Page 11 of Monster Diner

“No problem!” She had decided to help out, why wait?

“You’re a lifesaver.” The relief on his face was abundant, and it warmed a small part of her cold heart to be needed.

He rushed back to the kitchen, where she heard the other fry cook shouting out orders. As she passed the kitchen, she saw all four fryers were bubbling and the flat top was packed with bacon, burgers, and buns.

She grabbed a spare apron from the hooks where they’d always hung and an order pad from the bussing station, and she stepped out into the dining room. The tables were packed, and Trudy looked up with sheer panic radiating off her. Vivianne was behind the counter with a queue of milkshakes lined up, empty cartons of milk lying on the counter next to them. Every table was full and had a milkshake on it.

Lizzy went into crisis resolution mode. It was what she was best at. She’d spent a few years at a crisis call center until her boss had fired her for spending too long on her calls. Then there had been her brief stint as a wedding planner before she’d broken up with her photographer boyfriend and moved cross-country.

“Why is everyone ordering milkshakes?” Lizzy asked.

“Vivianne offered up a free milkshake with any order,” Trudy said, her voice wobbling as if she were about to cry.

Vivianne looked over from the shake mixer and gave her a sheepish shrug. They’d deal with that later. For now, they had to get customers in and out.

“I’ll take tables one through eight, and you take the counter and tables nine and ten.” Lizzy pointed at the two four-top booths in the nook between the window and the counter. While Lizzy would take the eight four-top booths lining the window that faced Main Street.

Trudy nodded and went over to tend to her tables.

All told, Frank’s wasn’t a large diner, but when it was full, it buzzed with energy. She remembered this from high school. Back then, she’d found it overwhelming. The stress of the other waitresses, the cooks arguing in the kitchen, Mom and Dad fighting in the office over bills. But this new numbness made navigating the diner almost easy. She simply had to put on a smiling face and serve.

“What can I getcha?” she asked.

“I’ll have the bacon burger, extra bloody,” said the wolf shifter.

“And I’ll take the BLT and extra-crispy fries,” said the witch with him.

“And milkshakes for both of us,” he said before handing Lizzy their menus.

“Coming right up.” She jotted down their order and moved to the next table and the next. She found herself falling into an easy rhythm. Maybe she could do this.

In what felt like no time at all, the rush ended, the sun had gone down, and the streetlights turned on, casting a yellow glow on Main Street. There were still a few tables left, but they’d long since run out of ice cream.

Trudy had gone home, and Vivianne was slumped at the counter, staring off into the distance.

“If I never see a milkshake again, it’ll be too soon.”

“Serves you right,” Victor said, coming out of the kitchen and wiping his hands on a towel hanging at his waist. His tight bun had wisps of dark hair escaping from it, and he was greased up in a way that should have been disgusting but was a little bit delicious. She was a sucker for a grimed-up man.

“Well, I care about this place. It’s a Pumpkin Hollow institution.” She shot Lizzy a nasty glare.

“Lizzy is your boss. You can’t talk to her that way,” Victor scolded her.

“It’s alright,” Lizzy said. “I deserve it.”

Victor crossed his arms and frowned at her. “Finish your side work until Annalise comes in, then you can go home.”

“Yes, boss,” Vivianne said with a mock salute to Victor.

“Can I talk to you in the office?” he asked Lizzy.

He led her back into the office, where they’d abandoned their previous conversation. The room felt too small with the two of them in there. Even with the desk between them, his presence loomed over her, in a sexy sort of way. In the exact sort of way she shouldn’t be thinking about, because she was definitely going to stay single.

“Thanks for helping out there. Vivianne means well, but she’s a bit chaotic.”

“You didn’t have to defend me. I am kind of the bad guy in this situation.”

He nodded thoughtfully as the silence dragged on. “If I’m honest, the diner has been struggling for a while. We’re in desperate need of repairs. If we didn’t have our regulars, I might have to close for good.” He ran a hand over his face. “I don’t have the money to buy you out right now, but if you give me time, I can find a way, I think… Maybe if I take out a loan.”