The Waitress

Forward Scout

Tom and Liam took a slow walk around the closest streets, acclimatizing. Well Tom was. Liam had come here this past week.

He was the forward party.

The scout.

Without Tom, and without people knowing he represented Tom, he had been able to quietly move around the area. The week had been busy, checking out the lay of the land, finding out where everything was that Tom may need. He had NOT, as his mates back home thought, had a nice holiday on the Gold Coast on his bosses tab.

Liam knew the drill.

He had been working for Tom for a year now. He knew what he wanted and needed.

Yes, he'd spent that week on the ground getting in supplies. Tom wouldn't have time for many cooked meals and let's face it, even with air conditioning in their living quarters (could you call five-star luxury up in the air above the coast living quarters?) no even with the air conditioning the air was still stifling and it would only be hotter when they came back in January.

Not that Liam would be here the whole time.

He was settling him in – making sure there was whisky in the cupboard, fruit in the fruit bowl, cheese in the fridge and tea and coffee ready to go.

For someone so well-known, Tom's needs were pretty simple – he needed somewhere to run, quick access to some good restaurants – Italian food was a must - and a place to stay where he could escape the world.

He'd ticked those boxes, hell there was even a bookshop close by – but it hadn't been hard this time – this place had been recommended and scoped out by the film company themselves. All the rest of the stars of this movie (and there were a few) were staying here or close to it. But then where else would they stay?

Broadbeach, as he'd discovered quickly, was central to everything – one of the major arterials that would take them to the less coastally studios was almost adjacent to these newly-built towers and unlike the suburb's more famous relative Surfers up the road, it was clean and family friendly. But it still had a patrolled beach within spitting distance, night clubs within stumbling distance and a plethora of dining options. There was a supermarket in the small shopping centre in the same block as the apartment and a major shopping centre (with a multiplex) less than two blocks away, though it had looked more like a construction site than a "world-class shopping precinct" last time he'd been there. Hell, there was even both Irish and English bars within easy walking distance If the homesickness really hit them.

Homesickness.

He still felt it.

He wasn't so sure about Tom.

His boss.

His friend.

Tom kept his thoughts to himself.

He was self- contained.

A little self- absorbed.

But a good boss.

A good friend and this was a new adventure in a place he'd always wanted to visit. A place they'd both admitted was on their bucket list (Australia in general for Liam and the Coast in particular for Tom – no doubt spurred on by stories from his mate Chris Hemsworth).

Plus it wouldn't be all work – there could be time for fun too (well more so for Liam than Tom).

This was a place with some impossibly good looking women and not just because of the make-up and the sunshine– no the waitress today had been effortless fresh and beautiful. Sure, this was a tourist area and there were plenty of bleached blonde try-hards but this Melody hadn't been one of them and she'd turned Tom's head as much as he'd never admit it.