Lake Lure, North Carolina
The dining room at the upscale lakeside retreat was awash in murmurings of idle chitchat from the servers getting ready for the final weekend rush, which always accompanied the end of the season, along with the distinct clatter of trembling fine china, crystal stemware, and polished silver, as the tables were prepared.
Molly pulled back her unruly mass of curls into a messy bun. If one looked closely, especially in the sun, they would see streaks of copper highlights. Her father would say they came from her mother’s side of the family.
Leaning back against the carved mahogany bar, she took a sip of water with a single slice of lime inside, wishing she wasn’t working so she could have something stronger.
Surveying the progress, she looked around the restaurant. Esmerelda was standing in the corner, near the outside deck, practicing Baby, while Sergei moved his slender hips back and forth, with his imitation of Johnny, to the lyrics of, ‘Hey Baby,’ by Bruce Channel.
They were getting ready for their end of the year annual theme weekend, at the restaurant/lodge she managed for her father, which included troupe dancers who impersonated the cast of Dirty Dancing. Johnny, aka, Sergei, and Esmeralda, aka Baby, were both from Ukraine.
They cost more than Molly would like to pay, but they more than made up for it because they were so good and brought in a lot of revenue because of their large following. She had a deal with the dancers. Instead of paying half up front like most of her competitors in the area offered, she instead promised them part of the proceeds. Since the dancers seemed to get more into character it turned out better than she had expected. She had come up with the idea a few years back when the Mountain Lodge was nearing bankruptcy. Her father wanted to sell it off to developers for Luxury Mountain Homes but Molly had begged him to give her a chance running it. He gave her a year to turn it around and that’s when she came up with her version of a Dirty Dancing weekend with the tag line: “Discover the magic of a bygone era at Mountain Lake Resort.” And just like the movie, the guests would get dancing lessons; participate in games, such as charades, a scavenger hunt, and a viewing of the movie as well as party that would follow where all the dancers would reenact the final dance scene in the movie.
“Not there!” Molly rushed forward and grabbed hold of the stack of plates before they toppled to the floor.
“Where then?” snipped Tracy, one of the new hires, as she crossed her arms under her substantial breasts.
Molly shoulders tensed. “Just dress the tables by the windows.”
The girl gave her ‘Stay calm and carry a watermelon’ shirt an odd look. “What’s that mean?”
“It’s from the movie.”
“What movie?”
“The one we are celebrating this weekend…” She widened her eyes. “Dirty Dancing…remember?”
“Dirty Dancing? What’s that?”
Molly tried hard not to roll her eyes. “Oh, never mind.” Her phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her back pocket. “Bring the cart over to the tables, we can finish this later.”
“Fine.” The wheels on the cart squealed as Tracy pushed it forward.
“By the windows,” she called out when the Tracy veered off to the left.
“I am, but this stupid cart is not cooperating.”
Molly thought Tracy was stupid, not the cart. Groaning inwardly, she shoved her phone in the back pocket of her faded jeans and helped her push the cart full of dishes over to the tables lined up on the east side of the restaurant.
“Can you handle it from here?” Molly asked, wishing she had stayed in bed this morning.
“Yes.” Tracy nodded.
Molly pulled her phone back out of her pocket and perched her hip on the edge of one of the tables. She had three messages. Punching in her code, she lifted her phone to her ear to listen to her messages.
“Moll’s, can you bring home some dinner?” Molly made a face. It was an old message from Dan, her ex. She didn’t know why she kept his stupid message. It was like she had some kind perverse wish to inflict more pain on herself. Granted it had only been for a few weeks but it still hurt—really bad—especially when she heard his voice—like now. She angrily punched the end button and beat her phone against the table. She had half a mind to toss it into the lake but that wouldn’t hurt Dan. It would hurt her. She made up her mind. She wasn’t going to be a glutton for punishment any longer. Taking a breath, she deleted his message.
“See,” she said, taking another breath. “Nothing to fear. It’s okay…” The familiar feeling of panic started setting in again. The one she always got when she tried to delete his message or break up with him. She was terrified of losing him… or was she terrified of failing? She squashed it down. She had to be strong…taking a breath, she listened to her next message.
“Hey sweetheart, it’s your father, just checking in. Call me.” Molly smiled. Her dad’s calls always made her feel better. And the fact that he didn’t like Dan was even better, except when she got back together with Dan and then she would be mad at her dad. There was just no pleasing her.
She listened to the next message, which was from her best friend Peggy, the one getting married this weekend. Which meant Dan would be there. She hadn’t seen him in three weeks—three long weeks. Another sickening pang settled in her chest. “MOLLY!” Peggy’s voice was insistent on the other end. “Did you ask? Did you get it?”
Molly sighed. Opting not to call, she texted her friend a quick message: Working on it.
Molly was supposed to bring the liquor for the wedding as her gift to Peggy and Marshall, but she needed to clear it with her father. And even though she assured Peggy she could get the booze, she still hadn’t asked. Debating whether to call her father, she stared at her phone.
“Now what?” Tracy asked.
Molly exhaled and shoved her phone back in her pocket. She would have to call her father later. “Dress the tables.”
“What?” Tracy gave Molly a blank look.
Molly tensed. Pushing her shoulders back, she put on her best managerial face.
“Watch,” she instructed. Leaning over, she pulled out a starched white linen tablecloth from under the cart. “This is how we dress a table.” With a flick of her wrists, she sent the fabric snapping into the air and floating soundlessly down on top of the table.
“Next,” she said, making sure Tracy was paying attention, “we put the plates on top. Each setting gets three,” she instructed and pulled a stack of plates off the cart as well. One by one, she added the settings to the table and arranged two plates together and the smaller one at the top.”
“What’s the smaller one for?”
“That is where you will put the bread when the guests arrive.”
“Oh.” The girl’s full lips pursed together.
Molly gritted her teeth. This was the third time she showed the girl what to do. “Watch,” she said. “Just place the silverware on either side of the plate. The small fork goes first, then the larger one. On the right, you place the table knife.”
“What about the spoon?”
“After you put the cup and saucer on the table, here,” she instructed, setting the aforementioned cup and saucer at the top of the plate, she then pulled a spoon off the cart and angled it across the smaller plate.
“Oh. I see.”
“After each place is set, be sure to put a vase of flowers in the center and then place the linen napkins on top like so.” Molly set the rest of the things on the table and looked pointedly at the girl. ”Do you think you can finish these? I have to go in the back to do some paperwork.”
“Huh?”
Molly took a breath. “Let’s try this again, shall we?”
“Um, okay.”
Molly tensed. She felt like pulling out her hair. Normally she was pretty patient dealing with new hires but breaking up with Dan and the stress of Peggy’s wedding was apparently taking its toll on her.