Strangely Normal - By Tess Oliver Page 0,82
to zero in less than a month.
The water pressure in the shower was as bad as the yellow apartment, but this would be worse because at home I hadn’t had to worry about rinsing the smell of greasy diner food off my skin. The television set looked like an antique, and the picture quality fit its ancient appearance. There were no books or magazines. I pulled open the covers on the bed and crawled under. I thought about Finley and wondered how she was doing. And I thought about Jude and how I’d never see him again, and I cried myself to sleep.
CHAPTER 24
After three days on the job, like any new animal in the herd, I’d set the tone between Megan and me. She’d made several attempts at trying to prove that she was in charge, but like with the tip ordeal, none of it worked. So she settled on just ignoring me, with only the occasional sneer and grunt of disapproval to connect us. Charlie and I, on the other hand, got along really well, even if she tended to be a bit silly at times.
Charlie and I were moving mindlessly through our morning routine, talking and laughing and taking advantage of the hour before Megan’s arrival.
“You know, Cody and I are going to this club tonight, and there’s this friend he’s been dying to match you up with,” Charlie said as she wiped off the napkin holders. “Trey is a total hottie, and I just know you’d love him. You two would be perfect for each other.”
I finished stacking menus and plopped them into the basket near the register. “That is really cool of you to think of me, Charlie, but I’m sort of just getting over something.”
“Oh, Sweetie, I had no idea. Was it a bad break up?”
I had to think about the question. It was hard to define something as a break up when there hadn’t truly been a relationship, but my heart had sure suffered the pain of a bad one. “Let’s just say it was complicated and definitely not something I ever want to relive.”
The door flew open and Megan came scurrying in looking as if a demon was chasing her. “Shit, why’d he have to be there today when my hair looks like crap?” She ran past us to the bathroom in the back.
Charlie glanced toward the window. “Her dream guy must have shown up to work. There’ll be no living with her today.”
The morning crowd was light which was good because Megan was too preoccupied with her hair and make-up to pay much mind to the few customers she had. This time I honestly could have been owed half her tips. Of course, I was fairly certain it would be minimal. Her customers had waited a ridiculous amount of time for their food, and she’d disappeared immediately after nearly throwing down the breakfast specials in front of two men. By the time she’d delivered it, the food was cold, and I’d had to deal with the complaint.
Megan popped out of the back without her apron and a shiny new layer of lipstick. “Cover my tables a second,” she called, “I’m going to the end of the block to get a paper.” She flew out of the diner as quickly as she’d entered.
“A second? I’ve been watching her tables all morning,” I said.
Charlie shook her head. “That girl has never read a paper in her life. She just wants to sashay past the construction site to catch his attention. Sort of like a peacock in heat.”
I laughed. “Well, for both our sakes, let’s hope he asks her out soon. Something tells me she’s the type of girl who can obsess about a guy.” I grabbed the coffee pot to refill the cups at Megan’s tables.
“You think? Gee, what gave it away?”
A few moments later, Megan came strolling back inside, humming to herself as she tied back on her apron.
“That’s a mighty small newspaper you picked up,” Charlie quipped. “Can’t even see it.”
Megan waved off the comment. “They were out of papers.”
Readying the diner for the lunch crowd was more of the same. Megan kept flitting over to the window to peer outside while Charlie and I picked up the slack. One day of this was amusing, but if this guy decided to keep showing up at the site, this whole thing could get old fast. Megan was obviously the type of person who took advantage of the fact that the owner rarely