Page 35 of Cooped Up for Christmas

“It is. But do you ever think of leaving?”

Seriously?

I was saved from answering when Olivia popped her head into the room. “Hey, Vic,” she said cheerily. “Chef’s on fire again.”

Did I ever think of leaving?

All right, I have to admit that I did, on occasion, think about chucking all this in and winning the lottery. But where would I go? What would I do? Who would I be without this job?

And why on earth could that man not flambé without setting himself on fire?

* * *

I thought about what Coop had said as I went back to work, spelling Olivia who was covering the great room, which, at the moment, played host to all of the adults—drinking cocktails and pretending to play Cards Against Humanity.

He was right. I did used to enjoy other people. I used to have a sense of humor.

What had happened? Had I become old and crusty in my quest to command my career? And when had my job become my everything?

Was this what I really wanted in life?

If I was being honest, my life wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. I was lonely. I did have walls—battlements, really—that kept people at bay. If I wanted something different, I had to do something different.

I decided to make an effort to be friendlier with the staff. Or, at least, try to understand them. They were a completely different generation and had a very different world view, so it might take some effort.

Take Jed, for instance.

His work ethic was really great. When there was something that needed doing, he might complain about it, but he’d do it. And he did a good job. And, aside from the fact that he really liked murder movies and smoked pot, he was a nice guy.

Wren was kind of quiet, but there was a lot going on inside her head. When she did say something, it was either terribly witty, or extremely insightful. Or both.

Olivia was a sweetheart. She simply wanted to please everyone. I think she just needed a little more confidence to help her own her place.

Ben was just awesome. He was a powerhouse of energy and he just jumped in whenever anyone needed anything.

And Ken was an unmitigated rock star.

Yeah. I guess I did have a great staff. I should spend more time getting to know them, and appreciating them.

I did miss having a connection with other people. A real connection, I mean. Not just a nod on the way to the water cooler or an exchange over a boardroom table. Real stuff.

I knew it would be hard for me to make this shift, because I’d become so ensconced in the corporate culture, I’d forgotten to think about people as people.

As annoying as it was that Coop had brought this up, I was glad he had.

Olivia and I had a nice chat that night, while the adults were drinking. We talked about her plans for the future, and her upbringing and her dreams. She really wanted to pursue hospitality as a career. I told her about the management mentoring program and the classes Eden offered employees who wanted to advance.

When she told me about her boyfriend, a mechanic named Lance, I pulled out my phone. “This is my boyfriend, Dirk,” I said, showing her a picture.

Her eyes got all big. “Oooh. Dirk’s hot.”

I nodded. “He’s a cover model. And a physicist.” Because it bore repeating.

“Holy crap.”

Right. He was perfect. On paper.

Her brow wrinkled. “But I thought you and Cooper were a thing?”