Perspicuous (J.HALE)

17

"And here's your apron."

I took it from him and tied it around my waist, cinching in the yellow uniform that was too large for me. I didn't look great in yellow—it clashed with my hair—and the red of the apron didn't make things any better, but it didn't matter.

"Now we've got your paperwork all sorted," Kevin continued, standing with his hands on his hips, "I'll teach you how to work the coffee machine."

I looked at the bulky slab of metal against the wall, two glass coffee pots sat on its shelf. It looked simple, but I let him talk me through it anyway. I didn't want to risk breaking anything because of unwarranted confidence.

I'd gotten the best night sleep of my life, and yet I was still exhausted.

Alice and Emmett had taken over looking after Ethan, as they knew I had to get up at a ridiculous time in the morning for my first shift, and the bed that Alice had set up for me in her room was divine. There wasn't even a possibility that I would stay in Jasper's room after the conversation with Bella—honestly, I was thankful. It was difficult enough to be in an enclosed space and not jump on him, and risk of a parasitic pregnancy raised the stakes a little.

"Here's your notepad," Kevin said, handing it to me alongside a pen. "I'll have you mostly on coffee refills this morning, maybe taking some plates to tables. I'll teach you how to use the till when you're a bit more comfortable."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Kevin."

He shot me a wink. "No problem, hon."

There were three other servers working; a young, blonde girl who seemed nervous, an older woman who ignored me completely, and the blonde boy I'd met earlier that week. He'd been shooting me side glances ever since I'd entered the diner—overtly attentive for six in the morning. Only when Kevin opened the doors and people started to come in did he avert his eyes and actually do his job.

I wasn't sure what it was about him that made me so uneasy. The way he was looking at me wasn't angry or suspicious, he was just looking.

"Can you make a fresh pot, Imogen?" Kevin asked, moving away from the counter. "I'm just going to say hi to Ricky."

"Sure," I said.

I picked out a new coffee filter and switched out the old one as Kevin toddled over to a bearded man in a window booth, the two of them greeting each other with far too much energy for an early morning. I filled the pot with water and fiddled about pressing buttons, before someone cleared their throat behind me.

"Hey, lady. Can I get something to eat?"

I turned around to see a middle-aged man sat at the counter, red-rimmed eyes fixed on me and lopsided mouth turned down in a frown. I smiled.

"Of course. What can I get you?"

"Eggs, fried. Four rashers of bacon, two toast, fried tomatoes."

I scribbled the order down. "Anything to drink?"

"Coffee."

"I'll put that order in and the coffee should be brewed by the time I get back," I said, offering him another smile, before faltering.

Kevin hadn't told me how to use the till, and I needed to ring up the order.

I approached the old machine with caution, eyeing the buttons and searching for anything that made sense. All of a sudden, I'd forgotten how to read numbers and letters, and everything just melded together into a mush.