My Ex-Best Friend

Chapter 3

After taking a quick shower I did the 20 minute bike ride to work. I changed into my uniform which was much more appropriate than shorts as it consisted of loose, crisp black khaki pants, a black blouse and a thin White tie which had all been dry cleaned and ironed to perfection just this morning. Once I was changed I tied my hair back into a neat bun and went to the kitchen.

"So Napoleon, are you going to let me cook today?" I asked the head chef with a big smile on my face, knowing the answer already. He raised his eyebrows and shook his head, but I didn't miss the small smile on his lips.

"You ask me everyday and everyday it's the same answer," he said with his thick French accent.

"Hey, a girl can always hope," I called to him.

"Yes she can," he said as he looked down at his pan and continued to cook his fish.

"Samantha, come here. You're serving tables, not cooking," my superior said to me from the kitchen doors that led to the restaurant. I walked to him, the smile still on my face.

"As you know it is Tuesday, and that means you will be showing the guests to their tables as they come in. We are fully booked tonight so we will be very busy," he informed me with a stern and serious voice.

"Okay, I'll go there now." I walked to the entrance of the restaurant where Brianna was standing behind the waiters' station.

"Hello Brianna, how are you doing on this fine evening?" I asked formally as was required in the job description. Brianna was much older than me seeing as she was 25 years old but she was only working here to help pay for college.

"I'm fine thank you, how about you?"

"I'm fine. Had a long day, but I'm here now so I don't really care. Such a shame that I have to be showing the people to their tables though, I prefer serving the food way more. Oh well, we can't have everything." I sighed and she smiled in return.

"No we can't," she agreed, looking out of the restaurant wistfully. "But never mind that, customers are coming." We served them just as we did to all the other people that came, and greeted them warmly, introducing ourselves, checking their names off, showing them to their tables.

At eleven o'clock I was starting to get tired but I held on. I swear, I should totally quit at the ice cream parlour - my feet wouldn't hurt nearly as much as they do now if I didn't have to stand around all day.

"Hello, and welcome to 'Le Gavroche' restaurant. My name is Brianna and this girl over here is Samantha. As soon as you give me your name I can tick you off the list and Samantha will show you to your table," Brianna said with a kind and friendly smile.

I looked up to see who she was greeting and then froze in place. I quickly wanted to die when I saw those grey ringed light green eyes. He was smirking when he realised who I was.

"I'm Mr. Brown, I've made reservations for eleven o'clock for a table of ten," Carter's dad said politely.

I swallowed and looked at all the people with him. Beside her husband stood Mrs. Brown who didn't seem to have aged a bit since I last saw her, looking beautiful as ever with her shoulder length straight blond hair which looked glossy even in the dimly lit restaurant. She was small and petite with an hour glass figure to die for but even with her small stature she was still a very intimidating woman, mostly due to the aura of power, confidence and grace that she gave off.

Behind them stood Carter, looking at me curiously with his arm securely wrapped around the girl's waist - the one he was with at the ice cream parlour -, his older brother Eric who looked so much more mature and older also stood there with his younger sister Cassandra holding his hand. However, she no longer looked so young. Now that I think about it she was not much younger than my own sister, Alyssa, who was fourteen, probably making his sister about eleven or twelve, but the last time I had seen Cassandra was almost seven years ago and she had still been a mere toddler then. I also saw another guy who looked around the same age as Eric.