of twins that are destroying my station but I feel so sorry for you. I’ll give you table twelve instead. It’s an older couple just out for dessert.”
“Thanks, Bren. I promise I’ll make it up to you.” Over the next hour, Jade fought through feeling horrendous, but took solace in the fact that she’d also managed to evade Cole Thornton.
*****
Cole was surprised and a bit irritated when the waitress returned and it wasn’t Cricket. Where had she gone? And why did she not want to see him? His mood grew increasingly sour as the evening continued.
His friend and business partner, Doug Hudson, nudged him. “I can’t believe that we just landed one of the largest contracts I’ve ever been a part of negotiating, and you’re sitting here like you’ve lost your best friend. We should be celebrating!”
Cole’s girlfriend, Elise McGee didn’t seem pleased either. She scooted closer to him and lightly touched his arm with her perfectly manicured hand. “I surely hope you didn’t let that slip of a girl ruin your evening. Apparently, whatever friendship you thought you had was all in your head.”
He placed his hand over hers. Elise had no idea what she was talking about, and he wasn’t going to explain it to her. Instead, he addressed the real issue. “Sweetheart, there is no reason for you to be jealous.” Everyone at his table had been born with a silver spoon in their mouths. They had no idea he’d been raised in a group home. Or that his childhood was more than a little messed-up, and how Cricket fit into that life, keeping him sane during those years.
Elise kissed his cheek leaving behind a bright, red lipstick mark on his jaw line. Gently she used her thumb to wipe it off. “I’m sure any insecurities I might have will all disappear as soon as you put a ring on my finger.”
Cole laughed nervously. He wasn’t even remotely ready for marriage and probably never would be. “I thought I was a pretty generous guy, but if my gifts are not enough—I can have my assistant buy you that pretty little dinner ring we saw last week.”
She pouted. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
Doug laughed. “No Cole, she wants a ring on that finger.” Doug’s wife, Carmen, elbowed him in his side. He’d obviously had one drink too many. Carmen remained quiet as she sipped on her wine watching Elise almost beg Cole to marry her.
Cole picked up his snifter and swirled the ice cubes around. He didn’t speak until he looked up and realized everyone at the table was still waiting for an answer. Slowly, he placed the glass back on the table. “Elise, you should have told me that you didn’t like the diamond tennis bracelet I gave you last week. Or, the matching earrings I gave you for your birthday.”
Elise playfully swatted him on his arm. “Oh you! You know what I meant. I loved them. I’d just like a ring to go with it someday.”
Cole placed a gentle kiss on her lips in an effort to soften his words. He then shifted them to the soft space behind her ear. His voice was quiet as he spoke words that were meant for her ears only. “I’ll buy you whatever you want, but I won’t be bullied into getting engaged.�
�� He wasn’t ready to propose and wouldn’t be pushed into it.
Elise was rarely embarrassed, but in this case her face turned several shades of red.
Chapter 4
“Back here, she’s back here!” The restaurant manager frantically waved the paramedics towards the back of the building. Apparently someone needed an ambulance. For a moment, customers stood, gawked, and turned their heads in the direction of the emergency workers until they disappeared behind the double doors leading to the kitchen.
Elise was already in a foul mood, and their bird’s eye view of the commotion only seemed to make it worse. “What else can possibly go wrong tonight? I mean seriously, shouldn’t they have come in through the back door so they wouldn’t disturb the rest of us? The service here is usually superb.” Irritated, she tossed her glossy blonde hair over her shoulder. “Not to mention, we’ve been waiting for our check for what feels like forever.”
Carmen hadn’t spoken much during dinner, but couldn’t believe Elise was this insensitive. “I’m pretty sure the person who needs the medical attention could care less if the paramedics came through the front or back doors. They probably wouldn’t even care if they came through the window as long as they could help them. I just hope everyone is all right.”
Elise looked around the table then narrowed her eyes at Carmen. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Why do you always have to twist my words and make me sound like a jerk? Of course I hope whoever is in need of help is okay. But the paramedics coming through the front door only serves to panic a jittery public already nervous about terrorist’s attacks.”
Carmen responded. “Well, it seemed as if you were only concerned about being inconvenienced.” She didn’t believe Elise’s excuse for a moment. She was a schemer and had always been quick on her feet. Especially when she was around Cole. Carmen couldn’t understand for the life of her what he saw in that woman. He was so down to earth and Elise was nothing but a spoiled brat.
The Right Side of My Pillow Page 2