Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 49239 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49239 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
I’m pretty sure Chad’s entire paycheck this week will fund pot. He lives in his parents’ basement and is a super nice guy, but if this place caught on fire, he’d for sure be the last one out. Nothing creates any sense of urgency in him.
“You get all the dishes and I’ll wipe the table down,” I tell him, ignoring his question.
Deb takes over on the third table and I return to my table of men in suits.
“Hey, ready to order?”
“What’s the special?” one of them asks.
“Patty melt and fries for eleven ninety-nine.”
The sound of a plate shattering nearby grabs my attention and I look over. At the next table, a toddler in a high chair grins victoriously after dropping the plate full of food. The two women at the table are chattering away, neither of them acknowledging the giant mess on the floor.
I finish getting my table’s order and find Chad.
“Hey, cleanup at table six. You’ll need a broom and dustpan. There’s a broken plate.”
“On it,” he says, grinning lazily.
I’m heading for another of my tables to refill drinks when one of the women at table six gestures for me to stop.
“Excuse me, but we’re going to need a replacement grilled cheese and mashed potatoes here.”
“I’ll ask your server to stop by the table.”
She scoffs. “Can’t you just tell the cook or whatever?”
“No, it has to be added to your ticket and I’m not your server.”
“You’re going to charge me for it? He dropped his plate. That’s like when someone spills their drink, you just bring them a new one.”
I need some of whatever Chad’s smoking to deal with this woman.
“Your server is also the owner of the diner. You can take it up with her.”
She shakes her head and widens her eyes at her companion on the other side of the table. “What a bitch.”
I silently remind myself how much I need this job. It’s the only thing that keeps me from telling her what I think of her as a parent and a human.
While I’m refilling drinks for one of my tables, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I’m sure it’s another text from Cam, but I take it out anyway.
It’s actually a phone call, not a text, and it’s Zane’s school that’s on the caller ID. I walk back to the cramped break room to take it so I can hear.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Teresa Miller?”
“Yes. Is everything okay with Zane?”
There’s a pause. “Ms. Miller, this is the principal, Lisa Stanton. I’m actually going to need you to come to the school because there’s been an incident with Zane.”
“An incident?” My heart pounds with worry. “Is he okay? Did he get into a fight?”
Another pause. “He’s fine, it’s nothing like that. I’d rather discuss it with you in person if that’s okay. I understand if you can’t get here immediately.”
I look at the clock on the wall. Deb can call Tamara and ask her to come in early, but I need to give her time to get here.
“I can be there in an hour. Will that work?”
“Absolutely. Thank you, Ms. Miller.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
I close my eyes for a couple of seconds, wondering what kind of “incident” Zane could have been involved in. Despite his sometimes shitty attitude, he’s a good kid and he gets good grades.
No time to worry about it, though. I need to go talk to Deb and get back to work because it’s the middle of lunch hour.
I’ll deal with Zane later.
Chapter Thirteen
Dom
* * *
“Please tell me you didn’t invite her on a trip to Pound Town,” my teammate Ben mutters.
“No, but she would have laughed if I had.”
He rolls his eyes. “Literally no one thinks that shit is as funny as you do.”
We’re in the locker room dressing after our post-practice showers, and when Ben asked me for an update on things with the single mom I mentioned, I told him I’m taking her on a date. Not surprisingly, he wasn’t thrilled.
“Personally, I thought it was hilarious when that chick in LA kneed him in the balls after he tried to pick her up by saying he had a package she needed to sign for,” Beau says with a grin.
“She had no sense of humor,” I grumble.
Ford jumps in. “I can’t believe you didn’t get kneed in the balls when you told a woman your ears were cold and asked if you could use her thighs as earmuffs.”
“That one worked.” I put deodorant on under one arm. “We had a magical night together.”
I didn’t think Sal was close enough to hear the conversation. But he calls out from the other side of the locker room, “Locke, you should write a book about your cheesy pickup lines with stories about whether they worked or not.”
I picture the look on Tess’s face right before I kissed her. The hope that swirled in her eyes. I want to be the man she needs, not a playboy tallying notches on my bedpost.