by Kasie West
“I know. Come be a cater waiter with Micah. It will be fun.”
I let out a laugh. I wasn’t sure how fun it would be, but maybe I would go. I loved Birmingham. “Okay.”
“By the way, my dad can’t be your in,” Andrew said as we headed back to the flower van. “He’s like me. He doesn’t really make connections.”
PEONY
Want a bloom as big as your face? Peonies have you covered. Okay, maybe they aren’t as big as a face, but peonies are known for their large gorgeous blooms and are said to bring luck. The problem? They have a short life span. Sometimes the most beautiful things don’t last very long.
I think it’s entirely unfair,” Micah said to me as we drove into downtown Birmingham, “that you can look so cute in a pair of polyester pants.”
“Nobody looks cute in this outfit.” I was sitting in the passenger seat, wearing the same cater waiter uniform as Micah. My hair had grown long enough to wear up in a ponytail. I reached back and pulled on the ends to tighten the holder.
“You do,” Micah argued.
It probably helped that I’d made a few adjustments. I’d tailored the white button-down shirt so it wasn’t some shapeless form, and I’d added cute silver rings to the belt loops on the pants.
“I wonder if you’ll still think I look cute after I do horribly at this event,” I said, feeling my stomach twist. “What was I thinking, trying out waitressing for the very first time at a fancy benefit?”
Micah kept her eyes on the road. “You’ll do fine. There’s nothing to it.”
My nerves were on edge and I was trying to pretend it only had to do with the fact that I’d be carrying large trays of food around to rich people. That it had nothing to do with seeing Andrew again tonight after three weeks of silence from both of us. I’d kissed him. What had I been thinking? I obviously hadn’t been thinking at all. It had been a weird day. I blamed it on that.
I looked out the window at the city passing by. “There’s one of my benches,” I said. It wasn’t often my mom let me go into Birmingham, but when I did, one of my favorite things to do was sit on a bench in the heart of downtown, people watching.
“The most boring bench in the world,” Micah said. I had dragged her there a few too many times, apparently.
“I think you mean the most interesting bench. Can’t you just feel the energy?” I grabbed her shoulder and shook it.
“I can feel that there are too many cars around me right now and it’s making me claustrophobic. Is that the energy you’re talking about?”
I rolled down the window and car horns and sirens and scents drifted in with the wind. I smiled. “Nope. This energy.”
“You’re weird,” she said.
“You made me this way.”
She laughed. “Did you forget what you said to me at that kindergarten family night when we were five?”
“You make sure I never do.”
“ ‘My name is Sophie and I don’t really want to talk to you but my dad said I had to.’ ”
I laughed. “I don’t think I sounded like that.”
“You did.”
“I’ve always been kind of difficult, haven’t I?”
“Yes.” Micah leaned forward and looked up at the high-rise in front of us. “I think it’s this building. Do you see the parking garage entrance?”
“To the right,” I said.
She drove up the ramp and into the garage. We followed the directions her dad had given us and saw the catering van, its back doors open and Lance unloading.
Micah powered down her window. “Where do I park?” she called out.
Lance pointed to an open spot down the aisle.
We got out of the car and headed to the catering van. Lance was still there, holding a large plastic bin.
“We get the flower girl today?” he asked, handing me the bin. “Do we have a bet going yet on how many broken dishes there will be?”
Micah scrunched her nose at him. “Stop. She’s already nervous.”
“This is quite the event to learn at,” he said.
I swallowed.
“Lance,” Micah said.
Lance pushed a box into Micah’s hands and grinned at me. “You’ll do fine, newb. Top floor, ladies.” He gestured toward the door.
“Maybe this was a bad idea,” I said as we headed inside. “Your dad actually wants a referral from this event. I can just go wander in the park or check out the food trucks.”
Micah used her elbow to hit the button for the elevator. “Trying to get out of it already? My dad wouldn’t have let you do this if he didn’t know you were fully capable.” She gave me a steady look. “We went over this. Just follow my lead all night. You’ll be fine. You act like you haven’t carried huge boxes full of centerpieces. You have muscles, girl.”
“I’ll be fine,” I repeated.
The elevator arrived. The doors opened and there was Andrew. He took a step forward before he saw us.
“Andrew!” Micah said. “Lookin’ good.”
He wore another one of his dark suits with a small-print floral tie. He stepped to the side and used one hand to make sure the elevator doors didn’t shut on us. Micah and I tried to step into the elevator together, which resulted in me knocking into Andrew.
“Sorry,” I said at the same time he said, “Excuse me.”
We both laughed a little, and he said, “I’m completely in your way.”
I turned sideways and so did he and we shuffled past each other. Once Micah and I were inside, Andrew let go of the elevator door and it slid shut. I shifted the bin onto my hip and pushed the button for the top floor.
The elevator whirred into motion, letting off a ding as it passed each floor. One ding, two, three.
“What was that?” Micah asked.
“That was floor number four,” I said, watching the red digital numbers over the door change.
“You know very well what I’m talking about. The politeness. The blushing.”
“What? I didn’t blush.”
“You blushed. It’s like you two finally released some tension or something.”
My eyes went to the bin in my arms and before I could defend myself Micah gasped.
“You did? When?” she asked.
“It was nothing.”
“Define nothing.”
“We kissed. Once. It was a mistake.”
“You kissed!” Micah’s mouth dropped open. “Sophie! When? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was after John’s funeral.” I bit my lip. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
Micah shook her head. “The fact that you didn’t say anything makes me think it was more than you’re letting on.”
“It wasn’t,” I said quickly. Too quickly.
“What were you thinking?” Micah asked. The elevator reached the top floor and the doors slid open.
I swallowed hard and stepped out into the hall. “I wasn’t.”
“Sophie, he’s leaving in four months. You remember that, right?” she said, following me.
“I know! I told you, it was nothing. We both acknowledged that.”
“Good,” she said. But she sighed, as if she wasn’t willing to drop it quite yet. “I thought you didn’t even like him.”
To our left was a set of white swinging doors that led to the kitchen. I could hear the clinking of dishes inside. I stopped and took a deep breath. “I don’t like him. He’s infuriating and arrogant and entitled and opinionated.”
“And yet?”
“Nothing. That was the end of my speech. He has zero redeeming qualities.”
Her shoulders dropped. “Crap. You’re lying. If not to me, then definitely to yourself. If you can’t think of one good thing about Andrew Hart, then you’re trying awfully hard not to.”
I shook my head firmly. “It doesn’t matter. That’s what I’m trying to say. Like you said, he’s leaving in four months and that’s how I feel about him. Plus, I know the feeling is mutual.”
Mi
cah raised her eyebrows. “How do you know that?”
“I have instincts.”
“Your instincts—”
“Are spot-on. Remember Kyle? Remember how I sensed there was something off there and I forced myself to push it? Well I was right. He let me know exactly how right I was.”
“How?” she asked.
“I caught him kissing Jodi.”
“Sophie! When? Why didn’t you tell me this? Am I not your best friend anymore?” The hurt in her eyes let me know I’d made a mistake in not talking to her, in not telling her all of this when it had happened.
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to forget about it. I still do. But I promise I’ll fill you in on everything later, okay?” I held her gaze but she glanced away. “Thinking about it now is only going to stress me out more.” I held up the box I was holding. “Plus, this is heavy.”
“Fine … Yes, let’s talk about this later.” She pushed through the doors to the kitchen. “Or not at all if that’s how you want it to be.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. Micah was mad, and she had every right to be. But for now, I needed to think about work.
I stepped out onto the roof of the building. It was amazing. The large expanse of space overlooking the city was lush with greenery: like a yard sitting on top of the world. There was a lawn, potted plants, trees, and flowers. I’d never seen anything like it.
Draped tables and chairs sat in the center, and all around the perimeter were drink stations. There weren’t any guests yet but it was a bustle of worker activity.
Micah was talking about which tables I’d be serving and busing, but my gaze had stopped on the centerpieces. Huge pink peonies the size of my open hand were packed into golden vases. White hydrangeas and pale green succulents were in the mix as well. I’d never tried that combination before but it was stunning. I instantly imagined girls in flowy pale-pink skirts and draped white tops walking barefoot through a garden of green.
“Hello?” Micah said. “Do I need to leave you alone with the flowers?”
“They’re so pretty. Can you imagine anyone in our town requesting a centerpiece like this?”
“Take a picture and maybe you can suggest them to Caroline for a future event.”
“My phone is in my bag in the locker inside.”
“Ask Andrew to take a picture,” she said.
I looked over my shoulder, thinking she meant he was out here somewhere. He wasn’t. “I’ll just draw it later. I left my journal at home.” I wished I hadn’t, because I really wanted to sketch.
I was still struggling with what was unique and different about me as a designer. But thankfully, I had managed to eke out a couple of sketches in the last several weeks that didn’t completely suck. Maybe I’d make my December deadline after all.
“You’d rather draw this than ask Andrew for a favor?” Micah was saying. She clucked her tongue. “Wow. This is worse than I thought.”
“It is not.” I pointed to the group of tables around me. “So these are my tables?”
“Yep. Just five. Easy peasy.”
“How many do you have?”
“That doesn’t matter. It’s not my first night.”
“Okay, I just don’t want you taking on more because you think I can’t pull my weight.”
“It’s good, Soph. We’ll be fine.” Something caught her eye behind me. “Oh, look, there’s Andrew. He can take a picture for you. Andrew!”
I knew she was trying to get me to admit that there was something more going on with us, but I wasn’t going to do it. I put on my indifferent face. Because that’s what I was. Very indifferent.
Andrew came over, his phone in hand. “These centerpieces are amazing,” he said.
“That’s what Sophie was just saying. Will you take a picture of one and send it to her?” Micah asked cheerfully.
Andrew held up his phone and snapped a few pictures. “You going to try to copy them?” he asked in that condescending way of his.
“What? No. I don’t copy things.”
“There’s no shame in that. Don’t they say imitation is the best form of flattery?”
“There’s a difference between imitation and inspiration,” I said.
“What is the difference?” he asked. “The level of guilt you feel?”
Good. He was proving to me that our kiss was a total fluke. “Don’t be a tool,” I said.
“But I’m so good at it.”
I raised my eyebrows at Micah as if to say, See, nothing going on here.
She just shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“Nice pants, by the way, Sophie,” Andrew added, tucking his phone back into the inside pocket of his jacket. “Good choice for your first pair ever.”
“Nice suit,” I said. “How does it feel to spend so much money on a dozen that look exactly the same?”
He gave a faux gasp. “I have at least two dozen.”
I smirked. “I don’t doubt it.”
I wasn’t sure if Micah and I had more to do on the roof, but I walked back toward the door like suddenly I was the one in charge. I was grateful when Micah followed me.
“You know,” she said, once she’d fallen into step beside me, “you didn’t have to act that way for my benefit.”
“I didn’t. That’s who we are.”
“Perpetual flirts?”
My mouth fell open. “That was not flirting!”
“You two are impossible. Let’s just talk about anything else.”
“Gladly.”
We pushed our way into the kitchen. We’d already come in briefly to drop off our stuff and say hi to Micah’s dad before going outside to see the roof. Now Jett Hart was standing at one of the stovetops, adding vegetables to a large skillet. My entire body went tense. Jett looked up and, much to my surprise, a smile came over his face. I tried to remember if it was the first one I’d ever seen there. It made him look much more like Andrew.
“Micah,” he said. “My worker bee.”
Ah. That’s who the smile was for.
My brows went up and I looked Micah’s way. “We get along,” she said under her breath before she moved forward to talk to Jett. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
“Your father is bringing up some boxes. Can you see if he needs extra hands?”
“Yes.” She gestured toward me. “You remember Sophie.”
Jett gave a single nod, the scowl back on his face.
“Hi,” I said tentatively. “It’s …” Several adjectives about how I felt to see him again went through my head all at once—nice, good, lovely, great—none of which I meant, so I ended up spitting out, “A good night for a party. I mean, great weather and everything.”
“Yes,” he said.
Micah tugged on my arm and I followed her out of the kitchen.
“Since when did you start getting along?” I hissed.
“Since he thinks I’m excellent at my job.”
“You are, but … you like him now?”
“He’s not so bad. He gets a little gruff when he’s stressed or under pressure, but don’t we all?”
“Really?” She was going with Andrew’s standard line now.
“I know, he can be a jerk. But, Sophie, I have to work with him. I’m trying to like him at least a little bit.”
I held up my hands. “I get it. But I don’t have to like him.”
“Just for tonight,” she said.
I groaned.
Waitressing was hard. My arms felt like Jell-O as I carried yet another tray of dirty salad plates to the kitchen.
Mr. Williams smiled at me as I moved the plates onto the counter by the other stacks. “You’re doing great, Ms. Sophie,” he said. “Maybe I’ll have to hire you for our next event.”
“Only if I gain some arm muscle by then.”
I went to the counter where entree dishes were waiting.
“You’re moving at half-speed,” Jett said to me. “Pick it up.”
He’d been short with me all nigh
t, tougher on me than he had been on the other waiters, I felt. I wondered if he was still angry from our last interaction. I just clenched my teeth.
“Sorry, sir,” I said, loading up my tray.
“I don’t care about words, Ms. Evans, just actions.” Well, at least he knew my name.
I lifted the heavy tray to my shoulder and left without saying those words he didn’t care about.
A woman at my first table raised her finger at me. “Can I get a refill of wine?” she asked.
I nodded my head toward the closest drink station. “You have to go to a drink station, ma’am.” There were at least four and none of them busy.
“You can’t get it for me?”
“I’m underage. I’m not allowed.”
She pushed air between her lips. “I won’t tell.” She held up her glass.
“I’m sorry. I can’t.”
She sighed and pulled out a small handbag, fished through it, and came up with a twenty-dollar bill. “How about now, sweetheart?”
“I’ll get that for you,” Andrew said, lifting the woman’s glass and giving her a smile as well.
She tried to hand him the money but he refused it.
“What a gentleman,” she said.
I had been clenching my teeth an awful lot tonight. I finished passing out the rest of the plates and moved to get another load when a man called out, “Girl, please take this dish with you.”
“Of course.” I picked up his half-eaten food and looked around for others. I ended up walking away with another full tray.
“Want me to carry that tray?” Andrew asked, joining me as I made my way inside again.
“No, and thanks for making me look bad with the wine lady back there.”
“I was just trying to help.”
“It didn’t help. It just made it look like I wasn’t willing to fill her drink.”
“You weren’t,” he said.
“Because I’m not allowed to,” I shot back.
He shrugged. “Well, I am. I don’t work for Mr. Williams.”
I laughed. “Like you’d ever work a real job.”
Andrew furrowed his brows. “What’s that supposed to mean? I work.”
“For your dad.”
“Micah works for her dad.”