Page 78 of After Midnight
The couple looked up at her and at once relaxed. The woman smiled back, the man nodded, already engaged.
Gianna leaned. “Have you dined with us before?” They shook their heads. “Perfect,” she said. “Then I get to guide you through it," she smiled. “Do you prefer something light or are you ready to commit to a full experience today?”
The man chuckled. “Depends on how convincing you are.”
“Oh, I’mveryconvincing,” she replied smoothly, not missing a beat.
I huffed out a quiet laugh, shaking my head. Yeah… she was a natural. She took their drink order, repeated it back without looking down, then turned and walked toward the bar with a calm confidence that didn’t match “first day” energy at all.
When she passed me, she shot me a quick look. “Well?” she asked under her breath.
I leaned in slightly. “You might be better than half my staff already.”
She smirked. “Don’t gas me.”
“I’m serious.”
She just shook her head, but I could see she was pleased. The next twenty minutes, I let her move table to table and every time, it was the same thing: eye contact, warmth, and ease. She remembered small details. Adjusted her tone depending on the table. Smiled at the right moments. Knew when to step back and when to lean in.
It wasn’t just that she was doing the job. She was reading people. Working the room like she said. I found myself standing still longer than I should’ve been, just watching her.
One of my line cooks bumped my shoulder lightly as he passed. “Chef… you good?”
“Yeah,” I said, not taking my eyes off her. “I’m good.”
Gianna laughed at something one of her tables said, head tipping back slightly, that easy joy lighting up her face. And it hit me that this wasn’t an act. Or if it was… it was so natural it didn’t matter. She could exist here. In my world. Not just be present in it—butthrive. I didn’t just imagine her fitting into my life. I saw it now clear as day.
I was still watching her when the front door opened again. Didn’t even think twice about it at first—just another table walking in during the rush. Then I looked up. And my heartdamn near skipped clean out my chest. “Aw, hell…” I muttered under my breath.
My mama stepped in first, like she owned the place, scanning the room with that familiar, assessing look. My pops was right behind her, hands in his pockets. My sister trailed in, holding my son's hand.
My little man came barreling in when he spotted me. “Hi, Daddy!" he said loud as hell, pointing.
I straightened, my body going tight. Of all days. Of all moments.Today.
I ran my hand down my beard, already moving toward them. “What y’all doing here?” I asked, trying to keep my tone even.
Mama smiled big the second she saw me. “Well damn, we can’t come support you?”
“You can,” I said, leaning down to scoop Melo up into my arms. He wrapped himself around me. “Just ain’t know y’all was coming today.”
“Surprise,” my sister chimed, with a grin. “We were hungry.”
“Clearly,” I muttered, pressing a kiss to Melo’s cheek before setting him back down.
“You working, Daddy?” he asked, eyes wide.
“Yeah, I’m working,” I nodded. “But I got you. Let me get y’all seated.”
I turned, scanning the floor subtly looking for Gianna. I looked across the room and found her moving between tables, tray balanced in her hand, smile easy as she checked in on a couple near the window.
My chest tightened. She hadn’t noticed them yet, but she would. And I didn’t know how the hell this was about to go. I led them to a table near the middle of the floor—not too tucked away, not too exposed either.
“Y’all good here?” I asked, pulling out a chair for my mama.
“We’re fine,” she said, but her eyes were already scanning me. “Why you look like that?”
“Like what?” I frowned.
