The Aftermath (The Hurricane, #2)(9)

“Baby, I’m supposed to be working. You’re going to get me in trouble,” she complained, but made no move to separate us.

“You don’t mind me stealing a kiss from my girl, do you, Rhona?” I asked another waitress as she passed me carrying a huge tray.

“As long as I get a turn when she’s done,” she joked.

“Here, let me get that,” I told her. Letting go of Em, I grabbed the tray, which was much too big for Rhona, and strode into the kitchen. I frowned as it occurred to me that Em must carry trays like these. They were much too heavy for her too.

“You don’t have to do that, Con, but thank you,” she told me. Pressing her hands against the small of her back, I could tell that the early evening dinner rush was taking its toll.

“No problem,” I told her. “I’m happy to help. Hey, Mike,” I said, nodding to him as he flipped burgers in the corner. He smiled as I salivated over the food laid out on his grill. I’d been dreaming about having a Daisy burger for weeks. Walking back out to put my order in with the boys, I saw Em loading up another full tray as she hurried to empty a table. Kieran had already snagged one for us, and he looked like the wait for me to come over so he could place his order was causing him real pain.

“Aren’t you a bit short tonight?” I asked Rhona, watching her scurrying to help Em.

“You can say that again. Katrina and another waitress didn’t turn up for their shifts. It’s just us for tonight.”

Nodding at the guys, I made my way over to our table.

“What’s up, Con?” Liam asked.

“Can we order already?” Kieran whined, and Tommy added a “pleeease” in the style of an annoying six-year-old.

“Sorry, boys, you’re going to have to wait a bit. They’re slammed so I think we should give them a hand.”

“Seriously!” Kieran complained. “I’m f*cking wasting away here.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Liam answered. “You’re seriously going to sit there and chow down while Em’s rushed off her feet?”

We all turned in unison to watch Em, and as soon as she stumbled trying to shift her weight to lift the heavy tray, I didn’t need to ask the boys again. They fell over each other to get out of the booth and help her. Kieran reached her first and effortlessly lifted the tray and took it to the kitchen.

“I’ll do drink refills,” Liam offered.

“I’m the most likeable one of you ugly f*cks, so I’ll take orders,” Tommy offered. Grabbing a pen and pencil from the counter, he walked over to a table of elderly ladies and turned on the charm. “What can I get for you fine and lovely ladies this evening then?” he asked, which made them giggle like schoolgirls.

Wrapping an arm around my waist, Em kissed me on the cheek and whispered in my ear. “It’s lovely of them to help, but how many orders do you think they’re going to mess up?”

“Don’t worry, love,” I replied. “I doubt many people will argue with them about it.” Between us, we were good at either scaring or charming people. There wasn’t much middle ground. Kissing my cheek, she left me to collect a food order at the ring of Mike’s bell, and I started clearing another table.

Two hours later, I had a whole new appreciation for how damn hard waitresses work. The balls of my feet ached, and I’d had a f*ck-full of watching people leave shitty tips for damn fine service. None of us spoke to each other as we studied the menu. We were all going to order the same thing—we always did—but it was good to check it out just to be sure.

A juicy, succulent Daisy burger was placed down in front of me, and three more followed for the guys.

“On the house,” Rhona said, “for getting us out of a jam.”

With a cup of tea and a sandwich in hand, Em squeezed onto the bench beside me. Pulling her closer, I kept one arm around her and used the other to lift up my burger, demolishing a quarter of it in one bite. She giggled as I moaned appreciatively.

“Sunshine, you should never have introduced me to these things. I’m addicted,” I told her.

“A little of what you like now and then does you good,” she told me. Giving her a squeeze, I plowed straight back into my food.

When she froze with her cup of tea halfway to her mouth, I looked up to follow her line of sight. Standing in the doorway was a middle-aged, dowdy-looking woman with plain clothes. She nervously clutched an old cloth shopping bag as she scanned the cafe, her gaze only stopping when it met Em’s.

“Who’s that, babe?” I asked, knowing from how she was acting that I wouldn’t like her answer.

“My mother,” she whispered.

*



The woman walked slowly toward us in a way that reminded me of Em when I first met her. For a moment, I felt a swell of pity when I thought about her experiencing everything Sunshine had. Then I woke the f*ck up.

“Hello, Emily. You look beautiful,” she spoke quietly.

“Hello, Mum,” Em replied.

“What the f*ck are you doing here?” I said angrily, as I tried to urge Em out of the booth. My huge body was wedged in the seat, and with Kieran and the guys to my right and Em to my left, both unwilling to budge, I was trapped.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, staring at the ground. She seemed to be searching for her words and was visibly shaking. “I know I shouldn’t be here but I was wondering if I could speak to you alone for a few minutes.”