Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 60864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
What, I didn’t know. I would have to wing it. But it would have to be compassionate.
I got my chance not long after. Jodi made her way in with one of her first orders and hung the ticket on the line. I happened to be on the other side, letting one of the short-term line cooks handle things while I prepped the main course proteins. I slid out of the gloves I was wearing to prevent cross-contamination and pulled her aside as she walked nearby.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, her eyes wide.
She craned her neck to see around me, through the windows on the double doors leading to the floor.
“Look, you can talk to me, or you can talk to Ally, but you should really talk to someone. It’s clear you’re pretty freaked out and distracted.”
Her eyes searched mine, and I saw that she understood what I was saying. It was affecting her work. She nodded sharply and slipped my grasp, heading back to the double doors at double time. As the doors swung shut, I sighed and went back to my protein, putting on gloves again. At least I said something, I thought. At least she knew she could come to me.
Things got busy after that. It wasn’t unusual to get slammed right after coming in, but this was even more than usual. The busy sound of people talking and moving around, glasses clinking and silverware scraping across dishes wafted into the kitchen as we cooked. Ally had arrived and was doubled down over the dessert, one of her own creations that required a meticulous touch and attention to detail that I was sure was lost on most of our clientele.
I worked alongside my friend, mostly expediting and plating the special courses when they were ordered. My dinner course special was ordered more often than usual, and I was constantly bouncing back and forth from reading tickets to plating dishes. When I went to plate a dish, Ally would step in to expedite, and we went back and forth over the night. Like a well-oiled machine, we ran the kitchen well, and while it was incredibly busy, it was smooth.
Yet, despite it being smooth, my mind was half-occupied the entire night. I kept letting my mind wander to Jodi every time I went to plate a meal and had to shake it off every time I went to the tickets. Forcing myself to concentrate was harder than the actual work, but I managed it as we got through the night.
Thankfully for my exhaustion, it seemed like everyone wanted to get home early, and there weren’t any stragglers or late-sat tables. I was relieved when the last ticket came in before closing and knew we were going to be out early for the night. I couldn’t help noticing the last ticket was in Jodi’s handwriting. I had come to recognize it quickly, with her distinctive bubble letters.
When the dessert went out for that last ticket, I sent the line cooks home, and Ally sat down heavily on the stool by the wine cellar. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair, taking a big gulp of water before looking over at me. She raised her eyebrows, and I returned the gesture. Another night finished, and it had been a busy one.
After a few moments, Ally stood up and helped me clean up, putting things away and wiping down for the night. The dishwasher had already gone home, leaving the few remaining dishes to us, and I took the duty over while Ally went over the stock list to see if there was anything we needed to order the next morning.
I said good night to the crew as they walked out, and eventually Ally and I were also ready to go. It was late, and the last guest had left ten minutes before. Jodi was at the bar, counting out tips along with one of the other waitresses and the busboy, who was waiting for his cut. When he got his money, he said goodbye, the other waitress followed suit, and Jodi turned to me.
She looked exhausted but less nervous. There was that at least. While I was pretty sure neither of us would be down for a long talk about what she was running from after that night of work, at least she seemed like it wasn’t bugging her as much. Maybe hiding out at my place and the restaurant would work. As long as her brother or whoever else was looking for her never came in for dinner, she might get away with her disappearing act.
I made a mental note to ask if she wanted me to get Cam’s lawyers for her or not and headed for the front door. I normally left through the front so I could lock up, and Ally usually walked out with me. Tonight, I had seen Noah arrive as Jodi was counting out her tips, and she had left already. As I locked the door, I noticed Jodi still hadn’t said anything, and I was starting to think she might not. She might spend the rest of the evening quiet. I should probably be happy about it, since it meant I wouldn’t be pulled into whatever drama was going on, but it irked me. To my shock, I felt myself wanting to be more involved in whatever was going on with her. The question was, what was it about her that made me want that?