“You want to talk to…Marge?” Sarah said as she bit her nails.
Marge was a very intimidating person. She was a rather large woman with big gray curls and frequently wore red lipstick and blue eye shadow. To anyone else, she’d appear comical, but we knew how she really was. She was ruthless and scary and domineering, which was ironic since her husband, Marty, was the chef. Marty was one of the sweetest people I’d ever met. I always wondered why he settled for Marge. She didn’t deserve him.
“I was thinking about seeing if she’d let me pick up a few shifts while I’m back,” I said. “I don’t know how long I’ll be back, but if you guys need help, I’m here.”
Sarah looked apprehensive before nodding back towards Marge’s office. “She’s in there. Have at it.”
I walked to Marge’s office, swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat, and knocked on her door. She was either going to be happy to see me or she was going to kick me out on my can and tell me never to return.
“Marge?” I called out softly. I cleared my throat.
She spun around in her swivel chair, all three hundred pounds of her, and looked me up and down. She didn’t recognize me at first, but the second she did, she stood up and braced herself on her desk and looked me square in the eyes.
“Brynn,” she said. “What brings you here?”
“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for quitting before,” I said. “Sorry for doing it the way I did it. With no notice.”
She said nothing, which made me feel even worse. I couldn’t get a read on her. I never could.
“Everything just sort of happened so fast,” I said. “I had to make a choice, and the plane was leaving the next morning.”
She sat back down and leaned back in the creaky chair that was about to give out beneath her. She pursed her red lips as she looked me up and down.
“You look different,” she said. “Good, but different.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “So as I was saying, I’m sorry for the way I ended things here. I’m back in town for a bit. I don’t know how long I’ll be back, but if you need help, I’m available to pick up any extra shifts you want to throw my way.”
She cocked her head back and scratched her chins as she looked deep in thought. She probably didn’t want to rehire me but I was sure she needed the help.
“We are short staffed,” she sighed. “I guess you can pick up a few shifts this week if you want.”
She pulled the schedule book out from under the mess of papers that polluted her desk.
“Can you work tonight?” she asked.
“Uh, yeah,” I said with a smile. I wasn’t expecting to work so soon, but I was glad to take it.
“Why don’t you work tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday,” she said. “We’ll take it one day at a time.”
“Thanks, Marge,” I said. I could’ve almost hugged her right then.
“And Brynn,” she said to me as I turned to walk out. “Don’t ever leave me hanging again.”
“I won’t, Marge,” I said.
I ran off to tell Sarah that I’d be in later and she was thrilled. She had to work a double that day, and now that I was coming in, she wasn’t so upset about it. I said hi to Marty before I left as well. He was also thrilled to have me back. Luke and Piper may have given me the cold shoulder, but at least I had Marty and Sarah.
I headed back to my apartment to take a quick nap. I set my alarm and caught a few hours of sleep before my shift began. I knew I’d be on my feet all night, and I wanted to be as alert and refreshed as I could be.
Before dozing off, I realized I hadn’t heard from Hudson all day. It was very odd. I figured he’d have been blowing up my phone from the moment he woke up. Panic spread throughout my body as I wondered if he’d drank too much the night before and something horrible had happened.
I sprung up from my near-slumber, grabbed my phone, and called him. His phone was off. Either it was dead or he was intentionally avoiding me. I had no other choice but to wait for him to call me. I didn’t have time for his games.
***
I slipped on my black work pants, which were a couple sizes too big, and cinched them with an old belt I had lying around. They were baggy and frumpy, but I didn’t care. I had no one to impress. I just needed to make a few bucks and get back on my feet.
I pulled a Brown Bag Diner t-shirt over my head and finger-combed my hair up into a top knot. I opted for a fresh-faced look, as most of my makeup tended to melt off my face during work anyway. I didn’t want to waste the last of the good Chanel stuff Hudson had gotten me. I knew I’d never be able to afford that kind of makeup ever again on my own. I wanted it to last as long as possible.
The diner was bustling for 4:00 on a Monday. The special on the board said beef stroganoff and a free slice of pie with every entrée. No wonder. The locals and their pie. We did have the best pie in town, I had to admit. Our French Silk was to die for, and Sarah and I would always hide pieces in the back of the refrigerator for ourselves to enjoy at the end of those pie night shifts.
“This place is nuts tonight!” I said to Sarah as I tied on my apron and checked my pen.
“Yeah, it’s only going to get busier,” she said. “Should make the night go by fast though.”
Sarah was always such an optimist. In all my years of working with her, I had never seen her upset before. Even when customers would talk down to her or complain about her, she never managed to lose her smile and sweet nature.
“You have a table,” she said as she nodded to a booth in the corner.
I ran out to take the order for a family of six. The parents had to have been in their early thirties, and judging by their kids, had them one after another. The children, two girls and two boys, were out of control. They were already making a mess on the table with the sugar packets and pepper shaker, and their parents were doing nothing but looking defeated.
And to think, I once dreamed of having five kids with Luke.
“Hi, my name is Brynn,” I said with a smile. “I’ll be your server tonight. What can I start you off with to drink?”
The mom mumbled something, but I could barely hear it over the screams and yells of her kids.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that,” I said as I leaned down.
“DIET COKE,” she yelled, frustrated. Though I knew her frustration wasn’t directed towards me. She was shooting daggers across the table at her husband who was trying to wrangle a rogue two year old boy.
“I’ll take water,” he said. “Water for the kids too.”
“Okay, I’ll get those and be right back,” I said. I couldn’t have gotten away from there any faster.
The last month I’d grown accustomed to dining at child-free establishments. I’d never realized what a luxury that was until then.
I returned with their drinks and took their orders before Sarah told me I had another table. A crotchety, middle-aged man popped down into a booth. His gruff expression told me has going to be a real peach. My first day back and I was zero for two.
“Hi there,” I said to him. I plastered a huge smile on my face in hopes that he’d return it but he never did. “How are you doing tonight?”
“Hungry,” he said. “Haven’t eaten all day. Been on the road.”
“Oh, yeah? Not from here?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. I knew almost everyone in town and had never seen this guy before.
“Nope,” he said. “From Milwaukee. Just stopping through on my way to Winner, South Dakota.”
“Well, welcome to Rock River,” I said. “You stopped at the best diner in the area, so you’re in luck.”
He stared at me like I was some sort of idiot. I was simply trying to be friendly.
“Would you care for some tea or pop or water?” I asked.
He sighed. “Coffee.”
“Alright,” I said. “Be right back.”
I ran back and filled up a carafe with coffee, grabbed the creamer set, and a mug and saucer and returned them to him.
“Miss are you going to check on our food?” the family of six called after me. It couldn’t have been more than five minutes since I’d put in their order.
I smiled. “Yes, will do.”
I ran back to the kitchen. Their ticket was third in line. It was going to be a while. I dreaded my walk to their table.
“It’s just going to be a little while longer,” I told them.
“Are you serious?” I heard the mom say to the dad.
I wanted to tell them this wasn’t McDonald’s and that if they wanted to go to a sit down restaurant, order six meals, and expect their food to be ready in five minutes, they were at the wrong establishment. Instead, I bit my tongue and walked away.
“Ma’am, you haven’t taken my order yet,” the middle aged man called after me.
I ran up to his table and whipped out my pen and paper. “So whatcha having tonight?”
“Is the beef stroganoff any good?” he asked. “I’m not a huge mushroom person.”
I wanted to tell him not to order it if he didn’t like mushrooms, but we were trained to say that everything was good. We weren’t allowed to tell people what to order. That had gotten us in trouble too many times, and Marge did not like to give away free food.
“It’s good, but there are mushrooms in the sauce, sir,” I said. “We have a really good fried chicken dinner. It comes with a roll and two sides.”
I pointed to the menu to show him where it was.
“I hate chicken,” he said.
“Okay, can I recommend our baked cavatelli?” I suggested. “It comes with garlic bread.”
“Yeah, whatever, I guess,” he said as he closed his menu and shoved it towards me.
I tried to wrap my head around all of it. The last few weeks I’d been waited on hand and foot, pampered, and treated like a queen. I’d thrown it all away and come back to wait tables for minimal tips and to be treated like shit from people like him. I couldn’t make a smart decision to safe my life.
I spun around and put his order in immediately. The last thing I wanted was for him to short my tip because the food took too long. People like that, especially the out of towners, were notorious for doing that.
As I put in the order, Sarah noticed I wasn’t quite myself.
“You okay, Brynn?” she asked as she put her arm on my shoulder.
My eyes were a little teary, but I tried to smile to make them go away.
“Talk to me,” she said.
“I can’t wait tables the rest of my life, Sarah,” I said. I hoped she didn’t hate me for saying that. She was in her thirties and had waited tables most of her adult life. She wasn’t going anywhere. This was her career.
“Rude customers?” she asked. “Don’t let them ruin your night.”
“Don’t you ever think about doing something else?” I asked her. “There are other options for us.”
“Yeah, but I’ve been here so long,” she said. “And this job plus child support pays all my bills. I don’t need a lot.”
“I should probably go check on my tables,” I said. “They’re impatient tonight and I need all the tips I can get.”
The bell dinged and the food was ready for the obnoxious family of six.
“Thank God,” I muttered as I loaded up my tray and ran everything out to them.
“It’s about time!” one of the snot-nosed little girls said to me with her hand on her hip. She was trying to be cute, but I didn’t have the energy. I sat down their food, refilled their drinks, and checked on the man from Milwaukee.
“Ma’am, what is taking so long with the cavatelli?” he asked. “Do you make the pasta by hand?”
“No,” I said. “Let me check on it for you.”
I staved off tears once again as I ran back to check on his dinner. He was next. It wasn’t going to be much longer.
“Brynn, there’s a guy out there requesting you,” Sarah said as she bit her lip. The twinkle in her eye said it all, and I instantly knew.
I straightened my apron and smoothed my hair as I walked back out to the floor. Behind an enormous bouquet of exotic florals sat Hudson Smith. He peeked his head out from around the ridiculous display and smiled with a bit of apprehension.
“Hudson,” I said. I was suddenly thrilled to see him, though I wasn’t going to let him know that.
“Brynn,” he said.
“I was not expecting to see you,” I said.
“I know,” he replied with a sexy smile.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I’ve come to take you home,” he said. “You’re coming back home with me, Brynn. Where you belong.”
“Ma’am,” the Milwaukee guy yelled. “My cavatelli?”
“It’ll be ready soon,” I called back to him. He looked pissed, but I didn’t care. He didn’t get to talk to me that way.
“You don’t need to work,” Hudson said. “You don’t need to be here. You don’t need to be talked to like that.”
He glared at the cavatelli guy.
“Hudson, stop,” I said. “It’s okay. I’m used to it.”
“No, it’s not okay,” he said. “I’m going to get you out of here.”
“I had to beg Marge for my job back,” I said with an eye roll. “She told me never to leave her hanging ever again. I’m supposed to work the next two days.”
Hudson shook his head. “Plans change.”
“I have to keep my word,” I said.
I heard the ding of the bell and began to walk off, but Hudson grabbed me gently by the wrist.
“Let me get that guy’s food,” I mumbled as I nodded to the customer who’d been shooting daggers our way. “I’ll be right back.”
My feet couldn’t carry me fast enough to the kitchen where a plate of steaming pasta and garlic bread sat under the heat lamp. I rushed them out to the grumpy man who didn’t seem pleased at all.
“This looks like mush,” he said with a scowl. “I can’t eat this.”
He shoved the dish away and it nearly fell off the other side of the booth. Hudson was watching the entire thing.
“Do you want me to put in another order for you? Our meatloaf is good,” I said. “It’s homemade. Secret family recipe.”
The man glared up at me. “I can’t eat meatloaf. I don’t eat dog shit.”
“Do you even want to try your pasta?” I said. “I’ve had it before. I promise it’s good.”
The man covered his face with his hands, dragging and pulling on his lose skin until I could see the undersides of his bloodshot eye balls. He was about to snap at me, I could feel it. He stood up and walked over to me as I took several steps backwards. I couldn’t believe he was going to yell at me because he didn’t like how the food looked.
I closed my eyes and waited for him to start up, but all I heard was a thud. I opened my eyes to see the grumpy man lying on the floor rubbing his jaw and Hudson standing next to me rubbing his clenched fist. Hudson had punched the guy who was about to get in my face.
The entire restaurant erupted into a fit of applause, even the crazy family of six, as the Milwaukee man scrambled to get on his feet and get the hell out of there. By then he had to have known he was acting inappropriately. He about assaulted me. If he had an ounce of intelligence, he wasn’t going to go the cops about any of that.
“Hey, isn’t that Hudson Smith?” someone called out.
“Yeah,” another person replied. “What’s he doing in town?”
“Uh, oh,” I said with a laugh. “You’ve been spotted.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Hudson said, ignoring everyone around us. Amidst all the chaos and bullshit, it was still just him and me.
I thought about my promise to Marge. She’d given me a second chance, and with her, there were never any third chances. I glanced over at Sarah, who was smiling in the corner, watching Hudson wrap his arms around me. I thought about Luke, and Piper, and my mom, and everything that had changed, including myself. I couldn’t work another mi
nute in that hell hole, and I couldn’t stay another day in Rock River.
“Let’s go,” I said with a smile as I untied my apron and flung it over the back of a counter stool. I waved bye to Sarah as Hudson and I ran out the door and hopped into my car. We high tailed it to my apartment where we ran up the stairs and took refuge in my living room. Heaving and out of breath, we both fell down in a fit of laughter.
“That was insane,” I said. “I’ve never seen that place get so nuts before!”
I sprawled out on the floor, giggling over what had just happened, as Hudson crawled over towards me, placing his hand on my hip and pulling me closer.
“You made the right choice, Brynn,” he said. “Leaving with me.”
“I hope so,” I said. I knew I’d never be entirely sure about any of my choices.
“I’ll make sure you never regret it,” he promised. “I just want to make you happy. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
He leaned down and placed his perfect, soft lips against mine, and I was once again putty in his hands.
CHAPTER 13
“I can’t keep my hands off of you,” he breathed into my ear as his hand slipped up my shirt. “I can’t get you out of my head. I’m constantly thinking about you.”
I smiled, not knowing what to say. A small part of me didn’t believe it was possible for him to be so smitten with me.
He nuzzled my ear then nibbled my ear lobe before working his way down my neck, trailing soft kisses the entire way.
“I had to come out here,” he said. “I had to see you. I had to convince you to come back.”
“I see that,” I whispered.
“I don’t think you realize how much I like you,” he breathed. “You’re different from anyone else I’ve ever known, Brynn.”
“As are you,” I giggled. He was much better with words than I ever could be.
His hand slipped down and unbuckled my pants, slipping under the waistband of my panties. His fingers slipped between my slit as he began to massage me hungrily.
Moans and sighs escaped my mouth as his fingers worked their magic. His hot mouth covered my neck as I arched my back. We were still lying on the hard floor of my apartment, but I didn’t care. When I closed my eyes, all that mattered was that Hudson’s hands were all over my body once again.
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