“Well, it was the Hail Mary we needed. I don’t know what the hell those weirdos are doing over there but they’re a real fucking problem.”
I set the ticket down and stared at him for a second. Aside from the basichey, how’s it going, Devon and I didn’t talk much. This was neither the night nor the topic for us to start. “What, exactly, is the problem with them?”
Devon waved a hand in Naked’s direction. “They’re fucking up the whole service with this shit! When we finally get guests seated, they’re pissed and taking it out on us in shitty tips. It’s total bullshit. This is usually one of my best weekends of the year and those woo-woo girls are screwing it all up.”
Another server—one of the Emilys or Everleighs—grabbed her order, saying, “If you spent less time complaining to anyone who’d listen and more time keeping the drinks filled, you wouldn’t be having that problem.”
It was a damn good thing we hired her. Whatever her name was.
“You know I’m right.” Devon glared after her. “You know all about it,” he said as if we’d shared some confidence on the matter.
I didn’t really trust myself to continue this conversation but that didn’t stop me from asking, “What is it you think I know?”
“You know they’re totally psycho. You’ve seen it firsthand. You know their whole nice-and-friendly thing is bullshit.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Let me invite you to watch your mouth.”
“Hey.” Parker sidled up beside me, a warning glint in his eye. “I don’t know what’s going on but I spotted that throbbing vein in your forehead from across the room.”
“Mymouth? Have you heard the shit that comes out of them?” Devon asked, jabbing a finger toward the café. “Since you don’t know, I’ll tell you. They’re two-faced bitches. They act sweet as can be but they’re cold, miserable cunts the minute you turn your back on them.” His eyes gleamed as he went on. “You know how it is with them. The little one is always getting in your face like a fucking nag.” He shook his head like he was truly exhausted by the café’s existence. “Someone needs to shut her up.”
I blinked at him as adrenaline spiraled through my body. As much as I wanted to grab him by the throat and throw him off the deck, I had three hundred people in the dining room and an FBI agent parked at the bar. Dunking this asshole in the cove would not help the Loew family reputation. And it needed all the help it could get.
I leaned close to Devon. “Get the fuck out of here. Now.”
“So, we’re doing this,” Parker murmured.
Devon laughed as he lifted the tray. “You have a strange sense of humor, man. What are those girls to you anyway? Everyone knows that coffee place will be out of business by the end of the summer. Believe me, I have it on good authority that it’s gonna go down that way. Then you can bulldoze the whole place.”
I handed his tray to Parker. “Take this to forty-two,” I said without looking away from Devon. “I meant what I said. You’re finished here.”
“What the fuck?” he sputtered. “What’s your deal?”
“There’s no deal. You’re fired.”
It took a second for the words to land, but when they did, fury burned in his eyes. His hands balled at his sides and he squared up as if he was ready to let those fists fly. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
I brought my hands to my hips. “You know precisely who I am. There’s no confusion about that or whether I have the authority to clean this house from top to bottom. Now, you ignored my first recommendation to shut the hell up and that was a mistake of your own choosing. Let’s not do that again. You’re leaving and you’re going to do it without being a misogynistic jackass if you have any intention of ever working in another restaurant on this end of the Atlantic.”
I registered too late the quiet in both the dining room and the kitchen. Everyone was staring. Both Zeus and Mel moved toward me,what the hellin their eyes. Price stood near the entrance to the kitchen, a hand extended toward a server as if to tell her to stay put.
“It’s the middle of the fucking service,” Devon said loud enough for all to hear. “Get over yourself and let me get back to my guests.”
“What did I just say about that?” I motioned Zeus over. “That won’t be happening because I fired you. Zeus is going to walk you out and you aren’t going to give him any shit. Take that advice, Devon. It’s the last thing you’ll get from me.”
I wasn’t the only one amazed when Devon stalked out of the kitchen without a word. There was plenty of sneering and glaring but at least he was quiet about it.
“Hey.” Mel came up beside me. “I’m sure you have some watertight reasons for everything that just occurred in front of all these people and I’m gonna want to hear about it later but I need his tables covered immediately. We’re stretched too thin to redistribute and we’re cranking as hard as we can so—”
“I’ll take them.” I reached for the dishes now waiting on the pass. I didn’t know where they were going but I’d figure it out just like everything else in this damn place.
“Are you sure you can do this without inviting anyone to fuck off?” Mel asked. “Because I feel like that’s where you’re at right now.”
“I got it.” I met Parker’s gaze from across the room. He rolled his eyes and made a jerk-off motion, which allowed for many interpretations. He’d have to explain that one to me back at home. “Maybe I’ll finally learn a thing or two.”
* * *
The evening flewby but it was the longest service I’d ever worked at the oyster company—and that was saying something because I’d worked a whole lot of nights in this place.
