Chapter 1
"Thanks, and have a wonderful day." I force a fake smile on my face. You cheap bastard.
It's another Tuesday lunch shift at Evan's Diner in uptown Charlotte. The place is packed with men and women of the business world. Bankers, lawyers, judges—the who's who, I guess. I look down at my $1.00 tip and sigh. At this rate, I'll never be able to afford cooking school.
My best friend and roommate, Lizzy, is in the section next to me. With her blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail, she is doing her best to charm a group of older lawyers. I smirk and shake my head. What she won't do for money. Whatever, it pays our rent.
"Excuse me, ma'am!" A woman waves her drink at me to get my attention. I push a stray curl behind my ear, put on a smile, and walk to her.
Evan's is a retro '50s-style diner, with black-and-white checked floors, red booths, and a long bar filled with our homemade baked goods. There is chrome everywhere. That must be what appeals to the business-types of Charlotte—a fun atmosphere to make them forget about the banking industry for at least an hour a day.
I sneak to the back office for a quick breather. I glance in the mirror and am shocked by how tired I look. I grab my purse, searching for some mascara and see the unopened envelope. The return address says Napa Valley Culinary Arts. It's one of three places I applied to, but the first to respond. The fact that it's obviously a one-page response suggests that they are not writing to welcome me with open arms and promising me all the financial aid I need.
"Dammit, don't be such a baby." I rip the envelope open. After skimming through the letter and having my fears confirmed, I tear it up into several pieces and toss it in a nearby garbage can. I find my mascara and do a quick touch up to brighten up my blue eyes. I straighten my blue and white shirt. Evan's uniforms remind me of a bowling alley.
I stare at my reflection. "You don't fit in with high society anyway. Napa Valley's just a bunch of snooty rich wine folks."
The little bell over the door rings. I return up front just in time to see Caleb Matthews, a top-notch lawyer, being seated in my section. This job does have its perks! Lizzy pouts at me, undressing Caleb with her eyes. The girls who work here always fight over who gets to wait on him. He's gorgeous—the tall, dark, and handsome type with black hair. His broad shoulders and athletic build show he takes care of himself, and the little five o'clock scruff he wears on his face gives the girls even more to talk about. It almost seems to be his way of being rebellious in the cookie-cutter world of lawyers.
I make my way to the table, carrying a black coffee. "Afternoon, Mr. Matthews." I place the coffee, along with four creamers and three sugars, in front of him.
Without acknowledging my presence, he rips open the sugar packets. He completely misses his coffee cup and pours sugar all over the table. "Shit!"
I grab some napkins and dust the sugar onto my hand. "Want your usual today?"
"What?" he snaps before muttering an apology. "My usual?" He peeks up at me with the greenest eyes, framed by thick, onyx black lashes. Wow.
"Yes, sir." I blush. "Turkey on whole wheat honey roll with every vegetable we have and mustard. Double meat and a Greek salad as your side." My cheeks are burning so hot I know they must be flaming red.
"I think I might eat here too much." He puckers his lips, running his thumb along his jawline. "Or are you stalking me, Miss...?"
"Hannah, sir."
Caleb grins. "Hannah. Yes, please, that sounds great. Well, unless there's something"—he picks up his coffee mug, thumb drumming the warm rim—"more appetizing you recommend?" He cocks his eyebrow before taking a sip.
Holy crap, is he flirting with me? I roll my eyes at myself.
"Well, the café down the street is pretty good," I tease.
"I'll have to remember that for tomorrow." He stirs in his creamer. "But for today, I think I'll stick to my usual."
"Sure thing. Would you like today's paper while you wait?"
His smile disappears. "No."
I walk to the point-of-sales system, fire back his order, and then start tending to the rest of my section, trying to keep my eyes to myself. Clearing one table, I pick up the day's newspaper that the patron left behind. The headline on the front page reads "Success under 30: Who to watch in the Queen City." Below that is a photo of Caleb Matthews, smiling brightly while shaking the mayor's hand. I quickly scan through the article, learning that the man seated a few tables away has lofty political aspirations and a father the reporter describes as "powerful," "influential," and "domineering."
Ding!
"Order up, Hannah!" Evan calls out.
I grab the comics section from the paper and throw the rest away. When I drop off Caleb's food, I leave the comic section with him as well before walking away.
Lunch starts to die down. The only tables left are a small family of three in Lizzy's section and Caleb Matthews in mine. Lizzy, Sandra, and I all sit at the end of the counter, counting up our tickets as the head line cook, Danny, cleans the kitchen.
"So, Hannah," Danny says. "What did you bring us for lunch today?"
"You're a cook, you know. You can't depend on me always cooking you guys' lunch! What if I found a life last night and didn't get around to it?" I stick my tongue out at him.
"Well, then it'd be cold cuts and potato chips for everyone."
Lizzy glares at him. "Lazy ass."
I roll my eyes, then casually look around the dining room. Caleb is smirking slightly from behind the comics.
"Well, lucky for you, I'm still a loser and didn't find anything better to do last night. I made you guys a lasagna and mint mocha cookies." I beam. I love outdoing myself for them.
"Seriously?" Danny pumps his hand in the air. "I fucking love you!"
"Dude! Watch your mouth!" Thankfully, the family has already left. Caleb doesn't seem fazed by the outburst, but I can see he's holding back a laugh.
"All right guys, the lasagna is in the back cooler. Just throw it in the oven to reheat while the girls and I finish up."
I make my way over to Caleb's table. "Anything else for you today, Mr. Matthews?"
"Your cooks don't cook for the staff?"
I shrug. "Um, well, after a while we all get bored of the food here so we try to make something different."
"Yeah, I can see sticking to the 'usual' could get a bit boring." He chuckles.
I shrug. "Some people just know what they want."
"Right you are, Miss Hannah." Caleb licks his lips lightly. "I'll take the check."
I slip the pleather check book out of my apron and place it on the table, but he has his credit card on it before I can move my hand away and grazes my knuckles with his fingertips.
I feel my cheeks burn. "Uh, I'll be right back." I walk back to the terminal, where Lizzy is counting out her tickets.
She eyes me. "Hmmm, that's an interesting grin you have, Han."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." But I know my continuing blush is giving me away. She sticks her tongue out, and I roll my eyes overdramatically.
Caleb stands as I place his check back on the table. He's much taller than I expected, and his presence causes my heart to pound in my ears.
"Until next time, Miss Hannah."
I gulp. "Until next time, Mr. Matthews."
After Caleb leaves, we lock the doors for the day. Cleaning off the table, I pick up the check book and see the corner of a napkin sticking out. I open the book to find a twenty-dollar tip and a napkin with a note:
Maybe next time I'll ask you for a cookie.
Lizzy comes up behind me to snoop over my shoulder. "Shit, that's freaking sweet!"
I smirk. Yeah, sweet is an understatement.
"Ladies, hurry up and finish cleaning the table. We're hungry over here, and we're waiting on you!" Danny's yell startles us, and I stuff the napkin in my apron and go to join the staff.
"So," Lizzy says, grinning from the passenger seat. "Mr. Gorgeous left you a note. What do you think about that?" She hasn't let up since we finished lunch.
"I don't think much of it, to be honest. He was just being nice. And you better knock that shit off before we get home!" I snap. "I don't need to deal with a jealous Connor."
"Yeah, he will freak out, won't he?" She sighs. "You'd think after two years he'd trust you by now."
"Couldn't have said it better," I mutter. "You know? I don't know why I deal with him sometimes. I think I'm just that lazy." I laugh.
Aside from his jealousy, Connor has been a lifesaver for me. He understands what comes with living the food service life: the long hours, late nights, no weekends off. Past boyfriends didn't understand why I wanted that and would be so quick to try and change me. My two years with Connor have been comfortable, even if I have to put up with some of less-than-ideal qualities. But then I remind myself that's what being in an adult relationship is all about.
"Hannah, one word to describe you—and lazy wouldn't be it. Speaking of, are you working tonight?"
"Yes, as always. Coming up for a drink later or are you working?"
"Nope, thank goodness. That was ten shifts in a row for me. Mason's taking me out." She flips the visor down and fixes her hair in the mirror. "We'll stop by after dinner."
After what seems like a lifetime, her and Mason still get all giddy over each other. It's cute, in a sick I-wanna-punch-them-in-the-face kinda way. "I'm right there with ya. But luckily, I'm off all day tomorrow."
"Me too. Let's go shopping."
"Sounds good to me." Some good old girl time is exactly what I need.
I pull in the parking lot of our apartment to find Connor sitting on the balcony facing the lot. He's dressed in his black-and-white checked chef pants and a wife beater, smoking a cigarette. With sandy blond hair, blue eyes, and a lanky build, he is a cute guy. He's also got steady employment as a line cook. The pay is decent, but sometimes I wish he had more drive.
"Hey, babe!" he calls from the balcony.
"Hey, sweetie! I'll be right up."
He meets me at the top of the stairs, grabbing my face to kiss me. His breath tastes of beer.
"Make sure you brush your teeth before going in. Want a cookie that I made? We had some leftover from lunch."
"No thanks, babe." He nuzzles my neck. "I was thinking of something else to have." He wraps his arms around my waist and grabs my ass.
I giggle. "Oh, no sir! I gotta get ready for work." I slap his arms playfully.
"Come on, Hannah. It's been more than a week," he whines, stepping away from me in a huff.
I shake my head. Sure, whining will turn me on. "It's been like three days, so stop being so dramatic. And sorry, but I barely have time to jump in the shower before heading to the Tavern. By the way, are you coming by after work?"
"Ah, no, I'm heading to Steve's for a party tonight. I'm sure we'll still be up when you get off if you wanna come by. Text ya later." He starts to walk down the stairs, but I pull his arm to stop him and plant a quick kiss on his lips before wishing him a good night.
I head into our apartment and head straight to the bathroom to turn on the shower. Being with Connor isn't always easy, but when it's good, it's really good, which makes the bad tolerable. As I change out of my Evan's uniform, Caleb's note-filled napkin falls from my pocket. I snatch it up and shove it in my apron, smiling as I remember my conversation with one of the Queen City's most successful people.