I tugged it down but it was too late, and his chuckle made me feel dirty. I moved a little faster to get away from him before I did something I’d regret, but the sound of his laughter followed me into the diner’s kitchen.

What a perv.

The diner’s uniform wouldn’t bother me so much if it wasn’t so revealing. The dress was supposed to look like the diner’s original 1950’s uniform, but the manager updated them two years ago. It was now made of a stretchy fabric. The top clung to me like a second skin. The bottom was still flared, but it’d lost three inches. For most of the customers the waitresses were invisible, but every once in a while someone would come in here and think the missing three inches meant that we were open for other kinds of business.

The noise of the kitchen covered up his laughter as the door swung shut behind me. A round bot zoomed past, nearly nailing me in the face with its bowl of chopped onions. “Watch it!”

Mom caved a couple weeks ago and let the boss buy a bot to help her with prep work. I wasn’t used to it flying around here yet. It made the diner more efficient during rush hours, but neither of us liked it.

Mom was alone in the kitchen, busy in front of the large griddle top. Bacon strips sizzled as she placed them on the hot surface. Her thick black hair was pulled back in a ponytail as she cooked. It was just us here today, thankfully. From the way she was working—a little slower than her usual frenzy—I knew I wasn’t the only one tired and on edge.

I spotted a towel and grabbed it.

“Order up, table five,” Mom said as she looked over her shoulder at me. She spotted me wrapping my hand in the towel, and her eyes went wide. “What happened?”

“It’s nothing, but there’s a guy at the counter. I needed a distraction to get away from him and—”

“Maité. Don’t you dare pick a fight with anyone. Please. I know you’re on edge, but…” She wiped her hands on what used to be a white apron and looked at the screen to check the orders. “It won’t be long now. Just stay focused. Do your job.”

Was she serious with this? “I am doing my job. I just—”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Mom’s voice was more than snippy. “The sun was almost up when you came home. You had me so worried. Anything could’ve happened, and you didn’t call or message or answer any of my million messages.”