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26
Morgan — Wednesday
Without a manager, my workload increased substantially. It made it difficult to help my mother, which made me feel guilty. But when the restaurant was established and I was earning a consistent income, she’d be able to retire. Being able to stop working would likely lessen her flare ups. If only I could afford her treatments.
Being without John also meant I had to come in early before opening to deal with inventory and other issues John had been in charge of. I realized that he’d coded some of the meals in our digital order system wrong, which was why we had some inaccurate orders. He wasn’t just undermining me; he’d been trying to sabotage me. And Kade had fallen for it.
John’s betrayal annoyed me, but Kade’s had hurt. I thought he’d trusted me. I was sure he felt confident in my abilities, or at least in my willingness to learn. To hear him ask John what he wanted felt like a kick in the gut. I was glad that Chef had overheard John make the appointment with Kade so I could show up there and tell them both off. It had felt good. Then I was scared to death because I knew I was truly on my own with this restaurant.
“Morgan?” Chef poked his head into my office.
“Yes?”
“I’ve got those new ideas for you.” He handed me a list of new fusion dishes we could consider. “Also, you’ve got company out in the front.”
“Company?”
“I think it might be a new G.M.”
As much as I needed a new manager, I wasn’t going to take any of Kade’s recommendations. Then I remembered I’d been the one push to hire John. Maybe I was too green to go it alone.
“Thank you. I’ll look these over when I finished with my guests.”
He nodded and disappeared. I rose from my desk, and pushed back the stray wisps of hair that never made it into my ponytail. The hairstyle might not be Raven chic, but it was functional when working in a fast-paced restaurant.
I entered the dining area and stopped short when I saw Kade. I wanted to scratch his pretty green eyes out. I clasped my hands behind my back so that I wouldn’t give into the temptation.
“Morgan.” His gaze studied mine as if he was gauging my reaction.
“Mr. Raven.”
He sighed. “This is Pat Crowly,” he said, putting his hand on the middle-aged woman’s shoulder. “She’s an assistant manager over at the bistro, but she’s earned a promotion. I’m hoping you can interview her for your G.M. opening.”
It sounded like he was asking, not bossing. That was a change.
The woman extended her hand. “So nice to meet you. I’ve brought my resume.” She reached into her bag, pulling out a paper. “I’m hoping Mr. Raven’s endorsement of me will help, but he suggests maybe it will hurt.”
I glanced at him. “I assure you I won’t hold him against you.” I nodded toward my office. “Would you like to follow me? I can interview you now.”
I hated to admit it, but Kade was right. She was knowledgeable and experienced. But she also listened to my vision and even added a few ideas.
“When can you start?”
“I’m told if you like me, Mr. Raven will release me from the bistro right away. I can start now.” She smiled, and I liked the idea of working alongside another strong woman.
I gave her the tour of the restaurant and introduced her to the chef. All the while, Kade sat in a corner of the restaurant working. I left her to begin her job and made my way to him.
“Thank you,” I said keeping my voice even. “I think she’ll be perfect.”
He smiled up at me and my heart did a little dance. I told it to calm down. No more falling for charming men that couldn’t be trusted.
“I’m glad. Any chance that you can spend some time with me today?”
Nope. Not going to happen. “Why?”
“I want a chance to explain why I was meeting with John. I know you think I was falling for his ‘I want to make the restaurant a success’ bit, but I wasn’t. To be honest, I didn’t like him. I didn’t trust him. Even in the beginning.”
I pursed my lips. “Why didn’t you tell me? He was mine to fire.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I handled it wrong. I’m sorry.” He stood, moving closer to me. My brain told me to back away, but like the idiot I was, I stood there, feeling the heat of him as he gently touched my arm. “Spend a few hours with me. Pat will settle in quickly. You can be back before dinner opening. Let me take you to lunch.”
I stared at him. “Can I choose the place?”
“Absolutely Wherever you want. Paris, even.”
I quirked a brow, annoyed that he’d flaunt his money, even as the idea of whisking off to Paris excited me. “I think I’d miss the dinner service if we went to Paris.”
