It was quiet, until she reached the first floor. The dining room was empty, but food was already set out. Baskets of muffins and breads sat near butter and jam and a toaster oven. Several boxes of cereal were laid out with bowls and carafes of milk sitting on ice. There was a row of small steam trays that contained scrambled eggs, sausage—both links and patties—and bacon. Juices and coffee and hot water for tea sat on a separate table. It was a ridiculous amount of food for just three people, but Kess wasn’t complaining at the moment. She could hear noise coming from what must be the kitchen. She put some bread in the toaster oven, piled a plate with eggs and sausage and stuck her head back there.
"Hello?"
Anita’s head popped up around the enormous refrigerator door that was blocking her view. "Hey Kess. How’d you sleep?"
"Like a rock," she replied, shoveling a huge forkful of egg into her mouth. "This is great, but do you always cook for an army? When you said breakfast, I didn’t expect so…much."
Anita laughed, then shooed her out. "My husband eats like an army. He should be down in a minute and you’ll see him inhale a metric ton of bacon before he leaves for work. Go get some before it’s all gone." Kess figured she must have looked quizzical because Anita clarified, "He works up on the mountain building log cabins. I pack him a lunch but he burns right through it."
Kess returned to the dining room and fixed herself some toast and a cup of tea. She went back and snagged some of the bacon and another helping of sausage and retreated to a chair at the end of the dining room table. She was going back for her third helping of eggs when the tread of heavy work boots clomped toward the dining room.
The barge of a man that entered caused Kess to choke on her toast. She had never seen anyone so built. Sure, there had been the hardbodies at South Beach and her own clan were no slouches when it came to size, but this guy looked like he could bench press the mountain and probably had. Repeatedly. He was easily six and a half feet tall, well over 250 pounds—none of which had bled to fat even though he looked to be her dad’s age—and solid as a redwood. Obviously he came and went through the doors of this house so he must fit through them, otherwise Kess might suspect they built the place around him.
"You’re Kess, right? I’m Bran." He engulfed her hand in one the size of a dinner plate. "Sorry I didn’t get to introduce myself last night."
He had dark hair shot through with streaks of grey, in both hair and beard. He was ruddy, the complexion of a man used to living outdoors. Blue eyes assessed her from beneath heavy brows. Then he smiled and his face lost ten years. Kess tentatively smiled back. "I went to bed early. I guess I’m not used to all of this fresh mountain air." She grinned ruefully.
"Mind if I join you?"
Kess shook her head and watched him as he packed his plate with the same amount of food it had taken her three trips to eat. Anita came out from the kitchen carrying a large metal lunch box and thermos. She placed these on the table, gave her husband a peck on the cheek and then went to get coffee for the two of them.
His loaded plate thunked down on the tabletop and Kess noted that Anita had not been exaggerating about the bacon. "Thanks, babe," he said in a pleasant baritone rumble as Anita placed a mug of coffee in front of him then sat down to drink her own. They began to talk about the day ahead while Kess finished off her breakfast and tried not to stare at Bran. Brawny, that was the word she’d been looking for. She let the wash of their conversation roll over her as she stared into her teacup. Such a convivial morning atmosphere was something she hadn’t experienced or participated in for a very long time.
"Anita mentioned you were thinking of checking out the Barn," Bran said, turning his attention to her. At her nod, he continued. "Tell Griffin hello for me if you head out that way."
"Um, sure. Who is Griffin?" Kess drew her thoughts away from her home, her real home, not the made up one that she used for housing applications and quick answers that didn’t lead to more questions.
"He owns the Barn," Anita supplied. "He’s there most days—old friend of ours. You’ll most likely see him if you drop off that application." She slid the lunch box and thermos over to Bran at the sound a honk. "Your ride’s here."
"Duty calls." Bran inclined his head to Kess. "Nice to meet you, young lady."
"Likewise," she returned. She watched Anita walk with him out of the dining room, then collected up the detritus of breakfast and brought it into the kitchen. As she rinsed off the plates and tucked them into the dishwasher, she thought about Anita and Bran. They seemed so open, so easy with each other.
It was a marked difference from her own family. Her mother had died when she was born, leaving her father alone to raise both her and her older brother. Sek was four when their mother had died and the loss had hit him hard. Her father, Darius, had withdrawn after her mother's death, leaving the two children to be raised by a series of nannies. Kess knew he had tried to be a good parent, but there was always a distance between all of them, like a vast gulf that none of them even knew how to cross.
Still, her father tried to connect with them when he could. He made sure she had everything she could ever want. If she needed to talk to him, he always made time for her. The rare times they took family vacations, he'd always been undeniably present, taking them on tours and playing with them for hours. As they got older, Darius spent more time with Sek, training him to be the next head of their clan. And while Darius had never been the "chaperone the field trip" kind of father, there was no doubt in Kess' mind that he loved his children.
But she and Sek were left to fend for themselves most of the time. It was the way with her clan; even had her mother survived, there wouldn’t have been such warmth and openness like she saw with Anita and Bran. Cats liked their solitude and their secrets, even with each other. She knew her people could love deeply—her father was proof of that—but they weren’t demonstrative or overt in their affection, unless it related to sex. Sek had been the only one she knew of in the clan who had been touchy-feely, which maybe should have been a sign that something was wrong.
Still, there was a part of her that missed that closeness. She and Sek had been inseparable for most of her life. There were a lot of good memories she still held on to: when she was eight and the two of them were making chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen and eating most of the batter before their usual Friday night movie; at five when she’d broken her arm roller skating around the circular drive of their house and Sek had been the one to wipe her tears and make her feel better during the wait at the emergency room; at ten when the two of them took turns wakeboarding out on the water, each trying to out-trick the other, both of them looking like drowned rats by the end. All that and more she remembered and missed.
Her hand tightened on the plate she was washing. There were other things she didn’t miss: Sek humiliating her when he came to find her and take her home when he found out she was on a group date, Sek listening to her phone messages, Sek spying on her, Sek setting her a new curfew and telling her who she could be friends with. Sek telling her how busy their father was, and how if she needed anything she could come to him instead. Sek being a colossal asshole and trying to control every aspect of her life, until the one night…
The plate slipped out of her soapy hands and banged loudly off the stainless steel sink. Kess scrabbled after it, startled at the noise. She finished washing quickly, not allowing her thoughts to drift to unpleasant topics.
Anita came back from seeing her husband off. "What are you doing? You don’t have to clean up."
Kess dried her hands on a paper towel and threw it in the trash. "Wanted to make myself useful." She shrugged, then smiled. "Thanks for breakfast."
"Quite welcome." Anita opened up the freezer door and removing what looked like a couple of frozen steaks. "And if you need other suggestions than the Barn, just let me know." Kess nodded and returned to her room. She had a job to find.
***********
Kess showed up at the Barn well before
the lunch rush. The Barn was just that, a huge red barn that had been converted into a restaurant and bar. The entrance was lined with farming implements and benches, but once you entered the establishment itself, the farmy quaintness stopped.
The host area abutted the main dining room. A staircase opened to the left of it, leading up to another dining room that Kess was told could be rented out for special occasions, large parties or during high volume evenings. The bar was to the right of the host stand, separate from the main dining room and ran along the far side of the outer wall. It held a number of high top tables. This was where Kess waited, sipping a glass of water and looking over the lunch menu.
She had already turned in her completed application and spoken with the dining room manager. Now she waited to talk to someone else integral to the hiring process. She had gone with black pants and a black button down shirt, which just so happened to be the uniform at the Barn. She had let her hair hang loose, but she had stowed everything she needed to put it up in her bag, just in case she could start right away. Kess looked around, enjoying the atmosphere of the Barn; it was completely different than anything she would have found in Miami, or even the part of California where she’d been living until a few days ago.
She heard footsteps long before anyone came into view. A man who looked only slightly older than Bran had paused in the doorway to talk to Nancy, the manager she had already spoken with. He looked over to where she sat.
The man crossed the bar, stopping at her table. "Miss Saroyan?" he asked with a smile.
"Kess," she replied extending her hand to him. He took it in a warm grip and shook it firmly.
"Griffin, but everyone calls me Griff." He sat down in the chair across from her. He held her application in his hand.
"Pleasure to meet you." Kess took a moment to get a good look at Bran's friend. Griff was barrel-chested and broad, standing a little over six feet. His hair was sandy with grey streaking through it at the temples and streaking through his neat beard. His face was relaxed and open and he looked more accustomed to smiling than frowning. Kess liked him instantly.
"You're looking for a server position," he said, eyes flicking over the application before looking back up at her. She nodded. "You've got a lot of experience waiting tables."
"I've been waitressing since high school."
"Moved around quite a bit too," he noted. "Your last job was in California?" At her nod, he asked, "What brings you out east?"
"Needed a change. Trying to save up money to go to school and wanted a fresh start. California was nice, but I'm more of an east coast girl." She tried to keep her story sufficiently vague. If he was friends with Bran and Anita, they'd probably fill him in on her made-up past anyway.
He looked down at the application again. "I hear that. Couldn't imagine being away from these mountains. I like to travel but it is nice to come home."
Kess shrugged noncommittally. That might be true of some people and some homes. Just not hers. The farther she could stay away from her father's house, the happier she'd be. She shoved the thoughts of home from her mind and focused her attention on Griff and landing a job.
"So what do you want to know about the job?"
"Well, do I get it?" She grinned at him. Griff laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."
"I appreciate the straightforward approach." He began to explain the ins and outs of the job, which were the same as most wait staff jobs she'd held. She'd already had a look at the menu; it was pretty broad with a nice selection of entrees of various prices. Griff detailed the hours, the shifts available, and the house rules. Kess listened intently, making mental notes. It sounded like a good place to work.
"So we'll try you out, see how you fit," Griff finished. "When can you start?"
"When would you like?"
"Lunch shifts are best--I can have you shadow with Rebecca today, if you're able. We've got a few holes in our roster to fill--a few folks left before the holidays so it leaves us in a bit of a bind. You wouldn’t think this would be a busy time for us with Christmas coming, but there’s graduation dinners, holiday parties, office lunches—you get the idea." He smiled at her and checked something else on her application. "I see you're staying at the boarding house. How do you like it?"
"It's great," she enthused. "Bran and Anita are pretty awesome. They say hi."
Griff nodded. "They are very awesome. And she makes a mean french toast on Saturdays." He got up, saying, "Go see Nancy to get your paperwork started. She'll get you set up. Good luck and welcome to the Barn." He offered her his hand again.
Kess took it, shaking it warmly. "Thanks so much, Griff." He winked at her, then headed back into the kitchen.
She took a moment to let it sink in. Server jobs were notoriously easy to get--it was keeping them that usually was difficult. If you couldn't hack it, you were let go, often after your first shift. Kess allowed herself a small smile of triumph. She knew she could do the work expected of her and more. Soon she'd have the money coming in to build back up her bankroll and she'd be in better shape if she had to leave quickly. The fact that she'd be able to work in a place that she actually liked was a bonus. She gathered up her things and went to find Nancy.
*********
Rebecca hadn’t been thrilled when she’d discovered Kess would be shadowing her. Kess could tell that the idea of having to split her cash tips on top of breaking in a new server was going to make Rebecca massively unpleasant to work beside today. Kess made a note to stay out of her way as much as possible.
She’d familiarized herself with the restaurant’s layout and seating chart, and she had already looked over the menu. She wasn’t thinking there would be much Rebecca could show her that she hadn’t already learned at other restaurants, but this place could surprise her. Rebecca ran through the specials quickly and Kess had jotted down a few notes in her book, but it hadn’t been necessary. Rebecca made sure she did all of the talking and Kess did all of the running.
The lunch shift was pretty brisk but not unmanageable. Kess watched Rebecca talk with customers and she noted the ones who seemed like regulars, paying special attention to make sure they never wanted for refills. She was getting frustrated that Rebecca wasn’t letting her do more, especially when the other waitress got triple sat and was falling behind on her orders, but Kess kept running sodas and coffees to the tables that needed them.
Another table of three was seated at table eight. Kess was getting some refills for table fifteen when Rebecca ran over to her. "Table eight just got sat," Kess told her. "I’ll get them some water after I drop these off."
"I’ve got table eight. Alone." Rebecca looked tweaked about something. "I’m going to put their order in now."
Kess blinked, brought up short. She’d been doing all of the grunt work for Rebecca so far; it didn’t make sense that the other waitress wanted to slog heavy trays of food and run drinks out there now. Unless…
Kess got a good look at the three guys at the table. The one closest to the wall had close-cropped blond hair, and a goatee that was a slightly darker blond than what was on his head. He wore a long-sleeve red t-shirt and jeans. He was thickly built, very blocky, but in a lumberjack kind of way, not like a gym rat. The one next to him was also big—making Kess wonder what was in the water around here to give rise to such big guys—with brown hair and thicker features. She thought they might be brothers; there was a similarity in the shape of their mouths and their eyes.
The third guy was built more lightly than the other two, but that didn’t mean he was small. He was slimmer, muscles less bunchy but still well defined if the arms in that green tee were any indication. He had dark brown hair, a little longer than his friend’s--the back almost brushed his collar. He was clean-shaven and had sharp features which softened when he smiled at something one of the others said.
Ah. Now Kess got it.
"And before you get any ideas, hands off of the one in the green shirt," Rebecca hissed, catching he
r looking. "He’s mine. I’ve been working on him for months."
Oh, wonderful. Rebecca was already unhappy about the shadowing thing. Now her guy was in here and she was going all Mean Girl about it, as if Kess even gave a damn about the three that came in. She had more important things to worry about. Although she did want to point out to Rebecca that if you had to work that hard to get a guy interested in you then maybe it just wasn’t going to happen.
Still, the other server’s snotty tone put her back up. She liked to project a no-nonsense attitude at work—it eliminated a lot of hassles and it never hurt for people to think you were tougher than you actually were. "Duly noted. You’ve pissed in those four corners. He’s your territory. Got it."
Rebecca flushed, and Kess knew that she could expect extra scut work for that one, but she didn’t care. She needed this job, true, but that didn’t mean she had to put up with someone’s attitude because said someone was overly possessive of an imaginary boyfriend. She grabbed her drinks for table fifteen and slid past while the other server tried to think of an appropriate response.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Cormac stopped in mid-conversation with Burke once he noticed Finn staring intensely at something on the other side of the dining room. "Dude, what the hell?" He looked over to where Finn’s gaze lay and found himself staring too.
"Who is she and where can I get one?" Finn was grinning. Cormac expected him to start baying at any second.
But Cormac had to admit that the girl was ridiculously good looking. Not in that pretty, perfect Barbie way, but in that punch you in the gut, grab you by the throat kind of way. She had black hair, but not the blue-black that shimmered under the lights, this was deep black with no highlights. She had it up in some complicated style with chopsticks stuck through it. She was slim but tall for a girl. And her face was striking—prominent cheekbones, large eyes, a small pointed chin. She wasn’t traditionally beautiful but there was something about her that was enticing.
Moon 01 - Leopard Moon Page 4