The Job

When the waitress came around again, Addie flagged her down.  “Are you guys hiring, by chance?”  She refrained from using her gift.  Addie had discovered in the past that it became too complicated when she created lasting opportunities for herself, like jobs or housing, using her gift.  She had to continue to keep using her gift and that was physically draining. 

The girl genuinely smiled back at Addie, looking her over.  Addie knew what she saw.  She was taller than average, very thin and had long, blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun.  The jeans and hoodie she wore were clean, courtesy of the creek a few miles from here, but old and faded. 

“As a matter of fact, yes.  Finish your pancakes and you can start immediately.  I’m cook, waitress and manager.  I need some help.”

Addie laughed.  “Thank you!  I’m not sure what kind of cook I am but I am willing to learn.  I also have waitressing experience.”  She gave the girl a wide grin.  “I’m Addie.”

“Noel.”  She smiled and moved off to take another person’s order.

Addie finished her pancakes quickly and cleared her dishes.  She slipped into the back and put them into the large stainless-steel sink with the industrial sprayer over the top.  Noel came back and quickly cracked two eggs on the steaming grill, smacking the yolks with the side of the spatula. 

“Aprons over there,” she pointed over her left shoulder.  “Notepads under the register.  You know how to work a credit card machine?”  Addie nodded in affirmation, grabbing the apron and tying it behind her back before starting to fill the sink with hot water and a squirt of dishsoap.  Noel looked at her approvingly, busy at the griddle.  Addie slipped out to the main part with her notepad to greet the customers that just came through the door. 

Three weeks later Noel and Addie had a groove going.  They worked six days a week from 8am to 3pm.  Addie worked up front taking care of customers and Noel in the back doing the cooking.  They cleaned up after the sift together before going home for the day.  The girls had an easy relationship with each other, even though Noel was six years older than Addie. 

Noel had even helped Addie find a place to stay, a room over a garage on the outskirts of town.  The garage was owned by a bit of a busy body, but she was kind and Addie didn’t mind her prying.  She had gotten her story down over the last seven years and it easily rolled off her tongue.  When she got tired of the prying, she would use her gift and suggest Eve head back to her own house.  Eve always did.

“Double stack pancakes, bacon and taters!”  Addie called back to Noel. 

“Got it!” she chimed back.  Addie grabbed the coffee carafe and made her circuit, refilling coffee, fetching the sugar and getting more syrup for the family of five that was traveling through.

“Yo, Addie!”  Noel beckoned from the back.  Addie sauntered over and saw that Noel had already started prepping for the change over from breakfast to lunch.  “Hey, Ben screwed up the last delivery.  I got a ton of pork chops that we need to use up so now it’s today’s special.  Start pushing them.” 

“Will do!”  Addie went back out front and greeted the couple that just walked through the door.  She checked the clock above the cash register.  10:30. That was late enough for lunch.

Unfortunately, the pork chop special was not a hit.  By noon, Addie had sold a grand total of zero pork chop dinners.  Noel was frustrated and worried about the cost and the waste.  Addie decided to up her game.

When the next group came in, Addie smiled at the two couples, using her gift.  “Hi!  I’m Addie.  Our special today is the pork chop dinner.  You will love it!  You should order the special!” 

Four pork chop specials!  Noel was tickled.  The next two hours, Addie continued to push the pork chop specials with her gift.  When the rush died down, she checked with Noel.  The surplus was almost gone.

“Girl!  You are one hell of a saleswoman!”  Noel was pumped.  Addie was tired with a bit of a headache from overusing her gift, but she was glad she made Noel happy.  The bell above the door chirped again and Addie headed out to push a few more pork chop dinners on unsuspecting diners.

The two men had already seated themselves in a corner booth, surveying the diner.  It was almost empty, and Addie hurried over to take their order.  She gave them the same spiel about the pork chops and took their order for the special.  She noticed them watching her every move.  It was creepy, especially since they were quite a bit older than she was. 

When she brought them their meals, she leaned over the table to serve them and realized she could smell their wolves.  She was surprised; she thought she was the only werewolf in Joshton.  Perhaps they were just passing through.  That also explained why they wouldn’t stop looking at her.  They could smell her wolf.

Making herself busy behind the counter, she watched them under her eyelashes.  After her parents were killed, all of Addie’s interactions with Shifters hadn’t been kind.  She shuddered remembering a rogue run in at a small town near the ocean.  She barely escaped and it took her a long time to heal from her wounds because she hadn’t gotten her wolf yet.  If she hadn’t kept up on her training, well, she didn’t want to think about what might have happened. 

The two men in the booth looked scary and she didn’t want to mess with them.  She made up her mind to stay as far away from them as possible.