Liberation Read online

  Major glared at his brother before turning his eyes toward the window. The sun had gone down half an hour ago, and while it wasn’t late, it wasn’t early either. Sunrise came way too early.

  “Where the hell is our dessert?” Ace scowled toward the diner’s counter.

  “Give the girl a chance, little brother,” Major said. “This place is packed and she’s the only waitress working.”

  “The new owner better get his finger out of his ass and hire on some more people. If the customers have to wait too long for their orders, they’ll stop coming.”

  “Let me out.” Carly nudged Ridge’s arm.

  “What’s wrong?” Ridge asked as he stood.

  Carly scooted to the edge of the seat before standing. “Nothing’s wrong.”

  Major watched Carly as she hurried toward the waitress and spoke quietly to her. The girl looked relieved when she began nodding. She pointed toward something on the other side of the counter.

  Carly patted Cindy on the arm, skirted the counter, grabbed an apron, wrapped it around her waist and went to the serving window. She picked up the plates of food under the warming light and took them to a table.

  “Shit!” Ridge took a step toward his wife, but Bull grabbed his arm and shook his head.

  “If you want to sleep in our wife’s bed tonight, I’d sit my ass back down.”

  “She shouldn’t be—” Ridge cut himself off and rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Our wife is generous and has a huge heart,” Rocky said. “Are you going to stop her from helping out that girl when you can see she needs help?”

  “Fuck.” Ridge sat back in his seat, crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Carly.

  Major bit the inside of his cheek but he couldn’t stop the smile forming when Ace snickered. Rocco chuckled and tried to cover the sound up by coughing. It didn’t work. Ridge scowled at them before gazing at his wife again.

  Fifteen minutes later, Cindy filled all their coffee mugs and headed toward the serving window. She turned and headed in their direction before placing the desserts in front of Ace and Rocco.

  “Sorry for the wait.”

  “No worries, honey. Did the other waitresses call in sick?” Major asked.

  Cindy glanced away, shook her head and rushed back toward the serving window.

  “What the hell is going on?” Rocco frowned. “The last owner had no trouble hiring staff. The owner must be a real asshole.”

  “You’re jumping to conclusions,” Bull said. “Most of the waitstaff were college students. They might have all graduated and moved away.”

  “What about the high school kids?” Ace asked. “Surely some of them want to earn some spending money? Something weird is going on here.”

  Major was in agreement about the weird part. He glanced toward Carly as he took a sip of his coffee. He moaned as the delicious flavor burst on his taste buds. When he saw Carly nodding and gesturing with her hands, he frowned.

  “What the hell is your wife doing?”

  Since Ridge was already facing the right way and saw everything Carly did, he just shrugged. Bull and Rocky turned to glance at her over their shoulders.

  “She looks like she’s trying to mime or something.”

  “Why would she—”

  Bull interrupted Ace’s question. “I’ve seen something like that before.”

  “Where? When?” Rocco asked.

  “A buddy of ours ended up with hearing damaging after serving. He couldn’t hear worth a damn for months and the only way he could communicate was with pen and paper or mime.” Bull turned back around.

  “You think the chef’s deaf?” Ace asked.

  “The chef or the kitchen hand Carly’s trying to communicate with.”

  “We’ll find out when she’s finished with her good deed.” Rocky sipped at his coffee.

  It was another half hour before Carly came back to her husbands. She sat down with a sigh and snuggled into Ridge when he slung an arm around her shoulders.

  “Why aren’t there more waitresses working here?” Ridge asked.

  Carly sat up straight and crossed her arms under her breasts. The scowl on her face, the firm set of her uplifted chin, and the fire in her eyes told of her anger.

  “The new owner is also the chef. The poor woman is deaf and can’t interview for new staff. She has an ad in the window but rumors have spread that she can’t hear and no one other than Cindy has applied for work. Cindy is also proficient in sign language since her baby sister is deaf.”

  “That fucking stinks of prejudice,” Rocky said angrily.

  “Tell me about it.” Carly gnawed on her lip. “We have to do something to help, but I don’t know what.”

  “I have an idea,” Major said.

  “What?” Carly met his gaze.

  “Why don’t you and some of the other women do the interviewing for the owner?”

  Carly slapped her hand against her forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that? I’ve been such an airhead lately.”

  “Don’t stress about it, baby,” Bull said. “It’s just hormones.”

  “If I’m like this now, what am I going to be like in six months’ time?”

  “You’re pregnant?” Ace asked.

  Carly nodded.

  Major resisted the urge to rub at his aching chest. For a few moments, he had no idea why he was feeling pain, but when he looked a little deeper, he realized he was jealous. Jealous that his friends had what he’d been pining for the last three or so years. However, he was also happy for them.

  Rocco and Ace were already on their feet, slapping the guys on their backs before tugging Carly to her feet and hugging her. Major waited until his brothers had moved aside. He cupped Carly’s face in his hands and smiled down at the pretty, young woman. “I’m so damn happy for you all. Congratulations, sweetheart.”

  “Thanks,” Carly said, and then blinked when tears welled in her eyes.

  Major dropped his hands from her face to her shoulders and then pulled her into him. He sighed when she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back. Having Carly in his arms made the yearning to have his own special woman even more intense. With another sigh, this one of reluctance—not because he was attracted to her or had feelings for her, but because he was pining for the one woman that would complete him and his brothers—he stepped back. He offered his hand to shake with Ridge, Bull, and Rocky, and from the smiles on their faces, they were all very happy and excited that their woman was pregnant. As well they should be.

  Carly cleared her throat, garnering everyone’s attention. “Do you think the other women will help me help the diner’s chef?”

  Chapter Two

  Damn! Fuck! Shit! What the hell am I doing? Delta mentally asked after cursing up a storm. She didn’t normally swear in her head but she deigned it an appropriate time to do so.

  Sometimes Delta wanted to give up and give into the tears that continued to threaten her outwardly composed façade.

  She’d been advertising for waitstaff for the last three months and had even prepared written questions for the interviewees, but as soon as the young women realized that Delta was deaf, they’d left. She’d been metaphorically dumped on her ass so many times over the last six months, but she kept picking herself back up. Now she was so busy she barely had time to scratch herself, and she felt dreadful that Cindy was the only person in the diner that was responsible for taking orders, delivering food, clearing dishes, and wiping down tables. The poor teenager looked as harried as Delta felt.

  The moment Delta got up at four in the morning she didn’t stop running. She was exhausted, but she didn’t have time to slow down let alone stop.

  When she’d arrived in Slick Rock four months ago, she’d been giddy with excitement when she’d seen the for-sale sign in the diner window. After being shot at the bank she hadn’t been able to stay. It had taken her over two months to recover physically with physiotherapy, but the moment she’d stepped back into the ban
k on her first day after being off so long with paid sick leave, Delta had lost it. She didn’t even remember crouching on the floor with her arms over her head as if trying to protect herself. Nor did she remember passing out. What she did remember was the terrible tight pain that had clutched at her chest, at her heart, or the lack of oxygen. Apparently, she’d been panting so quickly and noisily she’d sounded like a bellows working at a forge.

  The manager had called an ambulance and when she’d woken up in the hospital, again, a signing psychologist had been sitting at her bedside. She’d talked with Delta for hours listening to her remembering all the horrors of being held up at gunpoint—no matter that, at first, she’d thought the gun was a toy—and the pain and terror she’d experienced when she’d been shot.

  She’d come to the conclusion that she couldn’t work for a bank ever again. The psychologist had been wonderful, helping her to work out what she wanted to do next, and when Delta had revealed that she was a chef by trade and that her passion was actually cooking, she’d encouraged her to follow her dreams. She’d come across an old advert on the internet about the diner in Slick Rock, and even though she hadn’t known if the place was still for sale, she’d packed her sparse belongings, found someone else to sublease the small one bedroom apartment, packed her car, and the rest was history.

  When she’d seen the for-sale sign was up in the diner’s window, looking a little faded from the spring and summer sun, she’d wanted to dance a jig. Instead, she’d entered the eatery, took a seat, and after ordering a coffee, started writing on her ever-present notepad. The owner had been an elderly woman who wanted to move to another state to live close to her pregnant daughter. It had been a win-win for both of them. At least that’s what Delta had thought at the time. Now she wasn’t so sure she’d made the right decision.

  How the hell am I supposed to keep the doors open when I can’t get anyone to hire on? What am I supposed to do? Why do some people think that just because I can’t hear, that I’m physically disabled or don’t have a brain?

  Delta blinked when she saw a strange young woman come up to the serving window with an apron wrapped around her waist. She glanced at the order and table number, picked up the four plates, one balanced on each of her forearms, and then grasped the other two in her hands before she turned and started carrying the order away. She drew in a ragged breath of gratitude, glad that the stove and oven was off to the side of the window and no one could see her. She didn’t like being the center of attention, especially when it already seemed she was the local town spectacle, since she was the new diner’s owner as well as the chef. Add into the fact that she was deaf, which was no doubt spreading around town as well, she was more than happy to keep out of the spotlight.

  When she’d first started working at the bank everyone had constantly stared at her as if she were an animal in a zoo exhibit, or a bug under a microscope. It had been very disconcerting and she felt very self-conscious and uncomfortable, but thankfully the novelty had worn off after a few months. Nonetheless, Delta had always felt as if she was on the outside looking in, and she’d often wondered if the manager had done that to her on purpose since she wasn’t normal like the rest of the staff. She’d had to man a teller window off to the side of the room, separate from everyone else. It made her wonder if she had been targeted by that bastard who’d shot her because she’d been so secluded. A shiver of fear shot up her spine and she began to pant.

  Delta quickly pushed those disconcerting, terrifying thoughts aside and got her mind back on the food she was cooking. She almost smiled when she realized that nearly all the men who entered her diner mostly ordered steak, but considering she was now living in a cattle ranching area, she wasn’t surprised.

  Since she wasn’t in a big city that catered to a more sophisticated palette, Delta had decided to provide good hearty meals on her menu. Of course, there was the prerequisite cuts of steak, as well as lasagna, chicken dishes as well as salads, vegetables and pasta, which all seemed to go over well with the locals. She offered simple delicious down home cooking with a few added flares. The steak was always marinated with her own special blend of sauces, herbs and spices. Baking the pies was time consuming, and was why she was always up so early in the morning. She’d wanted to fill the glass domed containers she’d found in the kitchen with muffins and cakes, but there was just never enough time. If her day consisted of forty-eight hours instead of the twenty-four, she still wouldn’t have enough time. Delta was lucky to get four hours sleep a night, and it was starting to show. Not that she cared since no one but Cindy ever saw her, and she wasn’t about to wear make-up or concealer to try and hide the dark smudges under her eyes since she was hovering over a hot stove and oven all day long.

  Delta had wanted to open her diner from five in the morning until midnight for any late comers or travelers, but she couldn’t see that happening anytime soon. She opened her doors at eight and closed them at eight, and still only managed around four hours of shuteye. There was always food preparation for the next day to do, not to mention the cleaning. If she’d had the money to do so, she would have hired someone to come in and clean the kitchen as well as the tables, floors and restrooms, but she didn’t.

  The lump sum of money she’d received from the bank for being hurt at work had been enough to cover the cost of purchasing the diner, with a little left over to buy supplies. Until she had more staff and a better cash flow, everything fell to her.

  Cindy came to the serving window, smiled at her for the first time that day, grabbed the next order under the warming lights and rushed away.

  Delta finished plating the chicken and steak meals, and had just set them under the warmer when the other woman wearing one of the diner aprons stepped up to the opening. She shifted her gaze to the woman’s mouth when she started to speak, but wasn’t fast enough to catch the first bit of her sentence. She sighed inwardly, pointed to her ears and shook her head.

  The woman caught on quickly, smiled, and nodded. “I’m Carly. Why don’t you have more waitstaff?”

  Delta hoped she didn’t look as frustrated and depressed as she felt, but tried to explain using hand gestures. Carly looked puzzled but then turned to face Cindy when the teenager came up next to her. She could see Cindy’s lips moving quickly as she explained her situation. When Carly turned to meet her gaze again, Delta took an instinctive step back.

  Carly looked downright pissed. “Are you shitting me?”

  Delta shook her head.

  “I can’t believe how fucking stupid people are.”

  Relief washed away Delta’s wariness when she realized that Carly was angry on her behalf. She shrugged since there wasn’t much else she could do.

  Carly reached over and clasped Delta’s wrist. “Will you let me help you? Please?”

  She nodded enthusiastically. There was no way she was going to turn down help when it could mean the difference between making a go of things or folding. She’d been peeking on the customers every now and then, and knew that some of them were beginning to get irate at having to wait so long for their orders, and she didn’t blame them one little bit. She gave the other woman a grateful smile. Carly nodded and turned back toward the dining section.

  If Carly knew some people that needed work and they were willing to work for a deaf boss, she wasn’t about to refuse. She’d already set out a list of staff with experience in certain areas she’d wanted to hire, but since she couldn’t “speak” with anybody, it had been impossible. Now, maybe she would get the workers she needed and she would be able to concentrate on the food rather than everything else as well.

  Her long-term goals were to have the diner open twenty-four-seven. The highway wasn’t that far out of town. She was hoping to have signage placed on the edge of the highway to advertise her diner. There was always traffic on the roads with truck driver’s and such. Maybe she could even get tourist buses to stop in for meals. Alas, that was a ways off yet. First, she had to get some staff to help her deal
with the locals before trying to attract more clientele.

  By the time Cindy left, Delta was dead on her feet. She was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. She’d already cleaned the kitchen, and most of the dishes were washed and put away. Cindy had stacked the industrial-size dishwashers with all the plates, glasses, mugs, and utensils twice. While the first load had been washing, the efficient, trustworthy girl had wiped down all the tables and put any of the freestanding chairs up ready for the floor to be washed. There were a few pots and pans sitting on the counter near the sink that needed to be scrubbed, but she decided to mop the floor first.

  She was halfway through the cleaning the floor when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. Delta turned her gaze toward the window and shivered as fear skittered up her spine, causing her chest to tighten and her lungs to expand and contract rapidly.

  Three very tall, very muscular men were standing outside on the sidewalk leaning against a large truck. They seemed to be talking, but they weren’t looking at each other. No, they were all watching her with avid intentness.

  Delta’s first instincts were to turn and run, but she couldn’t seem to make her feet move. It felt as if they were glued to the floor. She had no idea how long she stood there frozen looking like an idiot, but when one of the men pushed up from the hood of the truck, the movement seemed to break her from her trance and she continued to mop the floor. It was really difficult to ignore them, but she did so as much as she could. When she was done, she bent to pick up the bucket of dirty soapy water and took a step toward the kitchen.

  She didn’t know if she’d stepped in a puddle of water or if she’d skidded because the floor was slick, but her feet went flying out from under her. She thought she might have cried out but really didn’t have any idea. Her ass hit the floor first and then she was flat on her back. She’d lost her grip on the bucket and now she was drenched from head to feet.

  Delta spluttered and mentally cursed as she tried to regain her breath. The fear which had coursed through her blood when she’d seen the three men was gone. Now all she felt was total humiliation. Her day had just gone from bad to worse. The scarred tissue around her shoulder began to throb and she wondered if she’d jolted the not-so-old-wound, but that was the least of her worries. Right now, she needed to get up off her ass, re-mop the floor, and then clean the pots and pans. And that was before she needed to start on tomorrow’s food preparation. All she wanted to do was go and have a shower, crawl into bed and sleep a solid eight hours, but it wasn’t to be.