Hello can I take your order?

As Joey and Cassandra walked back toward the front of the restaurant, the stares somehow got worse.

Nobody walked into Crystal’s office and came back out smiling.

Joey might’ve been the first employee in Burger Chef history to emerge without visible emotional damage.

A couple coworkers actually looked concerned.

“Did she fire you?” Tammy whispered as he passed.

“No,” Joey answered.

Tammy blinked. “...Are *you* firing *her*?”

Cassandra snorted loudly enough for only Joey to hear.

“Don’t tempt me,” she murmured.

Joey stepped back behind the register and signed back in. Oddly enough, things felt… calmer now. The shift wasn’t magically good, but it no longer felt like he was marching toward execution every time Crystal looked at him.

An hour passed.

The lunch rush slowed slightly, giving Joey enough breathing room for his brain to betray him.

Unfortunately, what his brain chose to focus on was Cassandra’s theory about Crystal secretly enjoying being challenged.

Which led to Joey accidentally imagining Crystal in leather for half a second.

Which immediately made him horrified at himself.

Which somehow made it worse.

“Heads up, Casanova,” Cassandra warned.

Joey looked up immediately.

And nearly short-circuited again.

A gorgeous young woman had stepped up to the counter. Dark hair, bright eyes, a fitted button-up blouse with just enough cleavage to be distracting, and a short puffy skirt that emphasized her hips and tiny waist.

Joey’s brain disconnected from reality.

“Welcome to Burger Chef,” he blurted automatically. “Can you take my order please?”

The girl blinked.

Then tilted her head slightly, like she genuinely wasn’t sure if he was joking.

Behind Joey, Cassandra performed a full palm-to-forehead motion.

It took Joey exactly two seconds to realize what he’d said.

Color flooded his neck and ears instantly.

“Oh my God—I mean, can *I* take *your* order?” he stammered.

The girl burst into laughter.

Not mean laughter.

Real laughter.

The kind you couldn’t fake.

“Yeah,” she giggled, trying to recover. “Don’t feel bad. I’m sure lots of girls would love to take your order.”

Behind Joey came the sudden, violent sound of someone inhaling soda the wrong way.

He turned.

Crystal stood frozen near the drink station while poor Tammy got sprayed across the shoulder with cola.

Crystal coughed violently, glaring at absolutely nobody before stalking toward the office red-faced.

Cassandra lost the battle completely and laughed into her hand.

Joey turned back, mortified.

“…I’m having a rough performance day.”

“That was adorable,” the girl said with another smile.

Joey blinked.

Cassandra’s eyebrow lifted slightly.

*Interesting.*

“Okay,” Joey said, recovering slightly. “What can I get you?”

“Um…” the girl said, glancing up at the menu. “Double cheeseburger, no mayo, small fries, and a strawberry milkshake.”

“Excellent choice,” Joey said before his brain could stop him.

The girl smiled again.

*Smooth,* Cassandra mouthed silently.

The girl paid, then moved over to the pickup counter.

Even though there was no line.

Joey noticed immediately.

Then tried very hard not to notice immediately.

He focused intensely on the fry basket like it held the secrets of the universe.

Cassandra crooked a finger toward herself.

Joey reluctantly leaned closer.

“Lesson time,” she whispered.

“Oh no.”

“You are going to walk over there and talk to her.”

Joey looked horrified. “Absolutely not.”

“Yes.”

“I already embarrassed myself twice!”

“And yet,” Cassandra said calmly, “she stayed.”

Joey paused.

“…Huh.”

“She is used to men trying to impress her,” Cassandra continued. “You accidentally did the opposite. It made you seem harmless.”

“I’m not sure that’s flattering.”

“It’s workable.”

Joey still looked unconvinced.

Cassandra sighed dramatically, then physically turned him toward the counter and smacked him lightly on the ass.

“Move, burger boy.”

Joey nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Did you just—”

“Go.”

Against every survival instinct he possessed, Joey walked over to the pickup counter.

The girl looked up immediately.

Not glued to her phone.

Not pretending not to notice him.

Actually attentive.

“…Hey,” Joey said.

“Hey yourself,” she replied.

Joey panicked.

Then remembered Cassandra’s advice.

Recover.

“I have bad news,” Joey said gravely.

The girl’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh no.”

“We’re actually out of everything you ordered.”

She stared at him.

“…Seriously?”

“No,” Joey admitted immediately. “That was just a terrible excuse to talk to you again.”

For half a second she looked shocked—

Then laughed again.

“Okay, that one was actually good.”

Joey relaxed a tiny bit.

Tiny.

“I was about to ask how a burger place runs out of burgers,” she said.

“We’re very poorly managed,” Joey deadpanned.

The girl snorted.

Progress.

“I haven’t seen you in here before,” Joey said. “Are you new around here?”

“Actually, yeah,” she replied. “I just moved here for college. Tulane University.”

“That’s impressive,” Joey said honestly. “I was supposed to go to Louisiana Tech before…” He hesitated. “Before my mom died.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Instant panic.

“Oh God, sorry,” he rushed. “That got way too personal way too fast.”

The girl gave him that same tilted-head look again.

But softer this time.

“You don’t have to apologize for that,” she said gently.

Right then Mark dropped the tray beside Joey.

Saved by the burger.

Joey immediately grabbed it like a lifeline.

“Here you go,” he said. “Careful, fries are basically molten lava.”

“Noted,” she said with a smile.

Her eyes flicked down to his nametag.

Then back up.

“Nice talking to you, Joey.”

“You too…”

He realized with horror he didn’t know her name.

But before he could fix that, she was already walking to a booth.

Joey returned to the register.

Cassandra stood nearby looking unbearably smug.

“Don’t,” Joey warned quietly.

“You’re learning,” she said.

“I’m sweating through my uniform.”

“Growth is uncomfortable.”

About twenty minutes later, the girl walked back up to the counter.

Joey immediately assumed disaster.

*Did I poison her? Was the milkshake bad? Did I accidentally insult Tulane?*

“Uh… hey,” he said carefully. “Everything okay?”

The girl smiled.

“Actually, yeah.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small folded piece of paper.

“You know,” she said, “I thought for sure you were going to ask me out.”

Joey blinked.

“Most guys do,” she continued matter-of-factly. “Usually within like… thirty seconds.”

“Oh.”

“But you didn’t.” She smiled slightly. “And you were honest. And weird.”

Joey sighed. “The weird part I can’t really defend.”

“I liked the weird part.”

Then she slid the paper toward him.

“Here,” she said. “Maybe you can show me around sometime.”

Joey unfolded it slowly.

Taylor.

Along with a phone number.

His brain rebooted twice.

“That’s… wow.” He looked up. “Taylor’s a really pretty name.”

Immediately Joey wanted to punch himself in the face.

Taylor just laughed.

“Text me later, burger boy.”

Then she turned and practically skipped out of the restaurant.

Joey stood there staring at the paper like it might explode.

Slowly, he looked up.

Cassandra stood nearby with her arms crossed and a deeply satisfied grin on her face.

“…You planned this,” Joey accused.

“Of course I did,” she replied.

“You manipulated that entire interaction!”

“No,” Cassandra corrected proudly. “*You* did.”

A beat.

Then she smirked.

“I simply refused to let you run away.”