Page 26 of Faking Cinderella
The kid cringes.
“Shit happens,” Decker says.
“Never seen Cedar drop a tray before,” Lucky adds. “Someone bump you?”
“All an accident,” Cedar says while Margie keeps helping move broken mug pieces onto the tray and out of the walkway.
Sabrina appears with a mop. “We’ll get you a replacement coffee right away,” she says to the guy who’s glaring from the table, then drops her voice and adds, “but it’s not like you need it becauseyouhad a toddler who woke you up at four-thirty this morning likesomeof us did.”
Margie rises and reaches for the mop. “I’ll get this.”
Sabrina squints at her. “You sure?”
“You’re very busy today.”
“No, I got it, Sabrina.” Lucky slides in between the women and snags the mop before Margie can take it. “Margie’s right. You’re busy. We’ll handle it.”
“Make room, people,” Decker says. “Slippery floor. Don’t want more of you spilling coffee. That’ll wreck your day.”
Other than the one unsatisfied customer, everyone’s pretty chill, though there are alotof people in here.
Every booth and table is full, and more people are in line.
“Fucking tourist,” Decker mutters to me while Lucky and Margie help Cedar finish the cleanup.
My shoulders tighten as I study the people around us.
A lot are dressed like Decker, mountain casual, like they’re all headed off for hiking or backpacking after coffee.
Some are more casual.
There’s a table of women all in sweatpants or leggings and hoodies or sweatshirts. A table of older dudes having an animated conversation. Some people in line are checking their phones, others are staring at the menus.
The doorbells jingle again, and I flinch.
Too many people.
If I were running security here, I’d tell whoever I was guarding that we were leaving. I gesture to Sabrina, who seems to be everywhere but is currently behind the counter again. “Can I get mine to go?”
Decker eyes me.
“Too crowded,” I mutter.
It’s not a lie.
But also, I need to get back to the cabin.
Solo.
Pull up my computer.
Find pictures of that last security gig I worked.
Identify the woman I’m thinking of so I can verify for myself that I’m hallucinating in thinking Margie looks anything like her beyond making a similar facial expression.
I know what the problem is there.
The problem is that it wasn’t the only time I saw the woman that night, and I liked her the first time, even more the second.
