Chapter 7
Me: Hey, where did you guys go?
I stared at my phone, avoiding eye contact with the server. I shifted anxiously, side to side, as the minutes dragged on. I tried calling again. Still no response.
Me: WTF! You left me with the whole check???
“If you don’t pay, we’ll have to call the police,” the server said, her voice full of disdain.
A family approached the door behind me and I stepped aside, praying they hadn’t heard.
“Please, there’s no need to do that. I promise I’ll figure it out.
” I started rummaging through my purse again, cringing as I pulled out my credit card.
I’d never be able to pay this whole thing off, that stupid bottle of champagne was in the triple digits alone. I was going to lose my fucking mind.
“Here,” I said, placing my card in the book and closing it. “Just run it on this.”
The server gave me a haughty look, grabbing the book and taking it to a station to swipe the card.
Me: Tara, this is serious. Please answer.
The server came back moments later, a deep frown etched between her brows. “Declined,” was all she said. Loudly.
“What?” I blurted. “Can you please try running it again?” I was now shaking anxiously. I’d never been so embarrassed in my life.
“I tried it three times. It’s not working.” She tapped her foot against the floor impatiently. “You can’t come to this restaurant and get away with stealing. I should have expected nothing less from—”
“Please, just give me another minute.” I logged onto my bank’s mobile app and my stomach dropped when I realized that the bill was too far over my credit limit. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I called Tara again. Voicemail. Again.