Honestly, I could relate. When I'd been in training myself, it had hurt like hell to watch my trainer scoop up all that cash while I got nothing except the hourly wage.
But now, I totally got it. Even with tips, the trainer took a huge pay cut when working with a new girl. Saddled with someone who didn't know the ropes, the trainer couldn't get nearly as many tables, especially if she had to stop every five minutes to explain things along the way.
Training was a major bummer. But we all had to take our turns. Unfortunately, my turn was with Brittney.
"That's just the way it is," I said. "Someday, you'll see."
"Now you sound just like my mom."
I raised my eyebrows. "So you're mom's a waitress too?"
"Hell no," Brittney said, straightening in her seat. "She's a bank president."
"Right," I said.
"She is!"
Regardless of what her Mom did for a living, I had Brittney pegged right from the get-go. She was just another star-struck girl who thought the job was all fun and no work. If she lasted more than a week, I'd be surprised.
Later that night, my worst fears were confirmed when Brittney greeted our very first table. Seated at that table was Mr. Bolger, a regular customer who had requested me personally.
He was a squat, middle-aged man with two ex-wives, wandering hands, and more money than class. I'd been waiting on him for a couple years now. I knew his quirks, and I knew his tipping habits, which in truth, were pretty darn impressive.
As I watched, Brittney plopped down beside him. "Hiya Tubs," she said, looking down at his stomach. "Lemme guess. You want one of everything, right?"
Mr. Bolger set down his menu. "What?" he said.
"Oh Brittney," I said, keeping my tone light. "Stop teasing the man." I gave him my best flirty smile. "Brittney's in training," I told him, adding just a little more spice to my voice than necessary. "So you get both of us for the price of one."
The innuendo was obvious, and I felt just a little dirty using it. But it didn't take a genius to know that calling a customer fat wasn't gonna make them feel all warm and fuzzy, especially when it came time to leave a tip.
Mr. Bolger leaned back in his booth. "Oh yeah? I'm liking the sounds of that." His gaze dipped to Brittney's cleavage. "So tell me, Blondie, am I gonna be your first?"
"Hell no," she said, giving a playful slap to his arm. "I've had lots of guys." She eyed his hairline. "But none with a toupee before."
His face froze.
"So," Brittney continued, "when you shower, do ya take that thing off, or what?"
As it turned out, I didn't need to worry so much about the tip-splitting arrangement, because there wasn't a whole lot of money to go around. Even Mister Bolger, who usually tipped like a mogul, ended up stiffing us.
I guess I couldn’t blame him. He had no idea who was getting the tip. For all he knew, it was going to Brittney, who'd insulted him from one side of the restaurant to the other.
And it wasn't just him. Brittney had this annoying habit of calling customers by nicknames based on their appearance. Over the course of the night, we'd waited on Horse Face, Thunder Thighs, Chicken Lips, and too many others to count.
I couldn’t tell if she was truly that dense, or was doing it on purpose because she knew it would hurt me a lot more than her.
When I complained to Keith, he said it was my fault for not training her better. And when a disgruntled table of two, also known as Bucky and Snaggletooth, refused to pay for their meals, Keith threatened to dock my pay to compensate for it.
I thought of all the things I could've been doing tonight instead, naked things with the guy of my dreams. I should've called in sick, because when push came to shove, I'd been screwed tonight after all, just not in the way I wanted.
The next afternoon, as I headed to my Grandma's house, I was feeling even more screwed. But this time, it had nothing to do with Brittney.
It had to do with three official letters I found waiting when I checked my post office box.
Bad news. Surprising news. Whatever kind of news you called it, it had me cursing all the way to Grandma's house.
Chapter 36
