Page 39 of Her Silver Fox Mountain Men

16

Elise

I’m getting tired of having to look over my shoulder all the damn time.

Coming here was supposed to bring me peace and comfort yet that went out the window the minute those flowers arrived. My flight-or-fight instincts flare at the slightest disturbance. It keeps me on a razor-sharp edge, and it’s starting to affect my work performance.

“Elise, where’s your head at?” Maury pokes his head through the kitchen door. “I’ve called out for you three times now.”

“I’m sorry, Maury. I’m a little tired today,” I reply and pull away from the register.

“How’s the new girl doing?” he asks, glancing around the diner.

Cherry, the new hire, buzzes around the tables like a dutiful little bee. I can’t help but smile. “She’s alright. You picked a good time to break her in. We’re going to get some heavy foot traffic at lunch today.”

“It’ll be packed, I know,” Maury agrees, his bushy brow furrowed.

“Don’t look so worried; you’re going to scare the poor girl,” I giggle.

“I’m more worried about you, Elise. Your head hasn’t been in the game lately.”

Now I’m the one with the furrowed brow. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t usually mess up on end-of-shift reports, first of all.”

“Oh, God, Maury, it’s only happened twice. I’m sorry.”

“I know, honey, and I’m not saying it to reprimand you in any way. It’s alright. I’m worried about you, that’s all. I can tell you’re dealing with something, and I wish you’d talk to me about it. Maybe I could help.”

Behind him, I hear pots and pans clanking. He leaves his sous chef to man the ship on his own to come out of the kitchen to talk to me. For Maury to feel the need to do that means it’s serious and that, in turn, reflects on my latest performance. I can’t afford to lose this job. Just the idea of dealing with Igor again is already threatening to turn my life upside down.

“I promise you, Maury, I’m okay. I’ll handle it. It will no longer affect my work here. That’s the Elise guarantee,” I add with a bright smile.

Moments later, I grab some cutlery to transfer it to our service station and my fingers slip. I drop everything on the floor, the clanking of metal on ceramic tile makes everyone in the diner turn to look.

“Yeah, the Elise guarantee,” Maury grumbles. “Remember, I’m here if you ever wanna talk.”

I’m mortified.

“Roger that,” I quietly respond.

Cherry rushes over with a worried look on her face. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just butter fingers,” I sigh. “How about you?”

“Order up!” Maury shouts from the kitchen, placing two plates on the window.

Cherry smiles and promptly grabs both. “This is for table four,” she says. “I’ll take them.”

“Thanks, Cherry. I’ll get this cleaned up,” I nod at the cutlery on the floor.

Maury gives me a weak smile before retreating to the kitchen.

I collect the mess on the floor and put it into a separate box for the dishwasher before gathering more clean cutlery, careful to transfer them into the waiter station successfully this time around. Once I’m done, I go back to printing checks for the departing tables while Cherry clears the empty plates and glasses.

After the lunch rush, we both look as though we were hit by an express train.

My hair’s a frizzy mess, caught in a loose bun at the back of my head. Cherry’s is held more tightly together with a few butterfly clips. Our uniforms carry the marks of battle—spots of ketchup, mayo, and various meat sauces creating colorful patterns across our aprons.

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