Falling For The Smiths

3.

(EDIT, June 25th: I realized that Tessa's foster mom and her head had the same name, so I decided to change the head's name because it would be otherwise confusing.)

CHAPTER THREE | THIS IS DESTINY

***

When Daphne stopped her car in front of my house, I forced a smile at her and tried to open the door, when I realized it was locked.
   "Daffy, the door's shut," I said.
   "I know." Daphne turned to me with a frown etched onto her face. "You've been silent throughout the ride. What happened when I was gone?"
   Busted. I averted my gaze from her's. She knew me better than I knew myself.
   "I have to tutor them," I said silently.
   Daphne's jaw fell open. "You have to what? All three of them?"
   "No," I scoffed. "Only the two of them. And, besides, Catherine isn't in my French class."
   Her surprise twisted into excitement. She squealed.
   "This is destiny!" she cried. "I can't believe you won't let them help you, but offered to help them!"
   I wasn't in the mood to explain everything to her — besides, I needed to get changed for my shift.
   "I'm getting a hundred dollars," I pointed out. "That's enough to make me bear the lessons."
   Daphne just shook her head. She clicked a button on her side and the doors clicked.
   "I'll call you later," she muttered, indirectly telling me to leave.
   "Bye," I said and stepped out the car.
   The moment my feet touched the pavement and the door closed, the car sped off. I sighed sadly; she only did that when she was disappointed, pissed, frustrated, or all of the above.
   I patted around my pockets for my keys and unlocked the front door. Mom wouldn't be home for another hour or two and Dad's job forced him to stay till midnight. I walked into the kitchen for a snack and found a sticky note on the fridge. Peeling it off, my eyes skimmed through the words.
   Tessa,
   Your father and I have flown to New York for some important work. I'm sorry for not telling you at breakfast, this was brought up at a short notice.
   No need to worry about us, we're going to be fine. We'll be back in a month's time.
   Don't forget to take the trash out every Wednesday and deliver the cakes every Saturday and Sunday — they're kept in the shop, Thomas will give them to you.
   I love you very much, dear, and trust you'll be able to handle yourself.
   xoxo,
   Mom
   I felt myself sigh. A whole month? Last time, it'd been a week or two.
   "You can do this," I muttered to myself. "Besides, it won't be too different."
   I looked back at the fridge and my eyes lit up. Three crumpled hundred dollar bills were taped onto the fridge, along with another note.
   Just in case.
   I took the money and added the hundred in my pocket. Four hundred dollars. Holy shit, I could buy a new wardrobe with this money.
   But then it occurred to me that the three hundred was all of the money they'd earned in the past year or two, and I felt guilty for thinking about spending it all on me.
   My phone buzzed from my bag and I saw it was a message from Amy, one of my co-workers from the cafe.
   Be there in five, the text read. Shit. That meant I had five minutes to get ready.
   As fast as light, I was upstairs in my room and pulling my uniform out of my closet. There was no time to freshen up with a shower, so I just splashed some water into my face and changed into the uniform. By the time I had braided my auburn hair and applied eyeliner around my eyes — it was a part of the dress code — a car honked from outside.
   I pulled on a cotton jacket and grabbed a handbag, throwing my wallet and keys into it. Another honk emitted from the car and I rushed down the stairs, my phone in hand.
   "Took you long enough," Amy hissed. "Now, get in the car."
   I silently sat in the backseat, slipping the phone into the handbag. Amy and I weren't exactly friendly with one another — hell, we didn't even look in each other's direction. But our boss forced her to pick me up for our shifts every evening because I didn't have a car. Fifteen minutes later, I scurried out the car and into the busy cafe.
   "Tessa, you're five minutes late," my boss growled.
   "I'm sorry," I said, looking down. "It won't happen again."
   "It better not," he warned and walked away.
   I hurried to the back and pushed my handbag and jacket into my cubby. I tucked the white blouse into the red pencil skirt and adjusted the red wedges. When somebody yelled my name, I rushed towards the counter.
   "Take the order at table seven," our head, Sarah barked at me.
   I nodded. Grabbing a notepad and pen, I rushed to the assigned table and my heart sank to my stomach. Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Still, I forced a smile.
   "What can I get for you?" I asked the couple.
   "I'll have the weekly special coffee," Mr. Smith answered, "and throw in some butter cookies."
   I scribbled his order down and turned to Mrs. Smith. "How about you, ma'am?"
   But she wasn't looking at the small menu set in front of her. Her eyes were trained on me, a look of recognition on her face.
   "Teresa?" she murmured. "I didn't know you worked here."
   I flinched slightly. She, Daphne, and Mom were the only people who knew my real name. And, how the hell did she recognize me? I'd stopped coming over.
   "I joined a month ago," I responded.
   "Makes sense," she said. "How are you doing? It's been a long time since I've seen your bright smile."
   "Sorry I stopped passing by," I apologized, a real smile tugging on my lips. "I didn't think I was welcome."
   Mrs. Smith chuckled. "Oh, you're welcome back any time. I'll be seeing you more often, anyway. Your French teacher informed me that Aaron and Matt were going to be tutored by you."
   "Oh?" My eyes widened a fraction. "Wait. The sessions are at your house?"
   Mrs. Smith nodded.
   "I've missed that lovely voice," Mr. Smith whispered. "It's no wonder he doesn't smile anymore."
   My confused gaze settled on him. He quickly put on a mask of seriousness.
   "Darling, order quickly," he said. "We haven't all day."
   "Of course." Mrs. Smith nodded briskly. "I'll have the same coffee, but be gentle with the milk. And add a chocolate muffin."
   I nodded, taking note of her request. "Your orders will be ready in five minutes."
   I made my way back to the counter and ripped the page off the notepad, handing it to Sarah. She shouted commands at the others and they prepared the given order.
   Five minutes later, I returned to table seven with a tray. I gave each of them their designated plates and the bill.
   "Thank you." Mrs. Smith smiled at me before she turned back to her husband.
   I smiled back and put the tray back in the counter. Sarah pointed at another table and I took their orders. While the other table's coffees were being prepared, Mr. and Mrs. Smith beckoned me over to their table.
   "Thank you again," Mr. Smith gushed, placing the money on the table. "If you need anything, feel free to call us up."
   The drink and snacks had costed them twenty dollars, but Mr. Smith had put an extra twenty dollars onto the table.
   "You gave me double the money," I said.
   Mrs. Smith chuckled. "Oh, we know. The service and coffee were amazing, so there's a twenty dollar tip."
   My eyes widened.
   "Thanks," I mumbled. "Come again soon."
   Mrs. Smith smiled affectionately. Her eyes trained on something behind me.
   "Aaron," she called. "We're over here."
   Shit. I made to leave, but Mr. Smith held me back. "You forgot the money."
   I laughed nervously and quickly picked the money up. I don't know why I thought I'd be able to get out before Aaron made it over.
   "Tessa?" his deep voice said in confusion.
   I looked down. His eyes raked over my uniform and his jaw unhinged. I ran away from the table and pleaded Sarahto make someone else clear the table up. She reluctantly agreed and I went to serve the other tables.