Alfredo's - Pretentious Volume 1

Chapter 4

Danny went over reservations while he waited for Aryn to arrive. He smiled to himself. It was hard to see Aryn as the new girl. It felt strange to think of her as anything different than the most awesome girl at school. The door opened and he shifted his attention from the Aryn in his mind to the one coming through the door. He smiled at her and Aryn's breath caught, giving away her nervousness. She returned his smile almost shyly. He watched her amused, Aryn wasn't shy, but this was his world, and she was probably feeling a little out of her element. He was more than a little certain now that she liked him too. Aryn blushed as though she'd read his thoughts and Danny almost laughed. He loved it when she did that.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Absolutely."

"Michelle is going to train you. Follow me."

The restaurant was busy, so Danny wasn't able to watch Aryn as much as he would have liked. He felt protective of her and wanted her to be happy at Alfredo's. He already knew she would fit in, given a little time and within a few hours she was doing almost as much work as Michelle. He had heard Aryn laughing a lot, so he knew she was having fun. The first time he saw them sitting with a customer, Aryn stiffened as if she'd been caught doing something wrong. He chuckled, and she relaxed. Alfredo's was obviously more laid back than wherever she had worked before.

Danny wasn't able to spend time with Aryn the entire first week, but he watched her and caught her observing him too. The employees ate together after work, but he hadn't even been able to do that, having to settle for ordering his dinners before they closed to eat later. Garrett and Michelle were eating and spending time with Aryn after work. Mark seemed to like her well enough, but he was quiet around people he didn't know well, not intimidated, but not interested either.

A man with dark hair came through the door with a blonde woman in an ivory silk dress. He stood behind her, strong arms encircling her waist. When she leaned back against him, Danny's heart warmed. The affection in their eyes, their need to be close, the comfort they gave each other, he wanted that. Everyone did. Mama always said, "A bed is warmer when it's built with love." She had built that bed with his father every day of their lives. Mark and Garrett had that kind of love. Aryn was the girl for him, and if he didn't pursue her soon, she would move on and he would lose her. It was time to find out what her answer would have been.

"Andre for two," the man said, lips brushing against the woman's cheek. She closed her eyes and smiled.

Danny looked at the reservation sheet, newlyweds. He sat them in a dimly lit corner, conveyed the information to Michelle, and scanned the room for Aryn. He found her talking to a business man that was meeting with clients over dinner. She laughed, then walked away from the table. Danny followed.

"Danny!"

Grace waved a hundred dollar bill at him. "Can you break this for me?"

A tremor ran through Danny, he gritted his teeth, took the bill and went to get change. By the time he was finished, Aryn was busy. He sat a few more tables and awaited another opportunity.

Seating tables, grabbing drinks, helping Servers that were behind - by the time he had another opportunity he was downright antsy. He went to the kitchen to place a take-out order and saw Aryn making coffee. He bee lined.

"Aryn."

Aryn turned toward him.

"Aryn?" Michelle called, as she loaded bowls of pasta and plates of chicken onto two trays. She pointed to one of them. "Can you follow me out?"

Aryn jogged toward her, picked up a tray and turned back to him. "I'm sorry Danny, what did you want?"

He raised a hand and shook his head. When Aryn was out of earshot, he growled. Raphael startled, almost dropping the pan of pasta he carried. Danny inhaled, made his way back to the front, and glowered. Garrett passed by, eyeing him.