Page 15 of Starfish and Coffee
“It’s okay, baby. You got other skills.” Melissa gave him a lazy smile as she grabbed the English muffin off the plate and tossed it in the garbage. “Drop some whole wheat, and I’ll take the rest of this out.”
Matt actually felt his cheeks flame, and he wasn’t real sure why. He turned around and looked at Alex after Melissa left with the plates, hoping he hadn’t heard that. Alex just met his gaze and quirked an eyebrow, making it obvious he knew exactly what Matt had done once he’d walked Melissa home after they’d gone skinny-dipping.
It would have been easier if Alex said something bitter and cutting, but he wasn’t that kind of person. Instead he just ignored the elephant in the kitchen—Matt being a fuckface prick for being there—and kept taking up the slack for Matt’s incompetence.
“Have fun last night?” Alex finally asked as he worked in front of the flattop that had to be twice as hot as Matt’s position by the warmers and toaster. “Melissa’s pretty hot.”
Matt took a breath, trying to find the right response. Melissa was hot,very hot, and she was sweet and fun, and he supposed they had a good time together. He should just spew out the usual bullshit he delivered to all his other friends, but he and Alex weren’t exactly friends, and Matt was a little too hungover and tired to put the effort into the lie when the guy probably hated him.
“Do you give a shit if I had fun?” he finally asked.
Alex was quiet for a long moment. Then he turned around and put a plate of home fries next to Matt. “Put biscuits and gravy on that one.”
Matt did as told and placed it up on the deck as he blinked wearily. He kept trying to shake off the horrible feeling that had been clinging to him since he’d realized how deeply one stupid bet had insulted Alex.
“I’m not gonna take the money,” Matt finally said out loud because he’d never been one to face an elephant in the room without trying to take it down. “I was drunk last night; what I said came out wrong. It was just the principle of the matter, to prove that I could do it.”
“You can’t do it,” Alex said bitterly. “You suck at this job. Just fucking quit so Frank’ll put a real cook on for the weekends.”
“What if I could get good at it?” Matt asked, because quitting and leaving a failureandan asshole didn’t sit well with him. “I’m getting better. I solved the toast problem.”
“Yeah, you did solve the toast problem,” Alex reluctantly agreed. “Usual toasters don’t typically stand up to restaurant work, but that’s not a normal toaster. How pissed is your mama gonna be that you stole her two-hundred-dollar toaster for this shithole?”
Matt laughed. “Pretty fucking pissed. She’s gonna be pissed about a lot of things, like—”
“You slumming with the locals,” Alex finished for him.
“That wasn’t what I was going to say.” Matt turned to give him an apologetic look. “I actually think you’re—” He paused, not sure how to say this and not sound totally cheesy. “You’re a cool guy, Alex. I’m sorry if I insulted you. That was never my intention.”
Alex gaped as if stunned by the genuineness; then he snorted in laughter. “Aw, shucks, Matty. Don’t worry about it. I think I’m over it.”
“You think?”
“Either that or I’m too drunk and tired to give a fuck. Ask me tomorrow how I feel about it.” Alex handed him another plate. “English muffin on that one.”
Matt put an English muffin on the plate. “I’m not working tomorrow.”
“Yeah, me either, thank God,” Alex said tiredly. “We’re working the same schedule since I’m the one stuck training you.”
“What’re you doing tomorrow?” Matt asked, his cheeks getting hot once more for an entirely different reason, one he didn’t want to acknowledge, even to himself. “What do you do on your days off?”
“When I get two or three days off in a row, I’ll take off on a fishing trip to Key West, but since it’s just Monday, I’ll probably end up fucking around with the beach shacks all day.”
“Yeah, I forgot you maintain all those rentals,” Matt mused for a second before he asked, “Need help? I’m not doing anything.”
He winced even as he said it, but he couldn’t take it back once it was out. Against his better judgment he glanced back at Alex, seeing that he’d stopped his work at the flattop and was just standing there with his shoulders stiff and the outline of his hard jaw locked.
All the tiny hairs on the back of Matt’s neck stood on end in nervousness, and his already unstable stomach felt leaden. They both knew Matt wasn’t any better at maintaining rental properties than he was at cooking. Offering to help was—odd.
Melissa bounced in before Matt could think of an excuse. “Is table seven up? They’re getting restless.”
Alex put a plate next to Matt in response and said, “White toast.”
“I need my wheat too,” Melissa reminded him. “From table two. Remember you forgot.”
“Right, fuck.” Matt groaned as he loaded the toaster. It wasn’t even that busy yet. Everyone was at church, and he was still struggling. “I dunno how I’m gonna get through today.”
“I know how you feel.” Melissa sighed. “I can barely keep my eyes open.”
