Energized by Mary Behre

people to the reception.”
    â€œHa! I told you!” The waitress pumped her fist in the air once in obvious triumph. “I told you, Ross. I saw her staring at the guest list and her aura kept shifting between yellow and blue. Auras don’t lie. She was indecisive. I told you she’d call back and add more people. But did anyone listen to me? No, they did not. But don’t worry. You
can
handle this. All you need to do is hire a couple more servers for the night. You’ll be fine and everything will work out.”
    Ross’s cheeks reddened. “I don’t need just any servers. I need people who are going to impress the hell out of the bride and groom. If something goes wrong, the catering idea will end before it begins. My brother’s already not happy with my new venture.” He gave the waitress a calculating look. “Think you could fill in?”
    â€œI’m already filling in. I’d offer suggestions for other servers, but everyone I know in town works here or will beat the wedding as a guest. Except Zig.” She shook her head, frowning. “Don’t get any ideas about asking him. He won’t do it. Trust me, you won’t convince my boyfriend to cater no matter how much money you offer him. You’re just gonna have to find servers yourself.” The waitress patted his shoulder sympathetically.
    â€œI don’t know what I’m going to do, Karma.” Ross shrugged, then pulled the band from his ponytail, letting his golden-blond hair flow casually around his shoulders. The man had the kind of shiny hair any woman would envy. “What if I offered him an easy two hundred?”
    Karma laughed, then scooted until she completely sat on the wooden countertop. “He won’t agree. Besides, there is nothing easy about this upcoming gig. Your brother may not be able to see your aura, but I can. And I know despite the show you put on for all the staff here, you are so stressed out about making the right impression that you’re going to make yourself sick instead.”
    Hannah couldn’t pretend not to hear anymore. She’d been watching the reflection of the pair in the restaurant’s front window. Turning to face them, she met Ross’s gaze. “I need a job.”
    Ross blinked. Then did it again before he closed the distance between them. He settled into the chair across from her while Karma scraped a chair over the polished wood floor. She settled herself next to Ross and stared intently at Hannah.
    Maybe speaking up hadn’t been such a good idea. But she needed a job if she intended to stay in Tidewater for more than a week. After last night’s conversation with her parents, she’d promised herself that she’d find a job of some kind before she contacted them again. They worried.
    â€œDo you have any experience waitressing?” Ross asked, letting his gaze slide over her. The expression in his eyes was assessing but not speculative or even disapproving. Both of the latter happened all too frequently with strangers since she’d arrived in the city yesterday. Perhaps it was her multicolored peasant skirt and white blouse paired with hersandals that made people give her a double take. Or maybe it was her mass of unruly brown hair coupled with a pink braid. Or the new tattoo on her wrist. Okay, so she didn’t look like a city girl. She wasn’t. But she had the training to be a great server.
    â€œDefinitely. My parents own a bar in Ohio. I served food until I was old enough to tend bar. I worked there all through college. I opened, closed, served, and stocked the bar. Not much I didn’t do. Being the daughter of the owners meant I got all the grunt work. I even helped out my dad with repairs.”
    She didn’t mention that she’d lived above the bar rather than on campus because her parents had worried the exposure to too many metal objects might overload her system since her visions were