Chapter 5
Fiona's Pov
I was in my room when someone opened the door. It was Mason.
"My grandma's back," he said before shutting the door.
I slowly got up and went downstairs to meet her.
"Heyyy, Ivy! How are you doing?" she asked with a lovely smile on her face.
"Hi," I greeted her with a smile.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I replied.
"Hope Mason didn't cause any trouble for you?" she asked, glancing at Mason.
"Grandma..." he whined.
"So I'm guessing you did, then," she said, turning to him.
Mason rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, what would you like for dinner, Ivy?" she asked, turning back to me.
"Umm... I don't really know. Anything is fine," I replied.
"How about pizza, Grandma? Like we do every Friday night."
"Is that okay with you, Ivy?" she asked.
"Sure."
"You don't have to agree just because Mason suggested it."
"No, it's fine."
"Alright, Mason. Place an order," she said.
Mason walked over to the telephone and picked it up.
"So, Ivy, how did your day go? Did you go out?"
"Um... actually, I did. And I don't know if it's okay with you, but I got a job," I said slowly, looking down.
I wasn't sure how she'd react, especially since I hadn't discussed it with her first.
"A job?" she asked, clearly surprised.
"Now, why would you want to do that, dear? You're still very young, and you're free to stay here for as long as you like. I'll provide whatever you need. You don't need to see it as a favour you have to repay."
"You hardly know me, ma'am. I'm just a stranger you were kind enough to let into your home, and I wouldn't want to become a burden," I said.
"A burden? Now, come on, Ivy." She shook her head. "Look, I see you as my own grandchild, so don't you ever feel like you're a burden."
I nodded nervously. Her words touched me, but I still needed to provide for myself.
"I would still like to continue school and have some money left to take care of my needs. I can't put everything on you."
"Oh, my child..." she said, pausing for a moment. "What kind of job is it?"
"It's a server job. They pay by the hour, and there are different shifts, so even when I go back to college, I can still work part-time. It's just around the neighbourhood."
"If that's what you want to do, then it's fine by me."
"Thank you."
Two days had passed since I started working, and I was happy to be doing something with my life other than cleaning.
I was working my shift as usual when I suddenly heard my name mentioned on the television.
I looked around quickly. Luckily, no one seemed to be paying attention.
The camera was focused on my father.
He looked stressed, and standing beside him was my stepmother. As usual, she was putting on a worried expression for the cameras.
"Wherever you are, please come back home. I miss you... we all miss you," Dad said on TV.
I started getting nervous.
What if someone paid attention and recognized me?
"What are you doing?"
I quickly turned and saw the manager staring at me.
"I... I..." I stammered nervously.
"There are orders to be taken. Get to work! Don't just stand there. There's a customer at table seven. Go take his order."
He walked away almost immediately.
I quickly stepped away from the counter, silently praying he hadn't looked at the television.
Luckily, he hadn't.
I grabbed my pen and walked over to table seven.
"What can I get for you, sir?" I asked.
He lifted his head, and for the first time, I got a proper look at him.
I froze for a second.
How could a guy be this handsome?
Did he fall from heaven or something?
"I'd like an espresso, please," he said before returning his attention to whatever he was doing.
"Is that all, sir?"
He nodded.
I wrote it down and walked away.
After my shift, I got home and found Mason playing video games.
"Hey," I greeted him.
"Hey," he replied without taking his eyes off the screen.
I headed upstairs, changed out of my work clothes, and lay down on my bed.
But for some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about the man at table seven.
His face kept coming back to me. I didn't even know his name.
And yet, I found myself wondering when I'd see him again.