Chapter 6
SIX
The inside of Shannon’s is cozy, with dim lighting casting a warm glow over the wooden tables. The hum of conversation fills the space, and the enticing scent of grilled seafood wafts through the air.
I approach the counter, where a beautiful, very pregnant woman with raven-black hair and striking light blue eyes stands, organizing some menus.
She looks up as I approach. “Hi there,” she greets with a warm smile, her eyes sparkling.
“Just give me a second.” She finishes placing the menus in a neat stack, then turns her attention to me. “How many will be dining tonight?”
“Oh, I’m not here to eat,” I reply, pointing to the sign in the window. “I saw the Help Wanted sign outside.”
Her eyes light up with understanding. “Oh! I see. Well, we could definitely use the help. I just inherited this place from my mother, who recently passed away…” She pauses, her eyes misting over, and a chill runs down my neck.
My gaze flicks over the pregnant woman’s shoulder, and an older version of her is leaning against the wall.
Some gray streaks are in her black hair, and she has colorfully tattooed arms crossed over her chest. Her light blue eyes clearly indicate their relation to one another.
She wears a warm smile while watching her daughter.
Before she can notice me watching her, I redirect my attention to the woman in front of me, who continues, “My husband…” she points to a tall but lean man with blond hair serving tables, “… is a fisherman and being on the water all day before helping out in the evenings is just too much. And our other server just had a baby. I was managing it all on my own, but being this pregnant, it’s getting harder every day. ”
“I’m sorry to hear about your mother,” I say sincerely, my gaze flicking again over her shoulder, but the mother hasn’t moved and is still focused on only her daughter.
“And I can’t imagine how tough it must be for you right now.
I’m just looking for something temporary, though. I won’t be staying in Lubec for long.”
The woman nods, her expression thoughtful. “That’s all right. Even if it’s just for a while, it’ll give me more time to find someone permanent. I’m Tallulah, by the way, but please call me Tally.”
“Tallulah?” I ask, tilting my head.
“I know.” She sighs. “Don’t ask.”
I notice how her mother breathes out a laugh, but I try not to look at her again. I don’t want to deal with a ghost talking to me while I’m trying to act normal, get myself a job, and make a good impression.
“Sloan,” I introduce myself, extending a hand.
Tally shakes it firmly. “Seems like I’m not the only one with an unusual name,” she says with a smile. “If you’re up for it, could you start right now? We’re especially busy on Sunday evenings.”
I nod, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. “Sure, I can jump right in.”
Tally’s face breaks into a grateful smile. “Thank you, Sloan. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. Let me show you around and introduce you to the guys.”
Tally walks me over to the kitchen where there’s Mac, the chef with a bald head, a gray beard that reaches his chest, and tattooed sleeves of various mermaids. He greets me with a nod, his hands busy chopping vegetables.
Then there’s Tim, Tally’s husband. He gives me a firm handshake and a welcoming grin. His strong, calloused hands are a testament to his life as a fisherman. “Nice to meet you, Sloan. Is it possible that I saw you at the lighthouse yesterday?” he asks.
“Well, it seems you got quite the first impression of me.” I cringe, feeling embarrassed. I scattered the last of Nan’s ashes into the ocean below the lighthouse.
The lighthouse behind me casts a long, solemn shadow over the rocks.
The waves crash rhythmically against the land, a constant, soothing roar that seems to acknowledge the weight of this moment.
I clutch the small urn in my hands, the last of Nan’s ashes cool and heavy against my skin.
I’m at the edge of the continent, where the Atlantic’s vast expanse merges with the heavens, and the mournful cries of seagulls are the only sound that breaks the monotonous whisper of the waves.
I can barely see through the tears that blur my vision, each one a testament to the days and nights of unrelenting loneliness that have followed me since she left a year ago. I came all this way to keep a promise, but the weight of her absence is a relentless pressure against my chest.
The wind is harsh and biting, pulling at my hair, my clothes, and the ashes I am here to set free. I’ve known this moment would come, but no amount of knowing makes it easier to release the last piece of her into the cold embrace of the ocean.
As I open the urn and the ashes catch the wind, they’re stolen from my fingertips and scattered across the water.
I watch as they drift away, and it’s like I’m losing her all over again.
The despair is a living thing inside me, clawing its way up my throat, and I can’t help but wonder if she really found her peace or if she’s as lost as I am now.
“You said there would be light again, but there’s just this emptiness that I don’t know how to fill,” I choke out, my voice lost to the wind and waves.
I drop to my knees, the rocks beneath me unforgiving and sharp, much like the reality I’m forced to live.
I feel like I’m drowning every day, struggling to keep my head above water.
“How am I supposed to do this alone?” The question is futile, screamed into the void, met only with the relentless crashing of the waves.
I promised her I’d be strong, but at this moment, I’m anything but strong. I’m full of sorrow, adrift, and directionless.
I sit there for a long time, even after the last of the ashes have been swallowed by the sea, even as the lighthouse begins to glow with the coming of night.
“Why’s that?” Tally asks, looking at me with concern, pulling me out of the memory.
“Yesterday marked a year since my grandmother passed. I was crying like a baby, but that isn’t anything new for me.” I chuckle, trying to smile and lighten the mood.
“Oh,” Tally whispers, holding her belly, tears forming in her eyes.
Now you’ve made the pregnant girl cry. Just perfect, Sloan.
“You’re in good company. I always have to keep an eye on Tally to make sure she stays hydrated. She loses at least forty ounces of water through crying every day.” Tim laughs, giving Tally a side hug. She slaps him on the stomach, making him blurt, “Oof!”
“You can have an opinion on my mood swings when you’re the one growing our baby inside your belly.” She glares at him, and I have to stifle a laugh.
I think I’m gonna like her.
The evening rush begins, and the restaurant fills up quickly.
Tally takes me under her wing, showing me how to take orders and where the supplies are kept.
I feel her mother’s watchful eyes but never meet her gaze.
Thankfully, the work is fast-paced, and I find myself constantly on the move, leaving no time to dwell on the fact she’s lingering.
As the evening wears on, I find myself getting into the rhythm of things. The initial nervousness fades just as the doors open and new patrons enter. I turn to greet them with a friendly customer service smile, but it falls right off my face when I see who they are.
Before me stands Nash, Business Guy, Apron Guy, and the blond kid.
A deep frown is etched on my face, and my arms are crossed as we stand at the entrance of the restaurant.
People bustle around, but I barely register them.
I’m not here for pleasantries or small talk.
I’m here because Hunter cornered me with a promise I made, one I can’t break, not even if it means enduring another hour away from the office.
I have shit to do, but Hunter doesn’t understand. He babbled on about Sunday family dinners, how I promised to do them every once in a while, and I just wasn’t fast enough with an excuse.
It’s not like I don’t like the food here or hanging out with my brothers and my kid. It’s just if I’m not keeping busy, my own thoughts start yelling.
And fuck are they loud.
I’m talking about things like numbers, deals, contracts. The kind of work that pushes our company ahead. The kind that keeps all our workers safe and lets them take a good paycheck home.
I’ve literally got the weight of this family and the whole town on my shoulders. We’re the ones making sure folks in Lubec have jobs and money coming in. And Hunter won’t stop nagging me about dinners, lunches, and doing stuff together as a family.
But I’m out there working my ass off so other families can enjoy those things.
And to make sure my conscience shuts the fuck up.
I look up at the waitress in front of us, and almost can’t believe it when I see who it is. My lips twitch into a sneer. Of fucking course she’s waitressing.
Nash always gets himself the gold diggers.
I don’t know how many times I have had to get rid of one of them for him.
I love my brother, but he’s about as mature as a teenager on prom night. Sure, he’s got charm and can crack a joke, but when it comes to serious stuff, he’s as shallow as a kiddie pool, and when he wants to fuck, he gives zero fucks about the consequences.
And I’m the one to clean up his mess afterward.
It’s always about what he can give them, or in this case, what she thinks she can get from us.
I size her up, taking in the apron tied neatly around her waist and the way she’s holding the menus with a practiced smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
She’s new, a variable I haven’t accounted for, and I dislike unknowns.
Everyone has an angle.
“Hey, pretty girl,” Nash greets, grinning over his whole face as if it’s Christmas morning.
I fucking knew it.
There was just no way a woman like her would jump into bed with Nash without some ulterior motive.
She’s way out of his league and nothing like the usual giggling airheads he tends to hook up with.
She knows who we are and thinks the weakest link would be the best way to get in.
I’ve never seen her here before, but it seems that waitressing alone doesn’t pay her bills.
Her smile wobbles, just for a second, before she recovers. It’s almost impressive if not for the slight chill in her voice as she asks, “How many are dining tonight?”
Nash turns to me as if he doesn’t know the answer, or maybe he’s just too stunned that she didn’t just throw herself at him, and his brain has momentarily short-circuited.
“Three and a half,” I reply calmly, watching as she leans slightly to the side to get a better look behind me.
Is she that blonde?
“The child,” I add, nodding to Lio.
“Of course, sorry,” she responds, a hint of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.
It’s not often I see her type thrown off their game. I shouldn’t enjoy it, but I do, just a bit.
We settle at the table she guides us to, and she hands out the menus. Her demeanor shifts when she speaks to Lio, her voice softening, her smile genuine. It’s a stark contrast to the mask she wears for us. “Would you like a menu too, or have you already decided?”
I furrow my brow, puzzled by her addressing him as if he’s old enough to answer.
“I’d like the fish sticks, please,” Lio answers her, his voice soft but steady.
She smiles warmly at him, and Hunter affectionately pats his hair.
“Good choice,” she compliments, but her smile fades as she turns to the rest of us. “Do you all need a moment, or…”
I find myself studying her. Is there something real beneath the act?
“We’ll have the daily special,” I cut through the pleasantries, my impatience to leave this place growing. Then I hand her the menu back, and Hunter follows suit. When Nash hands his menu over, he reaches out and grips her wrist.
Her reaction is immediate, her body tensing like a cornered animal. She recoils, and Nash lifts his hands in a hasty retreat.
“Sorry,” he murmurs, his voice apologetic, but the damage is done. Even her fake smile is gone, her jaw set in a tight line.
I watch the exchange, a part of me wondering what battle she’s fighting behind those wide, startled eyes. For a moment, I almost feel something akin to pity. But it’s fleeting.
“It’s fine,” she replies, though her response is strained, and her teeth are clenched.
What was that about?
As she starts to turn away, Nash tugs a finger in the side of her apron to stop her from leaving.
“I heard you know my name now. Will you tell me yours?” he asks, flashing her a broad, charming grin. “Would only be fair.”
“I already forgot it, so you’re fine,” she replies, her tone disinterested, eliciting a deep belly laugh from Hunter. I have to cough to stop myself from laughing too. “Let go… please,” she adds, cautiously glancing at Tallulah, who is busy serving the table next to ours.
It’s clear she’s playing hard to get, a tactic that probably wouldn’t work with me, but my little brother is an idiot, which he is about to confirm with the next thing that comes out of his mouth.
“Come on, pretty girl. Don’t be like that.
Can I see you again?” Nash asks, tugging on her apron in an attempt to draw her closer.
I roll my eyes so hard they almost ache.
Nash’s usual hit-it-and-quit-it mentality appears to be thrown out the window with this girl only because she doesn’t chase after him like his quick fucks usually do.
“You could’ve told me you’re only twenty-five,” she hisses out, and my eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
Huh.
“How old are you then?” Nash asks, his grin growing wider.
“Too fucking old for you,” she mutters angrily.
“Oh, I do have a thing for cougars,” Nash teases, his tone playful. Hunter gives Nash a slap on the back of his head, causing him to release her apron and rub the spot where he was hit. “Damn, bro,” Nash mutters.
“Sorry, he does have manners. He just tends to forget them occasionally,” Hunter apologizes on Nash’s behalf.
“Your food will be ready in a few minutes,” is her only reply before she turns away. As I watch her retreat to place our orders, her spine straight as a board, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to her than I first assumed.