Page 19 of What Haunts the Heart
8
Eden
Work sucked and I still had three hours to go. Sigh.
I'd walked into a giant mess. Two of our full-time waitresses were out sick with the stomach flu, which meant we were severely understaffed. You knew it was bad when the boss donned an apron and a scratchpad and started taking orders himself. And, of course, we were packed and Carol—our resident ogre and my arch-nemesis—was being a complete bitch and a half.
It seemed the universe was just out to get me today.
I ran around Sweet Bites like a chicken with its head cut off, alternating between taking orders and running plates out to customers. I shouldn't have been surprised that we had this much traffic. We always got busy around the holidays, and technically, Halloween was a holiday. It would only get worse as the winter months approached and the jingling of Christmas bells could be heard.
And, because this day seriously could not get any worse, my ballpoint pen died mid-order at a table of four, all of whom happened to be Fae.Grand.I tried to keep track of what everyone wanted in my head, but let's face it, my memory was shit. I was pretty sure I'd bungle this up too.
"Right, and you wanted..." I glanced over at the tall, dark-haired woman, who seemed to be the ringleader of this little troupe, and tried to remember what drink she'd ordered. Shit, shit, shit.Please don't hex me or whatever-else creepy shit you might do!
She blinked luminous violet eyes at me, slowly, as if I was stupid. "Cream soda," she supplied, waving a manicured hand through the air. I felt the tingle of her magic waft past me to ruffle my hair. The expression on her face was as "Duh!" as it came.
My inner-peacock squawked in annoyance and flexed his talons. I shook my head and did my best to ignore him, instead plastering on the fakest smile I could muster.
"Cream soda. Of course! I'll be right out with your drinks," I promised, then scurried off. I slapped my hands down on the window counter that separated the lobby and the kitchen and recited the order to none-other than Carol. Her short-cropped gray hair was covered in a stretchy hair net and she wore plastic gloves that were covered in what looked like butter. What the hell was she cooking, anyway?
"Got that?" I asked, breathless all of a sudden.
"Um. No? You expect me to remember that?" She scowled at me. "Write it down."
I leaned in a little closer and tried to bite my tongue, but my agitation had hit its limit. "My fucking pen died, or else I would've."
"Get a new pen. It's not rocket science," she snipped back.
I gritted my teeth together so hard, I felt the muscles in my jaw tick. "What? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the swamp this morning, Shrek?" I sneered at her, curling my lip. Her already-red face turned splotchy. If she burned any hotter, smoke might start rolling out of her ears. "Don't have to be a bitch. God!"
"You're such a little prick—”
"That's enough. Both of you." Ren strode up and pinned us with a look that clearly said, "Straighten up or get the fuck out," and seeing as our boss was typically the most jolly guy ever? I snapped my jaw shut and huffed, loudly. Ren's forehead wrinkled in a frown. "Guys, can we please try and work together? As a team? I know things are crazy with Winnie and Scout out, but please? I don't ask that much of you."
"Sorry, boss," I muttered.
"Yeah, sorry," Carol said in a far more pleasant voice than she'd used with me. "What was that order again, Eden?"
I blinked at her. All I remembered was the fucking cream soda. "Hell if I know... Goddamnit. I'll go take their order again." Yep. There went every possibility of a good tip. I heaved a sigh, snatched a fresh pen out of the cup on the cashier's desk, and stormed back over to the table where the Fae were sitting.
With a deep breath and a sunny smile, I apologized. "I'msosorry for the mix-up, but I'll need to take your orders again. I hope that's okay."
Purple Eyes glared at me. "Seriously?" She stood and turned, and I saw the blue-green shimmer of wings glisten at her back for only a moment before they disappeared once more behind her glamour.
“We'll take our business elsewhere," she said frostily, waving me off.Dismissingme. Anger bubbled like acid at the back of my throat. I seriously wanted to stick this pen where the sun didn't shine. She and her friends stormed out of the building with soft grumbles of annoyance.
As the bells on the front door chimed, I closed my eyes and pushed the frustration back down.Breathe,I told my inner-bird, who had his feathers in a bunch.They're totally not worth it.The Fae were known to be tricky and cunning, and their magic could be downright terrifying. I didn't need to be making enemies, especially not at work. I already had Carol on my ass.
My shoulders sagged. Damn it. Could today be over, like, now? Pretty please? I just wanted to sit down for ten minutes and text Oakley. Was that so much to ask?
"Eden!" the boss called out. "Table nine!"
Apparently it was.
"On it," I barked back, then under my breath, mumbled, "The show must go on."
I was taking an order for Ren's newest seasonal creation, pumpkin pie crepes—which, for the record, were todiefor—when the bells on the door chimed once more. I wanted to groan. Another customer? Would the madness ever end? I turned to greet them, only to freeze in my tracks with my hand halfway to a wave.
