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Samantha Brown couldn’t ignore the ice-cold shiver that rippled down her spine as she studied the sinful smirk on her customer’s face. The man was old enough to be her grandfather, but unlike the gentle exterior of her Grandpa George, this man’s balding head, beady eyes, and duck-shaped mouth seemed to fit the description of a child predator.
Stop it Sam; it’s not Christ-like to judge someone you don’t know. After all, he can’t help the way he looks.
She knew her conscience was right, but she couldn’t ignore the feeling there was something perverted about the man, especially with the way his eyes roamed over her body as if it were an idol made of solid gold.
What if the man was recently paroled from prison?
She tried to dismiss the paranoid voice in her head but couldn’t. What if he had just served time for murdering someone? What if he had assaulted his girlfriend?
Her body stiffened at the thought, but she tried not to make it obvious. If there was one thing Sam hated about her job at the Seaside Cafe, it was dealing with the crude male patrons that would drift into the diner from the gentlemen’s club located down the street. The unpretentious diner was located on the outskirts of Newport Beach, a part of town that attracted a mix of residents, including those who coveted the benefits of an exclusive community known for its pristine beaches, million dollar yachts, and multi-million dollar homes, but lacked the six figure income to support it.
Sam forced a smile to her lips as she refilled his white mug with steaming black coffee. “Sir, is there anything else I can get you?”
The customer flashed a grey stained smile at her. “How about a slice of that sweeeet apple pie?” His tongue stroked his chapped upper lip. “Has anyone told you what a refreshing sight you are for sore eyes?” He continued before she could answer, “And such beautiful skin.” He ran a calloused finger down her forearm. “How about pie and your company? I’m new in town and sure could use someone to show me around.”
Sam felt a chill shoot down her arm and tightened her fingers around the handle of the nearly full carafe. She couldn’t decide whether to laugh or puke at his advances. Did the creep really think a young girl like her would be interested in someone her grandfather’s age?
Coffee in his lap would teach him a lesson.
For a split second, she was tempted to consider the fleshly impulse in her head. But something held her back.
Remember Sam, do as Jesus would do.
This time, Sam knew it was the Holy Spirit speaking, and she bit her lower lip. Recently, it seemed that God was teaching her patience, especially with patrons who were lost to the ways of the world. While perverted men existed back in Jesus’ day, she wondered what Jesus would have done in her place if a perverted customer had flirted inappropriately with him. Sam tried to ignore the anxious feeling inside and managed a smile.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve got other customers waiting on me. I’m sure there are services in town that handle that sort of thing.” She pivoted her body toward the safety of the kitchen.
“Hey, babe. Where you going so fast?”
Sam took one step to safety before a cold hand wrapped firmly around her arm.
A rush of adrenaline shot through her body as her fight response kicked in. She turned without hesitation and confronted the man before he could violate her any further.
“Excuse me, sir, you need to let go of my arm.” She tried to keep her voice from wavering.
The man let go and held up his hands. “Okay, honey. Take it easy. I meant no harm. It’s cool if you don’t want to hang with me. Just the pie will do.” He winked and gave her a smile that made her stomach churn. “Maybe another time.”
“I’m sorry, but that isn’t going to happen in a million years,” Sam answered with the confidence of a CEO as she turned and marched back toward the safety of the kitchen.
It only took a week working at the Seaside Café before Sam quickly realized it would be a regular occurrence for a few shady patrons to hit on her during her daytime shifts. What else could she expect from the east side of town? Although Sam learned to keep a tough exterior, they still gave her the creeps. If she had it her way, she would have preferred a waitressing job at one of the finer establishments in the Fashion Island mall like The Shipyard or La Trattoria. But her lack of experience barred her from working at the four-star establishments located in the upscale shopping center.
But that didn’t discourage Sam. She only planned on being at the Seaside Café until she got her big break as a famous Christian singer, something her parents had encouraged her to pursue.
“What a creep,” Sam blurted loudly above the hustle of the stainless-steel galley kitchen. A heavy-set man with curly black hair under a chef’s hat popped his head over the plates of steaming hot food.
“What’s wrong, Chica?”
Sam opened her mouth to answer, but before she could utter a word, her co-worker Tami barged into the kitchen.
“It’s the pervert at table twenty-four isn’t it?” There was a loud clatter as the sandy blonde unloaded a stack of dirty plates next to the fully loaded sink.
“How did you know?” Sam’s eyes grew larger.
“Honey, after working twenty years in this business, I can smell a pervert a mile away. There isn’t a customer that can fool me. I could tell the minute he walked in, the way he gawked at the other girls on the floor.”
Sam’s body shivered. “He gives me the chills. Can you believe he tried grabbing my arm?”
“That son of a biscuit eater. How dare he lay a finger on you.” Tami’s eyes narrowed with indignation. “Are you okay, Sweetie? Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine. There aren’t any bruises. He just scared me for a second.”
“Chica, do you want me to set him straight? Nobody messes with my Sammy.” The two hundred twenty-five pound chef stepped out of the galley with a raised chest and a large butcher knife in his hand.
Sam held her hand up. “No Victor, I’m okay. I don’t want to make a scene in front of the other customers. It comes with the territory working here. I’ll get used to it.”
“Honey, how many times have I told you that you don’t belong working in a place like this? You need to get your singing career off the ground. You have such a beautiful sweet voice.” Tami placed an encouraging hand on her shoulder. “I know you’ll be famous someday.” Her co-worker turned toward Victor, “Doesn’t she have a wonderful voice?”
“You could be on TV, Chica.” Sam could see the kitchen lights reflecting off his front gold crown as he smiled.
She smiled at Tami. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. You’re always so supportive. I keep praying that God will bring me the right opportunity to show off the talents he’s given me.”
“It’ll happen, girl. I may not be such a religious person, but I know God has great plans for you.” Tami snatched a plate of apple pie from the counter. “Now, tell you what. I’ll take that creep off your hands, and you can have table fifteen. There’s a cute guy about your age. Maybe the two of you will hit it off.” Tami chuckled as she headed back into the dining room.
Sam knew Tami had a point. Since the age of four, she dreamed of being a music artist who could bless and encourage others with her God-given soprano voice. And even though she had never taken a professional voice lesson in her life, singing came naturally for her. Whenever family and friends gathered at her home, her parents would always show off her beautiful voice. In fact, her parents believed so much in her talents that they even gave her a karaoke machine for her tenth birthday hoping it would inspire her towards a professional career.
But marketing herself became a hurdle that wasn’t easy to overcome. Sure there was YouTube and passing out demo CD’s, but her shy personality and fear of rejection slowed her progress.
Her thoughts focused on Tami’s last comment. Her dating life had been as memorable as a polka dance at a fraternity party. It wasn’t because she was a social retard or purposely tried to avoid men. On the contrary, Sam was a true romantic at heart and would often fantasize being swept off her feet by a muscular man with sandy blond hair and piercing blue eyes. She could picture herself getting married someday and settling down to start a family.
But with her full-time waitressing job and moonlighting as a background singer in a small musical production, the opportunities to date were far and few between. It seemed there wasn’t room for romance in her life, at least during this stage of it. But in the event she was blessed with the opportunity to date a guy, she decided any hair and eye color combination was fine, so long as he was a Christian.
In the past, she tried tagging along with Kayla to social functions, hoping to meet a nice Christian guy. But up till now, that idea backfired. Guys would be drawn to her older sister’s model-like beauty as if she were the latest version of an exotic Italian sports car. And to make matters worse, when a guy did approach her, her brain would shut down. For Sam, changing a poopy diaper was more enjoyable than managing a meaningful conversation with a guy.
A sigh escaped her lips as she glanced at the ticket for table fifteen. Maybe Tami was right. If Sam wanted to realize her dreams of finding Mr. Right, she needed to take advantage of every opportunity that presented itself, especially with her busy schedule. Maybe her luck would change tonight. All she needed to do was focus on staying calm and just being herself.
Sam whispered a silent prayer. Then with chest held high, she scooped up a BLT sandwich and a cola and headed toward the dining room.
