My mouth dropped. “No way! You’re messing with me.”
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t joke about something like that. Brendan looked like he was going to drop right before you did.”
I stared at him, but he didn’t blink. Pete was the worst liar I’d ever met, and I could tell he was being completely honest now.
Movement behind him drew my eyes to the group of men standing at the top of the driveway, watching us with expressions ranging from curiosity to anger. I wasn’t surprised to see Francis’s lips curled in resentment. Some of the others didn’t look happy either, but it wasn’t as if I’d done that deliberately. I didn’t even want to be a damn Beta.
“You in for pizza or what?” I asked more harshly than I’d meant to.
“Yeah. I’ll drop my car at home and you can drive,” Pete said, his voice still holding a little note of wonder.
I opened my car door, wanting to get the hell away from here and all the stares. “I’ll see you there.”
Emma
“How are you doing? Hanging in there?” Brenda asked when she came to the counter to ring up a table.
I removed the plates from the last two customers. “So far, so good.”
“She’s doing great,” said Mrs. Foley, the owner and manager of Gail’s Diner.
I smiled, even though I felt she was a little overgenerous with her praise. I’d worked the counter with her for lunch, and it wasn’t hard to pour coffee and soda or transfer plates from the window to the counter. When she’d asked me after my interview on Monday if I could start on Wednesday, I’d been so surprised I almost said no. But she and Brenda had been so nice I couldn’t refuse. So, I had my first part-time job as a waitress.
“Thanks, Mrs. Foley.” I looked at the dining room, which was nearly empty of the lunch crowd. “What should I do now?”
“It’s Gail,” she admonished kindly. “Steve could probably use some help getting things ready for the dinner rush. Can you cut up vegetables?”
“I think I can manage that.” As long as it didn’t involve actual cooking, I should be okay.
I went to the kitchen where Steve, the cook, handed me an apron and a hairnet, and put me to work chopping an assortment of vegetables. He didn’t talk much, but I didn’t mind. It was kind of nice to be off by myself working after the busy lunch hour.
I was almost done with the vegetables when someone opened the back door and entered the kitchen. I looked over my shoulder at the dark-haired boy who’d been here when I came for lunch on Saturday.
He walked over to me. “Hi, I heard you were starting today.”
“Hi. I’m Emma.” I waved at the work laid out before me on the metal table. “Sorry, I can’t shake your hand.”
He smiled. “No problem. I’m Scott, by the way.”
“You’re also late,” rumbled Steve from over by the stove where he was stirring something in a pot.
“Sorry,” Scott called to him. “Dad’s car broke down, and he took mine. You know how he is when he’s late for a meeting.”
“Tell that to your mother,” Steve replied.
I must have looked confused because Scott made a face. “My mother owns this place. I’m working here for the summer until I go to college in the fall.”
“Oh. Are you going to school in Portland?”
“Columbia, actually, to study law. That’s where my dad went to law school, too.” He grabbed a large apron and a pair of rubber gloves, and went to the two large sinks that were piled with pots and pans. He grimaced before he started filling one of the sinks with hot, soapy water.
“So what brings you to New Hastings?” he called over the running water. “Your family move here, or are you just here for the summer?”
I chewed my lip, not sure what to tell him. I still wasn’t comfortable talking about myself to strangers, but it would seem weird if I didn’t answer. I gave him the condensed version.
“I just moved here. I’m enrolling in school in August.”
“St. Patrick’s?”
I nodded.
“I just graduated from there. You a senior?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, too bad. We just missed each other.” He started scrubbing a pot. “It’s a nice school. You’ll like it there.”
I finished cutting the vegetables and carried them over to Steve’s worktable. Then I went to help Scott with the dishwashing since there seemed to be nothing else for me to do that didn’t involve cooking.
“You’re a lifesaver,” he whispered as he handed me a baking sheet to dry.
“No problem,” I whispered back.
We worked side by side for an hour until all the dishes were done. Scott spent the time telling me about New Hastings and trying to find out more about me. I evaded most of his questions, and he didn’t push.
He was excited about Columbia, so we talked about that for a while. His best friend Ryan was going to NYU, and the two of them were sharing a little apartment with Scott’s cousin. Ryan was already there, working an internship in his uncle’s ad agency for the summer. Scott couldn’t wait to join him.
I’d spent a few years in New York, but they weren’t happy ones. It wasn’t long after Eli changed me, so he’d kept me pretty close. We’d lived in a nice place in Manhattan, but I didn’t exactly get to go out and explore. The only people I saw were other vampires and the humans Eli brought back.
I closed my eyes to block out the memories of the things I’d seen and done in that apartment, things that nightmares were made of.
“Hey, you okay?”
Scott’s worried voice pulled me from the ugly place my mind had gone to. I gave him a reassuring smile and went back to drying.
“Just a slight headache. I’m fine.”
“You sure? Mom will let you go home if you’re not feeling well. She’s cool like that.”
“No, I’m good, really.” The last thing I wanted was to go home sick on my first day of work. “Tell me more about St. Patrick’s.”
We talked until Gail came to tell me the dinner hour would be starting in ten minutes. She looked around the kitchen and nodded approvingly. “Impressive, Emma. You even got my son to finish the dishes on time.”
Scott smiled at his mother. “I think she’s a keeper.”
Flustered by their warm praise, I turned away to remove the apron and hairnet. When I moved to follow Gail to the front of the restaurant, Scott called me back.
“Hey, Emma, since you’re new in town, why don’t I show you around when we both have a day off?”
“I…” I floundered, not knowing how to respond. He was a great guy, but I was so not ready to date.
“As friends,” he added when I didn’t answer right away.
“Okay.” I could handle just hanging out. “That would be nice. Thanks.”
The rest of the day flew by. Gail and Brenda told me dinner was their busiest time, and they weren’t kidding. I only worked the counter, but I didn’t seem to stop moving for the next two hours.
At seven o’clock, Gail handed me twenty-five dollars from the tip box. “You did well for your first day, and the customers like you.”
“Thanks.” I took the money and stuck it in my messenger bag, which I’d tucked under the counter. I lifted the strap of the bag over my head. “When do you want me to come in again?”
“You can come back tomorrow at the same time. I’ll get you on the schedule in a few days.”
“Okay.” I picked up a takeout bag containing my dinner. I was already tired of eating sandwiches and pizza, and my cooking skills left a lot to be desired.
“Looks like rain,” called Scott, who was taking garbage out the back door. “You have a ride?”
“No, but I don’t have a long walk.” I turned to the main door. “See you tomorrow.”
The air outside was cool and fresh after standing next to the kitchen surrounded by the smells of food all day. Not that working in the restaurant was unpleasant. The people I worked with were patient, and the customers were friendly. My body felt a little tired from being on my feet all day, but it was a good kind of tired.