His Blue Moon Princess
Chapter 34

I turn to look at Tonia, red with embarrassment. Why did she have to go and pick something like this?! Even if I glanced at it only for a few seconds, I already know that this... piece of clothing is way too sexy and revealing! Bobo is laughing out loud, and Tonia is acting innocent. "What? You might need it sooner than you think."

"Tonia! How can you buy me such an embarrassing thing?! It barely has any fabric!"

"Well, it's not meant to be worn long, after all..." "Tonia!"

Oh my Goddess, is she enjoying getting me embarrassed, or what? I can't believe it! I'm still struggling with having Damian touch me, how could I be thinking about the... appropriate outfits for a physical relationship now?! I'm already stressed about tonight's date enough as it is!

While the two siblings are still laughing at me, I take a shy peek at the piece of clothing once again. It's a night blue ensemble, with a bit of embroidery, laces, and ribbons. I do have to admit that it's really pretty, but I can't picture myself wearing it. I push the box aside, for now, trying to regain my composure.

Bobo holds in his laugh and gives me a big box.

"This one's from me."

I really hope his present his less embarrassing than his sister's... I open it, and to my surprise, it's a brand-new pair of boxing gloves! I can't believe it! I turn to Bobo, and he is smiling.

"I knew you would like it. Next time you need to throw some punches with me, too, okay?"

I nod, totally happy with it. I love those new gloves! I try them on, and they are the right size, too! I play with it for a while and put them back after thanking Bobo. Aside from the lingerie, Tonia also found the time to buy me a really pretty winter dress for tonight's date. I wonder when she got it. I like it a lot. It looks warm and pretty, too. I'll definitely put it on tonight. Tonia also booked me an appointment at some famous salon after work so I can have my hair and makeup done by a professional. She always complains about how I'm never putting any makeup on, so I guess this was her way of cornering me into this...

Nathaniel's present is a very expensive-looking pair of pretty shoes from a French brand, which I guess is supposed to go with my new dress. I am a bit worried about the high heels, but they do make me gorgeous once I try it... Seems like a have another fairy godmother.

Liam, on the other hand, offered me a selection of movies and CD albums of his own choosing. He was a bit surprised about my lack of knowledge in pop-culture last time we talked about it, so I guess it gave him ideas. I really like it, though, since I do feel like I've missed a lot all these years. And he even put sticky notes on some of them, stating which one we should watch together, or his favorites songs and lyrics from the albums. I really like that he actually took the time to write these down.

Once I'm done opening all of these, I turn around to thank Bobo and Tonia once again. "This is definitely the best birthday ever!" I say, ecstatic.

Tonia laughs and gives me a wink while pushing me into the kitchen. "Save that for your date, baby girl! Now let's get to breakfast before you get late on your first day of work."

Bobo agrees with her, and I happily start preparing breakfast. I'm in the best mood today and even put one of Liam's CDs on the music station to play while I'm cooking and dancing around in the kitchen. Bobo happily joins me in my dancing, trying to teach me a few steps of Latino dancing and making me laugh, while his sister takes pictures of us with her smartphone. I really love my Bobo in his human form. He is not a big talker, as expected, but I replace that he does express himself with his gestures and smiles. It's like having a big brother, but a caring one. We get along incredibly well, though Tonia does all the talking while we eat, and Bobo only focuses on the food.

Once we are done with breakfast, I get ready for my first day. I'm quite nervous actually, but I do want to make a good impression, so I pick an ivory shirt with black pants. It's good that I can choose to wear pants... Robert always made me wear short skirts whenever I was working at the bar, and I hated it. Tonia helps me put on a bit of mascara and lip gloss and styles my hair into a pretty bun. While she goes out of my bedroom to go get her own makeup done, Bobo swiftly enters, while I'm still anxiously examining myself in the mirror. "Hey, pretty girl."

"It's not too much, is it? I don't want to make a bad impression..."

He shakes his head and walks up to me. "Don't worry, it's great. And it will be perfect with this."

He takes out a small box from his jean pocket and gives it to me. What is this? There's only a small ribbon on it. Another present? I look at him confused. Bobo smiles. "It's another present, for your birthday. I didn't want to show it to my sis, since she can be naggy about this kind of stuff... Open it."

I take it, and open it. It's a pair of earrings! And they are so cute and pretty, too! They are blue and tear-shaped, and about the size of my pinky-nail.

"It's blue topaz, your birthstone. I noticed your ears were pierced."

That's true, my dad had them pierced when I was young because I wanted to wear pretty earrings like mom... But I did not get to wear any jewelry for years after they passed.

"Oh Moon Goddess, Bobo, I love it...."

I really do. They are delicate and not too garish, perfectly suitable to wear anytime. I immediately put them on to show him. He smiles and nods, visibly satisfied. "They match your eye color. Really pretty." "Thanks, Bobo, I love them lots."

I hug him quickly as thanks before looking at them once more in the mirror. Bobo is right, they do look like my own iris color, a deep London blue. My eyes are the one thing I've always liked about myself. Their dark blue color is really uncommon, but somehow, I always loved it anyway. If only it wasn't for my scar.... I look in the mirror again, but as always, the red line running across my face is very hard to miss. Bobo seems to follow my train of thought, and lifts my chin up gently, giving me a reassuring smile. "Hey. Don't worry about details, baby girl. Okay?"

I nod obediently. He's right. No matter what, my scar is there and won't go away, so I might as well just cope with it. It's my first day at this job, so I can't start with negative thoughts like this in mind. I need this change.

About an hour later, Tonia drives us into the city. I'm nervous but quite excited at the same time. I keep playing with my phone between my hands, and Bobo is observing me with an amused smile but says nothing. While Tonia is looking for a parking spot, my phone suddenly vibrates. It's Damian! I blush before I even get to answer.

"Hi..."

"Happy Birthday, Nora."

"Thanks. Are you at work?"

"I am. Trying to get it all done so I can have a date with my princess tonight."

I blush and chuckle a bit. Bobo taps his sister's shoulder and they both exit the car to give me some privacy.

"Please tell me you're not saying this in front of a lot of people again."

It's like I can hear him smiling. "No, I'm not."

"Good. Because it's really embarrassing."

"Not for me."

Well, it should be! I know he is playing with me, but I still fall for it and blush.

"How's your day so far?" He asks.

"It's... Really great. No one has celebrated my birthday in years, you know. But this morning, I woke up, and I had people me wishing a Happy Birthday, birthday cards, and presents all over the place."

I keep talking, and I realize how happy I really am while doing so. Damian listens to me, and we discuss for a few minutes, about things like my presents, Liam's music, and how happy I was to see Bobo in his human form. I love how we can have trivial conversations like these over the phone. I feel a bit closer to him that way. However, there is still this wall between us, something that is holding me back and making me shy.

"...I got a couple of surprises for you tonight, too."

I smile and bite my lip. What plans did he make? We barely talked about our date since the last time. We only agreed we would both diligently go to work, as I didn't want to ditch my first day, and Damian would do his job as a busy CEO as usual. Only at night did we plan to reunite to celebrate my birthday together. I wanted to go as soon as my job was over, but Tonia intervened, saying I needed to pretty up first, and would need a few hours for that. I didn't dare to oppose that. It's my very first date, after all, so I should at least listen to her advice on this.

"I can't wait for it," I whisper. "But I still want to go to work."

"I know. Have a good first day, then."

"You are not going to wish me good luck or something?"

"What luck? I will get rid of anyone who dares..."

"Damian!"

How can he say such things so easily? That is ridiculous! I'm just going to start a new job, what does it have to be a threatening situation for some people? And what could possibly happen? I'm just going to work...

"Okay, I'll call you later. Just let Nathaniel know if there's anything you need. And stay with Bobo."

"I know. Have a good day."

We both hang up, and I sigh. My bodyguard's presence was the only condition Damian refused to discuss. No matter what, if I wanted to work, Bobo had to be there. Even Nathaniel agreed to it right away. I was the only reticent one. Who goes to work with a bodyguard? I'm not some royalty! But no matter how long I argued, no one agreed to let me go to work alone, be it the siblings or the Black Brothers.

I exit the car, and Bobo's waiting for me. Tonia is not supposed to come with us, so she leaves with the car, leaving us alone to walk to the restaurant La Rose de l'Aube. I'm as nervous as one can be, so I try to focus on my breathing.

When we get there, Bobo opens the front door for me, and a gorgeous young woman comes to meet us right away.

"Hello! You must be Nora, right? I'm Narcissa Brookes, nice to meet you."

We shake hands, and she has this perfect smile on all the time. I feel a bit intimidated. Her brown hair is tied in a perfect chignon, and her velvet dress is impeccable as well. There is not a single thing out of place. I'm glad I took the time to dress up and am wearing my new earrings.

"Nathaniel asked me to show you around, so you will be under my wing for today!" She says with a smile

"Thank you for that."

"Please, I am doing my job. So, please, follow me."

Narcissa gives me a tour of the restaurant. I love it. The decoration is delicate, not too fancy. Glass, pale cherry wood, white velvet, some floral elements, and marble. It's big enough to hold about fifty people, and it does look as high class as I heard it is. I can't believe I will have my shot at working here...

Narcissa is the Maitre d'Hotel and quickly introduces me to the rest of the staff, including the people from the kitchen. Most of the staff is part of the Velvet or Blood Moon Clans, as expected, but they all act friendly and welcoming to me. All of them seem to know Bobo, though they all share the same surprise seeing him in his human form.

"I heard you have a bit of experience as a waitress?" Asks Narcissa.

"Yes, but just in a local pub."

"I see. Then you can grab one of the menus and start learning it. The other waiters will arrive in about an hour or so to get ready, you can join them then."

I did as told, though I found the menu quite easy to remember. Once the rest of the staff arrived, I joined the other waiters and helped with the dressing. Though they all acted very professionally, I befriended the others quite quickly, especially two girls my age, Kathie and Elise. Apparently, aside from Narcissa and the chef, no one really knew who I was and how I was related to the Black brothers. Some did question Bobo's imposing presence in a corner, but Narcissa dismissed them, just saying he was here to observe. Truthfully, I felt quite happy to be working and useful. As soon as they saw I was helping and learned the ropes quite quickly, everyone was willing to let me participate. Narcissa did protest a few times that I was only supposed to observe for now, but as the day went on, I couldn't ignore it when someone needed help, so I stepped in where I could. As the lunch went on, I acted as a support to all the waiters, and Narcissa had no choice but to let me do so, considering she was quite busy herself. Nathaniel didn't lie when he said the restaurant was understaffed: I ran all day to help one waiter then another, and even the chefs started asking my help for the service.

As expected, the La Rose de l'Aube was busy, due to its reputation, but nothing I couldn't handle. I made sure to clear or set the tables quickly, assist anyone who seemed in need, and keep an eye on all the tables to make sure nothing was amiss. By the end of the service, I was quite satisfied. Everything went well. However, Narcissa called everyone in the restaurant, including the kitchen staff, and didn't seem happy about it. "What was with today? I said Nora should observe! Why did you guys make her work?"

"I volunteered, Narcissa. I couldn't just stand aside while some of the waiters were struggling."

Narcissa answered with a smile, but which was clearly only for me. "They should have been able to handle it themselves, Nora."

I frown. What does she mean? They are clearly understaffed! Though it was all very professional, everyone was running around until the end of the service thirty minutes ago! How is it their fault? No one made a mistake, they just had too much to handle! "Oh, shut it, Narcissa," says the head chef, Michel. "The girl did just fine, and she was exactly where we needed her to be. It's been weeks since we had a service going so well since we lack waiting staff and everyone's overworked. Let them breathe a little." Michel is a strong man in his mid-forties and a force of nature, as expected of a head chef. He was a bit surprised to see me come at the pass a few times today, but let me take the dishes without saying a thing.

Behind him, Elise nods. "That's right. I had to handle fifteen tables by myself, and if it wasn't for Nora, I'm not sure I could have made it. Every time I thought I had forgotten something or missed a detail, Nora had already taken care of it."

"And she helped everyone that way, the whole restaurant. I barely noticed her for the full service, but she was always there right to handle things when I thought a problem might arise!" Adds Kathie.

I start blushing from their compliments, not knowing what to say. Narcissa still seems pissed, but she rolls her eyes and puts her hands on her hips. "All right, if all of you guys are ganging up against me, I won't argue anymore. But I insist that no matter how efficient Nora might be, she is still in training. Nora, you will keep working as a busser for now. Let me know if you have any problems."

Yes! I guess that means my first day went well! Narcissa sighs then joins the head chef to discuss the menus and other kitchen issues, while everyone else disperses to start the cleaning. Kathie and Elise run up to me, smiling.

"You were great, Nora!"

"I can't believe you memorized all the menus and table numbers so fast!" Says Kathie. "And you can endure the pressure like it's nothing, too!"

Well, try working for a hungry pack that won't hesitate to hit you if you're late... I just smile at them and nod.

"Thank you, guys, but you were the ones that helped me. I couldn't have learned the ropes so fast if it wasn't for your help."

They both laugh and disagree, and then Kathie puts her hand in her apron and hands me a bit of money, after which, Elise does the same. I look at them, confused. "What is that?"

"Oh, come on, Nora, we want to share with you!"

"Bussers don't get any tip, but you helped us so much today, I will feel bad if you don't get your share! Here!"

They put the money in my hands before I get to say a thing. I'm so shocked, I can't say a word for a few seconds. I can't believe they are sharing their tips with me! I start tearing up unwillingly, and Kathie frowns, while Elise puts a hand on my shoulder, worried. "Are you okay? Nora, what's wrong?"

"I'm okay, I just... This is the first time I earned money for myself!"