by C. R. Jane
“Hi,” I said politely. “Can I see a menu?”
She smacked a piece of gum loudly and then threw a faded, torn piece of paper without saying a word.
Oh goodie, another friendly town resident.
I gave a sigh of relief that the prices were really low and ordered a water, a bowl of soup, and a side of bread.
The bartender nodded and then disappeared for a moment before coming back and resuming polishing the glasses. I looked around the room and noticed most of the inhabitants seemed to be watching me either outright or out of the corner of their eye.
This was going to be a quick dinner.
“So…you guys sure seem to like your wolves here. Is it because of the wolves in the woods?” When I was nervous, I either couldn’t talk or I had word vomit.
This was the latter.
The woman barked out a laugh and looked at me incredulously. When she saw I was serious, her laughter abruptly cut off. “You could say that,” she finally said, her voice low and cool.
A guy and a girl a few seats down from me were still laughing at my comment, and I pursed my lips, determined to keep quiet.
No one tried to talk to me, and my food came out five minutes later, allowing me to focus on that instead of the awkward silence that had descended on the room the second I’d walked in.
I was just a few bites in of the delicious soup when suddenly, a rancid smell hit me. I set my spoon down, wrinkling my nose in disgust and looking around the room. The smell dissipated after a moment, and then I was struck by an intense aroma of body odor. It resembled cheese that had been left in the back of a broken refrigerator…for a month. It hit me just as a pudgy guy with sweat-stained pits passed behind me. Ugh. He desperately needed to be introduced to deodorant.
I noticed the bartender watching me closely again. “A lot of interesting smells,” I told her, unable to shut myself up.
She just gave me a weird little smile, like she knew something I didn’t.
“Can I get this to go?” I asked, my previously ferocious appetite a bit quelled with the overload of odors in the room. The longer I sat here, the more I was experiencing, and I was getting overwhelmed.
“Sure thing,” she replied curtly before printing out my bill and throwing me a Styrofoam to-go container.
I made sure to leave a tip, even though her service had been far from good. Karma and all that.
“You’ll get used to it,” she told me cryptically as I stood to go.
I looked at her uncomprehending.
“The smells. You get used to it,” she clarified before disappearing in the back.
Shaking my head at the weirdness of everyone here, I grabbed my food and wandered back to the inn.
The sounds of wolves howling in the distance followed me all the way back.
4
Rune
I spent most of the next day worrying and thinking about my first shift at the diner. I was ready an hour early and spent most of that hour pacing around my room.
Finally, it was time.
The door to Moonstruck Diner swung open right as I reached for it, and I quickly stepped back, barely avoiding being smacked in the face as three men walked out. The men were deep in laughter, not paying me any attention.
A fact I was glad for, in all honesty.
I caught the door before it shut and slipped inside to my new place of work. My stomach churned with nerves as a heavy wave of smells hit me, mostly the various foods being cooked and the heavy bitter scent of beer. Thankfully, it wasn’t a horrible smell like it had been the previous night at the bar.
It couldn’t be that hard to be a waitress, right? I’d even practiced smiling last night because I thought that would help with tips, something I was doubting based on how bad I still was at it.
I couldn’t afford to make a single mistake. I had to save at least ten thousand dollars. I almost fainted thinking of that amount again. My plan was simple. Work however long it took to pay off the car, then I would high-tail it out of this weird-ass town.
Looking down at myself, I wore the closest thing I had to waitress attire. A black, tight skirt that fell just above my knees and a matching shirt, trying to mimic Marcus’ uniform as closely as possible.
Unlike the previous time I’d been in, the diner was busy. Scratch that…busy was too tame a word. Chaotic better suited the place. Nearly every seat was filled. The song, “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse played overhead, and one poor waitress was rushing off her feet, delivering meals, taking orders, darting from one table to the next.
A sharp bell rang from the kitchen window in the back corner where I watched the cook place three plates on the counter for collection. No sign of Marcus yet. A red-haired woman emerged through the doors of the kitchen backward and swung around, carrying four plates filled with food. She whistled and called out, “Dinner’s served.”
A nearby table cheered. The atmosphere was addictive and so cheerful. I was fascinated by it. I’d never been to a restaurant or diner where despite how busy they were, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
A sudden explosion of breaking plates shattered through the voices, and I twisted around to the sound. A waitress, slim with short blonde hair and her face covered in freckles, was frantically crouched low, trying to pick up all the broken plate pieces from the floor. A few people watched her, but no one got up to help her.
I didn’t think, and the next thing I knew, I was next to her, picking up the mess.
“Oh my god, thank you so much,” she whispered nervously, her cheeks stained red from embarrassment.
“It happens,” I explained, stacking broken and chipped wedges of ceramic into one hand. I was all too familiar with the fear of breaking things. Alistair made sure to punish me thoroughly if I dropped anything. The punishment tended to come in the form of him using his belt. My skin shivered at the memory, and I hastily picked up more of the mess.
Quickly, I followed the waitress into the kitchen and dumped everything into a trash can in the corner. The setup was simple in the room—a grill against the back wall, with frying baskets off to the side, a chopping counter on this end along with the sink, and metal shelving with bowls and plates filling every other space against the wall. Steaks sizzled on the grill, and it smelled heavenly. The cook stood with his back to us as he seasoned the meat. He wore a bright red bandana over his hair, black jeans, and a bright yellow tank top under a black apron. The man was tall, toned, and moving at a million miles an hour, plating up dishes, his bare arms glistening from the heat.
“You’re a blessing,” the blonde said and offered me a dish towel to wipe my hands.
I glanced down at her name badge as I cleaned myself off. “It’s my job, Eve,” I said, trying to joke, which had her looking at me quizzically. “I’m the new waitress Marcus hired, Rune.”
Her eyes widened, as did her smile in an excited surprise. “Sweet Jesus, thank you.” She threw her arms around me, her hug like iron shackles for someone thinner than me and standing only five foot three. Her reaction took me off guard at first, mostly because I wasn’t used to such open affection…and I wasn’t a fan of being touched.
“It’s been this busy every night for forever, and my feet are about to drop off. So let’s get you out there before we have a mutiny.” She giggled, and the sound was adorable, her nose wrinkling slightly in her beaming expression. I hadn’t even started work yet, and I was already beginning to get my hopes up about this place… Maybe I’d even make some friends.
I was getting ahead of myself, and it didn’t matter since I was leaving anyway, but it would be nice to have some friendly faces around.
She turned and looked around. “Rae, where do you keep the spare aprons?”
The cook turned and came toward us, offering me his hand. “Hey, I’m Rae.” His voice was deep and raspy.
When he smiled, all his teeth showed. He had that guy next door kind of look with a soft smile and a relaxed feel about him…but there was something odd about his
eyes. A yellow rim surrounded his irises like nothing I’d ever seen before. His nostrils flared as I got closer to him to shake his hand. Strange.
“Welcome to the team, and just remember, forks are the restaurant’s version of socks.” He broke into a laugh, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at his very bad joke.
“You’re so lame, Rae. Are you still telling that joke?” Eve rolled her eyes.
“She’s new, and that means she hasn’t heard any of them.” He reached into a nearby shelf and came back with a black apron that he pushed into my hands. “Here you go, and good luck.”
“Thank you.”
He returned to the grill.
All strapped up, I glanced up just as the red-haired woman from earlier burst into the room. My gaze went straight to her name badge on her black shirt. Licia. She had wild red hair with curls that refused to be tamed and the deepest green eyes. She was maybe in her mid to late twenties and had the most beautiful complexion of clear, milky-white skin, a contrast to her ruby lips.
“Why isn’t anyone out there?” Her eyes landed on me. “I assume you’re the new girl?”
“Yes, I’m Rune. I’m ready to get started.”
“Good. I like your eagerness, and you’ll need it. For tonight, Eve will take all orders, and you just focus on delivering meals to tables and collecting dirty plates. You think you can handle that? We’re short on staff in the bar in the back, so you’ll need to pop in there and deliver drinks as well.”
“Absolutely.” How hard could it be? I was a servant at home, bringing Alistair and his friends meals and drinks all the time, collecting after them, as quickly and quietly as possible. I was well versed in the act of waitressing already. Hopefully.
“Well the food isn’t going to serve itself,” she called out loudly, clapping her hands, even though she was standing barely a foot away from us.
Eve pushed past me, and I joined her in the main room of the diner, where the voices and music seemed explosive. “Thanks for helping earlier,” she whispered. I nodded, already liking her. Especially since she hadn’t asked me anything about myself yet. Hopefully, she would keep that up.
“No problem. So, is Licia the owner?”
“She’s a co-owner of Moonstruck with her partner, Marcus. Then there’s also Wilder. He’s the big boss in charge of this place and most of the town. You have to watch out for him. Licia’s nice, but she does have a temper on her.”
“Good to know. Guess what they say about redheads must be true,” I joked.
“Did you know, ancient Greeks believed that redheads turned into vampires when they died?”
Her comment surprised me, and I looked at her. “Where did that come from?”
She smiled shyly. “I’m studying history at an online college, and it’s incredible what the ancient Greeks believed.” She shrugged nervously. “Everyone tells me I say the strangest things, so just ignore me.”
“I wouldn’t do that. I like learning new things too.”
She smirked, a light blush to her cheeks, and her eyes lit up. Someone yelled out from a nearby table, and she hurried over to see what they wanted. I turned and saw a stack of dirty plates on a nearby booth and got to work.
The evening was passing smoothly. I’d eventually made my way into the back bar section where drinks had collected on the counter to be delivered to the tables. I started reading the orders to work out who got what drink.
“What the hell?” a deep commanding voice came from behind me, so sudden and unexpected that I flinched around, my heart pounding loudly in my ears.
Emerald green eyes stared back at me, fury burning in their depths.
That was what I saw first.
Him staring right into my soul.
Green eyes that belonged to the face of a veritable god…who also happened to be an asshole.
It was the man who’d growled at me in the street and then forced me off the sidewalk for him and his girlfriend to walk past. He was standing there underneath the arched entrance to the bar area. He was intimidatingly large and scowling at me, shadows shifting across his face. Just like when I saw him last, he had his dark hair pushed back, a few strands escaping and falling over one eye, stubble coating his sharp jaw. Dark, heavy eyebrows pulled together as he stared at me with piercing eyes. He wore a navy long-sleeved tee with a V-neck, strong muscles pulling the fabric across his chest, and deep-blue jeans that hugged clearly powerful legs.
How in the world was the asshole still so gorgeous, even as he looked ready to tear me apart with his bare hands?
My heart beat furiously. Suddenly, I forgot everything and even whose drinks I was holding. I reined in my thoughts quickly, everything in me on high alert.
“E-excuse me?”
“You’re fired,” he stated abruptly, silencing those around us. “We don’t need help.”
My mouth completely dried up, and I stood shell-shocked at his words. I had no idea who this guy was. Was this some kind of joke to play on the new girl? Eve’s words about who the bosses at Moonstruck Diner were hit me then, and like a tsunami, recognition crashed into me.
“Y-you’re Wilder?”
“Oh, good, you do have a brain. Now get your things and leave,” he snarled. His body was rigid…furious. I wanted to scream.
This had to be a joke. It was complete bullshit in fact. I quickly returned the glasses of drinks in my hands to the bar before I did something stupid like toss them in his face. I swallowed the tangled mess of emotions burning me up from the inside out and blinked away the frustrated tears threatening to fall from my eyes.
Humiliation painted my cheeks as I felt the gaze of everyone in the bar on me, listening to our drama unfold. I’d been pushed around my whole life, so my first instinct was to want to back down and run away. But the day I escaped, I made myself a promise. I would never let anyone shove me around ever again.
“Are you hard of hearing, sweetheart?” he sneered.
I shivered and pushed against my instinct, lifting my chin and looking him in the eyes. Every nerve in my body snapped. “Marcus hired me—”
“I don’t give a fuck. I get final say, and you’re out,” he said stiffly, turning around and grabbing a glass like he was done with the conversation.
Great, now some of the people in the diner were listening too, turning their heads to watch the commotion as they peered through the doorway that separated the diner from the bar.
I cringed, wanting the floor to crack open and swallow me, but I’d also been in far more humiliating situations. There was almost nothing I could go through that would compete with Alistair’s actions.
“Will you listen to me?” I started to say desperately, just as Licia stormed into the bar area, brushing right past Wilder to join us.
“Seriously, Wilder? What the hell? Have you seen how busy we are tonight?” she reprimanded sharply, standing toe to toe with him, her red hair seeming to stand on end in her indignation.
“She’s not working here, end of story.” Wilder’s jawline clenched. I couldn’t believe his hatred for a complete stranger…for me. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at me as he spoke. This was ridiculous.
“I know I’m new to town…” I began. “But I’m a hard worker, I give you my word.” I cringed at how frantic I sounded, but when you were scraping the bottom, you weren’t above groveling when you had nothing left to lose.
“Wilder, you’ve seen how busy we are, and between Eve and I, we’re not coping on the floor. Rune is good, and she’s fast…at least from what I’ve seen so far. It’s what we’ve been asking for, and you know the last three people you hired couldn’t keep up with the fast pace.”
I swallowed hard and watched the pair, almost feeling their energy buzz down my arms. He stood quite a bit taller than Licia, which was intimidating as fuck, but she somehow was holding her ground.
“Marcus had no right—” Wilder began, but Licia cut him off.
“He was worried we’d lose Eve if we didn’t get so
meone else in here to help. We need her.”
Wilder sighed, and in all honesty, if I wasn’t so desperate, I would have loved to toss the damn job into his perfect face and tell him to fuck off. Instead, I stood there, waiting, feeling everyone’s eyes on us…on me.
If everyone didn’t know I was an outsider, I sure as well had a target on my forehead now.
With another heavy sigh like he was being asked to let a murderer work for him, Wilder glanced at me, his lips curled. “I’ll give you one shot, only because Licia believes in you, but one screw up, just one, and you’re done. Understand?” He swung to Licia. “You handle her.”
He turned abruptly and vanished into the diner.
The earlier strength I’d been using to stand tall crashed through me, and I stumbled back into a stool by the bar. “What was that all about?”
He was scary as shit, and Eve’s earlier warning about him didn’t come close to the truth. I needed a bottle of tequila after that.
“Are you okay?” Licia asked, not answering my question.
“Yes. I just didn’t expect him to be like…like that.”
She half laughed like this was an everyday occurrence. “You get used to Wilder after a while. He definitely barks and bites, but he isn’t an unreasonable man.”
I disagreed with that assessment, but I just said, “Thank you.”
“Of course. Now back to work and don’t let me down.” She marched into the diner, where the sudden rise of voices returned too loud. As much as I burned with humiliation and sweat now dripped down my back, I refused to prove him right.
I turned and got to work. If anything, I would show him how amazing I was that he’d beg me to stay. Then I could stick it in his face when I left.
My cheeks still burned from embarrassment as I went over what had just happened.
It couldn’t be that I was just from out of town, right? Or was this one of those towns where they didn’t tolerate outsiders because the locals harbored a horrible secret like worshipping Satan on every new moon or something crazy. I laughed inwardly at the thought, sometimes my imagination was ridiculous.
