Perfectly Flawed

15. Too Busy

"Hey Joanie, you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah I was wondering if you'd heard from Kasei yet. Keila has a couple days off this week, and it's too busy to only have the two of you working." She looks stressed. The soft creases on her forehead morphed into frown wrinkles and she has bags under her eyes.

"Yeah I'm so sorry, I don't know where she is...I'll do everything I can and come in to work everyday but she hasn't texted me." I scratch the back of my neck.

"When she asked for those days off I thought it would be the nice thing to give them to her, I'm a dance mom so I understand the pressures of that lifestyle, but I wasn't under the impression she'd take the whole week off for it!" Joanie sighs loudly.

"I know, I wasn't either, and I know it really sucks that the days off for Keila and Kasei were supposed to work out, and now they're the same. Joanie I'm sorry, but I have to head back out there I have no other news." I bite my inner cheek.

"Keep your phone on you and tell me if she gets in contact." She nods.

"Will do."

"You don't have to work 12hours, either. I'll keep you on the 8 and help out at the end of the shift." She adds on my way out of the office.

"Okay, thanks Joanie." I nod and close the office door behind me. When Kasei gets back she better have a damn good excuse. I huff to myself.

"There you are!" Jacque huffs when I walk back into the kitchen. "This one's for the family at 5, and this one is ready for table 2. Erin is getting the bills for table 7, 9 and 3 needs to get asked about drinks." He gestures at the plates in front of him.

"Fuck." I mutter. "This is 5?" I grab the tray as he nods and sticks and puts his airpod back in.

"Hey so sorry about the wait!" I rush towards table 5, handing off all the plates. "Anything else I can get you right now?"

"No we're good, thanks." The older lady sitting at the table smiles at me. "You look pretty busy."

The best part about Joanie's is that it's a small homey environment and the people we get in are almost always regulars. My other restaurant job was snooty and we'd get 'karen' customers a couple times a day. You left those shifts feeling like crap about yourself. Not here, and I'm so thankful for it.

"Yeah, we sure are but give me a holler if you need anything. Enjoy!" I zip back around to all the tables, making sure to get everyone's order filled and delivered, passing bills off to Erin, and ringing for Riley as the dishes stack up. By the time 5 o' clock hits, I'm exhausted, my hair is falling wildly around my face, and I'm in desperate need of a shower.

"Biker booth." Erin gestures as she rushes past.

Great. The perfect way to end my shift. Embarrassing myself in front of Blade. "Hey what can I get y'all to drink?" I saunter my way up to the table, surprised when only a few guys I don't recognize are there with Doc. No Blade. I can't tell if I'm feeling disappointed or relieved.

"Mikes all around, thanks." He nods at me.

"Okay, great. Just a minute." I rush to get them and come back, to see two of the bikers are no longer there. "Ditching before ordering your food is an interesting tactic." I chuckle. "I guess I'll give you a couple minutes."

"Sure, and hey how's your stitches?"

"What? Oh. My foot, yeah that's fine I think it's basically all healed up." I shrug off his curious frown.

"Can I see?"

"Liam...Doc, whatever you want me to call you right now, I do not have time. I'm literally in the middle of a shift."