Now I’m not exactly sure if I want Carson, but I definitely can be flirty.
Carson is too busy looking at the menu board on the wall above the order counter, so I rise to my feet, making my way over to them. As I draw closer, I see he’s with one of the guys he brought with him to Hayden and Gracie’s party. He’s the one who notices me first. He jabs his elbow in Carson’s ribs, who glances in my direction.
And breaks into a giant smile.
“Ellie. We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Carson says.
I laugh. “I know, right? How are you?”
“Hungry. Glad this place is still open.” He scrutinizes me carefully. “Do you work here?”
I nod. “I do. I’ve only been here a month.”
I’m suddenly okay with us still being open and customers still walking in.
“Nice. We’ve never been here, but heard it’s good,” Carson says, glancing over at his friend who nods in agreement.
“It’s really good. And I’m not saying that just because I work here.” I smile. “Get the tri-tip sandwich.”
“Is that your favorite?”
“I love their salads too. And their fries.”
“Thanks for the recs.”
The girl working behind the counter sends them an irritated look. “Are you finally ready to order?”
“Uh…yeah,” Carson says as he steps closer to tell her what he wants.
I wave at them and take off, a little giddy. I need to get back to work. I’ve been assigned bussing tables tonight. Helping customers out if they need anything. We rotate on the schedule. A lot of the time I’m at the register taking orders, but not tonight.
Tonight, I have more freedom. This is my least favorite task, but I do get to move around a lot, which is good, especially now that Carson is here.
Once they place their orders, they get their drinks and find a table. I walk over to them with a fresh, damp rag and clean the table quickly.
“How are you?” Carson asks. “How’s your car?”
I saw him in class earlier today, and he didn’t ask me about it. Though I did arrive to class with little time to spare once the professor launched into his lecture, so I suppose that was part of the issue.
“It’s in the shop. It needs a new alternator,” I answer with a frown.
“Ah, that’s too bad. They can be kind of expensive,” he says.
“Yeah, they can. And my car is old, so they had to special order the part. It’s this whole process I really don’t need in my life right now,” I admit.
“That’s tough.” Carson’s expression is sympathetic. His friend appears bored out of his skull. “You remember Jonah, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” I wave at him and he smiles back. “Hi Jonah.”
“Hey.” He tips his head toward me before returning his attention to his phone.
“I should get back to work,” I tell them. “It was nice seeing you.”
“Yeah, you too, Ellie,” Carson says.
I head for the patio outside and grab one of the tubs that’s kept behind a counter out there that we use to clear tables. I stack up the empty baskets and glasses inside before I wipe down the tables, breaking out in a sweat as I work. It’s still really hot outside, despite the hour and the fans whirling overhead. September in Fresno is still pretty miserable, temperature-wise.
In fact, it’s downright awful.