More customers arrived, and then a party of ten showed up. Allison and Tom worked at lightning speed, trying to get all ten dinner orders ready at approximately the same time. Finally,four cheeseburgers, a grown-up grilled cheese, two lasagnas, a slice of meatloaf, and two orders of the pastrami sandwich special were ready, and Alexis and two other servers teamed up to bring them to the party of ten.
“Whew,” Allison said, wiping her forehead and leaning against the counter for a moment. “That was a lot.”
“Hey, team!” Vivian Owens stepped into the kitchen, smiling and looking cheerful. “How are things going in here?”
“Counting the hours until brownie sundaes,” Allison said with a wink.
“I’m always counting the hours until my next brownie sundae.” Vivian laughed. “Tom, people are raving about that new sauce you made for the pastrami sandwich special. Can you replicate it for next time?”
“You got it, boss.” He grinned, pleased. “I’m glad they like it.”
The hustle and bustle of the evening continued. Tom had learned long ago how to enjoy the rush, as if it was a roller coaster of adrenaline that he was riding on. His hands flew and his mind buzzed as he kept track of various cook times while starting to prepare new orders. He and Allison had each other’s backs, and they were often calling out to each other, asking if the other could “flip over those hamburgers” or “lay out the toast for that tuna melt.”
When the dinner rush was finally slowing down a little, he saw two familiar faces walk past the order window.
“Hey, Hazel! Hi, Noelle!” he called out. “Get the pastrami sandwich special. I made a new sauce.”
Hazel Dorsey was another one of the Owens girls, and Noelle was soon to be a part of the Owens family as well. Hazel had recently eloped with her high school crush and now faithful partner Jacob, and Noelle was preparing to marry Hazel’s twin brother Dean, who she was head over heels for. Dean ran the local mechanic shop, and of all the Owens, Tom was the closestto him. They’d gone on a few fishing trips together, and Dean had brought Tom’s thirty-year-old truck back from the dead more than once.
Noelle gasped eagerly. “I love pastrami! Thanks for the heads up.”
“I’ll taste Noelle’s,” Hazel promised. “I’ve been craving chicken pot pie all day, sorry, Tom.”
He laughed. “Suit yourself. I don’t blame you—our chicken pot pie is heavenly.”
He’d tweaked the recipe several years earlier and it was now a creamy, flavorful masterpiece encased in a flaky, buttery pastry.
The two soon-to-be sisters sat down together at a booth and Alexis scampered up to them, looking happy to wait on her family. A moment later, she glanced toward the kitchen.
“Hey, Tom!” she called to him. “Go tell Julia that it’s high time she came out of her cave. Hazel and Noelle are here to eat with her.”
“She’s still working?” he asked, surprised as he glanced at the clock.
Historically, Julia was a determined, hard-working woman who had stayed late at the pub many times in order to spruce up their marketing game and repair the finances that had been in shambles after Frank Owens’ passing. Both the marketing and the finances were now in excellent shape, however, and Tom felt surprised that she was working so late. Especially considering that she was pregnant and everyone, including him, had been urging her to take it easier and get more rest.
“Sure thing!” he called back, grabbing his water bottle and setting off in the direction of The Lighthouse Grill’s office. He gulped down water as he walked, since multitasking and dinner rushes always went hand in hand.
He knocked gently on the office door, which was ajar.
“Come in!” Julia called out. She didn’t sound stressed, Tom noted, just distracted. That was good.
“Hey,” he said, pushing open the door. “Your sisters are here wanting to eat dinner with you.”
“What?” she gasped and glanced at the clock. “Oh, man. Thanks for letting me know, Tom. I swear this baby has completely messed with my internal clock.” She looked down at her stomach as she said it, smiling in a way that implied she found the baby to be more than worth it.
“Why are you working so much today?” he asked as she stood up. She was wearing a comfy-looking royal blue maternity dress, and her long dark hair was pinned back in a simple up-do with a gold hair clip. Julia had lived in New York for many years before returning to Rosewood Beach to take over the pub’s finances after her father’s untimely passing, and her fashionable, put-together style still reflected her city life a little.
“Well, I’m getting ahead actually,” she said with a laugh as she changed out of a pair of squishy-slippers and put on loafers. “I wanted to finish up all of the work that I needed to do tomorrow so that I don’t have to come in. I’m just about finished, so I can finish the rest of it on Monday.”
“That’s more like it.” He grinned at her. “You take that three-day weekend, Mama-to-be.”
She smiled at him. “Thanks, Tom. I hear you’ve concocted another sauce worthy of being the talk of the town. I’ll have to try it.”
“You should. Does pastrami sound like it’ll satisfy a pregnancy craving?”
“Oh, yes. My cravings have been very savory. Pastrami sounds incredible.”
Tom and Julia left the office, and she scurried out to the dining room, where her sisters hugged her and ushered her into a seat as if she was ill and had been walking for hours.He chuckled as he watched them all lean in and begin to discuss something excitedly. As soon as he saw Hazel produce a notebook and start jotting things down, he felt sure that they were planning Noelle’s upcoming wedding to Dean.
