Manager Doubled a Poor Man's Bill — The Waitress Secretly Slipped Him the Real One
Chapter 3
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When she reached Leon's table, the water in the glasses trembled against the rims. She set the tray down, felt the table wobble beneath it, and frowned."Oh, no. This table again."She took a folded paper coaster from her apron pocket, crouched, and slid it beneath the short leg. She tested the table with the heel of her hand, adjusted the coaster by a fraction, then tried again. The wobble disappeared.Leon looked at her. "Did you just fix my table?""I'm Roz," she said, as though that answered the question. Then she smiled at the table. "Old habit. I started out washing dishes before they let me wait tables. If I leave a wobbling table, someone spills a drink, then someone slips, then everybody has a bad afternoon. Easier to fix it now."Leon glanced at the clock on the wall. "Then you know how long I've waited."Roz followed his gaze. Her expression changed when she understood. "Forty-two minutes," she said quietly. "I'm sorry. You should not have been left sitting here that long.""But who's counting?""Me," Leon said. "I count everything."For a moment, Roz looked as though she might ask what he meant. Instead, she opened a menu and placed it in front of him."Would you like something to drink while you look?""Water is fine. And I would appreciate a recommendation."She glanced at the menu, then at the kitchen pass. "The lemon fish is the move today. The kitchen has it right. Brown butter, capers, a little char on the lemon. My mom says it's the best meal on Earth when it's done properly.""Your mother's favorite?""Her favorite meal on Earth. She used to order it whenever she could afford to eat somewhere that wasn't the diner where she worked."Leon closed the menu. "Then it's mine, too."Roz smiled, and the smile looked different from the practiced expressions he had seen at the front door. It was not large or showy. It was simply relieved to be met with something easy."I'll put it in. And I'll bring you fresh water."She took two steps away, then turned back. "One more thing. If you have any dietary restrictions, tell me now. I don't want to recommend something and then discover it doesn't work for you.""No restrictions. Thank you.""Good. I'll be back."As she left, Leon watched her stop at table nine to collect a plate, then pause at table eleven to help an older woman retrieve a dropped napkin. She did not rush the woman, although Darren was watching from the service station with the fixed expression of a man measuring every second that could not be converted into a sale.The kitchen was loud enough to make private conversations difficult, but Darren had a way of speaking that carried through the room whenever he wanted it to. Leon heard him before Roz reached the pass."Twenty-two by the door," Darren said. "Special sixty-eight for him."A man's voice answered from the kitchen. "It's thirty-four, sir. It's been thirty-four since we opened.""Three weeks, Benny," Darren replied. "Ellis retires, and I sign your schedule."The kitchen went quiet for a beat."Yes, sir," Benny said.Leon looked down at his menu, though he had already ordered. He wrote another line in his notebook.