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Tommy appeared before Bart returned.
There was a bit of relief, and partially horrified.
Tommy was twenty-eight, Asian, an inch shorter than me, with pocked cheeks but otherwise a handsome guy. From what I knew, he was engaged, but a lot of women liked to flirt with him when they came to she shop.
He let them. It increased his popularity around town.
Tommy looked shortly toward Bart with mild interest on his way in, giving him a friendly nod, and then strolled into the restaurant.
I tried to appear casual, leaning against the counter, yet unsure what to say at the moment, still flustered.
"How'd it go?" he asked and walked around me without waiting for me to answer.
"The usual," I said, turning to face him as Tommy stuck his head into the kitchen. He nodded a hello to the guys working in the back, checked the food still waiting to be picked up, and Bart's order being prepared.
He nodded to the food on the counter and then in Bart's direction. "Any of this his?"
"Nope," I said without looking to Bart. I could still sense him pacing out there though, and my insides were baking with heat about it. "His order's the new one. Already paid. The others were phone orders."
Tommy looked at the written order quickly. "This isn't for you? Looks like yours."
I shook my head. "What can I say? He's got good taste.'
He made the same teasing face he often did when I put in the order and he told me how it wasn't really authentic Chinese food. He approached me and nudged me out the way so he could reach the cash register. The phone rang, and he answered it, taking an order while checking the register history.
I got out of the way. Tommy was quick at his job and often shooed me out the moment he got back, but I still needed to call home for a ride. I didn't have a car yet, so I'd be there for another half hour waiting on someone to come get me.
I waited while he spoke to someone who couldn't figure out what they wanted and he had to read the menu items off to them.
The front door opened and I leaned against the counter, trying to pretend to be cool. Bart was coming back.
Still on the phone, Tommy eyeballed him, looked behind himself just as one of the guys finished bagging Bart's order. Tommy collected it, and then waved it at Bart while still rattling off menu items into the phone.
Bart nodded a thank you to Tommy, taking his order, but then looked at me and spoke quietly. "Off work?"
"Yeah. I just need to call for a ride." The tightness in my jaw came back as I smothered another awkward smile. How lame. Nineteen and no car. I didn't even have my own cell phone yet. My parents weren't going to buy me things so I had to earn it myself.
