Small Town Gossip

Chapter 25

    Addy took a deep breath. “You can do this,” she told herself. She squared her shoulders back and pasted on a bright smile. She adjusted her apron strings and walked out from the back of the bar with a bounce in her step. Carolina and Didi had repeatedly told her that a positive attitude would yield more tips. Addy scowled at their advice, but Carolina tried to put in a different light.

    “Think of it as acting. You aren’t really interested in what they have to say, but you gotta act like it’s the highlight of your day.”

    Didi, the other waitress, nodded in agreement. They both tried to give Addy some encouragement. Addy tried to be likable and charming. But being a waitress at Sweet Hannigan’s just plain sucked.

    “Miss!” a middle aged woman with frizzy hair snapped her fingers at Addy. Addy felt her hands twitch, but she reminded herself that choking a customer would definitely get her fired. “Sweet” Stanley Hannigan wouldn’t care if it was completely justified. He barely accepted that Addy had seriously applied for the job.

    Addy remembered how he crossed his beefy arms and stared her down. Carolina had come to her rescue by reminding Stanley that Addy had successfully completed anger management courses and that she knew how to mix drinks. Stanley reluctantly accepted her on as a waitress, and he made it clear that despite Addy’s skills in bartending, she was only going to bring the drinks to customer’s tables.

    Addy understood this was part of the test. Starting off as a waitress didn’t bring in the tips like mixing drinks, but Carolina reassured her that if he kept at it, then Stanley would get over his prejudice against her.

    So Addy was trying.

    The frizzy haired woman snapped at her again. “Miss! I’ve been waiting for my refill on our Diet Cokes for at least fifteen minutes.”

    Addy slammed the pitcher of soda down on the table. The dark brown liquid sloshed over the rim and dripped down the table. The woman raised her eyebrows and Addy tried muttering an apology. She grabbed a wet rag hanging off of her apron and wiped it up. Before she walked away from the table, Addy overheard the customer whisper bitch.

    Addy turned around quickly and was about to raise hell when Carolina grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her into the break room.

    “What the hell is the matter with you? You can’t be losing your temper on the floor like that!”

    “Did you hear what she called me?” Addy demanded.

    Carolina shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. When you’re working, you get used to all sorts. You learn to smile through any hiccups and then bless their little hearts.”

    “There is not enough money in this world to make this job bearable.”

    Carolina lifted one shoulder. “At least Stanley comes through with the money he promises.” She strolled past Addy but turned around at the last second. “You can do this, Addy. You just gotta learn to control that temper.” She offered her friend a faint smile and went back to the job.

    Addy swallowed down her words. She didn’t tell anyone that she had the check for $25,000 dollars in her hand and then gave it up. She didn’t want to be for sale, and she sure as hell didn’t want to be bought by the Clarke family. Carolina might have understood, but even just telling her about the incident made Addy feel ashamed.

    And Carolina was saving her from unemployment and homelessness at the moment. She hadn’t been home in over two weeks. The night she came from the Halbrook Resort, she hitchhiked her way into town and tried to get back to her car. It was already towed for illegal parking, and Addy needed enough money to get it out. She didn’t want to deal with anyone, including her mama, so she asked Carolina if she could stay with her. Luckily, Carolina’s family had left for a month-long trip to Wisconsin for a visit to their grandmother.