ââ I was sorta hoping you needed me, is that selfish?â â â bess marvin â & â nancy â drew!
â The bell rang from above The Clawâs entrance door, dismissing theâ ââ weâre closedâ ââ sign because wellâ âŚâ she worked there and had indefinite access to the restaurant. George had left her shift early on in the night, leaving Bess with the restaurant to herself. Mind you, it was a Wednesday night, the quietest working days of the week, and she hardly doubted that she couldnât manage it herself.
â Nancyâs eyes scanned the dining area, seeking out the familiar black haired woman that generally would be scurrying around, cleaning and being eager to head homeâ ââ at least that was how she envisioned her. Not so much to her surprise, she found Bess slaving away at the last remaining dishes for the night.
â ââ Well someoneâs dedicated, huh?â ââ the auburn haired woman teases, carrying herself into the kitchen. In her hands she had a coffee in one, and one of Bessâ favoured beverages in the other.â ââ George has to give you a raise one of these daysâ ââ Rightfully so, @courtofmusesâ worked equally as hard as George.
â ââ I got you a bit of a pick me upâ âŚâ and you know, thought you might have wanted some companyâ ââ Nancy explains, a sheepish smile twitching onto her lips.â ââ Or I could just be annoying you, in that case, tell me to leaveâ â
The last of the few customers theyâd had that night left about twenty minutes ago and Bess had been quick to flip the closed sign. Sheâd removed the till from the register and counted it down, putting it and the deposit bag with the dayâs earning in the safe and closing it up. Sheâd counted out her tips (which hadnât been bad for a Wednesday) then set about cleaning up. She wiped down the tables and counters, rolled utensils in napkins for the next day, and made sure all the ketchup bottles on the tables were full. Then sheâd swept and mopped the dining room floor. The cooks had already done the prep for the morning and most of the dishes, though there were a few leftover from their late table.
Bess was running the last set through the dishwasher, the sound of it rattling and thumping loud enough she didnât hear the bell over the door ring. When Nancy spoke, Bess nearly jumped out of her skin. She whirled around, hand over her heart and dark eyes wide. âNancy, you shouldnât sneak up on me like that,â she admonished. Though her ire faded quickly as Nancy offered her favorite drink to her.Â
âOh, well, donât mind if I do.â She took the drink and sipped from it. The caramel coffee danced along her tastebuds and she made an appreciative sound. âThank you. That was nice of you.â Though she raised a brow as she looked at her friend. Nancy wasnât someone who usually sought out company. It immediately made Bess think something was wrong.
Pushing it aside, she smiled and shook her head. âNo, of course not. I always want company.â It was true. Bess was clingy at times. She didnât like to be alone as often as she was. Sheâd gave up on dating after her last blind date had gone terribly wrong. Sheâd come to the conclusion it was time to take a break from looking for love.Â
Bess gestured for Nancy to follow her out of the kitchen and took a seat at the counter on one of the barstools. âWhatâs up? Why are you out and about so late? Is everything okay?â