Carter Ortese is Trouble - completed (The Boys #1)

Chapter 19: Carter

"And for you?" I turn to the last person at the table, a seven year old girl who is red in the face, but seems determined to order for herself. She puts her fingers up to her mouth and hums like she's considering her options. There are three items on the kids menu. It's a big decision.

My phone buzzes in my pocket for the second time in five minutes. The only people who call me are Des and my mom, so the fact that someone has called twice has me on edge. I force myself to stay composed as the girl shrugs and giggles at her parents, showing off a gap-toothed smile.

"Tell him what you'd like to eat, honey," one of her fathers prompts.

She buries her face in her hands.

The vibration stops, but is followed by a quick buzz indicating a text. My instincts tell me it's my mom, and she'd only call me at work if something terrible happened. I need to see what's going on, but I'm strapped to the dining floor with two rules: no drinking and no phones.

"Would you like the grilled cheese?" I prompt.

She shakes her head no, and her face stays in her hands. Her giggles continue. Normally, this kind of thing amuses me. Shy kids are adorable, and their innocence is something I wish I still had. But right now, I need her order so I can step off the floor.

"Pizza?"

Another head shake.

"Ravioli?"

She peeks up at me from behind her hands. Bright brown eyes that match her hair perfectly.

"That's the one," I say. I turn back to her parents. "I'll have everything out in about fifteen minutes. Salad will be here in five."

"Thank you," the other father says, squeezing his little girl's hand. "That wasn't so bad, right?"

I walk away from the table and place the order into our system. My fingers won't move across the keys fast enough, but when I'm finally done, I find Des at the drink station. "Can you get two glasses of house red and a lemon lime for table thirty-one?"

"Why? Where are you going?"

"I need five. Someone keeps calling me."

Des narrows his eyes. "No one calls you."

"Exactly, that's why I need five."

He shrugs, pulling the cork out of the house red. "You owe me."

"Sure, whatever. Next party of ten, send them my way."

Every server hated waiting on large parties. Our restaurant only required ten percent gratuity of tables ten or more, and while some people left a larger tip than that, it was rare. Ten percent was never enough to offset how frustrating large groups of people were.

"Deal." Des starts pouring out the two glasses of wine, and I head into the back alley.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I slide it on and see two missed calls and a text from Emma. Not my mom.

The text says, Call me, please.

Three simple words, and yet, my heart is thrumming. Did I do something wrong? Or is she one of those needy girls Des talks about, where if you don't answer on the first ring they think you're hooking up with someone else? I've never dated anyone, so I don't know what to expect.

I call Emma back and lean against the cool bricks as her phone rings. The sun's already set and a briskness wraps around the air, leaving me feeling chilled despite being so hot inside the restaurant.

Emma picks up on the second ring. "Carter?"

"Hey," I say, trying to sound casual, like I don't care if she's about the break it off with me. There wouldn't be any other reason for her to call. She's realized that dating the "bad boy" is more trouble than I'm worth.

"Can I come see you?" Her voice switches to this small, insignificant thing.

"What?"

"Can I see you?" Her voice cracks, edging on tears.

"I heard you. I mean, now?" I curse at myself for how callous I sound, especially after she stays silent on the other end. Forget this nonchalant thing. "Sorry. What I should ask is are you okay?"

There's a long pause, so long that I look at my phone to make sure we're still connected.

"... No."

"Okay ..." I think about my next words carefully. She's not elaborating, and I'm not sure why. "I'm at work, but I want to be here for you. What do you need? What do you want me to do?"

There's another long stretch of silence, and I can hear her shaking breaths on the other end.

"When are you done with work? Can I come pick you up?" There's so much pain in her tone, and I wish I could blow off the rest of my shift, but I need my job.

"At nine thirty. Emma, what happened?"

"I'll see you then." The line cuts out, but the panic in her voice follows me into the silence.

I slide my phone back into my pocket and rest my head on the wall. I'm not sure what happened today, but Emma sounds terrible. The last thing I suspected was her to actually need me. No one calls me, no one relies on me, and no one puts their faith in me. Why would anyone bother?

I'm not used to being needed, and it's a strange feeling. I wonder how broken of a person I really am, to be so used to no one trusting me.

Des opens the door and clears his throat. "You coming back? I know it hasn't been five minutes, but those guys keep looking around like they need something, and kids creep me out."

"How is it possible that you are scared of a little girl?"

"Kids are weird, okay? They are like little tiny people who don't know the concepts of life and don't understand what anything is and are excited about the world."

"That's exactly what kids are," I say, laughing. "And how is that scary?"

"It's not scary, it's creepy. There's a difference." Des shakes his head and shuts the door.

I push myself off the wall and head back inside to the restaurant. The noise hits me like a wave, from the clanging of pots and pans in the dish area to the volume of conversation in the dining room.

I want to protect Emma, and it's making me edgy. I'm frustrated that I can't be there for her now, and that she wouldn't tell me anything over the phone. I grab the food for my table, wondering how I got here. I never wanted to make any attachments. I never wanted to get involved.

I deliver their meal to the table with a forced smile, and the girl beams up at me with her tongue sticking out from between the gap in her teeth.

"What do you say?" one of her parents asks.

"Thank you," she whispers.

"You're welcome."

As I walk up to the new table that our host seat, I realize the reason I took a chance on Emma Williams. She has always been the girl. One of those childhood crushes that never went away. I watched her beauty from afar and never thought I had a chance. Everyone knew who Emma was—the band geek, the stable student—just like everyone knew who I was. But hearing her on the phone, I realize she's nothing like her reputation either. None of us are who we seem to be on the surface.

I want to help her. This singular desire curls into the pit of my stomach and rests there for the remainder of my shift, only leaving once I see her car pull into the parking lot long after the lights of our restaurant have shut down. I get into the passenger's side door, and I only have to see her face for a second to realize that something is tremendously wrong.

- - -

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote if you enjoyed the chapter! And follow me for updates!

Stay tuned for Emma's chapter up next! How much is she going to confide in Carter? And how will Carter react now that he has someone who actually needs him?