He was shaking the grease from the fries when Rosie returned with the order. From her perspective, he thought, she was watching him shake the fries over the fryer, watching his body shake.
“Shake it, but don’t break it,” she said.
“You watching me?” He said this as he turned toward heading to plate the fries.
“You bet I am. Same as you were watching me. Like my ass?”
“How you know I was watching you?”
“Eddie and I share everything. And I mean everything.”
“So she told you I was…”
“Checking out my ass. Want to see it?”
“What you mean?”
“I mean want to see it?” Rosie looked directly at Bill, made sure their eyes made direct contact. “Put the steaks on.”
The order was simple, two T-bones medium. Bill reached into his little reach-in and came out with the two steaks. He placed them on the grill. Then he retrieved the basket of fries he left on the fryer’s hook and spilled the order on Edelgarde’s plate. He slid the plate up on the shelf under the warmer lights.
When he looked back to where Rosie had been, he saw she was gone, was now around by the kitchen entryway.
“That her dinner?”
“You really call her Eddie?”
“Eddie or Ed, all the time.” Rosie stood legs slightly apart. “Jimmy disappeared already, huh?”
“Been gone awhile.”
“Better get used to it.”
“I guess so.”
Bill tended to the two steaks. Just as he’d done with Edelgarde’s burger, he rotated them to diamond-stripe them. As he watched them, Edelgarde picked up her dinner.
“See you in a few,” she said.
“K,” Rosie said. Then, when Bill had flipped the steaks with his tongs, she asked him again if he wanted to see her ass. She quickly turned around and bent all the way over before he could even start telling her he was married.
What he saw was an eyeful.
He saw the whole of her sexy-cut uniform panties as the short mini-maid’s-skirt rode up. While she was leaned over, she reached behind her to ever-so-swiftly pull the panties aside so he could see everything.
He was saying, “I’m married,” as she did this. But that didn’t stop her a bit, didn’t hinder her in the slightest.
“Was it good for you?” she asked as she straightened up and put herself back in place.
“I’m married,” he said for a second time.
“I heard you the first time. I was married once.” She turned to face him. “And I was a good girl too, a good wife. So help me God.”
“Really?”
“Cross my heart and hope to die.”
Rosie did a little curtsy. She smiled as she bowed, said, “I have to get back to that table.” She leaned in until she was close enough and gave Bill a little kiss on the cheek. “Make those steaks nice,” she said. “I want a good tip. And by the way, I don’t care if you’re married.”
Caesar came by while he was cooking those two T-bones. He peeked in first from the service counter and seeing that Bill was all alone in the kitchen he came around to the entryway. He stepped inside and started looking around. He was about to touch something but Bill stopped him.
“None of this is for you to touch,” Bill said.
Caesar was taken aback. He looked at Bill and was about to still go on and touch something when Bill smacked his tongs down on the table close to Caesar’s hand.
“You don’t work in this kitchen,” said Bill. “So don’t be touching anything. If you want something, ask for it like anybody else does.”
“I’ll make sure that you’re not here long,” Caesar said.
