Liora
"Aghhh," I sighed loudly as orders kept pouring in, one table after another.
Smile. Take orders. Serve. Repeat.
It was worse because Penny, who was supposed to be on this shift with me, had called in sick. Of course it had to be a Saturday, when customers flooded in more than any other day of the week, doubling my workload.
By the time noon rolled around, I finally had a chance to sit, even if it was only for a minute. Most customers had left, though more would definitely return in the evening.
I work at Danielle's Crème, a small café owned by my friend, Danielle. It originally belonged to her grandmother, but now it was hers. I couldn't have been more grateful for this job. Otherwise, I would've had to look elsewhere, sending out countless job applications for pay that might not even solve half of my problems.
Danielle pays me well. Not enough to live comfortably, but enough to survive. At least I have my own apartment. Though, honestly, I can't say it was only this job that got me that apartment.
It was also the money I made from scamming stupid rich men.
I didn't get into it for fun. I needed money , desperately to settle bills and debts. But before I knew it, here I was.
"Busy day, wasn't it?" Danielle said, dropping a large mug of latte in front of me before sliding into the seat opposite mine.
"Ahhh," I sighed again, the smell of coffee instantly relaxing me. "Busy is an understatement. This morning was hell."
"When will Penny be resuming?" I asked, already thinking of how I'd get back at her.
"Well, thankfully," Danielle said, sipping from her mug, "she'll be back on Monday. And don't worry, you'll get extra pay for the workload."
I smiled shamelessly at the thought. Extra pay always made everything worth it.
"Extra pay means I survived for a reason," I said, taking a large gulp of my latte.
"So," Danielle said slowly, a sly smile creeping onto her face, "how's it going with Adrian?"
I rolled my eyes before laughing lightly. "We're over."
"Already?" Her eyes widened.
"Yeah. He wanted to meet me," I said, genuinely amused. "Can you believe that?"
"It hasn't even been that long," she said, leaning back in her chair.
"I guess he was eager to get into my pants," I muttered, disgust flickering across my face.
"I guess you got what you wanted, then," she said knowingly.
I only smiled.
"I should share some of it with you," I said, picking up my phone to transfer some money to her.
"Oh no," she said quickly, slamming my phone down. "If you send it, I'll just add it to your extra pay."
"That's right," I said, smiling.
"So," she continued, more serious now, "no more, right?"
There was a brief hesitation before I nodded. "Yeah."
We stopped talking when a few customers walked in.
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I pushed the door open to my apartment later that night, dropping my bag on the floor and kicking off my shoes before collapsing lifelessly onto the couch. The day had drained me more than I expected.
The night shift had been worse than the morning. Danielle hadn't warned me about the child's birthday party being held at the café. Not only did I serve drinks, I turned into a party planner too.
Annoying.
After freshening up, I sat at my desk, a cup of coffee in hand, staring at my computer screen. I really shouldn't be drinking this. I planned to sleep early. But old habits die hard.
My phone lit up.
Lilly.
My younger sister.
I answered with a smile, listening to her cheerful voice on the other end. She was in high school, a boarder, and I was responsible for her, No one else knew about her, I wasn't keeping her secret, she hasn't just met anyone yet, I hadn't had the chance to introduce her yet at least to Danielle.
After a few happy minutes, I dropped the phone and stared back at my screen. The call reminded me that I had bills to settle and a little one to take care of.
"Just one more," I whispered.