too.’
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her boss beginning to glower at her from the kitchen once more, and she quietly excused herself. More customers were coming in, and she and the rest of the staff were kept busy for the next half-hour, seeing to their needs.
There was no time for a breather. As customers ate up and left the café, Jade cleared away the dishes and wiped the tables clean. Now her tray was filled with pudding bowls, cups and saucers, and as she headed back towards the kitchen with them, she saw that Ben and his friends were preparing to leave. They nodded towards her and she returned the gesture.
She wasn’t quite sure what happened next. One moment she was treading carefully between the tables, glancing at the customers to see who might shortly need attention, and the next her foot had shot out from under her and she began to tumble backwards. The tray wobbled precariously and she desperately tried to keep it aloft while fighting to keep her balance, but all the time she knew it was going to be a losing battle. Her heart sank as crockery began to slide off the tray, heading for the floor. It would only be a matter of seconds before she would follow.
Then, as she resigned herself to her fate, she discovered that strong arms were holding her, effortlessly taking her weight and steadying her.
‘You’re okay, I have you,’ Ben said. His tone was reassuring, supportive, washing over her like a soothing balm. He helped her to regain her balance, and even as she tried to thank him, she was unhappily aware of the tableware hitting the floor tiles with a resounding crash. A small cheer went up from the diners close by. ‘Que se passe-t-il? Qu’avez vous fait?’
Jade groaned as her boss hurried towards her. His dark brows pulled together, meeting in a scowl.
‘I … It was an accident,’ she told him in dismay. ‘I don’t know how it happened.’ All the time she was aware of Ben’s nearness, of his hand on her elbow and the warmth of his touch coursing through her body and setting her nerves alight. For the second time that evening, her cheeks were flushed with heat. Was she bound to constantly make a fool of herself around him?
‘Zut!’ Jacques was not pleased. ‘It is a mess.’
‘Yes. Yes, it is. I’ll clean it up,’ Jade promised. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘I am sorry, too. C’est vrai.’ He glowered at her.
Her ankle was stinging, and she looked down to see that a jagged piece of broken plate had cut into her, slashing the flesh. Blood seeped from the gash.
‘You’re hurt,’ Ben said, pulling in a sharp breath. ‘That wound needs dressing.’ He frowned. ‘Perhaps you should be taking the management to task, instead of the other way round. After all, it wasn’t your fault that someone spilled ice cream on the floor—in fact, in the circumstances you might have been badly hurt.’
‘Is that what it was? No … I’m…. It …’ She broke off as Ben’s fingers gave a warning squeeze on her arm.
Her boss flinched. ‘That’s it, of course.’ He hit his palm against his forehead and looked around. ‘I see now what’s to be done. You should go home,’ he said, coming to a sudden decision. ‘Take the rest of the night off.’
‘But I … I’m sure I’ll be fine … And anyway I can’t go home … I have to work. I need to work.’
His expression was pained. ‘Uh … with pay, naturellement,’ he muttered under his breath, as though the words had to be torn out of him. ‘Anyway, you’re not far off the end of your shift. Just go, and we will forget all this. Now. Allez!”
‘But I …’ Her protests were cut off as Ben firmly turned her away and urged her towards a door marked
‘Staff Only’.
‘You should go and get changed. But before you do that, find a first-aid box and cover that wound—unless it’s going to be awkward for you. Would you like me to help you with it?’
She shook her head. ‘No, that’s okay … I can manage, thanks.’
‘All right, then go and get your bag, or whatever.’ He gave her a light push from behind.
‘I will.’ She was aware of the other men waiting by the main door, and her chagrin was complete now that all of his friends had witnessed her stumble. Not only was she a waitress, she was a clumsy one into the bargain.
She gazed at him full on. ‘Thanks again for your help.’ She risked one last quick glance back to where she had slipped, and saw that Jacques had grabbed a brush and dustpan and was clearing up the broken crockery. Ever the showman, he gazed at the people who were looking on. ‘I am good to my staff, see? That one—she is a medical student.’ He inclined his head in Jade’s direction. ‘Who knows—I may find that I need her help one day.’ He grinned.
Jade came out of the rest room a few minutes later.
She had changed into jeans and T-shirt, and put on a light jacket in case the spring evening had turned chilly. Looking around, she was startled to find Ben waiting for her in the lounge area.
‘I didn’t really expect you to hang around,’ she said, her green eyes thoughtful. ‘What about your friends? Shouldn’t you be with them?’
He shook his head. ‘I sent them on ahead, but I dare say I’ll meet up with them later. For now, I’d much rather be with you—I wanted to make sure that you weren’t too shaken up. That was a nasty cut.’
‘I’m all right, thanks to you.’ She smiled. ‘You did a great job of catching me.’ She glanced up at him as they went out of the main door and on to the street. ‘You really don’t need to stay with me, you know. I’ll be fine.’
‘I do know, but I will, all the same.’ He looked around. ‘How do you get to and from the hospital? Do you go by bus, or do you use the tube?’
‘The bus, usually, or if it’s a pleasant day and I have plenty of time, I walk. I enjoy the fresh air and the exercise. I live just a mile or so from here.’
He nodded. ‘Which would you prefer to do now—walk, or take the bus?’
‘I think I’d rather walk, as it’s a pleasant evening.’
‘Are you sure? Isn’t your ankle going to give you problems if you do that?’
‘No, it’s fine, thanks.’ She’d washed it and covered the area with a dressing, and though it was still sore, it would be okay.
‘Good. I’ll walk you home.’
She was quiet for a moment or two, but then she said, ‘Okay. Thanks.’ There didn’t seem much point in protesting any more. He’d made up his mind, and maybe, for whatever reason, he felt that she needed to be watched over.
The sun was setting as they walked along the street that was made up of bars and coffee shops. At this time of the evening it was fairly noisy, with music filtering through open doors and windows, and with boisterous young people intent on having a good time.
‘How often do you have to work at the café?’ Ben asked. He was frowning. ‘Do you have to put in a lot of hours?’
