“I’m glad you found something at least, hun,” Lily said, pouring Matilda a cup of coffee. “What will you have?”
“I’ll have the Fate Mountain burger and fries and a huckleberry milkshake.”
“Coming up,” Lily said, scribbling the order onto her order pad.
Matilda clicked on her phone and scrolled through the screen she had been looking at the last time her phone was on. She was on the website for the university she wanted to go to. She knew that someday she would have enough money to go to school.
She often looked at the university website to keep herself motivated. She’d knew she would need a lot of motivation today. She was going to work for an eccentric billionaire in his haunted mansion. Things couldn’t be any worse.
The new school term was starting in just a few days, and just like every term for the last several years, Matilda would not be joining the other kids in class.
Lily came back to her table with a tray holding Matilda’s order several minutes later. Lily set the glass of huckleberry milkshake on the table with a straw and then set the huge, delicious-looking Fate Mountain burger and fries in front of Matilda.
“Can I get you anything else?” Lily asked.
“This looks great. I’m going to need a full stomach for work today.”
“Enjoy,” Lily said with a bright smile.
The bear shifter waitress left Matilda to her burger. She enjoyed every bite. As a starving would-be college student, she didn’t get meals like this very often, even living in her mom’s house. Her mom spent most of her time working, and the kitchen cabinets at home were generally sparse.
Matilda groaned at the delicious flavor of hamburger. She was so distracted by the feeling of her stomach filling up that she didn’t notice the man who walked into the diner.
She looked up from her burger, with the secret sauce all over her face, just in time to see her ex-boyfriend Tim walking down the aisle right toward her.
Matilda grunted and choked on the bite of burger she had in her mouth. She dropped her food on the plate and grabbed her napkin, wiping her face as quickly as she could, trying to clear her throat for air.
She could not believe that her ex-boyfriend was in Fate Mountain. His family lived in the valley all the way on the other side of the mountain.
“I knew you would be here,” he said.
“Why are you in Fate Mountain Village?” she asked, her throat still dry from choking on her burger.
“I’ve been trying to find you since you left.”
“If you had just looked at my Facebook profile you would have known that I went back to my mom’s house a week ago.”
“No more messing around, Matilda. It’s time to come home.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. I thought I made it clear when I said that I was leaving and never coming back.”
“We’ve been through this so many times before. I never take you seriously when you threaten to leave.”
“This time I mean it. And I’m not coming back. I even have a new job.”
“Oh, you’re working for your mother, I see. How’s that working out for you?”
“Amazingly well. I have a job for a billionaire today.”
“Are you screwing him?”
“What?” Matilda gasped, slamming her fist into the diner table. Her plate, milkshake glass, and silverware clanged on the tabletop.
“You heard me.”
“I haven’t even met this guy yet. And if I were screwing someone, it would be none of your business because this relationship is over!”
“I know you don’t mean that,” he said grabbing her wrist and pulling her up from the booth.