Bullies Spit On A Waitress — Unaware She Was A Commander For 10 Years!
Chapter 4
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"No, just get me a new cup."She got him a new cup. She poured it herself at the counter. She came back, set it down in front of him, and as she set it down, Tyler moved his arm—deliberately, just enough. The coffee splashed over the side of the mug. Not a lot, but enough. It spread across the white apron: a dark stain, slow-moving."Oh," Tyler said in a voice that performed surprise badly. "Sorry about that."His friends laughed.Claire looked down at the stain. Then she looked up at Tyler. She didn't say anything."You might want to clean that up," Tyler said."I'll take care of it," she said quietly."With your hand," he said. "Clean it up with your hand."The table went quiet. Not just theirs; the whole diner. Donna stopped moving behind the counter. Frank put down his coffee cup. The moment stretched out the way moments do when something has shifted and everyone in the room can feel it, but no one knows yet what it means.Claire looked at Tyler for a long second. Then she reached into her apron pocket, took out a clean rag, and wiped the surface of the table—not her apron, the table, the way you're supposed to. Then she folded the rag, tucked it back, and said, "Can I get you anything else?"Tyler's jaw tightened. He hadn't expected that. He'd expected her to wipe the apron with her hand, or to push back, or to look embarrassed. He'd expected a reaction—some kind of reaction, because a reaction means you've landed something. Claire had given him nothing, and somehow that was worse.He leaned back in his chair, looked at her with something that moved past casual cruelty now—something more deliberate."You're new here," he said."Three months," she said."You know whose dad runs this town?""I know the name," she said."Then you know," he said, "that I can make things very difficult for the people who work in it."The silence in the diner deepened. Donna stood very still.Claire looked at Tyler the same way she'd been looking at him all night: steady, level, like she was watching something from a distance she'd already measured."You can order something else," she said, "or I can bring you your check."Tyler stared at her. Then he smiled, slow and cold. "Bring us another round of coffee," he said. "And try not to spill it this time."Claire turned and walked to the counter. Donna leaned in close when she got there, voice low. "Claire, it's almost closing. I can ask them to leave.""Don't," Claire said quietly. "It's fine.""It is not fine," Donna said."It will be," Claire said.She picked up the coffee pot and went back. She refilled Tyler's mug first, then Brody's, then Colt's. When she got to Finn, he put his hand over the top of his mug.