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“Perfect. I’ll have that out for you right away.”
The food doesn’t take long, and as I eat, memories from when I was a child come back to me: eating dinner at my grandmother’s house, going out for ice cream after school, splashing around in the pool on hot summer days. It’s strange how powerful food can be—it can bring back such vivid memories.
After I finish my dinner, I begin the forty minute drive back to my house. My father’s car is parked in my driveway, and guilt eats away at me when I realize how long it’s been since I visited him. I’ve been so busy with the takeover we haven’t talked much lately. I love the old man, but he left me a mess with these fucking restaurants. I’ve been avoiding him because of it.Son of the year award goes to…
The door creaks open, and my father must hear me because he calls from the kitchen, “I’m in here, son.”
Bracing myself with a deep breath, I step into the kitchen where my father is sitting at the table with a glass of iced tea in his hands. His graying hair is combed neatly to one side, and his face is still effortlessly handsome despite his age. He looks up at me when I enter, and I see a hint of a smile on his lips as he invites me to sit down.
“This is a surprise, Dad. What are you doing here?” I ask once I’m seated next to him.
He takes a sip of his sweet tea, then says, “You’ve been so busy lately, we’ve barely spoken. I just wanted to check in and make sure you weren’t overwhelmed. I feel terrible about how some of the stores are performing. I know you have a lot on your plate. It worries me.”
I shrug. “I’ve been doing okay. I mean, it’s been busy. But I like the work, and it seems to come pretty easy to me.”
He nods and smiles. “I’m so proud of you. You’ve done even better than I could have ever expected. The changes that have been implemented over the past three months have improved our bottom line. We just got the first round of employee and guest surveys in, and the satisfaction scores in both categories have gone up fifteen percent.”
My eyes widen in surprise. I didn’t know the surveys were due to come in this month. “Wow, that’s unexpected.”
He clasps my shoulder and gives me a proud smile. “You’re a natural, and I have no doubt that you’ll continue to succeed. Just remember to call your old man now and then, huh?”
I smile back at him. He looks so relaxed, and I realize that this might be the first time I’ve seen him at peace. It occurs to me that the stress of the past couple of years has been really hard on him, and I wonder if he’s finally feeling some relief since his retirement.
I lean over the table and hug him. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll make sure to visit more often.”
“No need to thank me,” he says as he squeezes me tightly.
He takes a step back, and I can’t help but yawn. I started work at four-thirty this morning, and exhaustion is beginning to take over. My father stands up to leave, and we walk to the front door together.
“Make sure you stop by sometime soon. Your new brother wants to meet you.”
I chuckle. My “brother” is a stray dog named Sampson.
“I will, Dad.”
He steps out the front door, and I wave goodbye until his car disappears.
* * *
The rest of the week passes in a blur, busy as I am arranging the second wage increase for the back-of-house staff. The kitchen is the lifeblood of the restaurant industry, and they deserve to be compensated for their time. It has been hectic enough that I haven’t done much else other than emailing HR and the finance department. It’s late into the evening Friday night when I finally stop to take a breath. I realize I never texted Alana to set up our date next week. A wave of guilt washes over me, and I’m hopeful she doesn’t think I was talking out of my ass to make up for groping her in the office. I’ve been a dick to her for no reason, and I’d like to make it up to her and show her I’m not the neanderthal she’s gotten to know.
My thumbs fly over my phone screen, and I send her an address and time for Monday evening. Once that’s done, I open my calendar to check my schedule for the weekend. I have some phone interviews for manager candidates, but other than that my weekend is free for the first time since Dad retired. Speaking of, I need to get over there on Sunday to see his new dog. He’s texted me four times since he was here the other day asking about it.
I pour myself a glass of sparkling water and sit down at my computer to read over inventory lists and budget analysis. Since I took the reins and increased wages and training, our online reviews have skyrocketed. I took a bit of a pay cut from what Dad was making to open up the possibility of raises. Though, with the record sales we’ve had over the past month, I won’t have to do that for long.
The amount of money I make hasn’t ever meant much to me. That’s easy to say considering we’ve never been poor, but I’ve just never cared for flashy or expensive shit. I wear the same clothes I’ve had for years, and while my house is nice, I don’t pay attention to the things the interior designer put in it. It could be empty as long as I have my bed, my computer, and a fridge full of food.
With a tired huff, I close my computer and walk over to the arched windows of my office to look down at the dark streets below. A few people walk their dogs and I see multiple sprinklers watering the lawns of my neighbors. This neighborhood is one of the more affluent in the Indianapolis area, and one of the things I enjoy about it most is the peacefulness.
My feet sink into the soft carpet on my way back to my bedroom. After a quick shower, I grab my sketch pad and pencils before I jump into bed. My hands fly over the paper, and the stress from the week begins to melt from my shoulders.
20
Chapter Twenty
Alana
My finger hovers over the clock-in button on our POS screen whenever Jim stops me and pulls me to the side. He has a wild look in his eyes, and he looks like he slept in his work clothes. So, I guess he looks like he does any other day of the week.
