Page 13 of The Main Event

“Because you look like you fell from Heaven,” Levi replied, not missing a beat.

“Aw, thank you.” She blew Levi a kiss. “I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be waiting.” Levi smiled until she was no longer watching and then grabbed another jar of cherries to empty into his garnish tray. “What?” he asked when he realized I was staring at him.

“That was the worst line I’ve ever heard,” I complained. “That’s the sort of line my lounge lizard Uncle Larry would use to pick up unsuspecting waitresses.”

“That’s a very specific comparison.”

“Larry likes women in the service industry,” I replied. “That doesn’t change the fact that I want to puke because of that line.”

“Yes, well, I’m not trying to pick up teenage girls,” Levi informed me. “I’m just trying to get good tips from their parents.”

“Right.” I felt like a bit of an idiot. “What do we do about the napkins?”

“She’ll forget about the napkins in twenty minutes,” Levi assured me. “By the end of the night, she won’t even remember she was upset about the napkins.”

“Really?” I was hopeful.

“No.” Levi shook his head. “She’ll bitch and moan about it for the rest of her life. She’ll just find a bunch of other things to bitch and moan about that are more important to her.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“Oh, I’m not here to make you feel better,” Levi replied. “I’m here to watch you fail.”

I already knew that—who volunteered for a second shift after a first when there was no overtime involved?—but it was nice to have it confirmed. “I’m not failing.”

As if on cue, the head chef Carolyn Potter appeared in her crisp white uniform. She didn’t look happy.

“Your …friend… is insisting that we serve cupcakes instead of cake,” Carolyn announced. “She says it will be less messy, and we won’t go through as many plates.”

I took a moment to absorb the news. By “friend” she meant Tammy. I knew that because I’d seen Tammy make a beeline for the kitchen thirty minutes before. “Okay. Is that true?”

“Perhaps, but this family ordered a cake. I made a cake.”

“Well, then serve the cake.” I was starting to get agitated. How hard could this be? “What’s the big deal?”

“Your … assistant … says the cake is satanic and is threatening to throw it in the trash can if I make a move toward it.”

Okay, now I was really confused. “Satanic?”

“There are sugar skulls on it.”

“Like Day of the Dead skulls?”

“Yes.” She bobbed her head.

“How are those satanic?”

“You’ll have to take that up with her,” Carolyn replied. “Just know, if she touches my cake, I’ll kill her, and you’ll never find the body.”

I would’ve laughed if somebody else issued the threat. With Carolyn, I believed her. “I’ll handle it.” I was resigned as I started toward the kitchen. Then I saw a hint of movement out of the corner of my eye. When I looked, I found Daisy hiding behind a balloon archway. She wore a silver dress and looked like a million bucks, to the point where my heart skipped a beat.

Then I remembered she wasn’t supposed to be here.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

“Just watching,” she replied. “There’s no law against watching.”

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