Strings (1 of 2)

Chapter 40 - Test

"Hey Alex!" I smile as I walk in the front door of the restaurant on Wednesday, the chime on the door ringing as it swings shut. 

Alex stands behind my hostess desk folding silverware in napkins, dressed in the usual black uniform under a pink furry sweater. Her short brown hair is straightened today and her small line of brown eyeliner makes her eyes pop beautifully.

"Hey Emily," she smiles back. "Sorry... I'm in your space." She frowns as she goes to pick up all the forks and knives to move as I set my bag down by the table.

"No! Don't worry about it. I'll help you." I say and she smiles at me, relieved, and hands me some napkins.

I get to work neatly folding them all in place as I hear Jake's voice approaching.

"Emily, you're early!" He says as he walks closer to stand beside me.

I stand up straighter and say hello. He doesn't look at Alex, they must have greeted each other earlier. However, Alex's cheeks are bright red right now as she tries to not look up at him and I have to cover my mouth with my hand to hide my smirk.

"How did it go Monday?" He winks at me and my own cheeks blush a little. "You seem more chipper this morning." He chuckles.

"I took your advice. That's all I'll say." I smirk at him and he shakes his head, laughing.

I take a deep breath and try to ask the question I avoided all of Monday's shift. "Have you... uh... heard from-"

"Yeah," he cuts me off knowingly, his laughter replaced with an awkward shrug. "I'm surprised he reached out about this and not when he was engaged..." he rolls his eyes and my leg starts to shake nervously. "Don't worry about it. It's for the best." He gives me a genuine smile and it helps... somewhat... to ease the guilt and worry.

"Okay, thanks." I smile back. "Sorry to involve you in it, boss," I smirk as I emphasize the last word. It's still a little strange a kid I've known half my life is now my boss at a restaurant I have adored for years. Full circle, I guess.

He chuckles. "He won't be visiting for awhile during the day so don't worry about that either."

I nod, unsure what to say. It's a difficult subject to discuss with your boss.

"Okay, see you guys later." Jake says and I nod as he looks over to Alex with a small smirk while she continues to work. His eyes linger on her a second longer than necessary as he walks away. 

I wonder if he likes her too...

"You guys are so friendly with each other..." I hear Alex squeak out from across the desk. I look up to see her deep frown as she tries to focus her eyes on the folding. I know what her voice means though and it couldn't be farther from the truth.

"It's not like that at all, trust me! I've just known him a long time. He was friends with my brother and... ex." I simplify the last word to keep from having to explain.

She meets my eyes, turning her head as she looks at me to judge if she believes me. After a second the corners of her lips turn up and she nods, satisfied. I return her smile, silently thank her for not asking any further questions about what our conversation meant.

We work on the last 10 sets to fold in comfortable silence before she asks another question surprising me, but at the same time, not surprising me. I saw this coming since we met.

"Has he always been so nice and cute?" She asks quietly, her cheeks pink again.

I giggle and nudge her arm playfully as I put my purse behind the desk and turn on the computer system with my other hand. "Yes." I whisper and she grins at me.