Ally pressed her white chipped nails against the base of the cash register, nervously drumming against it. Mason stood to her right, clutching onto a dish towel. Ever since the sign had gone up yesterday, Mrs. Berger received over a dozen applicants.  The first interview was due to happen in about five minutes, or as soon as the kid actually showed up.

"What if they end up being worse than Courtney?" Mason asked, his head aching.

"Hopefully Mrs. Berger will catch onto their work ethic during the interview process," Ally responded quickly.  If all went well, they would have a new coworker by the end of today. 

A small girl of around ten walked up to the register.  "One of your huge brownies!" she squealed, holding out a ten dollar bill.

Ally spotted the mother smiling and nodding from the one booth.  This girl wanted to be grown up and order her own brownie.  She let out a laugh, remembering this stepping stone of her own.  However, she had ordered a plate of ravioli.  "Of course, will that be all?"

The little girl nodded.  "Yes, please."

Ally nodded and grabbed the bill, ringing it up and handing back the girl the appropriate change.  She went to the glass container and withdrew one of the huge double chocolate chip brownies.  She carefully placed it in a bag and handed it to the little girl.  "Have a great day, sweetie!"

"I will!" she promised before running off.

Ally giggled, looking over at Mason.  In a quiet whisper, she muttered, "Children are so cute!"

"Oh yes, their innocence separates them from the stress we currently feel," Mason responded with a roll of his eyes.

Ally returned his glare.  "Okay, calm down, Mace.  It will all work out."

He just gave her an a-ok sign with his hands and returned to the kitchen. She felt his tension, but did not agree with the way he was acting. All he needed to do was take a few deep breaths and everything would be more or less alright.

Trying to take her mind out of it, Ally ran her fingers across the metal keys on the register. The cool sensation caused her blood to calm down, but only a little bit. She needed something to busy her hands with to get her mind off of things. She could not stand to see Mason so upset!

All she kept thinking about was how smoothly yesterday went. After she got home from work, Josh texted her to wish her a goodnight. At first, she found the text incredibly sappy, but then it melted her heart. She told Joy about it, who only seemed indifferent. Joy was still holding onto her Ally-Mason ship.

Unexpectedly, Joy had fallen in love with the idea of following in love with one of those wackos, save for Matt. She deemed him the hottest, but apparently, he was completely off the map. Joy did not want to dwell on the idea of a relationship budding between her and one of them, but she also could not keep her mind off of it. She is not one to go completely nuts over a guy, but there was an occasional exception.

They had spent hours last night in an attempt to figure who would best match up with Joy, but alas, they found themselves dumbstruck.  Ally smiled to herself, knowing that she would give anything to see Josh again.  Even if it meant never working at Burger Café again.

It was then that Mrs. Berger walked out of a small room in the back, accompanied by a girl of around nineteen with acne devouring her face.  "We'll be in touch!" Mrs. Berger escorted her out, a smile contorted on her face.

The girl smiled drastically and ran off to her car.  Ally turned to Mrs. Berger with a curious look on her face.  Although she knew the answer, she asked anyway.  "Potential employee?"

"She interviewed, yes, but I did not see much potential."  Mrs. Berger raised her eyebrows in a mocking fashion, obviously not impressed with the girl's work abilities.  She shook her head and took a seat at the bar area.  "I think she was more of a Courtney, and I can't risk that happening again."

"I hope you wouldn't," Ally said, scrunching her nose.  She bobbed her head to the kitchen.  "Mason is back there having a low key panic attack.  He just hopes that someone reliable ends up getting the position."

"As do I," Mrs. Berger noted.  "After all, I'm the one who signs all the checks."

Ally nodded, fully aware of the red ink curls that appeared on her checks.  She was lucky that she and Mrs. Berger had such a good relationship — sometimes small bonuses would appear.  It was not anything substantial, but an extra coffee or two was always welcomed.

Mrs. Berger sighed and snapped her fingers in the air.  "Mind making me an herbal tea?  I have another interview in a minimal eight minutes."

"Mint?" Ally asked, rushing over to heat the water up.

"What else?" Mrs. Berger responded with a laughter shrilling through her voice. 

Ally poured the water into a mug and steeped the tea bag for a good few minutes, before tossing the bag in the trash.  Ally handed the tea to her boss with a full pledged smile on her face.  "This one's on the house," she joked.

Mrs. Berger let out a laugh, giving Ally the slightest wink.  "See, the only reason I'm keeping you around here is because you always know how to ease my stress.  Plus, your tea is semi-decent."

Ally shrugged her shoulders.  "Also because I never seem to leave here!  Let me go, Mrs. Berger, but my face will still haunt you every single day."

"I have no doubt," Mrs. Berger said with utter satisfaction to see an employee so dedicated.

Dropping the subject, Ally brought out a spray can and rag, dusting off the countertop of the bar, so that future customers could enjoy their meal, dirt-free. She hummed to some song by the Ramones as she did so, completely unaware of the person lurking near the cash register. When her head finally jerked up, her face flushed with embarrassment. Mrs. Berger had abandoned her seat and the guy had been waiting by the register, for who knows how long.

Ally rushed over to it, trying to recover from the incident. "Sorry, may I take your—?" She stopped mid-sentence as she noticed who she was dealing with. Tall, lean, and that dark hair that left an impressionable remark on her mind.

"Josh," she said breathlessly.

His lips curled into an upward smirk, apparently enjoying the twist.  "Ally!  I didn't know that you worked here."

"It's where I jetted off to after the milkshakes yesterday.  Thanks again," she replied, trying to keep her cool.  Her heart thudded repeatedly with the anticipation that he might return day after day to order, just so that they could speak again.

He gave a small shrug of the shoulders.  "It was my honor."

Her lips pursued a smile, while her eyes darted down to her nails.  If only she had the motivation to touch up the chips last night!  Trying to shake these unwelcome thoughts from her brain, she tried again.  "Welcome to Burger Café!  May I take your order?"  Ally giggled.

He shared in her laughter, weighing his knuckles in his hands. "I'm actually here for a job interview with Mrs. Berger. Do you know where I might find her?"

Ally's jaw practically dropped open at the sound of this. "You're applying?!"

Josh squinted his eyes, not able to decipher whether that was excitement or dread in her voice. "Is that okay with you?"

She nodded like a foolish schoolgirl. "Absolutely! I'll just go get Mrs. Berger now." Ally disappeared from behind the register and found Mrs. Berger in the back room, sipping on her herbal tea.

"You look flushed, Ally. Everything okay?" Mrs. Berger asked, extending her feet onto the table.

Ally let out a tiny smile, trying to hold back her excitement. "The next applicant is here."

"Send him back!" Mrs. Berger responded, putting her feet back on the ground.

As Ally rushed towards the kitchen, she caught Mason giving her a strange glare, but she merely ignored it. When she got out to the register, Josh sat on one of the seats at the bar, his eyes closed, as if trying to relax his nerves.

"Wow, Mr. Football gets nervous before a job interview?" Ally smirked, folding her arms firmly across her chest.

"On occasion," he muttered, apparently wanting to drop the subject at all costs. Not wanting to make him feel too uncomfortable, Ally simply motioned for her to follow him. She pointed to the room where Mrs. Berger sat and he shook as he walked in. The door slammed behind him and Ally returned to the register.

Her heart held onto every thread of hope that he might earn a position here. Overwhelmed with hope and excitement, she sent a quick text out to Joy to explain her situation. After hitting send, Ally heard the kitchen door open and Mason storm in from behind it.

"You okay?" he asked, his eyes showing full concern, while Ally's showed nothing but love. She hopped onto the one counter, swinging her legs off the side.

She tried to hold back her giggles, but ended up speaking in a complete rush, her excitement getting the best of her. "That is Josh Kahn, who I met yesterday at the amusement park! He and his friends bought Joy and me milkshakes. They were all so sweet and he is so dreamy. I literally could not get him out of my head all night!"

"And I'm supposed to believe that it is pure coincidence that he just showed up to your work, prepared to apply the day after?" Mason rose an eyebrow.

She swallowed a lump beginning to rise in her throat. The boy had a point. "I never told him where I work, though."

"He must have searched you on the Internet, then," Mason concluded.

"He cared that much?" Ally's heart flew around inside of her, blood rushing this way and that.

He rolled her eyes. "I am done with this conversation."

"Look, I know that it's surprising that a guy might actually like me, but as one of my best friends, you could be a tad more supportive!" Ally fought defensively. Where was all this sudden rage coming from?

Mason remained silent for a few moments, as if choosing his words carefully. "From the moment you walked in here today, I could tell that you met someone yesterday. There was love and happiness exploding inside of you, and you haven't seemed as snarky today."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Ally rose an eyebrow, challenging his thoughts.

"I just want my friend to remain my friend. The person I have grown to know and care about," he said, followed by a long and drawn out sigh.

"I'm not going to change. I'm going to be the same Ally, just with an incredibly hot boyfriend," she joked, but Mason was not having it. He walked back into the kitchen without saying another word. Ally fought the temptation to run back there and figure out what's eating at him. When he needed to talk, he knew where to find her.

It was not ten minutes later when Josh walked back out to the front where Ally was working.  A smile eclipsed over his entire face.  "Went well?" Ally asked, still holding onto that an ounce of hope.

Josh let out a nervous chuckle.  "I think so, though it seemed short."

"Mrs. Berger can usually notice right away whether or not she likes someone. She doesn't need a long time," Ally clarified. "I hope you do get a position here!"

Josh licked his upper lip and puffed out his chest. "Why so?"

Realizing what she had just said, Ally stammered. "I-I just want to get to know you better."

A confident smirk now pressed against his face. He gave Ally a quick nod, whilst shoving his hands into his denim pockets. "Yeah, I think so, too."

She knew that he could easily read through her now, so Ally straightened up her shoulders and gave him a confident smile. "I mean, you seem like an arrogant player."

"Confident player," he corrected her.

She gave him a playful look with her eyes. "Let's settle on — annoying."

"Whatever you say, Princess," Josh responded with a winky smirk. She desperately wished to slap it off of him, yet she also would not mind pressing her lips to his.

She shook her head. "Don't call me that."

"Whatever you say, Princess," he repeated with a snarky grin spread across her face. He gave her one last wink and walked out of the place with an arrogance that everything was going right for him today.

Ally stared in awe and fury. There was something about him that really put her on edge, but also really soothed her.

Mrs. Berger walked out next to Ally, carefully eyeing the mannerism in how Josh exited. She gave a slow nod. "I think he will do."

Ally gave Mrs. Berger a conspicuous look.  "Him?  A job?  Here?"

"Problem?" she asked quizzically.

Ally debated the pro's and con's of having Joshua Kahn working with her at Burger Café.  If everyday was going to be like how it was today, her life was about to become an amusing and relaxing hell.

"None at all."

*******************************************

Author's Note:

So, are you enjoying the story so far? Any ships forming?

As always, I would love to hear any thoughts that you may have!

Question of the chapter: Favorite movie(s)?

My answer: Harry Potter (all), Clueless, Iron Man, Roman Holiday, Charade, Monsters Inc.

I'll see you next weekend!  Make sure to share this story with your friends, if you're enjoying it!

Lots of love,

Ali xoxo