‘My adopted mum and dad already had six children. Three older, three younger, and I slotted right in the middle.’
Isabella was starting to think she was in some kind of alternate universe.
Meryl carried on, chin up, eyes bright. ‘I’ve never waitressed but I know I’ll be good at it.’
The three remaining members of ‘the team’ looked at each other, waiting to see who’d go next. Isabella wondered what sort of ‘team’ this was going to be. She glanced at Amber again. Had she made a big mistake?
Next Naomi, who had set up a community network to check on your neighbours as a school project and it was still going five years later.
After her, Denzil, with a highly autistic son who had started at the local residential college and left him and his wife with an empty nest.
Lastly, a woman with sun-streaked hair and a smattering of freckles.
‘I’m Angie from Australia,’ she said with a broad grin. ‘I miss the sun!’ Everyone laughed. Isabella winced.
Not a single day of serving work between them. Nobody had ever taken an order or placed it with a kitchen. Nobody knew how to carry plates balanced up their arms or clear a table in one go. It was clear nobody knew how to tot up a bill, suggest a wine, or use a payment card machine.
Eight faces beamed at her. Amber nodded expectantly. Isabella blew out slowly.
‘Can I see you for a moment?’ she said, indicating the door with a nod of her head.
‘Be right back,’ Amber said happily to the team.
Isabella pulled the door shut behind them and they both stood in the empty shell of her kitchen.
‘What do you think?’ Amber asked, looking pleased with herself.
Isabella considered her words. She didn’t want to lose a friend.
‘They all seem like lovely people,’ she started.
‘Right.’ Amber nodded.
‘All with interesting backgrounds.’
‘I know,’ Amber agreed.
‘And you’ve obviously gone to great lengths to find them,’ Isabella said at the same time as wondering where on earth Amber had found such a random group of people.
‘They’re the best.’
‘But they’re not waiting staff.’ Isabella exhaled.
Amber’s wide eyes got wider. She blinked, once, twice. The silence grew between them, and Isabella imagined she could also hear the group in the restaurant holding its collective breath.
Amber laughed. In fact, she put her head back and roared. Then, clapping a hand to her mouth to hold it in, she reached her other hand out to Isabella, waving it up and down.
‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘You’re right.’ She let her own laughter die down and then wiped her eye. ‘They are not waiting staff.’
Isabella was now confused, conscious of the people in the next room that she was going to have to disappoint.
‘Not yet,’ Amber said. ‘They are not waiting staff–yet.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Isabella confessed. Amber took Isabella by the shoulder.
‘You hired me to run the waiting staff, right?’ She only paused long enough to see Isabella nod. ‘Well, we have four weeks until opening and I am the best waitress I know and I promise you I will make the greatest waiting team you have ever seen from this group of people.’
Amber’s sea blue eyes held Isabella’s.
