No Perfect Places by Steven Salvatore

Author:Steven Salvatore
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781547611089
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2023-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

ALEX BRUCKE

I dab my face with a cool paper towel, smudging my makeup.

My damn feet are throbbing, and my hair is a frizzy, tangled mess.

Working the dinner rush during the summer is like voluntarily walking up to a hornet’s nest and rattling it. It’s been so long since I’d been in the kitchen, I forgot how utterly destructive it is to the visage.

“I got a filet mignon, medium rare, béarnaise on the side, and chicken capriccioso, no onions, extra tomatoes for the pickiest table all night, table twenty!” I shout after Chef gives me the “final order of the night is out” signal.

Chef has barely acknowledged my existence all night. I mean, he’s had to talk to me, but it’s been short and only about the orders coming in. No small talk, no banter, no joking around about anything at all.

Silence.

I put the finishing touches on the plates, and Chef slams them on the counter.

Dinging the done bell, he wipes his brow and walks fast out of the kitchen. He’s probably heading to the bar to grab an ice-cold beer or get away from me.

For the first time all night, the kitchen is quiet.

Too quiet.

This is when my mind whirls and buzzes and all I want to do is turn off all the voices and subdue the urge to cry.

“Knock knock!” Lia Francisco peeks her head through the double doors. “Hey, girl! Wanted to pop in and say hi! Haven’t seen you in a while!”

I wouldn’t call us friends, exactly, but she’s been sweet whenever we cross paths, and it seems genuine. Not to mention she always looks flawless. She’s wearing a skintight black leotard, with a Lonely Bear patch she must’ve ironed onto the breast to appease Sheila, tucked into baggy khakis with white open-toed heels.

She tosses me a cold bottle of water. “Figured you could use this.” She eyes my frizzed hair and hops up on one of the only clean prep counters. “Fresh off front desk duty with Ritchie. He’s a trip, girl.”

“Thanks. I love him.”

“Wouldn’t stop talking about you,” she says. “I figured since my shift was over and I knew you were here, I’d check in with you.”

I hate small talk, especially when it’s wrapped up in a pity visit. I bet Olly put her up to it. So, I’ll match her: “How do you like working here?”

“A job is a job,” she says. “You?”

“A job is a job.”

She nods, not sure what to say next. “But the boys are hot, so.”

My eyeballs pop out of my skull. “Where? Who? Nothing against anybody here, but what?”

Lia laughs. “Fair. Most of the guys here are—” she shakes her head. “But have you met the new guy, Tyler? Tall. Blond. Abs.”

“Oh, I think so? A few mornings ago, sort of. He looked out of it.”

“You don’t think he’s cute?”

“Meh. I mean, aesthetically and objectively, yes, but not my type,” I say.

She breathes a sigh of relief.

“You like him?”

“Is it that obvious?” Lia asks.

I shrug. “You’re glowing. I mean, more than usual.

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