(15) Enticing

"Order up!"

The bell dinged to signal and order arrived in the food presentation window to which servers retrieved the food and carried it to the appropriate table in the restaurant.

Makennah gathered the four plates in her arms and marched back out onto the restaurant floor to deliver the food.

"Everything look okay? Do you need anything?" She asked with a waning smile.

"Looks good!" The father answered for everyone and dismissed Makennah.

It was hour six on the floor and her feet killed. On a Saturday, she imagined this restaurant would be more prepared but the owner and manager informed Makennah that they were very short staffed and hoped she would be able to catch on quick to take her own tables.

Well "quick" happened to mean four hours because after the lunch rush, Makennah's trainer went home and she was all on her own. They were so busy for dinner that they began to give her her own tables.

Fortunately, she could fairly well do the job without much assistance. There were a few things she had to ask for help with - like where they kept the extra glasses, if they had more straws, and where to take the glasses that belonged at the bar. Also, she didn't know the menu very well but most people didn't ask many questions. The Italian style menu was pretty self-explanatory.

"Excuse me?" A middle aged woman called from across the restaurant rather rudely in Makennah's opinion, but nevertheless she answered the call.

"Yes, ma'am?" She asked once she reached the table and pasted on a smile.

"May I have some more Dr. pepper?"

"Of course! I'll be right back with that!" She said in an over cheerful voice.

Internally, she groaned. She just wanted to go home. For a first day, this was exhausting. She wasn't used to being on her feet for so many hours on end.

Not to mention, her stomach growled so loudly that she was afraid customers would hear. She was starving. Downright famished. The thing was that she woke up late and therefore didn't have time for breakfast. She didn't think she would be at the restaurant for so long so she didn't think it would be a big deal.

But it was. Because then lunch passed. The lunch guests left. The weird in-betweeners from lunch to dinner stayed longer than necessary. Makennah never got a break. Legally she was way overdue as an underage minor worker in this restaurant. But she didn't say anything because she just couldn't stop. She could barely halt and have time to breathe.

At this point, her body was showing signs of glucose loss. Fatigue. Fluttering heart rate from the stress and anxiety of a new job. Tired, weak muscles. Unfocused vision. Shaky hands.

Repeatedly, Makennah pushed it away. Now wasn't the time for her young able body to act up.

"Here you go, ma'am!"

"Thank you, honey." The woman smiled from ear to ear and accepted her new Dr. Pepper.

"Makennah, can you run my food for me?" Stacey, a mid-twenty something waitress, asked Makennah.

"Sure." She ran to the back, collected her three plates, and passed them off to her table in the far corner. After she checked that they had everything, Makennah moved on to her three tables and swiped off dirty dishes to take to the back. Once she dropped them off, she swept by the employee drink station behind the bar to gulp down some water.

Her hands shook so badly from lack of food that she couldn't position the straw in her mouth correctly the first time. Sighing, she clenched her fist tightly and willed her body into submission.

The water slid down her throat into an empty stomach. A pang shot up her side in an angry appetite, and her stomach growled again, telling her exactly how pissed off it was.

Because her head swam, Makennah walked back slowly to her tables to collect more dirty dishes. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she carried the dishes with wobbly arms to the dish station to be cleaned.

But she didn't quite make it. Because her knees gave out, the blood rushed to her head, Makennah dropped the plates in a fumbling ugly mess.

And she passed out flat on the floor.

"Oh my god! Makennah!"

"Is she okay?"

"Someone get these broken plates!"

"Makennah, Makennah!" Someone shook her shoulders repeatedly but she finally felt at rest and peacefully kept her eyes closed. She wasn't ready to wake up.

"Open your eyes, honey."

"Help her sit up. But be careful. She just passed out. Let her find her balance again."

So many voices swirling around her, grabbing her arms and pulling her up. Resting her against the wall. Clearing away the broken plates.

Slowly, one eye peeped open and she groaned. Her head hurt. And her stomach growled.

Five different faces stared at her with concern.

"What happened?" She groaned.

"You passed out," Jillian - the manager/owner's wife - stated calmly, brushing her blonde hair out of Makennah's eyes while helping her sit up taller on the floor in the kitchen.

"I did?"

Jillian smirks gracefully. "Indeed, you did. Are you okay? Have you eaten? Let's get you up if you're feeling up to it."

Her arms shook so badly that she couldn't push herself up.

Jillian noticed and hooked her arm under Makennah's arms. "Come on. Into the office."

Shuffling and groaning in pain, Makennah clung to Jillian because she feared she wouldn't make it with out her. She seemed on the brink of collapse with every step.

By the time they reached the office and Jillian kicked the door open, her head swam again and the blood drained from her face.

"Whoa you're white as a sheet, girl. Sit down."

Jillian dumped Makennah in a chair. The edges of her vision burred with darkness as she neared unconsciousness again.

"Mr. First Aid, help her please. She just passed out. I have to get back out there but I'll be back," Jillian spoke, presumably to someone else in the office.

Makennah closed her eyes and hung her head in her hands. There was a high pitched ringing in her ears and aggravated her nerves.

"Well, well, well."

Makennah gasped and jerked her head up, instantly regretting it. "No."

"Head between your knees, Thomas. You're pale as a ghost."

"I feel like I'm gonna pass out again," she admitted sadly. This was so embarrassing.

"Head down."

Theo rounded the desk and crouched down beside Makennah. He lightly placed his hand on the back of her head and urged it down between her knees as he instructed. Makennah forced her eyes open, hoping that would help her stay conscious. She noted his nice brand new, spotless Nikes and dark wash jeans that she could see from her current very embarrassing position.

"You okay? Let me see your wrist."

Willingly, Makennah offered up her arm. Theo gently and softly grasped her arm to hold it up and pressed two fingers to her wrist to check for her pulse.

"I'm okay," she said on a sigh.

For several seconds, Theo was quiet. "Your pulse is a little flighty. How you feeling?"

"My head hurts," she admitted.

"Try sitting up. Did you hit your head?" Theo dropped onto one knee on the ground in front of her and released her wrist.

Blinking slowly, Makennah rose and straightened her spine. She leaned back in her seat and brushed her hair away. "I'm not sure."

It physically hurt her to know she probably looked like a mess while Theo was looking dashing as ever, totally charming and handsome.

Glancing behind him, Theo nudged the door shut for privacy. Makennah managed a weak smile to thank him.

"Did you eat anything today?" His calm, peaceful, and quiet tone both surprised Makennah and soothes all of the feelings that surged through her. Embarrassment. Fear. Pain. Nervousness. Anxiety. Every emotion dulled in the presence of Theo who exhibited nothing but genuine concern and care for her.

For her.

"Well, no."

Theo swiveled around and propped open the door. He stuck his head out and yelled "A bowl of spaghetti please!" Then he shut the door again, reached for her arm, and checked her pulse for the second time. "Getting there."

His blue eyes found hers and he smiled softly.

She sighed and let her arm fall limp in his hold. His touch calmed her. "This is so embarrassing. My first day and I passed out."

Theo lifted his arm and brushed the hair out of her face. His touch on her cheek made them flame with heat when she was attempting to calm down her body. She closed her eyes for a second and just breathed while he tucked that hair behind her ear.

When she opened her eyes, a serious contemplative expression crossed Theo's face. "It will all be okay. Your safety is most important. You'll get past this." Holding her gaze for a moment longer, Theo's eyes danced over her face and down over her shoulders. "Does anything hurt? Other than your head."

"I don't think so."

Theo shifted closer so that his leg brushed against hers. Her pulse spiked at his touch and at the remembrance of the conversation she held with Penny, Grace and Meredith about Theo's apparent feelings or at least interest in her.

"You're looking much better," he informed her, looking her over again. Instead of feeling on display or uncomfortable under his gaze, she felt relaxed and peaceful knowing he was simply looking for Anything that could be wrong.

"What are you doing here?" It suddenly hit her that it was very weird that she passed out on her first day and the first aid responder happened to be Theo who was waiting in the manager's office.

He cleared his throat and finally stopped looking at her. "My parents own the restaurant. I hang out here sometimes."

"What?" Her brain couldn't process that at the moment.

"Jillian...is my mom," Theo said.

"Wait," Makennah paused. "Did you get me this job just because your parents own the place?"

"No, definitely not."

Makennah cut him off before he could say anything else. "Did you tell them to hire me? Did they even care if I was qualified?"

Theo nodded his head. "Without a doubt. They wouldn't hire a dummy."

"I wanted to earn a job, Theo." Makennah sighed in exasperation and shook her head angrily. This is not how Makennah did things. She earned her keep. She let people trust her on their own. She never relied on anyone else to get anything for her.

"You did. Twice, my mom has come in here and thanked me for telling you to apply because you're awesome. It's your first day and you're already taking tables. I mean, other than passing out, you were on a roll."

"Spaghetti?" A chef propped open the door and offered the bowl to Theo. Theo rose off the floor where he knelt and accepted the bowl and fork.

"Thanks, man," Theo thanked him and set the bowl down in front of Makennah. "Eat," he instructed as he sat down opposite her in his original seat behind the desk.

Makennah didn't need any more encouragement. "Wow." She closed her eyes and swallowed her first bite of spaghetti. "So good."

"You look pretty cute in that uniform, Thomas." Back to his usual flirtatious self, Theo leaned back and laced his fingers together behind his head. His biceps flexed as he smirked at her.

"It's the polo," she said sarcastically while chowing down. Her stomach already felt so much better.

"Yeah those three buttons reveal so much skin. I'm drooling."

She rolled her eyes. "Keep it in your pants, Theodore."

"Yes baby, say my name," he disgustingly moaned in a very sexual manner.

Makennah kicked him under the desk. He laughed and groaned at the same time. She didn't respond because she couldn't. In her dreams, she sometimes did say his name. Exactly the way that he meant it.

"In your dreams," Makennah finally commented.

"Sweetheart, if only you knew." One side of his mouth lifted in a smirk as he darkly gazed down at her with hooded intimate eyes that seemed to be undressing her that very moment.

"Stop it," she insisted, wiping her mouth on a napkin that lay on the desk. Her cheeks felt warm and red. She imagined she was probably very flushed with colorful cheeks.

"No."

"Why?" She asked.

"I like riling you up," Theo admitted, leaning forward and propping up his elbows on the desk.

"Oh he's totally into you."

"Theodore Alexander Rose III 100% without a doubt in my mind is into you."

"You probably don't even see the way he looks at you."

Every thing that Grace, Penny, and Meredith said last night concerning Theo's interest in Makennah replayed in her mind.

"You're blushing," Theo stated.

She shook her head. "I'm not," she insisted.

"You are. It's cute."

"Twice now you've called me cute," she pointed out while she twirled another bite of spaghetti around her fork, swirling the noodles through the homemade sauce.

"Yeah you're right. Doesn't quite suit you. I'll have to come up with something better."

"What?" She raised her head and looked at him crossly, confused about what he meant.

Unashamedly, Theo explained. "You are cute. I mean you do cute things. But you're more than that." He breathed deeply and let his gaze fall to her lips. "Beautiful. Enticing."

Her heart beat so fast that she feared it might jump out of her chest. Her cheeks reddened with heat once again. Laying down her fork, Makennah swallowed her last bite and dropped her gaze to her lap.

"Um...thank you." No man had ever truthfully called her beautiful. Or enticing. Enticing? What did that even mean? Something good obviously. Maybe it meant she enticed him beyond what he expected of her. Maybe it meant she enticed him without knowing it. Maybe it meant she was alluring by just being herself.

No, it couldn't be that. She wasn't that special.

"People must not tell you that often," he said quietly.

"Not really." She hated to admit it, but she felt that she owed him some honesty considering he was being honest with her.

"Well they should." Theo stood to his feet and swiped his keys off the desk. "Let's go. I'm taking you home."

"Oh that's okay. Carolynn can pick me up."

"I'm not doing anything. Let's hit the road." Theo opened the door and motioned for her t exit first.

Untying her apron, Makennah curled it up and tucked it under her arm. She exited and waited for Theo to lock up the office. She followed him through the kitchen to the back door.

While she trailed behind him, Makennah purposefully dropped her gaze to his hind end which were expertly shone off in his dark jeans. She couldn't contain the smirk that climbed onto her lips. Checking him out in jeans was totally worth it.

An ass that deserved to be talked about. She'd be texting Grace after this.

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I'm looking for some inspiration for my characters. I'd like to start out the book with pictures of who everybody is so y'all can see what I kind of have in my head.

For Makennah, I was thinking of a young blonde Rosie Huntington-Whiteley who is now a Victoria Secret Model. I'll include some pictures below. Let me know what you think!!

Xoxo

W. Carolina