Sweet Little Thing
Page 13

“Beulah, correct?” he asked holding out his hand. “I’m Neil.”
“Yes, and it’s nice to officially meet you,” I told him.
He smirked. “Yeah, I was in a hurry last night or I’d have been friendlier.”
“That’s fine. I thought you were friendly enough.”
He ran his hand through his hair and glanced around the place. People were trickling in, but it wasn’t busy yet. “This is the early crowd. They are here to eat the bar food and do some socializing before the crowd. A Monday night crowd isn’t that bad. It’s the slowest night of the week for us. That’s why Carey had you come in so soon to start. This is the night he likes to train his newbies.”
Neil pointed at the redhead. “That’s Shauna. She’s the manager of the waitresses and hostesses. She’s been here for five years. She’s not the nicest person around, but she works hard and makes sure the place runs smooth.”
He began to walk and I followed. “If you need something, come to me first. Shauna doesn’t like dealing with the little details. She deals with the big issues. I am second in command and I deal with the small stuff. If it’s too much for me to smooth over, I involve her. She’s big on the chain of command thing, so don’t go directly to her unless I tell you to. She looks pretty but she can go monster on you in a second.”
We walked to the hostess area, and he patted the countertop that stood between me and guests as they arrived. “If the guests get to you, then they made it through security. They will have on blue bracelets that have our logo on them if they are under twenty-one. You will greet them, take any bags, wraps or jackets—which won’t be many this time of year—and check them in. Tag their item with a number using these tickets, then give them the other half. Put their items in that room. In the winter, this is a busier job. Much more of a hassle and we have three people working the front then because of it. Right now, it won’t be a big deal. With me so far? Any questions?”
This seemed easy enough so far. My nerves had eased and I nodded. “Yes, I am good. What else?”
“Fast learner. I like it. Okay, you will look at this chart and decide on what table, section area to seat them. If they have paid for VIP reservations, you will have them stand here away from the crowd, and contact me or whoever is on duty handling the VIP. We will seat them. You don’t handle them—you handle the rest.”
The next few hours went on like this. I followed Neil around and he never stopped talking. He was constantly teaching me something. I even took a few shopping bags and one silk wrap and tagged them in the coat check. When two in the morning rolled around, the place was almost empty and I was told I could leave.
Sinking into the front seat of my car, I slipped off my heels and stretched. I can do this.
I touched the hidden pocket on my skirt. There was fifty dollars in there from customers who had tipped me. The lady with the silk wrap had given me a twenty-dollar bill when I returned her wrap to her. The other thirty dollars came from a group of guys I seated. Neil said if they tipped me, to be thankful and take it. So, I did.
THE THREE AND A HALF hours I slept last night felt like I barely closed my eyes. The alarm went off by my head, and for a moment I thought I was at home in in our single-wide trailer. I was still in bed, it was a school morning and I was going to hit the snooze button. But when I peeled my eyes open to find the blasted noisy alarm, I saw the washing machine and I remembered I wasn’t home. I wasn’t in school anymore.
Yawning, I stretched and my calves burned. My feet ached, and my eyes felt raw as if I had cried all night. But I hadn’t. I laid there and stared at the ceiling. It was a fancy ceiling for a basement. It was white with crown molding. Much like the rest of the house.
I wondered how many mornings Ms. Charlotte had laid here and stared at that ceiling. Had she ever wished to quit? Or had she loved working here? I couldn’t imagine loving working for the Van Allan’s. They weren’t a happy bunch.
I also wondered if her shoes had fit her as I wiggled my toes, dreading putting on my shoes. Lying here wasn’t going to get breakfast cooked nor was it going to give me time to catch Jasper before he left today. I had to talk to him. There was a good chance Stone already had. When I’d gotten in last night and my code for the door still worked, I thought that was a positive sign. At least I hadn’t been kicked out.
With great reluctance, I crawled out of bed and got dressed. I left putting on my shoes for last, just before I went upstairs. The good news was I didn’t have to chase Jasper down this morning. He was already awake and in the kitchen. The bad news was he appeared to be waiting on me to arrive and he wasn’t smiling. The coffee in his hand said he hadn’t just arrived. It was only six-thirty, and I’d never seen him up this early. Another negative.
“Good morning,” I said, stopping after I walked into the room. I didn’t know what to expect but I was prepared. I would be more prepared if I’d had my coffee, but I was prepared enough. This was a conversation I’d gone over in my head several times the past twenty-four hours.
“Late night?” he asked, and then took a sip of his coffee.
“Yes. I’m guessing Winston told you about my second job.”
He frowned. “Second job?”
Oh. So Stone hadn’t told him. Oops. That wasn’t the way I wanted to lead into it.
“You need a second job? I thought you were paid very well here. Surely there isn’t anything that costs so much in your life you need more money.”
This was where I considered telling him about Heidi. It would be easier. It would make sense. But I was scared. I had watched people mistreat her over and over in the past. They didn’t want the hassle, or they didn’t understand. Could I trust Jasper with something this important?
“I’m saving to attend college.” There. That had been the truth once. Didn’t make it the truth now, but I didn’t know Jasper well enough to trust him.
“Really? What do you want to major in?”
“Nursing. I want to go to Nursing school.”
He looked inside his coffee mug, and then set it down on the counter. “That’s why you need a second job? You’re still making two grand a month. You made thirty-six thousand over the past six months. I don’t imagine nursing school costs that much up front.”
“I wanted to be sure I could complete school. Pay for it in full.”
He didn’t seem satisfied. “What nursing school do you want to attend? I would think in just a couple more months you’d have your complete tuition just working here. You have no rent, bills, or food to pay for. I assume you own that car—it’s not anywhere near new. What have you been spending your money on? Do you have some addiction I need to know about? You don’t look the part, but the dark circles under your eyes and the way you were dressed when came home night was questionable.”
He’d seen me come home? I hadn’t seen him. That was why he was up early waiting on me. Stone hadn’t told him anything. Which was odd. I’d expected him to.
“That was my uniform. I don’t get to choose what I wear. As for the circles, I’m tired but I will adjust. I don’t have nor have I ever had any form of addiction.”
Maybe it was my exhaustion. Maybe it was the fear he wouldn’t believe me, but for whatever reason, I decided it was time for the truth. All I could hope was that he would understand and didn’t end up tossing me out, accusing me of mooching off his mother. If I told him about Heidi and he didn’t accept she needed to be taken care at the home, then I’d just leave. I would work three jobs if I had to.