25Dylan Carter stood near the front of the restaurant behind the hostess's podium. Rob was already there by the time Emily arrived, along with the rest of the faculty.
Dylan was the manager of this restaurant, and son of the original Jacob Carter. The manager was in his early thirties, with blonde hair and matching eyes.
He cleared his throat and began when Emily stood beside Rob.
"As you all know, the annual dinner party is two weeks away from last Friday."
Emily Richardson mentally groaned. The annual dinner party was established so Dylan could prove to his father that his restaurant was still holding to its traditional standards. All the important CEOs of the franchise attended. It was an elaborate celebration, consisting of cocktail drinks and pointless banter. The staff often felt the pressure by their manager to help with decorations, the food, and drinks. It wasn't a pleasant time during the preparation for it.
"Rob, of course, you're in charge of food. Plenty of appetizers please." Dylan looked up from his clipboard. "Cassandra, please send out the invitations. You know who to invite."
While Dylan continued to give the faculty their duties, Emily's eyes traveled to an unknown man she hadn't seen earlier. He stood off to the side from Dylan, and was certainly not part of the staff. When she caught sight of his dark yet sleek glasses, she wondered who he was. He had combed over brown hair and calm chocolate eyes. The man wore an outdated and wrinkled suit.
"You got that, Emily?"
Emily's eyes snapped to Dylan. "I'm sorry?"
"I said I'd like to talk to you aside, I have a special job for you." Dylan repeated. This must've been what Rob had meant by the raise.
When the employees were dismissed, Dylan beckoned to Emily with a finger. She approached the manager, the unknown man still standing beside him.
"Emily, I'd like for you to meet our newest employee, Xander Smith. Xander, meet Emily Richardson. She's going to be training you."
Xander, or the previously unknown man, stuck out a hand for Emily to shake. Her mouth agape at what Dylan had announced, it took her a moment to return the gesture.
Train? She didn't want to have to babysit this…nerd.
Well, as long as it was for a raise, she supposed she didn't really care. "Sorry," she apologized, "I was just a little surprised. How long am I training for?"
Dylan met her eyes. "Until the staff party."
Nearly two weeks? It would be difficult to train a new waiter that quickly because of Carter's fast-paced environment. Mistakes were not taken lightly in this food business.
Dylan continued. "Miss Richardson, I'd like you to fully train him, and of course you'd receive a small raise for your efforts. Teach him the ropes, which you know very well yourself."
After this, he turned to Xander. "Be thankful you've got one of the greatest teachers." He clapped him on the back. "You both begin tomorrow morning."
Dylan left Emily and Xander. Emily offered a weak smile to Xander. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning. We start at 8:00."
Xander nodded like he already knew. "I'll be here."
Emily nodded and left, and sped home; hoping Michael would feel up to a late dinner.
Thirteen days, she realized on her way to work. That was all the time she had left to find the one that would give her eternal happiness.
She arrived at Carter's a few minutes before 8:00 am. While Rob started up the stovetop, she decided to start by taking all the chairs off the tables. She heard the front doors swing open and shut a few minutes later, at exactly 8:00 am.
At least he's on time, Emily thought to herself as she met Xander at the front.
"Hi, are you ready to start training?" she asked him.
He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
She smiled. "Please, call me Emily. Well, I guess I'll start with the basics. Servers must be here in the mornings before 8:00, which is when we open. Our uniforms are black dress pants and white button-up tops." She looked at his outfit, which already matched her description. "Like that."
Xander grinned. She continued explaining the rules of the establishment. When she was done she said, "You can just shadow me for today and please ask if you have any questions."
"Okay, I can handle that." Xander said.
Emily went through the motions of work with Xander at her side. He asked all the appropriate questions—where the menus were kept, how they were supposed to clean tables, and more. To her surprise, Michael was one of her customers.
"Hello, and what can I get you sir?" Emily asked smiling.
Michael grinned. "Maybe a kiss?"
She blushed. "Maybe later. Xander, can you grab me a different pen, this one isn't working."
"Sure." He nodded and went to find a writing utensil.
"Who was that?" Michael asked when Xander had left.
Emily sighed. "The new server I'm training for the next two weeks." She explained.
"He seems…"
"—Like a dork, I know. But he isn't that bad, though." Emily said.
"Right, just as long as he doesn't try to make a move on my girl." He seemed to disagree with her last statement.
She giggled. "He doesn't stand a chance."
Xander returned then, a ball point pen in hand. He gave it to Emily.
"Thank you." She scribbled down Michael's order and then ran it to Rob.
The day finally ended when Emily pulled her nametag off. "That's it for today. We do the same thing tomorrow." She told Xander.
"Alright, thank you." He said with a goodbye.
She watched his retreating skinny figure. Perhaps things in her life were finally settling into place.