film?"
I grabbed the hot plate with the waving-man's vegetable omelet and some silverware. I used my hip to open the swinging door between the dining room and back counter. I paused, right in front of his table. "Here you go, sir, one veggie omelet," I said, smiling, and setting it down in front of him. "Be careful, the plate is super hot. Anything else that I can do for you?"
"More coffee?" he asked, barely glancing up from his newspaper. He reached out for his plate to pull it closer and quickly pulled back his fingers, blowing on them. I rolled my eyes and walked back to the counter, saying "Sure."
"You know that's kind of why I'm here," Jake said, continuing the conversation as if it had never been interrupted. "My job, I mean. I wanted to show you something."
"Really, Jake?" I asked, exasperated. "I can't just leave. This is my job. I'm the only wait staff here."
"Go."
I turned and saw Luke standing at the foot of the stairs, looking very bed ruffled.
"What?"
"Go ahead, go. I've got the rest of the morning,"
"But Luke..." I protested. "Its morning rush and the delivery is this afternoon."
"And I told you, I've got this handled. I've been working here since before you were born," Luke said, an amused look on his face. "Go."
I looked between Luke's barely hidden amusement and Jake's barely concealed hope. I sighed again. "The man at James Dean needs more coffee." Luke's smile grew even wider. I made a face and took off my apron and tossed it aside. I looked at Jake. "I have to go upstairs and change." I started up the stairs and then paused. "And get me some coffee to go," I added, looking pointedly at Luke.
About twenty minutes later, as we were heading up the 210 freeway , I turned to look at Jake, who had driven in silence, not even any music on the radio. "So where is it that we are going exactly?"
"Can't tell you. Its a surprise," he said, changing lanes to jump into the carpool lane.
"You know, I'm not a big surprise person," I remarked.
"You don't like surprises," Jake asked, flatly. I was amused to find that he drove with two hands on the wheel, in the ten and two positions. I didn't think anyone drove like that except new drivers and old people.
"No, I don't," I answered, snuggling into my seat, which, conveniently had a seat warmer. I was trying to ignore the lack of necessity of seat warmers in Southern California and just enjoy the warmth that was seeping through my legs and butt.
"Are you insane?" Jake asked, laughing. "What kind of girl doesn't like surprises?"
I laughed. "This one? And a hint, calling a girl insane is totally not the way to impress her."
Jake laughed and smiled at me. Despite myself, I found myself smiling back.
We continued driving on the 210 before switching to the 134 and taking an exit in Burbank. After taking a couple turns here and there, we veered off the main road and went around a couple super-winding turns before taking a sharp right onto a driveway. It went on for a couple hundred feet and then we were met by a guardhouse. Jake pulled up to the house and rolled down his window.
A man came out and leaned over to peak into the window. Jake had driven a car that was so low to the ground that I constantly feared for the underside. "You're late, Jake," the guard said. He was extremely tall, it had to have been hard for him to lean down so far, and on the thin side and he looked like the last person I'd want to be guarding anything.
"I'm always late," he remarked, casually.
The guard looked past him at me. He flipped his sunglasses up and stared at me. "Who is the girl?"
"McKinley Evans meet Tom Barnes," Jake said.
Tom stared at me for a moment before addressing Jake again. "She your new girl?"
"No way," I blurted out. Jake raised his eyebrows at me, barely visible over his presumably expensive sunglasses.
"Andrea is not going to
I grabbed the hot plate with the waving-man's vegetable omelet and some silverware. I used my hip to open the swinging door between the dining room and back counter. I paused, right in front of his table. "Here you go, sir, one veggie omelet," I said, smiling, and setting it down in front of him. "Be careful, the plate is super hot. Anything else that I can do for you?"
"More coffee?" he asked, barely glancing up from his newspaper. He reached out for his plate to pull it closer and quickly pulled back his fingers, blowing on them. I rolled my eyes and walked back to the counter, saying "Sure."
"You know that's kind of why I'm here," Jake said, continuing the conversation as if it had never been interrupted. "My job, I mean. I wanted to show you something."
"Really, Jake?" I asked, exasperated. "I can't just leave. This is my job. I'm the only wait staff here."
"Go."
I turned and saw Luke standing at the foot of the stairs, looking very bed ruffled.
"What?"
"Go ahead, go. I've got the rest of the morning,"
"But Luke..." I protested. "Its morning rush and the delivery is this afternoon."
"And I told you, I've got this handled. I've been working here since before you were born," Luke said, an amused look on his face. "Go."
I looked between Luke's barely hidden amusement and Jake's barely concealed hope. I sighed again. "The man at James Dean needs more coffee." Luke's smile grew even wider. I made a face and took off my apron and tossed it aside. I looked at Jake. "I have to go upstairs and change." I started up the stairs and then paused. "And get me some coffee to go," I added, looking pointedly at Luke.
About twenty minutes later, as we were heading up the 210 freeway , I turned to look at Jake, who had driven in silence, not even any music on the radio. "So where is it that we are going exactly?"
"Can't tell you. Its a surprise," he said, changing lanes to jump into the carpool lane.
"You know, I'm not a big surprise person," I remarked.
"You don't like surprises," Jake asked, flatly. I was amused to find that he drove with two hands on the wheel, in the ten and two positions. I didn't think anyone drove like that except new drivers and old people.
"No, I don't," I answered, snuggling into my seat, which, conveniently had a seat warmer. I was trying to ignore the lack of necessity of seat warmers in Southern California and just enjoy the warmth that was seeping through my legs and butt.
"Are you insane?" Jake asked, laughing. "What kind of girl doesn't like surprises?"
I laughed. "This one? And a hint, calling a girl insane is totally not the way to impress her."
Jake laughed and smiled at me. Despite myself, I found myself smiling back.
We continued driving on the 210 before switching to the 134 and taking an exit in Burbank. After taking a couple turns here and there, we veered off the main road and went around a couple super-winding turns before taking a sharp right onto a driveway. It went on for a couple hundred feet and then we were met by a guardhouse. Jake pulled up to the house and rolled down his window.
A man came out and leaned over to peak into the window. Jake had driven a car that was so low to the ground that I constantly feared for the underside. "You're late, Jake," the guard said. He was extremely tall, it had to have been hard for him to lean down so far, and on the thin side and he looked like the last person I'd want to be guarding anything.
"I'm always late," he remarked, casually.
The guard looked past him at me. He flipped his sunglasses up and stared at me. "Who is the girl?"
"McKinley Evans meet Tom Barnes," Jake said.
Tom stared at me for a moment before addressing Jake again. "She your new girl?"
"No way," I blurted out. Jake raised his eyebrows at me, barely visible over his presumably expensive sunglasses.
"Andrea is not going to
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