Page 31 of Moonlight Hearts

“Yeah?”

I stuck my head in.“I just need an apron.For the new manager, Thaeros.You still have half an hour.”

Dwayne indicated the box on the shelf that held the extras.“Right.Grab what you need.She any good?”

“Well, we’ll see.He goes by any pronoun.”I pulled the box off the shelf to get to the aprons.

Dwayne grunt-nodded.“You don’t like them.”

I froze for a second before grabbing one of our new aprons.It was pristine, much like the Moonlight had been after the fire.It really didn’t need another, metaphorical or otherwise.

“I don’t…not like them.”

“Hmm.Soyer said he was going to get someone competent.That was the word he used: competent.You just let me know if they’re a disaster.Either way, you’re not getting out of the days off, kid.”

“I wasn’t trying to.”I closed the lid on the box and made my way toward the door, but stopped before leaving.“Whose idea was it anyway?To, you know, ground me.”

Dwayne looked up from his work and huffed.“Ground you?Kid, you do good work, there’s no denying that, but you do too much of it.You gotta live too.Spend some time with your handsome fella.”

My mouth fell open in surprise.“You think Soyer is handsome?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You just did, actually.You said he was a handsome fella.”

“You probably misheard, but if he were, you’d want to spend more time with him, wouldn’t you?Seize the day.It’s what you’re supposed to do, Amory.”

“I do, I just don’t want you to get stuck with the extra work.Or for chaos to erupt.”

“Live a little, that’s what they say.Stop trying to avoid that.”

I sighed, clutching the apron to my chest.“Okay.Thanks.”

I left Dwayne’s office, pausing on the other side of the door.Dwayne had just given me life advice in a conversation that was on the lengthy side for him, and it had come after the thing about the knitting.I headed toward the back where we kept the extra notepads and pens.

I grabbed a pen and pad and prepared to hand everything out with a smile.It was like things were changing around the Moonlight in the blink of an eye.I was afraid I’d miss it if I stopped looking, so I wasn’t going to.I also wasn’t going to let the changes outpace me.If anything, I’d hurry to keep up.

Chapter Eleven

Ididn’twanttostand behind the counter and watch everyone work like a looming boss presence, so I retreated to the kitchen where I could glance out at the diner from the passthrough on and off without getting in anyone’s way.

Kasey didn’t seem to mind.He was chopping onions with crazy speed, his snakes flat against his back.

“If you need help, I’m happy to.I can’t do it this fast though.”

He looked up at me without stopping his chopping, eyes misted over from the onions.“You sure?I need a bunch more of these.”

I shrugged.“I’d rather do something than just stand around.”

Kasey grinned at me.“Works for me, boss.Let me get you a knife.Diced if you can, but chopped is fine.”

His own knife went back to his kit, and he found me one of the Moonlight’s and sharpened it.His snakes seemed to relax, some shaking their heads and licking their eyes with their split tongues.

“Chopped and diced… Is there a difference?”While washing my hands in the sink, I looked at the ones he’d already cut and moved to a bowl.They looked pretty uniform.

Kasey cackled.“You’ve never worked in a kitchen, huh?Here, use this.”

He handed me the freshly sharpened knife, the blade shimmering.