Mine

I was up early getting ready for work the next day. I felt more awake than ever. Looking in the mirror I puckered my pink lips and ran a brush through my hair.
“Mirror mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” I asked myself, not expecting an answer.
“You are,” my mother said from behind me. I giggled and went over to hug her. “I made you a lunch for today, peanut butter and jelly sandwich with an apple and a surprise,” she said in my ear.
“Ma’ I’m going to work, not school,” I replied, but was thankful for her kindness and squeezed her tight.
“Well you better get going, you start in ten minutes. Are you meeting June?”
I felt my eyes go wide and panic course though my body. I let go of my mother and threw on my uniform, tied my hair back and ran down the stairs. My mothers’ homemade lunch waited for me at the door in a brown paper bag. I quickly threw on my coat and slipped my feet into my shoes.
“Have a good day dear,” my mom laughed while standing in the stairway. I looked up at her and smiled.
“I’ll try,” I said, and grabbed my lunch. When I got outside, June was at the end of the driveway with her arms crossed, and one of her white work shoes tapping frustratingly on the cement.
“You’re going to make us late for work,” she said with a sour expression on her face.
“I’m sorry June, I thought I woke up early and –” She stopped me with one swift motion of her hand.
“I’m kidding, calm down Char, I’m not mad. Now let’s go before we actually are late. You know how Stefan gets.” I nodded and we walked at a fast pace to work.
Stefan was our boss at Rose’s Family Restaurant. In my opinion he is the best cook besides my mom, but everyone loves their mothers cooking best. June and I were part time waitresses there. Rose’s had been around for a while, but the original owner, Rose, had retired years ago. I always found it rather neat that her dream of owning a restaurant kept on going in her name though.

“I’ll have the special with a side of bacon,” Mr. Pokelle said as I wrote down his order. Everyone in town knew him as Poke. Poke only had one full arm, the other was just a stub; a result of an accident that happened when he was about seventeen. He was the nicest man you could have ever known.
“Would you like anything to drink with that?” I asked.
“Yeah, a regular coffee with a side of milk, and for the Mrs.” He started, giving his wife, Mary, a sweet and loving smile. “Scrambled eggs and sausage with fruit on the side and to drink, a decaf coffee; one side of sugar; cause she’s so sweet.”
“Poke, you’re such a Romeo,” I commented, and smiled at Mary who was flattered at his cute compliment. The elderly people of this town were so sweet. They made love look easy.
When I went back to the kitchen June was just exiting with a breakfast platter and three slices of toast. I held the door open for her and she thanked me quickly before delivering the order. She never wasted a moment that girl.
I set my order down on the counter when Stefan appeared and picked it up in his dry hands.
“Poke and Mary?” he guessed. I laughed and replied,
“Yes, they always order the same thing.”
“I wonder what they would say if I made the scrambled eggs, poached.” He looked through the dishes at me with mischievous grin.
“You would probably lose some good customers,” I teased back, knowing it was all a joke anyway.
“You’re right Charlotte, and I would not want that, maybe I’ll just put the eggs on the opposite side of the plate.”
“Oh, you’re so evil you know that Chef Steph!”
“And you better believe it,” he joked while shaking a wooden mixing spoon in my direction. He started the Pokelle’s breakfast and I went to give them their coffee when June came up behind me and almost made me spill it all over my uniform. My uniform was basically a blue dress with a half apron for carrying creamers and sugar.
I set the coffee down at the Pokelle’s table and turned to June who was wearing an exasperated expression on her face.
“You look like you were in a collision or something, what’s up?” I asked her, but she didn’t answer, just grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the kitchen. Once there she set down her note pad and told me to look at table nine. My heart skipped a beat and I felt my mouth dropping.
“Close your mouth, you look like a horse,” June giggled.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. There he was, sitting at the window seat; table nine.
“Order up!” Stefan yelled, even though I was right there. “What are you two gawking at?” he asked suspiciously when neither of us moved.
I suddenly came back to reality, and excitedly said, “Nothing.” I went to grab the order for the Pokelle’s but as I was walking out of the kitchen, Stefan whispered,
“Liar.” And June said,
“He’s your order.” I looked back in time to see her winking at me and felt my cheeks get hot instantly.
After I got the Pokelle’s their order and said enjoy. I nervously made my way over to table nine. I felt my palms begin to sweat at the thought of taking Logan’s order, but I let my face show no sign of distress.
“Hey there, stranger,” I greeted with a smile. When he looked up his face turned from wonder to contentment. He smiled back and said,
“I had no idea you worked here,” he looked me up and down and then said, “nice dress.”
I found the confidence in me and choked back the shyness. “Are you flirting with me?” I asked, and batted my eyelashes in a silly manor. “What can I get you?” I asked.
I hardly understood a word he said as I was too busy concentrating on his features. His tousled brown hair and his vivid light green eyes, the way he moved his lips when he talked and his smile made me feel so warm inside. It was when he laughed that I was pulled back out of my thoughts, and into reality.
“Are you going to write any of that down?” He asked jokingly, and I realized I’d been staring.