Page 24 of Rescued By The Dragon

“You might as well be,” she said, opening the bag of donut holes. “You’re such a Negative Nancy, Amara. I know your life has sucked since your dad passed, but maybe have some hope, huh?”

The truth of her words hit me hard in the chest.

My attitude had gone downhill since my father passed. This wasn’t me.

“I’m sorry,” Sasha said, reaching over to hug me. “You know I say the first thing that comes to my mind, and I don’t always think about the outcome. It’s something I’m working on.”

I snorted. “Right, you’ve been working on that since I’ve known you, I won’t hold my breath.”

She smirked. “It’s a work in progress, Amara.”

“I’ve got to go,” I said, grabbing the keys and opening the kitchen door. Sasha followed me out, while I locked the door behind me. “Can I ask you a question?” she asked behind me.

“What’s stopping you?”

She grabbed my elbow to draw my attention. “Have you ever not taken your pills? Ya know, to see if you even hallucinate anymore? If you didn’t need them you wouldn’t need to live here. You can keep up with the restaurant living somewhere else.”

The fear Stepmother put inside of me about my condition had scared me into never missing a pill.

“I don’t know, Sasha—,”

“It’s just a thought,” she said with a shrug. “Something to think about.”

She walked with me to the diner, gabbing on about the ball and how the champagne had been the best she’d ever had. “I’ll text you later,” I said. “The rush will be here soon.”

“Remember the magazines are under your bed. Read. Them. Amara.”

I blew my bangs from my forehead and left her with a determined glare. What would a magazine show me about kissing? I needed practice not someone on the other side of a computer screen dictating how my mouth should move.

“Hey, Frankie!” I shouted.

A blonde popped her head up from the other side of the counter. “Hey.”

I stopped. The step-monster must have found someone up to her standards. It made sense; she was a very pretty girl. “Hi. I’m Amara.”

“Sarah. Nice to meet you.”

Sarah Matthews. I remembered her application. She could only work part-time because of school.

“You too. I guess I’m training you today?”

“Yup,” she said, tying her apron around her waist. “I’m ready to learn.”

“Good. It’s not much to it. Just watch me, and you’ll get it quick enough.”

Thirty minutes later the entire place was packed. It wasn’t the ideal time to train someone, but I took what was given to me.

Sarah kept up well, which surprised me because of her age. She was young, and the younger employees normally cracked at the end of day one.

The bell on the door dinged.

I turned to look over my shoulder, I saw him standing in the doorway with his brother, Damien, behind him. The sound in my voice stuck, blocking my airway, and making me cough loudly on air.

Then the coffee pot in Sarah’s hand shattered on the tile.

An uncomfortable silence settled over them as Dorran walked toward a booth closest to me and sat down. He cleared his throat loudly, and the place fell back into normalcy.

“That’s The Dragon Prince,” Sarah whispered into my ear.

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