Something Sweet

Ch. 2

3 p.m. It's time to load up the van with all of the food and drinks and head to the venue to set up and start cooking. Guests are supposed to start arriving at 5pm and will be expecting drinks upon arrival and hors d'oeuvres. The Jennings have rented out the outdoor grassy area on a bluff overlooking the ocean of Crystal Waters Country Club.

We pass the main entrance where there's a line of Mercedes, Porsches, and Teslas waiting to be valeted. We will not be getting our grey van with "M&M Gourmet Catering" emblazoned on the side in elegant cursive valet parked. We'll be going to the service entrance where other workers enter because god forbid we use the same doors as the guests.

"Mrs. Lee, great to see you again," the events manager says as we get out of the van.

"Gerard, I told you to please call me Molly," my mom laughs. "We've known each other for how long?"

"A long time," he chuckles. "What can I help you with?"

"We've got all the food here to unload and continue to prep. If you can direct us to where we should set up that'd be great."

"Of course, we've got a tent, tables, the grills, and outdoor refrigerator for you all set up in the event space out back. Come, I'll show you."

Mom and one of her other employees followed Gerard to check out the space. I was tasked with helping the others to unload the van.

After 10 minutes of unloading I'd worked up a sweat with all the heavy lifting and organizing. It doesn't help that our uniform is all black and the August sun is beating down on me.

"Hey hey, I'm here!" Anna says rushing around the van and tucking her black uniform shirt into her black pants.

"How convenient that you get here after we finish unloading." I roll my eyes at my best friend and co-worker.

"Oh damn, did I miss that?" She feigns disappointment.

Anna is one of my best friends. We go to school together and last year she got a job working part time for my mom. She had told me in art class that she was looking for something part time and was applying to be a waitress at a few different restaurants in town. I told her my mom was looking for more servers if she was interested and the rest is history. We've seen a lot together in the past year and a half. Weddings, bar mitzvahs, sweet 16s, and the sadder things like seeing people left at the altar or even funerals. She also knows this party is for the Jennings and that we'll see kids from school here. The difference between Anna and me is that she doesn't give a shit about them. Then again, she doesn't have the same history as I do with some of them.

"I'm going to tell my mom you were late and that she should dock your pay."

"Go ahead and I'll tell her what happened to that extra plate of cranberry brie bites at the Schafer wedding last weekend," she cocked an eyebrow at me.

"You ate half the plate so you'd just be telling on yourself," I laugh.

"She doesn't have to know that!"

I chuckle, "Let's go. My mom's checking out the food stations. The guys can push all the food out there." I look back and see the guys strapping all the boxes to the carts so they don't fall over between here and the food stations.

"Any sign of perfect miss Paris yet?"

"No, but the party doesn't start for another 2 hours. Even then she might show up late. You know the popular rich kids like to be 'fashionably late' and all that."

"Yeah, but it's her own parents' party. They'll probably make her be on time."

"Maybe," I shrug.