AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll take care of that. Would you like some food? It’s very good.”
She shook her head. “No, I want to get home.”
For a moment, I wondered what she did all night. I never really considered she had a private life because all my experience with her revolved around my father and the business. Did she have a private life? A boyfriend? A cat?
“Can I arrange a ride for you?”
She gave me a wan smile. “No. Thank you, Kade.”
I walked with her to the door, wanting to reassure her but knowing I couldn’t. I suspected Ben was a lost cause. It was interesting how much she seemed to care about what happened to him, but I suppose that was the mother hen in her. She was young, but she was often keeping us corralled, scolding us when we stepped out of line, and intervening when needed. Now that Ben was part of the Raven family, I supposed she’d adopt him too.
When she left, I turned my attention back to the restaurant. The dining room still had many filled tables, but the frantic energy had dissipated. I made my way to the kitchen, and watched as Morgan expedited the last few orders.
John came in. “Where’s the fish for table twelve?”
Morgan frowned. “There is no fish for table twelve.” She looked at the print out of the electronic order taking system we’d set up. Gone were the days of trying to read a waiter’s scribble.
John stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder as he looked over it at the slip.
“That’s fish,” he said.
“No, it’s not. That’s the vegetarian.”
“They said they ordered fish.”
“Why are you taking orders, anyway?” she asked him.
“We were slammed. I was helping.”
She sighed. “We can change the order. What fish did they want?”
John left the kitchen and Morgan, a little flustered, went back to checking the plates that were about to go out. I was glad to see her get back in the game, but wondered how an order could get messed up. Had he mis-entered the order?
Finally, the last order went out, and the kitchen staff began their cleanup. An hour later, the restaurant was closed, cleaned, and prepped for the next day. Morgan looked tired but happy. She scanned the restaurant, and then her staff. I was sure I’d never seen such a look of satisfaction and accomplishment on anyone’s face. She had every right to savor the moment. She’d done well. And, I realized, this was a dream come true for her.
“How about we go out for a drink to celebrate?” John asked her, while the rest of the staff gave each other high-fives.
My hackles rose. I couldn’t give her up without a fight. Or at least, making it clear my interest in her.
“How about I take you all out for a celebratory drink. On me,” I announced to everyone.
“Yeah!” was the consensus of the group. John didn’t look too pleased, but too bad for him.
18
Morgan — Friday
I was exhilarated and exhausted all at the same time. We had a few bumps and I’d made a few mistakes, but overall, the soft opening was a huge success. I hoped Kade thought so, too. I really appreciated his quiet support the whole night. I’d known he was there and would help if needed. At the same time, he never jumped in or took over, respecting that this was my place.
I didn’t much like knowing he’d met with a woman there, but I had no claim to him. He was attentive professionally, but except for a few stolen moments, he didn’t seem to have any interest in me. John was the one whose subtle advances were becoming more overt. I’d have to tell him to knock it off, but I couldn’t do it in front of everyone.
“You up for a party?” John asked quietly, as everyone grabbed their coats and I went to close up. “Or, we can celebrate on our own.”
I looked over my shoulder at Kade. His green eyes were staring at me and John, and I got the feeling he didn’t like what he saw. I knew Raven Industries had a no-fraternization rule that John seemed to be ignoring. Of course, I wasn’t part of Raven Industries, but since it was running the small business program I was piloting for them, it made sense that it would extend their policies to include my business.
“This was a team effort, John. We need to celebrate with everyone.”
When I locked the door, Kade waited with me. “There’s a tavern around the corner that I’ve sent everyone too.”
“This is really nice of you, Kade.”
“Are you kidding? You did a great job. All of you did. You deserve it.”
I smiled, but I wondered what he’d think when I’d ordered a non-alcoholic drink. When we entered the bar, I could see my staff at various tables all chatting excitedly. John was at the bar with the chef.
