Jessica's Fate

Chapter 5

Two weeks later...

And here we were... working at the diner.

I couldn't help but smile.

I'd interviewed with Luke and Uncle the very next day after my dinner with Kota and Mom. It wasn't really a surprise when they both approved.

Ha. Like they'd turn me down.

I felt a little bad because Uncle mentioned that he was surprised it had taken me this long to ask for a job. I guess it was one of those things that I was supposed to just do on my own.

It's rough being a 17-year-old.

Everyone assumes that you know what to do all the time. When, no, no one told me that I could get a job if I wanted to.

Maybe that's on me. I wasn't confident to just do what I wanted. I'd probably been holding on to the resentment of feeling that my life was dictated to me.

But I was loving my job here at the diner. Uncle agreed with me that I needed to learn a few things about service and customer interaction so I was working my second week as hostess. He set me on a plan that had me as the hostess for 3 weeks but next week, instead of also bussing tables and setting them up again for the next customer, I'd start waiting on a few tables. Then it would be 4 more weeks of waiting tables before he'd be letting Luke teach me how to make the dessert menu.

Oh, I really couldn't wait for that.

After I learned the dessert menu, I was going to be able to work half of my shifts as the pastry chef and the other half as a waitress. Because, Uncle pointed out that pastry chefs don't get tips and waiting tables would allow me more chances to earn more money.

Luke told me later that he was just going to set up a tip jar for me at the hostess stand and even when I was on duty as the pastry chef, people could still tip me for their desserts if they wanted to. I laughed at him but hey, who was I to turn down money?

I was determined to buy my prom dress. Gabriel vowed to do my hair and make up for me so I wasn't going to have any expenses there. Well, unless I decided I needed a tiara of some sort. I mean, what's the point of going to prom if you can't feel like a princess from head to toe? Sang warned me that between Gabriel and Victor, I'd be lucky if they let me buy my dress. Well, we'll just have to see about that.

I straightened up the hostess stand, glancing over the take-out orders to make sure they were all there, waiting for their owners to come pick them up. I peered at the drink order for the order and glanced at the clock, timing it for just a moment before I went to prepare the lemonade that had been ordered. "Just a minute." I called out, not looking over my shoulder as footsteps approached the stand after the bell on the front door rang.

"No worries." A slightly deep voice responded and I stilled for a moment at the sound of it. It was a very nice voice and I just hoped my braid was still restraining my hair as I put the lid on the lemonade and put it next to the order and turned around.

"Hi." I blinked at the tall boy standing at the counter. Oh man, was he tall. I figured he wasn't quite as tall as Silas or North but he was at least 6 foot if not a few inches taller. My gaze started at the top of his head, a light brown with blonde highlights. Gorgeous blue eyes. Dimples as he smiled at me.

Man, he might even give Chris Hemsworth a run for his money in a short haired Thor-ish way.

"Hi." His voice washed over me and I actually gave a tiny shiver at the sound of it.

I closed my eyes and opened them again.

Yup, he was still here.

"Welcome to Bob's diner." I swear, I heard my voice squeak and my cheeks flared with a sudden heat. "Are you waiting for anyone?"

He grinned. "Unfortunately, no, because I think that's my to-go order behind you." He said.

"Oh." I blinked again and gave him a wry smile. "Sorry. Should have asked if you were eating here or picking something up." I apologized.

"It's okay. Next time I'll make sure I plan on eating here." He said. "I haven't seen you here before."

I nodded slightly, lost in the fact he'd said next time. "Oh, well, I've been here about two weeks." I said, picking up the bag and the lemonade. I looked at the ticket. "Zack?" I asked, glancing up at him.

"That's me." He said as I set the bag down on the counter and put the cup down next to it. He extended his hand and I looked at it for a moment, my fingers already taking the tag off his bag.

I realized he was following proper polite society protocol and I bit my lip slightly. "Sorry. Jessica." I took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you." I said before busying myself with ringing in his order. "That's going to be $15.00 today." I said, looking up to find him staring at the gap in the wall that separated the kitchen from the front and I looked over my shoulder, just missing what I thought was a floppy blondish man bun. Probably Luke.

"Sure." He said, pulling out the money and stuffing some money in the tip jar with my name on it.

"Thanks." I said softly before handing him his receipt.

"You're welcome." He said, his blue eyes watching me closely.

I almost wanted to say that he was watching me as closely as Sang's boys watched her all the time but that was ridiculous. We'd just met.

He put his straw in his lemonade and took a sip of it. "So, if a guy was going to pick the right time to eat here the next time..." His voice took on a questioning tone.

I smiled at him for a moment before my brain caught up. Geez, Jess, he's asking about your schedule. I heard a muffled laugh from behind the partition. "Sorry." I apologized again. "Well, if you are planning on eating here the next time and wanted me to seat you at your table... I work at 4 pm all week and I'll be here all day on Sunday." I said, feeling a tad bit shy because, well, thanks to how the boys always chased off my dates, I had really gotten uncomfortable talking to boys that I hadn't known for years.

"Then, I'll see you tomorrow around 5, Jessica." He said.

His voice had such a silky tone that it almost made me shiver, despite the heat that came from the kitchen behind me. "Okay." I said faintly. "Yeah, all right." I smiled.

His face broke into a grin and he put his hand out again. "All right." He echoed as we shook hands again and he scooped up his dinner and turned to leave.

O. M. G.

The back view as he left was just as impressive as the front view the entire time we'd been talking. I had to restrain myself from licking my lips as he walked out the front door. Mostly because he turned back after he got outside and waved at me and I felt my cheeks heat with a sudden rush of color at being caught staring. I waved weakly back at him, pasting on a smile that stayed until he'd gotten in his car and left.

"I dunno, Jess..." I heard Luke behind me and I turned to look at him. He winked at me. "Sounds pretty solid... he's eating in tomorrow and everything." He grinned.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm sure he eats here all the time." I said.

"He eats the food." He said.

"Right..."

"He always gets take out."

"Never eats in..." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Not once. And he's been coming in a few times a week for the last year or so."

"Huh." I grunted out a non-verbal response before my brow furrowed and I turned away from him to ponder the info he provided about my new favorite customer.