In Waves | ✔️

19 | reality check

I try not to look like a ruffled mess when I walk into the restaurant. Luckily I could freshen up and change out of my chlorine-seeped clothes since I'd brought an overnight bag to Rachel's, but the frenetic energy floating around me is hard to hide.

If only I could get rid of that in the same way. Peel it off like my damp jeans, replace it with toasty dry shorts. I'd be a walking ray of sunshine.

"Lia. A sight for sore eyes." Renato clutches his hands together as he leaves the kitchen. "You're here to switch with Rob, yes?"

"No, he's covering my full shift. I just need to speak to him about something."

Renato's body slouches, and he rubs at his temples like that sentence induced a splitting headache. I think his wrinkles even deepen.

"Is... everything okay?"

"Your brother is useless in the morning." He gives his hand an irritated wave. "He was late, half-asleep, stole a whole tray of my sfogliatella, and nested himself back there like a scavenging raccoon. Useless, useless boy."

I peer past a couple having breakfast to Rob slumped over a table in the darkest corner of the restaurant. He usually sleeps until noon on the weekends. Especially when he goes out the night before. I'm relieved he managed to show up at all, but I can't help feeling bad for dumping his lazy butt on Renato for a busy Saturday.

"He just needs a boost," I say brightly. "Some coffee should help."

"He's already gone through a pot, but I'll make another one." Renato smooths out his pristine chef jacket and makes a sharp turn back to the kitchen.

I shake Rob's shoulder when I get to him. He groans and flaps me away like I'm nothing but a pestering little fly.

"Rob! I need to talk to you!"

"Too loud." He lifts his heavy head. "Too loud and too annoying."

I slip into the chair next to him. "Can you please just turn your brain on for a minute?"

He plonks his elbows on the table and rubs his face. As Renato said, there's a half-eaten batch of fresh sfogliatella nestled in crumbs, along with an empty mug with coffee dregs. He really is a raccoon.

Rob picks sleep out of his eyes as he mumbles, "Why are you even here? The whole point of me coming in was so you didn't have to."

"I need to ask you something."

"At this ungodly hour?"

"It's nine-thirty."

"Exactly."

"You knew you were working today," I snap. "It's not my fault you decided to come to Rachel's party instead of sleeping."

He focuses on me. Assessing. "Why're you so fidgety?"

I fight the urge to sit on my restless hands, placing them in my lap instead. I went through this on the way here. My cover story. Nate broke the whole 'sisters are off-limits' thing, and if Rob found out what happened last night then this would get messier than it already is.

"I'm stressing about my surf lessons," I say, performing my rehearsed lines. "I think it might have been a rash decision, so I need to talk to Nate but I don't have his number. If you could just send it to me so I can—"

"No," Rob drawls. "Don't buy it."

"What? There's nothing to buy!"

"Lia." He leans in close like he's analyzing words etched on my face. "You're a bad liar. Probably because you don't do it enough. Why do you need to talk to Nate? Really."