Make It Last (Friends & Lovers 1)

“Hey, Pop,” he said as he approached the counter.

“Rich all set up?” his father asked.

Colin looked back over his shoulder where Rich was making up a couple of sundae’s, talking to the girls as he worked.

“Oh, yeah, he’ll be fine.”

“I thought he’d be a good fit,” Mr. Grayson replied. "It's just too bad he’ll only be here for the summer.”

“It’s not like he’d want to work a soda fountain for the rest of his life, Pop. It’s a temporary kind of job. I was thinking rather than trying to hire someone on like Roberta, we should focus on kids. No one wants to work a job like that for as long as she did, anymore. I think we should look at it as more of a temporary position.”

His father looked at him and smiled. “You’re probably right. Roberta was one of a kind, that’s for sure. I know that no one wants to work for minimum wage for long if they don’t have to, I just hate the thought of constantly having to train new people.”

“If it’s a part-time position, we could hire a few kids to work. That way, we’d always have someone with experience and they could do the training as the job turns over.”

“See, Son? I knew you’d take to running this business like a dog to water.” His father grinned, slapping his hand on his back.

Colin couldn’t help but chuckle. “I don’t think that’s the expression, Pop.”

He couldn’t retain his foul mood with his dad so happy that he was there, and the sounds of Rich smooth-talking the customers coming from the back. He just hoped he could find a way to retain that happiness.

Chapter Five

Briana started her shift, happy that not only was it Friday, but that it was actually her Friday. Getting weekends was rare, and rarer still was getting weekends off with her friends so that they could barbecue at the gravel pits.

Pam had allowed Briana, Kara, and Pete to switch shifts with some of the more seasoned workers, who had the prime shifts already locked. Most of them were happy to pick up a weekend now and then. It was a lot more packed and they usually made better money.

It was busy, even for a Friday, but Briana had plenty of help in the kitchen, so she didn’t feel like she was overwhelmed. Just busy, which was how she liked it.

Kara came sauntering back into the kitchen to pick up an order. “So, Bree, is Mr. Gorgeous going to be at the pits tomorrow?”

“Rich?” Briana asked absently, putting the finishing touches on the grilled chicken wrap for Kara’s order. “Yeah, he said he was going to stop by.”

Kara walked up to her, forcing her to look up and focus. She had an odd look on her face and didn’t say anything for a minute.

“What?” Briana asked her. “I’ve got a lot of orders to finish, Kara. Why are you acting weird?”

“I’m not, I was just wondering if you would be upset if I talked to him, that’s all.”

“Who, Rich? No. Why would I care?” Briana looked at her and Kara gave her a look that said, “You know why.”

“Kara, I told you about that. It was just a one-time deal. We never dated or had a relationship. It wasn’t like that. I have no claim on him. It’s fine, I swear.”

“Okay, cool,” Kara said with a smile and a bounce. “I didn’t want to poach. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing there. You know I’d never do that to you.”

“I do. Now get this wrap and get out of here. I’ve got work to do,” Briana said, trying to push her back out into the dining room.

Briana worked diligently, getting orders out as fast as she could until it was break time. She decided to go out into the dining room. Pam didn’t mind if they took their breaks out there, as long as it didn’t cause a problem for the customers.

Briana grabbed a Coke from Pete and was about to find a seat when she found herself face to face with Colin.

“Hey, Bree.”

This was the moment she’d been dreading, but now that it was there, she found that she knew just how to handle it.

“Hi, Colin,” She replied, and started to walk around him.

“Wait,” he said, putting his hand on her arm to stop her from walking away. “Can’t we talk?”