Lana turned out to be a woman in her forties, sharp-eyed and no-nonsense, who looked Jade over like she was inventory.
“You’re the new one,” she said.“Jade, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Jade said with a nod.
“Wolf’s girl?”
Jade’s spine stiffened.“No.I’m not his anything.”
Lana raised a brow, as if she didn’t quite believe her.
“I’m just here to waitress,” Jade added.
A beat.Then Lana nodded, like that answer worked well enough.
“All right,” she said.“You’ve got some experience?”
“Diner,” Jade replied.“Waitressing since I graduated high school.”
“Good.”Lana handed her an apron.“Then you already know how this works.Drinks, food, stay out of the way when things turn chaotic.”
Jade took the apron, fingers tightening around the fabric.
“When things get chaotic?”she repeated.
Lana twitched her mouth.“You’ll figure it out,” she said.
“Great,” Jade muttered under her breath.That was one thing she didn’t need to worry about at her old job.Sure, there was the occasional brawl or misunderstanding, but that seldom happened.
Jade tied the apron around her waist, grounding herself in the familiar motion.She told herself she was merely doing the same job in a different setting, that was all.
She soon found out that was a naive way of thinking.The difference hit her the moment she stepped back onto the floor.At the diner, people complained about coffee being cold.Here, voices carried an edge.Laughter was louder, sharper.The air felt thicker, heavier with something unspoken.
Men looked at her openly ...not all of them, of course.Some barely spared her a glance, but enough did.Beneath curiosity, there was something else.Interest, but Jade chose to ignore it.She focused on the orders Lana rattled off, on the simple act of moving from one table to the next.
“You’re the new girl.The one Wolf brought over.”
The voice came from her left, and Jade turned.
A scantily-clad woman leaned against the bar, red hair spilling over her shoulders, eyes sharp and assessing.Jade didn’t know her name yet, but she knew the type.A confident club whore who was comfortable here.Jade didn’t like the way the red-head looked her over.
“Yeah, what of it?”Jade asked.
“Name’s Cherry.How’d you end up here?”Cherry asked.“We don’t usually get your type.”
“My type?”Jade knew she should just ignore Cherry’s comment and keep on working.
“You know, boring girls,” Cherry said with a shrug.
“Needed a job,” she said.
Cherry smiled slightly, and it wasn’t kind.“Sure.”
She leaned in a little closer, putting Jade in some discomfort.Jade was tempted to take a step back, but that would make her appear she was giving in, and Jade couldn’t have that.She needed to show everyone here she wasn’t a pushover.
“So how did you and Wolf meet?”Cherry asked.
“None of your business,” Jade said.
