Chapter Eleven
Archie
Archie stepped into the Blue Star Diner and took a deep breath. The scent of sizzling bacon and fresh coffee wrapped around him like a warm welcome. It was a cozy little place, the kind of diner where regulars had their own booths and the servers knew every customer’s order by heart.
“Hey, Arch!” Joe called from behind the counter, flipping a rag over his shoulder. “You ready to be the fastest, most efficient server this diner’s ever seen?”
Archie let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “Let’s aim for not a total disaster first.” He hoped Joe wouldn’t bring up Brogan’s name.
Joe clapped him on the back. “That’s the spirit.”
“Good morning. I’m Gabriella. I made us some coffee before we start working.
” Dressed in her uniform, Gabriella’s smile brightened as she spoke.
Her hair was elegantly pinned up, and her makeup was meticulously applied.
It was clear she had put great effort into her appearance, as if she were hoping to attract attention from someone.
“Thanks. I’m Archie Star, Joe and Andrew’s cousin.”
Gabriella inched closer to him, smoothing down the front of her uniform as if she were nervous.
“Archie, nice to meet you. I’ve heard lots about you from Andrew.
I’ll be showing you the ropes today,” she said, offering a small smile.
Archie noticed how soft her voice was. Her beauty was striking,; her dark eyes sparkled, and her skin glowed with health.
A sense of déjà vu washed over him; something about her features was strangely familiar.
He couldn’t place who she resembled or why she seemed so familiar.
“Sounds good,” he said. “What’s first?”
She motioned for him to follow and led him to a small prep station near the kitchen.
“This is where we keep the extra silverware, napkins, and condiments. If a table needs anything, grab it from here.” She pulled open a drawer and revealed a stash of sugar packets. “And this? Lifeblood. Do not run out.”
Archie nodded seriously, though he caught the small twitch of a smile on her lips.
“Come on, I’ll show you how to take an order.” Gabriella guided him toward a booth where a couple of customers had just settled in. She held her pad and pen with an ease that Archie found impressive. “You just ask them what they want, write it down, and put it in the kitchen. Easy.”
Archie stepped forward, feeling oddly self-conscious. “Uh, hey folks, what can I get for you today?”
The elderly woman sitting by the window squinted at him. “You new?”
“First day,” he admitted.
“I’m Evelyn and retired, but I still manage different charity groups. So, you’re Archie Star. I suppose you’re related to Andrew and Joe.”
“Yes, mam.”
She nodded, as if she were assessing his worthiness. “I’ll take the usual.”
Archie blinked. “And that is…?”
Gabriella leaned in close, closer than necessary, and whispered, “Eggs over easy, whole-wheat toast, two strips of bacon.”
Archie quickly scribbled it down. “Got it. And for you, sir?”
The older man grunted. “Coffee. Black. Scrambled eggs and sausage.”
Archie made a note and nodded. “Coming right up.”
Evelyn tugged on Archie’s apron, stopping him while Gabriella continued walking away.
“Young man, be careful around Gabriella. She’s a little flirt. Don’t take her seriously.”
“I just met her. She’s just friendly.” Archie quickly rushed away with his notepad.
As he caught up to Gabriella, she took his arm and led him to the kitchen. “You’ll get used to it. After a week, you’ll know everyone’s ‘usual.’”
He smiled. “How long did it take you?”
She hesitated, then shrugged. “A few weeks. But I had to learn without a guide.” Her fingers played idly with the edge of her notepad. “Lucky you, having me as your personal trainer.”
Archie smirked. “I don’t know. Jury’s still out.”
She rolled her eyes, but grinned. “Oh, please. You’re catching on fast.” Then, as if realizing she’d said too much, she added quickly, “Not that I thought you’d be bad or anything. Just you know, some people take longer.”
He raised an eyebrow, amused. “Are you saying I’m naturally gifted at diner work?”
Gabriella let out a soft laugh, looking away for a few seconds before meeting his gaze again. “Maybe.”
Archie noticed the pink creeping into her cheeks. It was subtle, but there. Archie was just feeling like he could breathe in the diner’s fast-paced rhythm when the bell above the door jingled. He turned, absently wiping his hands on his apron, and froze.
Jade.
His stomach clenched, a visceral reaction he hadn’t prepared for.
After everything that had happened, after that motel confrontation, the lies, the smug satisfaction in Jade’s voice when he’d forced Archie out of Brogan’s home, he thought he was done seeing him.
Yet here Jade was, sliding into a booth in his section like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Archie felt Gabriella glancing at him. “You okay?”
He forced himself to breathe. “Yeah. Just—” He didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, he grabbed his notepad and walked over, his pulse hammering a little too hard in his ears.
Jade looked up the second Archie approached, his green eyes flickering with something unreadable. Then came the smirk, the one Archie had hated from the instant he answered Brogan’s door. He should have never answered the door. Big mistake.
“Well, well,” Jade said, settling back against the booth. “Didn’t expect to see you here, but I suppose life is full of surprises.”
Archie kept his voice flat. “What can I get you?”
Jade barely glanced at the menu. “Black coffee. Denver omelet. Rye toast.”
Archie scribbled the order down fast, eager to be done with this interaction, but Jade wasn’t done. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, and tilted his head slightly.
“You should know I won’t be going back to Dublin.”
Archie’s grip tightened on his pen.
Jade’s lips curled at the edge. “Foggy Basin’s got a certain charm, don’t you think? Enough to convince me to stay. And you know, Brogan’s here. I’ve been thinking maybe it’s time to fix what we had.”
Archie felt his blood pressure spike. Every nerve in his body screamed at him to say something, but for a long second, all he did was stand there, gripping the notepad as if it could keep him grounded.
Jade exhaled, like he was enjoying this. “You don’t look happy to hear that, Arch. Surely, you’re not worried about a little reunion?”
Archie’s jaw clenched. He wanted to tell Jade exactly what he thought, wanted to snap, wanted to demand why Jade couldn’t just stay gone, but he also knew that anything he said would give Jade more fuel to feed off of.
Instead, Archie forced his voice to remain calm. “I’ll put in your order.”
Jade gave him a knowing look. “You do that.”
Archie turned sharply, walking back toward the kitchen before his emotions took over.
His hand was shaking as he tore the order slip from the pad and pinned it up.
Gabriella was watching him carefully, and he could tell she wanted to ask, but right now, he wasn’t ready to talk.
Right now, he needed to breathe before he exploded.
Archie steadied his breath before approaching Jade’s table again.
The tray felt heavy in his hands, though he knew it was just the weight of everything else pressing down on him; resentment, irritation, and the sick feeling curling in his gut at the sheer audacity of Jade sitting here like this was all perfectly normal.
Archie couldn’t believe his rotten luck.
First day serving at the Blue Star Diner, and who walks in?
Jade. Just the sight of him made his stomach clench.
This was the asshole who’d lied to get him to move out, and he had been an asshole for believing him.
Now here he was, bold as brass, expecting him to serve him.
He walked over to Jade’s booth, the one by the window, of course.
He probably hoped Brogan would show up. Archie tried to keep his face neutral, like he was just any other server and Jade was just any other customer.
But inside, his blood was practically boiling.
Fear, cold and sharp, pricked at him. What was Jade planning now?
Was showing up here part of some new scheme to ruin his life even more?
He wouldn’t put it past him, but he’d never mentioned he was going to work here. So how would he know that?
Archie placed the plate and coffee cup in front of Jade, the china clinking softly against the table, a stark contrast to the turmoil within him.
The clink sounded way too loud in his ears, like it was announcing his anxiety to the whole diner.
He could feel the heat rising in his face, a mix of pure, unadulterated hate and that awful, familiar dread only Jade could stir up in him.
Every muscle in his body wanted to either chuck the hot coffee right in his smug face or turn and run out the back door.
He imagined the coffee scalding him, the surprise on his face.
A tiny, bitter part of him enjoyed that thought a little too much.
But he couldn’t. He had to be professional or at least pretend to be.
He forced his lips into something that might have passed for a polite, server type smile, though it felt more like a grimace.
He just wanted him gone. He wanted this whole cursed interaction to be over so he could breathe again.
Jade picked up the coffee first, took a slow sip, and immediately grimaced. “Cold.”
Archie knew it wasn’t. He had just poured it from the fresh pot. But Jade leaned back, crossing his arms lazily, waiting.