Page 1 of Roar & Lizzy: A Forever Kind of Love

Chapter 1

Mr. Reeves removedhis white apron and tossed it on the counter. Lizzy looked at Coco, her best friend, and coworker at the Burger Bistro, and raised her brows in concern. She'd never seen her boss without his apron on.

Just as suddenly, she pressed her lips together, imagining Mr. Reeves not stopping at the apron, and taking off his shirt, doing a striptease, and wanted to laugh. Not because Mr. Reeves deserved to be laughed at. Not because he was pushing sixty-five years old and married. Very married.

Her amusement came from Coco. Her friend's lips formed a perfect O, and because she'd lived with Coco for the last five years, she knew her thoughts went in the same direction as hers.

But Mr. Reeves kept the rest of his clothes on and instead, he clamped his teeth and exhaled loudly out of his nose.

Coco shrugged, letting Lizzy know that whatever was happening, she was just as clueless. Lizzy slipped the order pad into the pocket on her apron. Lately, Mr. Reeves seemed distracted and not in the right headspace.

Some orders came back wrong, and phone calls took him away from the grill. It wasn't only Lizzy who'd noticed that he wasn't as tuned in to what was happening around him. The customers often asked if everything was okay with Mr. Reeves. He'd become a big part of their visit to Burger Bistro and people cared about him.

"Listen up." Mr. Reeves rubbed the upper swell of his stomach. "As of right now, I'm retired."

"What?" Coco glanced around at her and the other two waitresses. "Who is going to run Burger Bistro?"

Lizzy sensed the tension in the room but failed to grasp what Mr. Reeves' announcement meant. She'd worked here for five years. From nine to five, five days a week. She'd finally received weekends off last year.

"There's an envelope for each of you with the wages owed you, plus two week's severance pay." Mr. Reeves took the keys out of his pocket and placed them on top of the apron.

Lori and Ashley, her two teenage co-workers, tossed their tablets on the table to the left of Lizzy and grabbed hands in their excitement. "We get the money now?" they asked in unison.

"Go ahead." Mr. Reeves waved them off, granting them permission to go to the breakroom.

Lizzy's thoughts turned into worries. Two weeks? That wasn't enough money to support her until she found another job. She was still paying off the hospital bill from having her appendix out six months ago.

"Why haven't we heard about you selling out before now?" Coco crossed her arms. "This is shocking."

Mr. Reeves opened the cash register and removed the money without counting any of it. "I wasn't sure if it was going to go through. When it did—this afternoon, the new owner wanted me off the property by five o'clock. He has plans to start working on the restaurant and the warehouse immediately, and bought everything in the place down to the napkins."

Lizzy looked at Coco, unable to take a deep breath. What was she going to do?

"If you're interested, the new owner said any waitresses that know how to serve drinks and want to continue working here can swing by tomorrow for an interview."

"A bar?" she said, finally finding her voice. "They're turning the Burger Bistro into a bar?"

Mr. Reeves held up his hands, palms out. "I never asked his plans. It's no business of mine. Now, if you girls are done asking questions, it's time to lock up. Don't forget to grab your envelopes."

Coco grabbed her wrist. "Come on."

Led past Mr. Reeves, Lizzy dragged her feet. Despite the surprise and disappointment, proper manners made her stop. "Thank you for giving me a job the last five years."

"You're a good employee, Lizzy." Mr. Reeves glanced over at Coco. "You both were. Think about coming by tomorrow. In the economy today, a job is a job. It's a good lesson to learn."

Hustled out of the room, she grabbed her purse and coat out of the locker. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Tell me about it." Coco slammed the flimsy metal door shut. "I'd bet my whole envelope he knew long before this afternoon that he was selling the place. He should've said something when he decided to retire and given us a chance to find another job while earning money. This seriously bites."

"Five years." Lizzy groaned picking up her envelop. "I can't even wrap my head around the thought that I have to search for a job. I don't even know where to start and two weeks' worth of wages without tips isn't going to do much for me except pay half the rent."

She removed her apron, bunching the fabric in her hands. What about the regular customers who come in almost every day for lunch?

Would they come in tomorrow expecting the door to be open? Mr. Reeves gave no one notice. There was no sign outside announcing the change. She would've seen it on her way into work.

Coco gathered the tips out of her pocket and shoved them in her purse. "Come on, let's get out of here and go home...while we still have a home."

Both of them left out the back door. The fresh air hit her overheated face. The alley running between the building and the warehouse wasn't a public street, more like a driveway which made it safe to exit work.

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