Cassidy's POVThirty years agoHot oil, chilli, and heat pressed against my skin as I stirred the pots of broth. Even knowing Kieran was coming to pick me up did nothing for my mood.My mom hunched over the counter, grating vegetables at machine speed, then snapped her fingers at me.“Why are you slacking, Cassidy? There are more people to feed at the counter.”“I’m trying, Mom,” I mumbled, rubbing my hands on my apron as I picked up a tray. She didn’t hear me over the hiss of meat frying in the giant pan beside her.Men called for more soup before finishing what they already had, and I moved between their tables balancing bowls against my wrists. Some of them, like the idiot who had just walked in, talked to me too much, asking when I planned to marry and pointing out that my hips were getting wider.“You’ll make some man very happy one day,” he said with a laugh thickened by alcohol.I smiled tightly, collected his empty plate and I moved past two men loudly discussing the upcoming i
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