Saving Hope

Chapter 1

Chapter One
Hope

The smell of grease and burnt French fries permeates the air around me as I reach for the plates sitting under the warmer. I double-check the ticket to make sure it's prepared correctly. This isn't the kind of restaurant that encourages special orders. The cooks don't care and aren't paid enough to lightly toast something or leave off the lettuce. We're all going through the motions to get our checks and get home to our real responsibilities.

Holding two plates and balancing a third on my arm, I make my way to the corner table to deliver dinner to a small group of college kids. I try not to let the thought that I should be one of them linger as I place their plates in front of them and ask if they need anything else. They look about my age, which makes the knife dig in a little deeper, but I take a deep breath and smile as I gather their emptied cups. Only a few more hours before my shift is over, and I can catch the bus back home.

I check my phone for the hundredth time, the stress of missing a call from Nathan wracking my brain. He is only six, and I have gone over how to call me in an emergency a million times with him, but it worries me that for him to make that call he must first walk over to the neighbors', since we no longer have phone service at our place. It was the last thing I wanted to let go, but being sick a few weeks ago put a huge dent in what money I had to pay the bills.

I return to the table with the next round of drinks and smile once again before I retreat to the front counter to fill up a few more salt and pepper shakers. It's getting late now, and I take a moment to gaze out the front door of this small café as the sun dips beyond my view and fills the sky with a beautiful portrait of pinks and purples. As darkness falls, I force myself to focus again on my job and the task at hand.

I'm still not feeling my best as I wearily wipe down the open tables in my section. I'm pretty sure I had bronchitis, but I'll never know for sure, since a trip to the ER is out of my budget and besides, I wouldn't have had anyone to leave Nathan with. I stop and focus on pulling air into my lungs, waiting for the lightheadedness to diminish so I can carry on. I'm hoping that the tips from tonight will be enough to cover the new pair of shoes I want to buy for Nathan before he starts school.

I've been saving every dollar I can to get him a few new items so he'll be like the other kids on his first day. Tonight is Saturday night, and I'm scheduled off tomorrow since Sundays are usually pretty dead. If I can get the money tonight, I'll be able to pick them up tomorrow and have them in time for Monday. The thought causes a small smile to curve my lips and I toss the rag into a bucket of water and bleach behind the counter.

The next few hours have me so busy I hardly notice we're near closing. The only signs that my shift is nearly over are the ache in the soles of my feet and the relentless tightening of my lower back. I have one table left and my last table of customers left me a tip that put me right where I needed to be for the shoes. As I wipe down a few menus, the bell on the door jingles, letting me know someone new has come in. While the other waitresses hate people who come in last minute, I need the money, so I plaster a smile across my exhausted face and look up to see who I'll be serving.

I try not to gawk as I take in the man in front of me. His suit screams wealth and professionalism, but the way the sleeves of his expensive shirt are rolled up and the tie hangs loosely from the unbuttoned collar says young and carefree. My eyes are drawn to a dark tattoo, just visible beneath one of the cuffs. I follow it around his strong forearm and feel a strange curiosity that has me wondering how far up it goes.

His other arm is completely sleeved in ink and my lips curve up at the walking contradiction in front of me. When my eyes reach his face I recognize him immediately. He's been here before, but in jeans, not work clothes. This look is a complete surprise to me. He smiles, revealing a mouth full of perfectly white teeth and a dangerously cute dimple.