Page 11 of Gin & Jewels

When I turned twenty-one, I got a job at a casino as a cocktail waitress. I hated having to work around cigarette smoke and people that didn’t tip well—or at all—but it was still more money than I was making at the sandwich shop.

“Cocktails!” I called as I approached the tables. It was quiet, given it was mid-day on a Tuesday, but I took whatever shift I could. “Cocktails!”

“Yeah, hot stuff, we’ll take four Bud Lights,” a guy stated. I wrote it down on my notepad.

“And four shots of Patrón,” another guy said, his gaze lowering to my legs and back up, stopping at my boobs.

“Show some respect.” I looked over to see Keith’s friend Micky walking up to the table.

“Excuse me?” the guy snarled.

“Hot stuff? She has a name.”

“Who are you? Her boyfriend?” the second guy mocked.

“Maybe one day.” Micky winked.

Ignoring the two guys, I asked Micky, “What are you doing here?”

“I was driving by and decided to stop in.” He sat at the table and pulled out a one hundred dollar bill to exchange for chips. It wasn’t lost on me that he had money but couldn’t or wouldn’t pay rent.

“Oh, then can I get you something to drink?”

“Coors Light.”

I smiled. “You got it.” I wrote his order down and then moved to the next table. “Cocktails!”

“I’ll take my usual, Cassie,” Steve, a regular, called out.

“You got it, Steve.” Unlike the guys barking orders at me, I liked Steve. He came in almost every day for an hour or so, and he always tipped well. I would be surprised if the other guys tipped at all—even Micky. He didn’t pay rent or provide for the house, so I would be shocked if he put any money on my tray, especially since the beer was free.

I went to the bar and gave Alex, the bartender, my list of drinks. “Having a good day?” he asked as he made Steven’s usual whiskey sour.

“As good as any.”

“That bad?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Just wish every time I worked, it was busy like a Friday or Saturday night.”

“I feel ya.” He placed five beers onto my tray with the whiskey sour before grabbing four shot glasses. “At least it’s summer.”

“Winters are bad?” I had only worked a few months at the casino, but most of them were summer months.

“New Year’s Eve is amazing.” Alex finished pouring the shots. I grabbed four lime wedges for the shots, and put them in a small glass.

“I bet.”

I took the tray and left without another word. The faster I was at getting people their drinks, the better chance I had at a good tip. I delivered the beers and shots first. Of course, they didn’t tip me, not even Micky.

“What time do you get off?” Micky asked.

“Not for a while. I’ve been here only about two hours.”

“Your brother and I are going out later, but maybe when I get home, we can hang out?”

I shrugged. Micky and I had never hung out before. He was Keith’s friend, not mine, and I more or less only stayed in my bedroom. I didn’t know why he wanted to spend time with me now. “Maybe.”

He winked at me again before standing and walking away with his chips and beer. “I’ll see you later.”