Jolted (Conflicted Encounters #1) (19 page)

"When do you want me, ma'am?"
 

"Tomorrow morning okay, sweetheart?"

Kallie agreed and Minnie scurried to the back to get some paperwork for her to fill out.
 

"What are you doing?" Kallie growled.

"Getting you a damn job," I told her. "You're welcome."

"I didn't ask for your help," she said through gritted teeth. I caught myself watching the muscles in her neck flexing. "I thought you wanted me to go home? I was giving up and going home. Without my car."

I moved closer and bent down to look her in her eyes. She flinched, but held herself still, not backing down from me. "And how the hell do you think you are getting home? You can't fix your car without money. You can't get money without earning it."
 

Kallie suddenly pulled away and turned to give Minnie a sweet smile. It amazed me how she could turn into a totally different person at a moment's notice. She filled out the paperwork and took the uniform Minnie gave her.
 

As we walked back to my truck, she unfolded the uniform and looked at it. "I have to wear this?" she asked.

I laughed. It was a pink dress that looked like it could be from the fifties. All the waitresses wore them, and they’d become part of the tradition for the small town diner. She got in my truck and pouted while we drove back to the apartment.
 

I turned off the truck and sighed. I had to say something eventually. "Look, about last night -"
 

"Let me guess," she cut me off. "It didn't happen. It will never happen again. You can save the speech, Ryder. I might be severely inexperienced and naive, but I'm not stupid by any means." With that, she got out the truck and headed up the stairs without waiting for me. I got out and followed shortly after. Scarlett was in the living room when I walked in and Kallie was no where in sight.
 

"Where were you two?" Scarlett asked accusingly.
 

"Don't start with me," I told her. "I took her to the shop for the estimate and then to Minnie's."

"You guys already ate?" she whined.

"No. She needed a job if she ever wants to get her car out of here."

She nodded and I sat on the couch next to her. "Leave her be, Ry," she whispered.
 

"I'm trying."

"She's a sweet girl," she said. "I think she's already going through a rough time, I can tell. She's broken inside, and she doesn't need you breaking what's left."

"I know this," I snapped.
 

"Ryder," I heard behind me. We both turned to see Kallie standing in the bedroom doorway. "Thank you for helping me get a job. I didn't mean to be rude."

I just nodded at her and turned away. The rest of the evening, I kept my eyes away from her. I drank several beers during and after dinner to clear my head. Scarlett was right. I was no good for her. Taking into consideration of the things I’ve done in the past few months alone would prove that. I would get her car fixed and get her out of my town.
 

Kallie

I woke up in the morning and quietly got ready for my first day at the diner. Butterflies bounced around in my stomach. I woke up before Ryder did, but made enough coffee for the both of us. I showered and put on the uniform I was given yesterday. The pink dress was tight on my chest with a high waistline and a full skirt. I couldn't help but twirl around in it.

My pink hair matched the uniform perfectly. I pulled it up into a tight bun, letting some stray pink strands hang down. I grabbed a pair of flats and slipped them on. I took a deep breath, looked in the mirror, and smoothed down the skirt. Unable to stall anymore, I came out of the bathroom and found Ryder in the kitchen.

He was topless, as usual, and in a pair of shorts. His hair was a mess from sleeping and his eyes were barely opened. I waved to him and tip toed to grab my purse. I snuck out of the apartment and walked down the street to the diner. The town was dead silent at this time in the morning. The sunrise casted a calming purple tint over the little town.

The diner was alive and awake when I entered, unlike the rest of sleepy town I just walked through. Pots and pans banged in the back kitchen, mixed with shouting and glass clanking. Other waitresses bustled around, filling sugar containers and placing jelly packets on the tables and along the counter.
 

"There you are," Minnie said, coming towards me with open arms. This woman was a hugger.
 

"Yes, ma'am," I said. "What should I do?"

"Let's meet everyone first, dear."

She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to where the waitresses were getting tables ready for the morning rush.
 

"This is Tiffany, Sophie, and Cindy. Tiffany will be training you today."
 

"Nice to meet you all," I said as I waved at them. They smiled back at me and Minnie dragged me off to the kitchen.

"This is George. He's our cook," she said, introducing an older guy at the grill. He was a big guy, but his eyes were warm and his smile was trusting.
 

"Nice to meet you, dear. Welcome to the family," he told me.
 

"Thank you, sir," I replied.
 

"So, you're the beauty that has been staying with the Brooks twins?" he asked me.

"Um, yes. I guess that's me," I stammered. "How did you know?"

"Small town here, sweetheart," he smiled. "Not much is a secret." I wondered what else this town has heard about me.

"This is Pete. He cooks mostly nights and some weekend mornings. Alan is the busboy and dishwasher. He's somewhere around here," Minnie said, looking around the kitchen.

Minnie gave me a quick tour. She showed me the kitchen, bathrooms, the stock room, and the walk-in cooler. She then left me with Tiffany to start the day. Customers slowly filtered in and Tiffany took their orders. She showed me the things I should know as we went along.

Most of the customers were regulars, and Tiffany would just pour them coffee without asking what they would be ordering. Sometimes, George would even have a plate ready before we even gave him the order. I watched her ring up at the register and tried to memorize the menu. I kept busy mostly by keeping drinks and coffees full.
 

"You want your own table?" Tiffany finally asked when the morning rush died down.
 

"I don't know," I said nervously. "I don't know what people want."

"Just take their order. It will take you a while to learn the regulars. They'll know you're new," she reassured me while smiling.
 

"Okay, if you think I'm ready," I relented.

"You can have that one," she said, pointing to a man walking in the door. I exhaled in relief when I recognized it was Caleb.

"Kallie?" he asked when he saw me.

"Hey Caleb. You want a seat?" I asked before leading him to a small booth. "Just you?"

"Yep. When did you start here?"

"Today actually."

"Does that mean you're here to stay?" he asked, eyeing me.

"No," I said quickly. "I just need some cash to get my car finished up."

"I see," he said as he took his seat. I ran over and grabbed a coffee pot, filling his cup.
 

"What can I get you today?" I asked, trying to whip my notepad and pen from of my apron. I dropped the pen and Caleb reached down and picked it up.

"Biscuits and gravy, please," he told me, handing my pen back.

I wrote down the order and rushed back to George to put it in. I refilled a few more customers while I waited for Caleb's food to be ready. When George waved me over, I grabbed the plate and returned to Caleb’s table.
 

"How do you like it so far?" he inquired as I filled his coffee cup.

"It's okay," I told him. "You come in here a lot? Everyone seems like they come in here everyday."

"Some mornings," he said. "You better watch out. This diner sucks you in. Some never leave. Like Sophie. She's been here for, like, forty years," he joked.
 

I laughed. "Well, I'm just getting enough to pay for the repairs and then I'm out of here. This town doesn't want me anyway," I joked back.
 

"You never know," he argued. "We could use a fresh, pretty face," he said, giving me the same dazzling smile that got me at the bonfire. "How are they treating you over at the Brooks household?"

"They're fine. It's fine," I told him.

"Well, if they act up, come find me," he winked. "I'll take care of you."

I shook my head but couldn't help smiling back at him. His dimples and freckles made it impossible to mistrust or dislike him. I retreated back to the kitchen and helped Tiffany serve a few more tables. Caleb sat smiling at me as I walked back to clear his table and drop off the bill.
 

"'I'm gonna have to come in more often," he said with a wide grin. "Nice view here."

"You think?" I said, humoring him. "You like the vintage look?" I asked while twirling the poodle skirt for him.

"It looks amazing on you," he flirted, leaning forward and locking his eyes on mine.
 

"Thanks," I blushed and backed away.
 

"He's cute," I heard in my ear. I turned to see Cindy, one of the other waitresses. She looked young, younger than me, and her eyes were eating Caleb alive.

"Yeah," I admitted.
 

"He likes you," she guessed, giving me an excited look.

"He's just a friend," I told her, trying to move away from her. I didn't need any more trouble than what I had already created for myself.

Caleb eventually left and gave a decent tip for me as well. I rushed around, cleaning up tables and keeping the customers' glasses full and tables cleared. I might not know anyone or what they liked to order, but I was observant enough to know when they needed a refill.

"You should just follow me around every day," Tiffany suggested to me during a slow period.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Your pretty eyes doubled my tips for the day," she laughed. "You get half my tips today, by the way. And you really boosted them this morning."

"Oh," I said. I tired to calculate how much I would need to make in a day to pay for the repairs. I realized how foolish this was. The car was not even worth the amount I would be putting into it. I just couldn't stand to give it up. I kept my mind on keeping busy for the day. I didn't even realize it was almost time for me to clock out until Tiffany dragged me to the back to show me how to close my shift.
 

When I came out of the kitchen, I saw Ryder leaning up against the wall by the front door. His ankles were crossed and his arms were folded across his chest. His face and arms were smudged with grease. My stomach clenched at the sight of him. I hated the reactions he caused my body have.
 

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I approached him.

"Thought you would need a ride home," he replied.

"It's not that far of a walk," I told him as I passed and went out the door.

"I know," he admitted, following me. "I thought your feet would be hurting, though."

I winced at the pain in my feet. I don't think I sat all day. The flat shoes I wore offered no support for the bottoms of my feet. I sighed at the irritation that he was right. I kept my head up as I headed straight to his truck and opened the door. I grabbed the handles and pulled myself up into the high cab.
 

Ryder got in and started it up. "So, how was it?"
 

"It was fine," I said, taking off my shoes to rub my abused feet. I would need to ask Scarlett to take me to get better shoes.
 

"You like it though?" he asked as he pulled on the main street.

"Sure," I said. "Don't worry. I'll keep working and get the money. Your plan is working out just fabulously."
 

"You don't need to be a bitch about it," he threw back at me. "You’re the one that wants to fix it so bad. And why is that?"

I sighed. He was right. I was the one refusing to get help or just get a ride home. My family had been begging me to get rid of that car for years, but I refused to let go.

"It was my first car," I told him as I let myself sink back into the seat. "It's nostalgic and irrational, but I love that car. It holds memories and experiences that I'll never be able to get back."

He nodded. "Tiffany said you made some pretty good tips."
 

"I guess." I had no idea what was good, or wasn't, when it came to tips.

We pulled into the parking lot and Ryder helped me down from the truck. I walked up the stairs barefoot and flopped onto the couch next to Scarlett as soon as I got in.
 

"Long day?"

"Flew by. Just busy," I whined.
 

She took my purse and shoes and put them by the door for me. She pulled out a pair of sleep pants and a tank top and laid them on the bathroom sink for me. "Go shower. You'll feel better, I promise."
 

I pulled myself up and dragged my body to the bathroom. I stood under the water and let the spray massage my sore muscles. I may have worked before, but not in such a physical position. I really had a new appreciation for Sophie. She was in her fifties, maybe sixties, and made the job look easy.
 

I shut off the shower when I heard raised voices over the water. I dried and put on the clothes that Scarlett put out for me, trying to hear. I couldn't make out their words. I didn't have the energy, so I decided to let my hair air dry. When I opened the door, Scarlett and Ryder were staring each other down in the kitchen. When she heard me come out, Scarlett turned to smile at me and walked out of the kitchen.
 

We ate dinner like nothing was wrong, and I was thankful. I didn't know if I could handle any more drama today. All I could think was that I had to get up and do it all over again. I was exhausted and the sibling rivalry would just need to wait.