Burnt Sugar - Part 2 (standard:romance, 3719 words) [2/7] show all parts
Author: damnation	Added: Oct 19 2009	Views/Reads: 2286/1608	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This is an ongoing story set in Sydney, Australia. Centered around Taters, a small restaurant with character, Burnt Sugar is a concoction of love, drama, food and angst.

Burnt Sugar Part 2 

4 

Russell was counting the number of covers that they did that day in the
small yard behind Taters but his heart was not in it. When he lost 
count for the third time, he threw the stack of dockets onto the 
ground, muttering furiously under his breath, wondering where Ramsey 
was and why it was taking him this long to procure some alcohol from 
the bottleshop just down the road. Tammy, the single long standing 
waitress-slash-restaurant supervisor of Taters, approached his 
cautiously from behind. 

"Sorry to bother you, Russell, but there's a man here looking for you.
Says it's very important. He told me to pass you this," Tammy said 
nervously, holding out a slip of business card. 

Russell looked up at Tammy and bit back his frustration. This had
nothing to do with the poor woman. He snatched the card from Tammy 
wordlessly and gave her a nod. Knowing better than to linger and risk 
being on the receiving end of her boss' temper, Tammy scurried away as 
quickly as she could. 

In the year and a half that she had been at Taters, Tammy had learnt to
read her boss' mood. Beneath all that bristle, there resided a 
genuinely good fellow, even if Russell tried to keep him hidden. It was 
that and the fact that Russell had given her a job when no one else 
would once they learnt that she had no work experience in the 
hospitality industry at all that kept Tammy at Taters. 

After the initial month of hanging in there despite Russell railing at
her each time she made a mistake, the working environment took a turn 
for the better. Once Russell saw that she wasn't one to throw in the 
towel the first moment she got shouted at for something that she had 
done wrong, he ceased picking on her and let her be. 

Tammy learnt the ropes of being a floor staff quickly and quite honestly
excelled in it. She had a sweet disposition and an unassuming air about 
her. All the patrons loved her and all the chefs did not mind her. The 
only thing that gave her a cause for headache was to get another 
service staff to stay. And they also needed to hire a kitchenhand. 
Business was booming at Taters and it was no longer viable for the 
floor staff to do the dishes on top of service. 

Russell had a well-known temper and an infuriating arrogance to match.
In the past fortnight alone, they had lost three girls. Tammy sighed as 
she once again sifted through the resumes that she had received for the 
position and considered calling all of them to come in, one after the 
other, to see if any of them had any staying power. 

Long, tapered fingers entered her sight, reminding her of their owner's
existence. She looked up hurriedly and flashed the dashing man who 
looked to be in his early forties an amicable smile. "I've given 
Russell your card, Mister," Tammy said pleasantly. "I'm sure he'll be 
out soon... he's in the middle of some-" 

"That's quite all right. Thank you," the man said with a toothy smile.
"And the name's Richardson. Edwin Richardson." 

Tammy was about to say something but she felt the looming presence of
her boss behind her and clamped her mouth shut. 

"Yes?" Russell's voice was tight, gruff. 

"Mister Russell!" Edwin greeted, extending an arm. "Thank you for seeing
me. I was wondering if I could have a second of your time?" 

Russell looked at the man in his flashy suit and took an instant dislike
towards him. But his curiosity was piqued; the business card stated 
that the man worked for Canning & Cameron, a big food franchise. 
Russell secretly hoped that the man had a proposition for him so that 
he could throw it back in his face. That would make his day better. He 
motioned for the man to sit down and joined him at one of the empty 
tables in the now shut restaurant. 



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