Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
That moment of being at a loss for what to do once the door to Dwayne’s office had fallen shut behind me passed quickly. I decided to check in on Ant and Levi, and if they were handling things, I could always help Kasey in the kitchen.
I straightened my bow tie and went back out to the front where Ant and Levi were back to studying the menu. I walked past Ben, who’d taken up his usual seat at the end of the counter.
“Maybe apples,” I heard Ant say.
I gave the diner a casual sweep, but everyone looked to be taken care of, so it wasn’t like the two of them were slacking. “What’s with apples?” I asked, leaning on the counter.
Levi flinched, then turned, and Ant hid the menu behind his back. “Apples? Who said anything about apples?”
It occurred to me that they were testing me. Was there such a thing as a manager test? Was it Soyer’s idea?
I crossed my arms. “You did. And why’re you hiding the menu behind your back? It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
I recognized two of the patrons sipping their coffee at the counter, a brunette and a blonde—the Marys, as everyone called them. I could feel their attention on us. We weren’t the Small Express, but apparently we entertained at least some people.
“Uh, well… Hmm.” Ant glanced at Levi, and Levi glanced right back at him. “So, you see…”
“Rae said not to tell you.” Levi bowed his head. “Sorry.”
I first facepalmed myself, then groaned. “You have to be kidding me. Is it the secret group chat again?”
Behind me, Ben was coughing—to hide a chuckle, I was pretty sure.
“Oh no. Did you guys cave already?” Kasey was looking at us through the passthrough, his snakes all elegantly out of view or pretending to be a scarf. “You’re weak. I didn’t tell him anything.”
I looked up at Kasey. “You know you’ll have to pick a side eventually, right?”
Kasey gave me a toothy smile. “I side with the Moonlight and its illustrious patrons, those who come for the pancakes, those who come for the cherry pie, and those who come for the secret shindigs.”
“Seriously, everyone?”
In that moment, the bells above the door twinkled, and Ant and Levi turned.
“Welcome to the Moonlight,” the three of us said. Or two of us, at least. Levi was mostly mumbling.
The person who’d just walked in looked at us with big eyes, and those eyes were striking. They reminded me of the ocean, shimmering a rich blend of blue and green, teal and peacock. Purple eyeshadow brought out their color even more.
It wasn’t just the eyes though. The guy had model looks; high cheekbones that reminded me of those classic movie actresses, the grayscale divas.
A delicate yet expressive mouth that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Greek sculpture’s face was slightly glossed, the full lips shimmering pink.
He was slender and tall, his blond hair loose and flowing around his head in soft layers.
“Is that what you do when someone comes through the door, or is it something for new staff exclusively?”
He had a nice voice too, a really nice voice, and I thought, He should be a singer.
“New staff?” I leaned on the counter so I wasn’t hidden behind Levi and his broad shoulders.
The man smiled, which did something wonderful to his face. “Yeah. You’re Amory. I had a hunch you’d be early. I’m Thaeros. Any pronoun is fine.”
“C-can I draw you?” Ant asked.
Thaeros looked at him, bemused, and I considered what he’d said.
“You’re the new manager?” One of the Marys noisily slurped the remainder of her milkshake. I turned to her reflexively. “Would you like another?”
She was blonde too, but her hair didn’t have the shimmer or the bounce Thaeros’s had. “Yes, please. Best service in the city,” she said to the other Mary.
The brunette frowned. “I’ve been waiting for a refill for fifteen minutes. Can you do me too?”
Thaeros pulled out a chair at the counter and sat. “Cool. I’ll watch how you do things around here. I’m very observant.”
“Y-you should model,” Ant said, his cheeks as red as winter apples.
Levi wasn’t as impressed, but he was watching the new guy. New gal? New server…no, new manager.
I cleared my throat. “Levi, could you get the lady her coffee refill? I’ll handle the milkshake.”
The blonde Mary beamed. “Oh, I’m so lucky. Cherry again, please.”
The brunette one gave her a nonplussed look.
“Just coffee?” Levi asked her.
“Yes. Black. And can I have a maraschino cherry on the side?”
Levi looked at me. “Uhh…”
I put on my good service smile. “Sure. I’ll get that ready for you while I make the milkshake.”
I looked at Thaeros, but he…they seemed fine at the counter for the moment.
Not to mention, they were early. Ant was staring though, and I wondered whether he was getting a workplace romance of his own, much like Ben had.
Then again, the writer didn’t work here.
When I looked at Ben while I was getting the blender loaded for the milkshake, he had his eyes on Thaeros and his phone out, presumably texting Soyer.
When I had the milkshake ready and topped with a perfect dome of cream and a single cherry, I walked it over to the Mary. The other one’s face fell.
“Shoot, your cherry,” I said. “Just a sec.”
I didn’t normally forget orders, but I blamed it on the early hour. Sure, it was getting dark, an icy night descending on the city, and unless I was mistaken, I could see flurries out there, more snow. Even so, it was still early for me.
I placed three candied cherries on a little saucer for the other Mary, and she smiled when I put it down in front of her. I hadn’t realized it, but while I saw these two around a lot, I’d barely ever seen the brunette Mary smile.
That forced preemptive nostalgia on me yet again.
If I wasn’t going to be around, I’d miss these things, these little things, like the way our regulars had good days and bad.
I counted myself lucky to have seen the writer go from his two incorporeal lovers to Ben, who was very corporeal.
What if the two of them just…came here to get food after a date?
I’d not see that. I’d not be able to be happy for them.
Then again, Soyer wouldn’t let me be here without Ben by my side—or at the counter, at least—so he wasn’t going to be having any after-date food here while I was around anyway.
I heaved a sigh, looking at the writer’s table.
“You want to go sit over there?” Thaeros asked.
“Sit at the…? Oh. Sure, I guess. I’d introduce you to Dwayne, but he said he was busy, so that’ll have to wait.”
Ant’s cheeks heated. “Can I join you too?”
Thaeros focused on him. “Not you, sugar. You should focus on waiting tables.”
Ant’s jaw muscles worked. “Tables, tables… I can do that. Are you going to be here later?”
Levi had been lingering by the coffee makers after getting the Mary her refill, but he came up behind Ant now and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Help me with the coffee.”
“Can’t you—fine.”
Thaeros slid off his chair, and we made our way to the writer’s table, leaving a pouting Ant behind.
“Sorry about that,” Thaeros said when they slid into the booth with altogether more elegance than most of our patrons, even those who came here every night. I saw quite a few heads turn in our direction.
“Are you doing something?” I kept my voice low. There were still non-supernatural people here. Probably.
Thaeros tapped his bottom lip with a finger. Much like Soyer, they were wearing nail polish, only theirs was a pearly white, a diamond-like glitter.
“I suppose I am. Not intentionally. He should get over it soon enough.” He nodded in Ant’s direction. “It lessens with exposure.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
Thaeros leaned forward on the table. “Your Mr. Shuck told me there was a uniform.” He pointedly looked at mine, his eyes lingering on the bow tie.
“It’s not too bad, but is there any chance we could come to a different arrangement?
” He ended his question with a smile, looking deep into my eyes with his ocean-colored ones. I wondered where Soyer had found them.
“Everyone wears a uniform. Except Dwayne, Lynne, and Kasey. Well, Kasey does, kind of. His kitchen outfit, you know.”
Thaeros’s face fell. “Oh. Hard rule, that?”
“It is. There’s a girls’ version—I shouldn’t say it like that. A version that comes with a skirt. Anyone can choose which they prefer.”
They nodded. “Better, I suppose. Hmm. Your bow tie is very straight.” He groaned and sagged back in his seat. “I had a feeling it would be. I despise straightness, you see, so much. May I continue to address you as Amory?”
His hair was fanned against the backrest of the bench, bringing out a curl he had going on, as well as lots of layers. Jenn had talked about getting layers a lot, and the reminder stung.
“Of course. Thaeros is fine with you, right?”
“Yes, yes, certainly.” He leaned on the table again and beckoned me closer.
Then he whispered, “I owed a favor. I loathe that kind of thing. Echo bade me to send you his regards and offer you his friendship. Please don’t set your vampire on me.
Or your Shuck, for that matter. It’s the only favor I owed, so there’s nothing to worry over anyway. ”
I didn’t really understand any of that, but the first question that came out of my mouth was “Who is Echo?”