Beastly Winter — Chapter 11

Nola brushed lint from her new uniform and looked around the restaurant. She just came from the office where she signed the necessary forms: withholding certificate, safety training, and a half-dozen other forms. Her new boss had explained that she would be required to report her tips weekly. Nola had known Roy Gaston, the owner, for years but things were different now.

She could have kept her job at the carpet factory, except she wanted a clean break. Not just from Lance but also from everything to do with her old life. Including Jason Singleton.

She had no transportation. She’d abandoned Lance’s pickup outside the jail when she pressed charges, but her furnished efficiency was only a few blocks from the restaurant. She just hoped she hadn’t been rash in making too many changes at once.

A thin girl in a work uniform that matched her own came back behind the counter carrying a glass coffeepot. Nola guessed her age to be no more than twenty.

“Hi, you’re the newbie. You were due on twenty minutes ago.”

“I was in the office with Roy.”

“Yeah?” She walked to the coffee machine and set down the pot “Well, I’m supposed to train you.” She looked Nola over appraisingly. “Mr. Gaston said you’d never done this before.”