Greg appeared not to notice us.“Dishes are done for now,” he announced, stripping off a pair of bright yellow rubber gloves.“Want me to bring coffee around?See if anyone needs a refill.”
Balancing another full tray, Andie bit her lip as she scanned the diner.“That would be great, thanks.”
“You got it.”Greg grabbed a coffeepot.“I’ll brew more while I’m at it.”
Liam and I exchanged looks.
“Greg is helping?”I murmured.“Has he ever worked at a diner before?”
Liam shook his head.“His grandfather owned a restaurant, but he never mentioned working there.”
The smiling faces of nearly every resident of Carlisle Creek told me that even if he’d never waited tables before, he was doing just fine now.Greg laughed and chatted as he refilled coffees, so comfortable you’d think he’d worked in a small-town diner all his life.
Except for the suit.
And the ferret.
Other than those two minor things, he looked like he was born to do this.
“Hey.”Andie stopped next to our table, balancing an empty tray against her hip.“Sorry for skipping out on breakfast, especially after dragging you out of bed.When Carter and I got here, poor Dave was losing his mind trying to serve everyoneandcook.I couldn’t leave him to handle it alone.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said.“I’ve never seen it this busy.What’s going on?”
“No idea.Carla no-showed, but that’s not surprising.She misses more shifts than she works these days.But what’s weird is that Dottie’s not answering her phone.It’s just been me on the floor since I walked in.Greg showed up not long after I did, thank god.When he offered to help, I sent him straight to the dish pit.”
Liam still looked baffled.“Greg knows how to wash dishes?”
Andie grinned.“Well, they’re clean, so either he already knew how or he figured it out as he went.Whichever it was, I’m thankful.I think he even helped Dave with orders while he was back there.”
“Do you need more help?”I offered, unable to quell the guilt eating at me for sitting when she was clearly run off her feet.“I have some time before I need to be at the store.”
Andie shook her head.“Nah.We have it under control now.Besides, the breakfast rush is basically over.Everyone has their food.Now we just need to maintain.”
“You sure?”Liam asked.“I’d be happy to help.I’ve never worked in a restaurant, but I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty.”
Andie smiled and shook her head again.“I promise we’re good now.”
I smiled.“Well, in that case.I’m starving.”
I didn’t order my usual, lest it come out shaped like a giant penis again.In a restaurant full of nosy people, that would have been inviting an onslaught of invasive questions.Questions like, “Why is there a penis on your plate?”or, “Did you see that penis on your plate?”. Better to order something different and avoid the uncomfortable situation altogether.
While we waited for our food, Liam and I watched Greg bus tables like a pro, a grin on his face the whole time.
“Do you think something’s going on with those two?”Liam asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
I shrugged, determined to keep quiet about Andie’s attraction to Greg until she decided whether she wanted to do something about it.“No idea.Greg’s your friend.You tell me.”
Liam sipped his coffee, and his smile grew.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted.“But you can bet I’ll be finding out later.”He shook his head, amused.“I need to know what’s got him grinning like a lovesick fool.”
thirty-four
no answer
Liam
Afterweeksofsearching,I finally had a lead on a job.But I had to hurry if I wanted to make it back to the city in time.
