Erin hurried past the tall, blue totem pole and across the parking lot until she could enter the front doors of the River's Edge Restaurant. Finally, she was out of the rain and inside the warmly-lit, cozy restaurant. It was empty of customers, since it was 10 in the morning, but a middle-aged, Native woman with long black hair in a braid came out of the kitchen when she heard her enter.

"You must be Erin." she guessed with a smile.

"Yeah, that's me. You must be Kate." Erin answered, smiling in return.

"I am indeed. You ready for your first day?" Erin nodded, trying not to let her nerves show. "Great. Here's your shirt, the bathroom's just back there." Kate announced, handing her a burgundy-colored shirt and pointing toward the back. Erin hurried into the bathroom and changed into the burgundy T-shirt with a buttoned collar and the River's Edge Restaurant logo. She then threw her damp, dirty blonde hair up in a ponytail before walking back out to meet up with the manager.

Erin had applied for a job as a waitress at this restaurant for a few different reasons. She needed to start making money since her mother wouldn't give her any kind of allowance for all the chores her daughter did around the house, Erin didn't have a car and it's one of the only restaurants in La Push, and it was only a few blocks from her house.

Kate had Erin wash her hands and then had her go around and do a few odd jobs to help her get a feel for everything. Everything from starting the coffee to refilling all the napkin dispensers. When customers started arriving around 11 Kate had Erin hover behind her as she greeted them and got their orders.

After about an hour, Erin was refilling an older man's coffee cup and making small talk with him when Kate called her back to the counter.

"Yeah?" Erin asked when she stood across from where her boss was behind the counter.

"I want you to go get the order from those customers that just came in." she told Erin, nodding toward a booth across the restaurant. Erin followed her gaze and inwardly groaned.

Kim, Jared, Quil, Seth, Embry, and Jake were all sitting in the booth, most of them smirking across the room at her.

Composing herself, Erin crossed the room with her small notepad and pen.

"Seriously?" she asked quietly when she reached them.

"What? We were hungry." Quil told her with a smirk.

She tried to glare at him but rolled her eyes instead. "Can I get you guys something to drink?" she asked instead, trying not to be awkward.

Kim, Jared, Seth, and Embry answered her easily. Quil decided to be a jerk and look through every drink available, asking what each one tasted like, even though Erin was pretty sure he knew what Pepsi and every other soft drink tasted like.

Finally, Jake smacked Quil upside the head and ordered a Coke for the both of them. Erin smiled gratefully at her boyfriend before telling them she'd be right back with all their drinks.

Erin quickly got all their drinks, placed them on a tray and carefully carried it back with her hands on either side. She wasn't brave enough to try carrying the tray in one hand above her shoulder. She carefully passed them their drinks before shifting the tray under her arm and pulling her notepad out.

She didn't know why she didn't think of it when she first saw them all sitting in that booth, but Erin quickly realized as they began ordering that they were going to have a lot of food. It was going to be a challenge, if not impossible for her to carry all of that food herself.

Luckily, as soon as she got to the kitchen to deliver the order to the cook, Kate was also in the back and able to get a look at the order.

"Whoa. I'll probably have to give you a hand carrying all of that out there. I doubt that would all fit on one tray, anyway." she commented, looking mildly surprised.

Erin laughed in relief. "Oh my gosh, thank you." Kate laughed in response to Erin's reaction before heading out front to clear and wipe down a table that had just been vacated.

Erin went around and topped off peoples' drinks and got one couple's dessert before the pack and Kim's food was all done. Kate and Erin placed all the food on two different trays, and the older woman had Erin lead the way to the table.

"Aw, I wanted to see you carry it all yourself." Quil whined teasingly. Erin wanted to comment, but she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her new boss.

The two waitresses sat the trays down on the table behind their booth so their hands were free before they could pass each plate to the rightful owner. After everyone got their food, Erin had to clean off a table after another group left.

She kept fairly busy, and refrained from talking too much with her friends in case Kate got upset. Wouldn't want to get off on the wrong foot with her new boss. By the time they were finishing their meals, Erin was also working another table, though this one only had one older man. As she expected, when Erin asked the guys and Kim if they wanted dessert, most of them already had their answer in mind. So, she took their orders and gave it to the cook before sweeping around the table where a particularly messy family had sat near a window.

Eventually, Erin gave the guys their bills, all of them separate except Kim and Jared. Total, all their food probably added up to $110 or more, at about $20 per person with how much the guys ordered.

"Bye Erin!" Quil's voice called from across the room where the girl in question was wiping down the counter. Erin smiled at the group as they got up from the booth and headed for the door. She left the rag on the counter and headed toward the table to finish clearing the dishes she didn't already get.

Jake hung back at the table, leaning back against the side of the booth as he waited for her.

"You get off at 3, right?" he checked as she started stacking glasses.

"Yep, and then the other waitress will work from then to close." she answered.

"Want me to pick you up?" he offered.

She smiled. "I suppose I could use company walking home, or wherever I go after work."

Jake glanced toward the counter, where Kate disappeared into the kitchen to grab someone's order. He turned back to his girlfriend and placed his hand on her arm. "Hey, before I go, I wanted to give you your tip." He smirked at her before leaning down and giving her a quick kiss. Erin smiled when he pulled away.

"Thank you, now go with your friends before you get me in trouble." she ordered, trying and failing to sound stern.

Jake waved good-naturedly. "Alright. See you at 3."

Erin shook her head, clearing the table and grabbing the money to take to the cashier. She rang up all the separate checks, setting the change aside on the counter.

"Hey, Kate? What do you want me to do with the tip money?" she asked as her boss walked past her. Kate paused and backtracked so she didn't have to look over her shoulder.

"That's all yours. You get the tip money from all the tables you work in a shift. You've earned it." she answered with a smile.

Erin barely kept her mouth from dropping open as the woman walked away again. Kim and Erin had already done the math for how much she'd probably get paid. Her hourly wage was $3.50. Kim figured if she averaged a $3 tip per table, and about 10 tables a shift, she'd make about $18 with her wage alone, plus about $30 in tips, just for one shift. But to get her first tip, which was almost $20, and be told that she could keep all of it…wow.

The rest of Erin's shift went smoothly, and when she clocked out Kate told her that she did great. She pulled her jacket on over her clothes, pocketing her nearly $40 total in tip money she'd earned. As she expected, Jake was waiting for her just outside the front door, leaning back against the wall in a red flannel with his hands in his jean pockets. He always seemed to look like a model in the most effortless of ways.

"Hey, the rest of your shift go okay?" Jake asked, pulling away from the wall with a large smile. Erin returned it with an equally large smile before she stepped up to him and leaned up on her tiptoes to press a long kiss to his lips, her hand on his chest to keep her balance. When she finally pulled away Jake had a lazy smile on his face as he looked down at her. "Well, hello. To what do I owe that greeting?"

"I had a great day. I think I'm going to like this job." Erin announced before taking her boyfriend's hand and allowing him to lead her across the parking lot.

XXX

Hope you guys liked it!

Quick note, I was asked by a reviewer if Jake and Bella still kissed in this story. Since I couldn't answer that review by replying to it, I'll answer it here. Since Jake and Bella's kiss/kisses happened in Eclipse, then no they didn't kiss in this story, since the time span of Eclipse would be chapters 4-9; and Jake obviously isn't fond of Bella after chapter 3. Hope that helped : )

Let me know what the rest of you thought, and I now have lots of ideas for this story, but if there's something you really want to see let me know.