Strangely Normal (21 page)

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 came in to check on things. And she had no qualms about letting Charlie and I do her share of the work. But I wasn’t going to put up with it for long.

The cook, Garth, rarely asked for help, but I’d volunteered to help cut tomatoes and wash lettuce before the lunch crowd. I’d just finished with the last head of lettuce as the first of the lunch wave started streaming in. The energy and tension surrounding Megan was palpable and it seemed this would be a rather entertaining shift.

“He’s coming,” she squealed to Charlie and then she raced back to the bathroom to check her hair and make-up. Seconds later, she emerged finely tuned and ready to attack. She tied on her apron, took a deep breath, and walked out of the kitchen area.

I piled the lettuce in the colander. “Well, Garth, I need to get out front.”

“Thanks for your help, Eden.”

I tied on my apron, plucked some menus from the basket, and showed a handful of customers to a table. “I’ll be right back with some water.” I walked behind the counter and leaned down to grab out some glasses. As I straightened, two of the glasses slipped from my hand and bounced off the rubber work mat. Jude looked as shocked as I felt. We stared at each other for a moment, and Megan caught the intense but silent exchange. She slid past me and whispered into my ear. “Hands off, Bitch.”

I ignored her warning and walked over to Jude. “How is she?” I asked.

His gaze drifted over my face as if he was painting a picture in his mind. “She’s doing better. She’s on some medication, but it’s too early to tell how well it’s working. She misses you.” His long lashes dropped down, and he looked at his plate a moment before looking back up at me. “I miss you.”

Megan came up behind me. “Uh, table three is waiting for their order,” she said sharply.

I turned away and tried to get back to work but it was a struggle. My hands were shaking from the brief encounter and just seeing him again had sent my adrenaline into overdrive. I snuck around the corner to the kitchen to gather my composure before attempting to carry hot plates of food. I braced my hands on the work counter, closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths to calm myself, but Megan came back to find me, obliterating my attempt.

“I knew you were a snake the second I saw you,” Megan sneered. Her ridiculous drama was the last thing I needed.

“Not now, Megan.” I took one last steadying breath and steeled myself against the fact that Jude was sitting at the counter just a few feet away from the food window. Without glancing his way, I scooted to the window and grabbed the three plates, hoping they were the meals my customers had ordered.

My mind was in a flurry of emotion. Miraculously, I delivered the plates to the table without dropping them. Megan was leaning over the counter pouring Jude another cola. She had a smile plastered across her face as she talked to him. I was actually grateful that she was keeping him occupied.

The remainder of the lunch hour was a blur. Somehow I’d managed to serve my tables with only one or two casualties, including a plate of wheat toast and a jar of strawberry jam. Jude sat at the counter for an hour, and I could feel his gaze on me every time I returned to the food window. But I didn’t look at him. Looking at him meant breaking down my resistance. Of course, ignoring his presence was a bit like ignoring a giant, glowing meteor sitting in the center of the room.

Megan watched me with a hawkish stare, and I wondered how she’d managed to get any other customers served with the amount of attention she was paying to the one at the counter. From the corner of my eye, as I reset a table with utensils, I saw Jude pay at the register. Megan laughed wildly about something he said. He was leaving and I had no idea if I’d see him again. My willpower failed and I looked his way. He headed to the door but stopped and looked back at me long and hard before walking out. The breath I’d been holding flowed out of me. Megan had caught the exchange but this time looked more defeated than angry.

I was relieved when the last of the lunch rush had dwindled. My heart had finally settled to a steady beat, and the absurd trembling in my hands had finally gone away. But I desperately needed a moment alone.

“Charlie, I’m going to take a quick break,” I said and slid into the restroom. The cool water from the sink did nothing to stop the tears that burned my eyes. I sat there alone for a good ten minutes sorting out everything that was going on in my head.

At one point, I convinced myself that I’d overreacted and that I shouldn’t have walked out on them. But then I would replay the horrible moments when Jude had blamed me for everything, and I went right back to feeling justified in having left.

I stepped out of the bathroom still in a haze of mind debates when Charlie grabbed my arm and pushed me back inside. She shut the door behind her. “What on earth was that all about?” she asked.

“What are you talking about?”

“Megan is so pissed, she’s ready to spit bullets.”

“So what else is new? What has
you
in such a lather?” Charlie often didn’t make sense when she explained things, but this was silly even for her.

“Well, he gave Megan a really big tip and everything, so he must like her. But the guy didn’t take his eyes off you the entire time.” She took advantage of our cozy meeting in the crummy little bathroom to check her hair in the mirror. “And, boy, did Megan notice. She was shooting death rays out of those blue eyes of hers all the way across the dining room.”

“He tipped her big because he’s rich, and he was watching me because we know each other. I used to work for his dad.” I decided not to say anymore. I’d signed a stupid contract when I got hired on that basically told me to seal my mouth shut about the family business even after I left their employment. I was regretting everything about the job now.

“He’s rich?” Apparently that was the only piece of my confession that’d caught her attention. “No wonder he hands out twenty dollar bills like they are quarters.”

“Don’t tell Megan. It’ll only make her more rabid about him. Let her think it’s because he likes her. That will make life easier for all of us.” I reached for the doorknob hoping our clandestine meeting was over.

“Just watch yourself around her, Eden. She can be real mean when she wants, and after today, I think she’s gonna have it out for you.”

Charlie had been right about Megan’s anger. The glares she impaled me with could have cut glass. She finally finished her work and threw her apron dramatically on the hook. “I’m out of this hell hole for the day.” In case we hadn’t realized that she was mad, she made a point of smacking the door open as she left.

My shoulders relaxed. I couldn’t have been happier to see the backside of her.

“She’s not going far,” Charlie commented as she finished sweeping.

“What do you mean? Does she live nearby?” That thought bugged me.

“No, she lives across town, but when she gets a good tip, she goes next door to the bar and hangs out with some of the creeps over there. Sometimes the construction workers head over there after work to play pool and have beers . . . including you-know-who.” Charlie went to the door and peeked out. “But I don’t see his motorcycle out there, so he must have skipped it today.”

It was stupid for me to even think about it or care about it, but I wondered if Jude had been playing pool, possibly even with my new nemesis Megan, the night of the disastrous cookie party.

I helped Rick finish the pots and pans, and Charlie took off to go visit her mother. The quiet in the shop once everyone had gone was comforting but lonely. I went upstairs to shower and halfway through the torturously slow trickle of water, I decided I needed to hear my mom’s voice.

I towel-dried my hair, combed it back, and stuck some coins into the pocket of my jeans. Work had slowed across the street, and I didn’t see any sign of Jude. I locked the diner behind me and then headed to the phone booth.

I’d barely reached the first corner of the bar when Megan stepped out onto the sidewalk with two guys sporting greasy hair and an array of tattoos. She’d changed into a very small tank top and shorts. Her long nails were gripped around one of the guy’s arms.

“Ooh, look what the diner coughed up,” Megan sneered.

I ignored her and focused on my phone booth destination. She muttered something to the guys, and they all had a good round of laughter over her clever comments, whatever they were. I tucked myself into the booth and took a surreptitious glance toward the bar. Thankfully, they’d gone back inside.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Mom.”

“Edie! Is everything all right?”

I’d worked up an enthusiastic
yes
, but there was no way I could fake feelings with my mom.

“Edie,” she repeated in a tone that assured me she knew everything was not fine.

“I’m lonely, Mom, but I think I’m going to try and stick this out for a bit longer. But . . .”

“But, nothing. Edie come home now. It’s so nice up here. The cabin is small, but we can take turns sleeping on the floor.”

The lump in my throat made it hard to talk. “How are Janie and Sophie?”

“Janie took a walk with your dad and Sophie’s sleeping. She got stung by a bee, so she’s sleepy from the Benadryl.”

“Is she all right?”

“She’s fine.” She chuckled into the phone. “But by the way she howled, I was sure she’d lost a limb or something. Scared the crap out of me. She went to pick a wildflower and the bee surprised her.”

“Sounds like she surprised the bee.”

Mom chuckled again, and I realized I totally missed our laugh sessions. There was a long pause, and even though we were both silent, it felt as if we were speaking to each other.

“Mom, I’ve got to try this being on my own thing for awhile longer.”

“I know, Edie. But come home if it doesn’t work out.”

“I will. Kiss everyone for me.”

I skirted back past the bar as quickly as possible. Something about Megan’s two unsavory buddies had me feeling uneasy. Suddenly, I was acutely aware of how alone I was, and Charlie’s warning about Megan splashed through my mind. I quickly unlocked the door, scooted inside, and turned to shut the door but a boot stopped my process. I froze in alarm until I recognized the green eyes staring back at me through the opening.

“Shit, Jude, you scared me.” He stepped inside. I locked the door behind him and pressed my face against the window to peer down the sidewalk to the bar. There was no one out front.

“Who are you looking for?” Jude asked.

“Megan, the girl I work with. She hates me, and now she really hates me, so the last thing I need is for her to see me talking to you.”