Read Online The Summer I Learned to Dive by Shannon McCrimmon - Free Book Online
Authors: Shannon McCrimmon
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collar and tried fixing my hair, combing it with my fingers, placing it back into a neater, cleaner pony tail. I tugged on the dress again. It was a little short and a bit snug on my cleavage. I unlocked the door and instantly bumped into Jesse.
“Sorry,” I said.
“No problem,” he responded and came into the room, not making eye contact with me. I turned my head and watched him place his backpack into a locker. He shut the door and looked up, seeing me staring at him. “I didn’t think you’d back out.”
“What?” I was confused by his remark.
“You’re just like him,” he said and chuckled quietly to himself.
I ignored him and immediately walked out to the front of the diner. I was nothing like Charlie. What did Jesse know? He had just met me.
Meg and Hannah were opening the blinds, letting the sunlight come in. I felt helpless and must have appeared that way. Hannah came over to me. “Have you ever worked in a restaurant before?”
“No,” I answered.
“Just follow me around today. You’ll get the hang of it. You’ll be my shadow, okay,” she said and smiled encouragingly.
She was trying to be nice and I appreciated that. My grandfather would have left me to the wolves. “Thanks.” I smiled in return.
The first customer came in the restaurant. Hannah greeted him familiarly. “Same as always, Hank?”
He nodded and took off his cap, exposing a receding hair line. His head tanned, filled with brown freckles. He looked at me and winked. It took me by surprise which must have shown because he laughed. He smelled like a brewery. He sat down on one of the bar stools.
“Finn, this is Hank. Hank, this is Charlie’s granddaughter,” she said.
“Pleased to meet you.” He extended his hand. They were callused and rough. Years and years of hard work had definitely impacted them. His face was full of wrinkles, his skin tan and leathery.
“Finn, go fix him a cup of coffee. Black. I’ll put your order in Hank,” she said and stepped over to the window. “Give me an Adam and Eve on a raft!” she yelled.
I gave her a strange look. “That’s two poached eggs on toast,” she said to me.
I shook my head as if to say I understood, but learning diner lingo would be as challenging as learning a foreign language. I poured the coffee and brought it to his table.
His hands shook a little as he held his cup, sipping the coffee slowly. I had filled the cup too high. Some of the coffee flowed out onto the counter. “Sorry,” he said, looking down at it. He put the cup down and wiped the counter with a napkin.
“I’ll get it,” I said, grabbing a wet cloth and wiping up the mess.
A few more customers came in. I nervously looked around for Hannah. She was busy with another customer and motioned for me to seat them myself. I walked to the front door and greeted them.
“Hi, welcome to Lilly’s Diner.” I walked away, forgetting to tell them to follow me. I turned around and saw them bewildered standing by the front door.
“If you’ll just have a seat right here folks,” she said, coming to my rescue. I walked over to where she sat them and listened to her telling them about the day’s special.
“Thanks Hannah,” I whispered to her gratefully.
“I was new once. You’ll get the hang of it,” she said, making me feel better, more secure.
The day was a long one. Being on my feet for that amount of time wore me out and hurt. It was a pain beyond anything I had ever experienced. My feet felt like they were on fire, like someone had poured lighter fluid on them and then struck a match. Waitressing was hard work. When the breakfast crowd left, the lunch crowd came in. I didn’t get a break. If the diner had been open for dinner, I know in all certainty that I would have never been able to last. I would have hobbled out the front door to die.
I sat down on one of the bar stools, taking off my shoes, seeing that the back of my heels were bleeding from newly formed blisters. I ached
“Sorry,” I said.
“No problem,” he responded and came into the room, not making eye contact with me. I turned my head and watched him place his backpack into a locker. He shut the door and looked up, seeing me staring at him. “I didn’t think you’d back out.”
“What?” I was confused by his remark.
“You’re just like him,” he said and chuckled quietly to himself.
I ignored him and immediately walked out to the front of the diner. I was nothing like Charlie. What did Jesse know? He had just met me.
Meg and Hannah were opening the blinds, letting the sunlight come in. I felt helpless and must have appeared that way. Hannah came over to me. “Have you ever worked in a restaurant before?”
“No,” I answered.
“Just follow me around today. You’ll get the hang of it. You’ll be my shadow, okay,” she said and smiled encouragingly.
She was trying to be nice and I appreciated that. My grandfather would have left me to the wolves. “Thanks.” I smiled in return.
The first customer came in the restaurant. Hannah greeted him familiarly. “Same as always, Hank?”
He nodded and took off his cap, exposing a receding hair line. His head tanned, filled with brown freckles. He looked at me and winked. It took me by surprise which must have shown because he laughed. He smelled like a brewery. He sat down on one of the bar stools.
“Finn, this is Hank. Hank, this is Charlie’s granddaughter,” she said.
“Pleased to meet you.” He extended his hand. They were callused and rough. Years and years of hard work had definitely impacted them. His face was full of wrinkles, his skin tan and leathery.
“Finn, go fix him a cup of coffee. Black. I’ll put your order in Hank,” she said and stepped over to the window. “Give me an Adam and Eve on a raft!” she yelled.
I gave her a strange look. “That’s two poached eggs on toast,” she said to me.
I shook my head as if to say I understood, but learning diner lingo would be as challenging as learning a foreign language. I poured the coffee and brought it to his table.
His hands shook a little as he held his cup, sipping the coffee slowly. I had filled the cup too high. Some of the coffee flowed out onto the counter. “Sorry,” he said, looking down at it. He put the cup down and wiped the counter with a napkin.
“I’ll get it,” I said, grabbing a wet cloth and wiping up the mess.
A few more customers came in. I nervously looked around for Hannah. She was busy with another customer and motioned for me to seat them myself. I walked to the front door and greeted them.
“Hi, welcome to Lilly’s Diner.” I walked away, forgetting to tell them to follow me. I turned around and saw them bewildered standing by the front door.
“If you’ll just have a seat right here folks,” she said, coming to my rescue. I walked over to where she sat them and listened to her telling them about the day’s special.
“Thanks Hannah,” I whispered to her gratefully.
“I was new once. You’ll get the hang of it,” she said, making me feel better, more secure.
The day was a long one. Being on my feet for that amount of time wore me out and hurt. It was a pain beyond anything I had ever experienced. My feet felt like they were on fire, like someone had poured lighter fluid on them and then struck a match. Waitressing was hard work. When the breakfast crowd left, the lunch crowd came in. I didn’t get a break. If the diner had been open for dinner, I know in all certainty that I would have never been able to last. I would have hobbled out the front door to die.
I sat down on one of the bar stools, taking off my shoes, seeing that the back of my heels were bleeding from newly formed blisters. I ached
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