Her Destiny (Reverie #2)(14)
She’s nothing like my mom whatsoever.
“Good. I’m glad for the break.” It was a rough day at school since I worked so late last night and then went over to Vanessa’s to study for a test in our government class. I didn’t get home until midnight and had to wake up at six to finish an English paper. Plus with the holidays coming closer, it seems to bring more people out to dinner for some reason. I guess everyone’s in a celebratory mood.
Except for Evan. And me. He already warned me he didn’t want a Christmas tree this year, which I’m fine with. Why pretend to have holiday cheer when the both of us are the farthest from spirited?
The night went as expected, steady but not crazy. The customers are easygoing, with a few repeats that aren’t particularly demanding. Seville’s attracts a bunch of people from the neighborhood and many of them come into the restaurant at least once a week.
I like the regulars, they make me feel like I’m a part of them, how I used to feel when things were still small with The Flock of the Lambs and Dad hadn’t expanded into the television show yet. The congregation felt like my family and I loved it. More than anything, I loved standing in front of the people crowding the pews as I lead them in singing hymns, wearing my pretty dresses with the matching bows in my hair.
Mom made sure I wore a new dress every Sunday once we were on TV. After awhile, it wasn’t any fun anymore. Dad had to beg me to sing solos after Evan started refusing to get up on stage any longer. But I didn’t want to do it without Evan. He was my lifeline when I was little, the big brother who watched out for me, who protected me. He always made sure I wasn’t being forced into doing something I didn’t want.
He’s come back into that protective role he abandoned when he was in his early teens and I’m so thankful for him. He probably has no idea just how appreciative I am.
“Rev.” One of the other waiters, Frank, sets his hand on my shoulder, startling me from my melancholy thoughts. “Can you take care of table two for me? They just need a water refill.”
“Sure.” I nod, ignoring my racing heart as I grab hold of a pitcher of ice water and head toward table two, which is right in front of the windows that face out toward the street. It’s dark outside, even more with the ominous clouds that blew in earlier this afternoon. As I glance out the window I can see the wind blow through the trees that are lit by the street lamps, their branches swaying, the leaves long gone.
“More water?” I ask the couple at table two with a faint smile, starting to fill their glasses when they nod and say yes. I look up when the wind gusts hard against the windows, rattling them, and I see someone standing across the street. A boy. A man. His hands are in the front pockets of his jeans, his head and neck hunched into his jacket as if he’s trying to fight off the horrible wind. A car drives by, the headlights cutting across his face for a brief moment and I suck in a harsh breath when I see him.
He looks just like Nicholas.
A gasp escapes me and I jerk my arm, the water and a few ice cubes spilling all over the table. The female customer shrieks and backs away, knocking me from my shock, and I set the pitcher on the table, grabbing the leftover napkins as I start to sop up the mess.
“I’m so sorry,” I say again and again as I clean up the mess I made, feeling everyone’s eyes on me as I try my best to clean up fast. Elaine arrives at my side, a rag in her hand and she murmurs for me to gather up the napkins and go to the kitchen.
With shaky hands and an equally shaky smile I do as she says, thankful to escape the front of the restaurant for a while. I push through the double doors and toss the soaked napkins into the trash, setting the pitcher on a nearby table. I lean against the edge of the counter, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand, and I close my eyes, irritated. Embarrassed. I’ve never done something like that before. I don’t know what got into me.
You know what got into you. You thought you saw a ghost.
Right. That’s all it was. A ghost. No way could that have been Nick. I saw him for all of about two seconds. There’s no way he could’ve found me.
“What happened to you?” Elaine asks as soon as she enters the kitchen, her expression full of concern as she approaches me. “Are you all right?”
I nod, feeling incredibly foolish. I can’t tell her what really happened. She doesn’t know about Nick and even if I did tell her she’d probably think I’m crazy. “I’m so sorry. I have no idea why I spilled the water. My hands were a little shaky I guess.” I hold them out in front of me, noticing that they’re still trembling, and I close my fingers into fists, irritated that I’m still reacting to what—or who—I thought I saw. “I’ll be fine. Maybe I should take a quick break.”
“Maybe you should go on home for the night. You’ve been working so hard and with school too…” Elaine’s voice trails off and she smiles, reaching out to pat my arm. “I think it’s best if you clock out. Frank can cover your tables. It’s not that busy anyway.”
There went about two hours of wages and tips. I don’t want to go home early. I need the money. “I can stay, Elaine. I swear. Just give me a few minutes to recuperate.”
“No, I don’t think so, kiddo. Time to go home. Go straight to bed when you get there, all right?” She grabs hold of both of my shoulders and looks me straight in the eye. “Get a good night’s rest and come back tomorrow night ready to rock it. It’s a Friday and we have a few decent sized private parties. We’ll be busy.”