Page 73 of Shattered

Sam chuckled. “It’s a long story.”

“Well, I picked out a few that I think would work here. You can let me know if any don’t fit the bill.” He started to laugh. “Mason about damn near had a heart attack when I uploaded the new playlist though, so I can’t promise he plays it on nights I’m not here.”

“Thanks,” Sam said with a shy smile.

“No problem. You were right. This place definitely needed a change.” He stood up more fully then and turned to walk away as he smiled kindly at her. “Hope you have a good shift.”

******

Her shift went well. At least, until she took her designated fifteen minute break outside and decided to check her email, desperate to see if there were any responses to her recently sent off med school applications.

What she saw caused her heart to begin to race.

The email was from the Giving Hearts Foundation.Mandatory Meetingwas sitting in the subject line below.

That was never a good sign.

She had only ever received one other similar email and it was the time when she’d missed her luncheon freshman year and had to practically beg them not to take away her scholarship. She raced through her memory as she tried to mentally decipher why they would be wanting to meet with her. By the time she opened the message she only had three minutes left before she was supposed to be back on the floor.

“Miss. Williams,

Per our regulations, the university has sent notice of unsatisfactory performance in recent weeks across multiple classes. Per the Foundation’s regulations, we must schedule a meeting to discuss where this change in performance may lead. Please see the below dates of availability and let us know within 24 hours as to which time suits your schedule best.

Regards,

Ms. Clemmings, Giving Hearts Chair

She couldn’t breathe. She stared at the screen. Her palms began to sweat, which caused the phone to slip from her grasp and shatter when it hit the cement sidewalk below.

“Sam?”

She jerked her head up, but the man standing before her was too blurred. It was only then that she realized she was crying.

“What happened?” Callum was there brushing away her tears before he finished the question. She stepped back and out of his reach, shaking her head in the process. “Do you need me to call Kristin?”

“No. No. No.” She repeated it as if saying that word over and over again would somehow make this go away. She looked down at her watch and realized she had been standing out there for an extra ten minutes past when she was supposed to be inside.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take this long of a break.”

“Sam, I don’t care about the break. What happened?”

“Nothing. I need to get back inside.” She rushed past him, making it all the way to her section before she could hear him utter another word.

The rest of the night was a complete disaster. She spilled drinks on two separate tables and forgot to enter appetizers for another three. Mr. Brimley was forced to comp three full meals, and he made it known he was not happy with her.

Just when she was about to clock out, Mr. Brimley came around the corner stating he needed to see her in his office ASAP.

She knew this was coming. He had always been an ass, but for the most part she was able to avoid the wrath that he put down on some of the other wait staff. She took a deep breath as she entered his office, but then completely froze when she found Callum sitting at the desk staring diligently at something on the laptop, his back to her. He probably had no idea she had walked in. Mr. Brimley didn’t even acknowledge him.

“Samantha Williams.” Her name was a curse as it passed Mr. Brimley’s lips and she noticed Callum freeze his movements. “I’m not sure what happened recently, but if you can’t come to work prepared to work then don’t come to work at all.” It was practically a yell, and Callum turned abruptly to focus solely on the man in front of her. “I’m not sure if this is school or personal life related, but tonight you cost us more money than you brought in.”

She wanted to die right there. She wasn't used to not excelling in everything she did, so being admonished was not something that happened frequently. And it definitely didn’t happen directly in front of the one person who had currently turned her life upside down.

“I’m so sorry. It was an off night.”

“You’re on probation for the next week–”

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