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I keep an eye on Violet over the next hour, and despite how annoying she can be towards me, it becomes clear that Violet is good at her job—almost too good. She’s charming the customers, moving through the tables with ease, and making more tips than anyone else. Not that it’s bothering my other staff; they seem to like her just fine. But every time she crosses my path, there’s tension. It’s like neither one of us can shake our argument from earlier.
I approach her after she finishes taking an order from a group of regulars. “Violet, a word.”
After a cheerful, “I’ll get that right to you!” she turns to me. “What now?”
I nod toward the kitchen and hear Violet stalking after me. When the door shuts behind us, I can see the change come over her features. With the customers, she is a ray of sunshine. But with me, clouds descend and it’s like she transforms into something darker.
“You’re doing great with the customers, but I need you to be quicker with the drink orders. The bar’s getting backed up.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m doing my best, Jay. Maybe you should hire more staff if you can’t handle the rush.”
“Just pick up the pace, okay? We need to keep things running smoothly. I’m not trying to embarrass you by scolding you out there. You’re welcome.”
Violet sighs, plucking at the end of her red hair, and I sense a bit of self-consciousness for the first time since seeing her walk into my bar a few days ago. “Fine. But if you keep micromanaging me, you’re going to have bigger problems than a slow bar.”
I stare at her, struggling to find the right words. “I’m not micromanaging. I’m trying to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
“Put it in different words if it makes you feel better, but trying to make sure everything is perfect is the same as micromanaging.”
We both glare at each other for a long moment. Despite my frustration, I’m still the boss and responsible for this situation. Maybe a compliment will soften her rough edges? After all, even the most stubborn of creatures are better motivated by reward than punishment.
But in true Violet form, she turns and leaves the kitchen before I get the chance.
I let out a long sigh and close my eyes. I needed a new cocktail waitress, and Violet is doing fine… for her first day. But she has to learn how to take corrections or this isn’t going to work.
Maybe hiring her was a huge mistake.
CHAPTER 6
VIOLET
Ikeep the smile plastered on my face because if I stop smiling, even for a moment, I might cry. I don’t know why I’m so emotional tonight, but working as a waitress, even though it’s at a bar, not a restaurant like I did in high school, is taking me back to my earlier years.
I keep remembering how my dad would wait up for me to get home, even when I worked the closing shift. He would be sitting in his easy chair, his head nodding forward as he pretended to read a book.
I would kiss him gently on the forehead, and we would walk to bed together. He would ask me how my night had gone, and I would tell him. But sometimes, he was so sleepy that he wouldn’t even remember our conversation the next day.
I approach a table of customers that has been trying to get my attention and keep my smile firmly in place. “What else can I get you?”
It’s a table of college kids. All of their IDs say they are twenty-one, but I wonder if any of them are fake. They look real enough to me, but I was a college kid once. They’re clearly excited to be drinking like adults. “I want to try the Bees Knees,” one of them says, pointing to it on the menu like I might not be able to understand her if I didn’t have the menu’s help.
I nod as I shift the tray of dirty glasses in my hand. “Anyone else?”
“What do you recommend?” one of the guys asks, leaning forward and clearly checking me out.
I press my lips together, and I don’t have a real answer. Since it’s my first day, my only goal is to take orders and not drop any drinks on anyone. But I can’t say that. “I’ve heard the Hanky Panky is a good one, but I’m new here.”
“Hanky Panky. Are you offering me… hanky panky?” the guy asks, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
I want to roll my eyes, but these kids might have deep pockets. I won’t know who is a good tipper until I’ve been here for a while, and the last thing I need is to give Jay a group of annoyed customers. I feel like he wants to fire me already without giving me a chance. It doesn’t feel fair, and I feel completely overwhelmed.
“I’m offering you a drink choice, whatever drink you want… as long as you can pay for it.”
My response makes the table laugh, and someone slaps the guy’s shoulder. I finish taking their drink orders and head over to the bar to get them made. The last thing I need is Jay accusing me of holding things up again.
The older man who has been sitting at the bar since I arrived for my shift studies me for a moment, but there’s nothing nefarious in his eyes. He looks kind. “A bit overwhelmed on your first shift?”
“How did you know it’s my first shift?”
