Night Shift (Book 1, the Night Shift series)

Chapter Fifteen

In the Matinee Room, the same booth as before was set with a platter of sliced glazed ham, coleslaw, rhubarb chutney, and steamed asparagus with hollandaise sauce.

Daniel watched the others set the table. Wine glasses, silverware, a basket of rolls—their jobs were well rehearsed, and he felt an unexpected twinge of pity for Mr. Oliver, sitting in his office all alone. He wondered if Oscar and Mr. Oliver were territorial enemies, with neither one stepping on the other's boundaries. Mr. Oliver was definitely old school, and Oscar was having gourmet meals with his staff. Hardly a cozy coworker relationship.

Without asking, Jonathan poured Daniel a glass of wine.

"But I'm working," Daniel said.

"So am I," he said, his tone a little more conciliatory than earlier. "You know, I had my doubts, but pulling pranks on you is more entertaining than any movie I've seen in a while."

Daniel took a sip. "Whatever," he said, disappointed by the bitter taste. Blanche sat with her arms folded, regarding him with a pout. Mary took the seat at the end of the booth. She hadn't spoken to him yet, and he wondered what he'd said that upset her so much.

He'd planned to avoid any further awkward encounters, but after staring at her empty caramel wrapper for a while, he pulled himself together, mustered some confidence, and came to seek her out. He'd let her down, he now realized. Her first date, and he assumed her first attempt at a kiss as well, was a total disappointment. Could he convince her to give him a second chance?

"All right," Oscar snapped. "Which one of you gave Petey wine?" Daniel almost dropped his glass at the sudden outburst.

"Just a little," Petey pleaded. "I read that kids in France drink wine every day. And their cancer and obesity rates are way lower than ours."

Oscar smoothed out his mustache and said, "Sip, not guzzle."

"Keep her lit, Petey!" Jonathan said, clinking their glasses.

Ruth Ann reached for the rhubarb chutney. "So, Daniel," she smiled, "what do you think of the store? Do you like working here? The Confectionery is my favourite! Everything going well tonight?" Her eyes flicked to Mary.

Daniel was struck by Ruth Ann's exuberant reaction. "It's been—"

"Bloody fantastic," Jonathan interrupted. Petey laughed, spraying the table with a mouthful of wine.

"Oh, my nerves!" Blanche jumped up to blot the mess. "Think of the linen!"

Oscar slapped down his napkin. "For once," he scolded, "could you fools behave at the table?" Mary glared across the table at Jonathan. "Making fun of a murdered girl? Grow up, moron. I'm so sick of hearing about ghosts."

Jonathan swallowed his food and gave her a smirk. "Petey and I were just going ape. You should have seen Daniel's face. Even the bug stuck up your arse would've laughed."

"I don't know why people fixate on the morbid stories," Ruth Ann said thoughtfully. "No one ever talks about the day the power went out and twins were safely born in the elevator, or all the wedding proposals that have happened in this room." She paused for a moment, then smiled. "Remember the Christmas parties Mr. Willard hosted each year for all those orphans?"

"Exactly," Mary agreed. She turned to Daniel, barely making eye contact. "Willard's is full of gossiping clerks—not ghosts. There's nothing inside this store that can hurt you. And if you don't believe me, ask your Magic 8 Ball." She stabbed a few pieces of ham with her fork.

"By the way, Mary," Jonathan said, "Daniel feels horrible about making you cry."

"It wasn't me, idiot. It was you and Petey."