Cocky Notes - Leesa Bow Page 0,15

heading home to bed. Thankfully, Lombardi’s is blocks away from the clubs. If trouble breaks out, we’re a safe distance from violence.

After parking out back in the staff carpark, I enter through the back door and pass Dominic chopping away with his prized knife. Piero stands at the stovetop. Two cooks today. I better check the notes in case I missed a birthday function.

“Morning.”

“Morning, beautiful Macy. The sun is shining for you,” Dominic sings.

“It’s barely up.” I laugh.

I place my bag in the office, read the notes from Oliver mentioning Dominic and Piero preparing samplers for a new menu

I head through to the dining room, fire up the computer and register, check off a list, and unlock the wooden front doors. A figure lying on the ground wrapped in a stained woollen blanket moves slightly. Salt and pepper hair covers his face, the same length as his beard.

“Harry, you don’t have to move yet.” My stomach sinks every time he’s out there. I reach into my pocket and pull out a ten-dollar note. “If you’re around the back at five, I can bring you some of the leftover food.”

He nods. “Thanks, Macy. I’ll get moving before your customers arrive.”

I don’t know his story. Only that he’s gentle and broke. Does he have family? I stop myself from going there and getting emotionally involved. I help where I can and offer kindness. Oliver doesn’t know I feed him. I’m not stealing. I give Harry the leftover food on use-by date, which will be thrown out.

“I’ll see you around five.” He hobbles away, backpack on his shoulder and a blanket over his arm.

My stomach’s tight after seeing Harry.

The morning lacks excitement for me without the footballers’ jovial voices echoing off the walls. Tables are filled, and I’m busy enough to keep my thoughts away from Reef. I keep looking at the table, his seat, where a teenage group sits.

I sigh, distracted. My infatuation is getting old. I should bang him and move on so I can focus on more important things.

I clear the tables for the guests who have been waiting outside. After taking their orders, Oliver calls me into his office and sends Tara, our casual waitress, out to cover for me.

“Have you noticed the line on the street?”

“Pretty hard not to. I’m doing my best for those who have finished to pay up and move on.”

“Yeah. But it’s not what I want. I like people to see us as a place to meet up. I’m looking to extend our dining to the street, but it will take months for the council to approve the application. What I am looking at is an external counter. And having someone permanently stationed on coffee so people can come and leave and not crowd the counter… remain outside.”

I nod. “Keep people happy. Good idea. Some only want coffee.”

“Yeah. I need a barista and someone to take orders so I can keep you on the floor because I’ve heard some of the footballers are coming to see you.”

Heat rises to my cheeks. “I don’t think that’s true.”

He chuckles. “Just telling you what I heard. And next weekend I have a table booked for Chance Bateman, a soccer player. Have you heard of him?”

“I have.”

“He’s meeting some people from interstate here, and I told them they could stay as long as they need. So, don’t try to boot them off the table.”

“Noted,” I say. Walking away, it clicks how he’s discussed plans of the business with me. As though I’m a responsible employee. Trusted. Reliable.

Maybe I don’t have to be like my mum.

Maybe I can be better.

So I can’t jeopardise my job by banging the customers.

On my day off, I live up to my new mantra and take Dad to the pool and let him check it out without forcing him to agree to anything. He walked in on his prosthetic leg. By the look on his, face he couldn’t walk fast enough out of there.

By Wednesday, my brave front has slipped a little when Reef waltzes in with his mates. I manage to get through the morning by asking Ava to wait on Reef’s table. It took all my strength not to meet his gaze when my body zinged with heat. I could finally breathe easy when they filed out the door—that is until Ava presented me with a folded piece of paper.

“Now I know where all the menus are disappearing.” She raises an eyebrow. “The surfy-looking dude asked me to give this to you.”

“Right.”