Chapter 28
After closing time at the pub, Henry and I finished our nightly duties. I yawned. The ten-hour Labor Day shift had sucked all the life out of me. I took my purse out of the drawer in Henry’s desk and rooted around for my lip balm. As I applied it, Henry came into the office.
He said, “Can you stick around after everyone else leaves? I need to talk to you.”
“Sure. Is everything all right?” I tilted my head and shoved the lip balm back into my bag.
“Yep.”
About thirty minutes later, the rest of the crew left. I found Henry in his office. He was talking on the phone but motioned for me to come in. “Yeah, I need the order ASAP,” Henry said as I took a seat. “Okay.” He scribbled some times and dates on a pad then hung up. “Sorry about that, but I had to finish that conversation.”
“I understand. Sounds like you’re restocking our new fridge.”
“Yeah, and it’s a big order.”
“I bet. Those coolers by the bar were filled to the brim, but it isn’t near what we used to have. You said you wanted to talk to me.”
“Yes, about you becoming a supervisor like we discussed. Then I can justify paying you more than being a cook. I have a list of responsibilities that I’d give to you.” He pushed a paper over.
I took it.
Night Manager Duties:
Schedule cooks’ shifts.
If someone calls in sick, find a replacement if possible for the night.
Do weekly inventory of food supplies.
Manage the cooks while being an active part of the kitchen line.
Prepare batches of food to use for our most popular items.
“That all seems manageable,” I said.
“The inventory is done on the computer, so I need to show you how to use the program. After the new inventory arrives, I was going to mark it on the spreadsheet, which should give us an indication of when to order more. Can you come in early tomorrow? The food is arriving before your shift. An hour early should do it.”
“Of course, Henry.” I grinned from ear to ear. “Thank you for trusting me with such a big responsibility.” I tapped my heels on the ground and readjusted myself in the chair. “Even though this may not be the best timing, I need to ask you for a few days off to go see my family.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes. I planned to go before the pub got back into full swing. I fear I’ve waited too long.”
“If you can make sure your nightly cooks are well staffed—especially for the weekend—you can go. It can be your first scheduling challenge. If you’d like to accept this position, I can put it up on our announcement board. As far as an increase in pay, if you can be patient and wait a few weeks, then I can give you a raise.” He handed me a folded-over piece of paper. “This estimated salary is based on a forty-five-hour week. Since Dad is no longer working, I’ve cleared this figure with Charles.”
In that moment, I realized Henry and I had never talked figures before I moved to NYC. He assured me I’d be taken care of as one of his employees. His word was good enough for me, because I had known him for years.
I unfolded the paper to reveal a figure that was higher than I expected. Then again, the cost of living in the city was high. I could use half of the amount to cover rent and utilities. Because it was Henry, I knew he offered me a fair amount.
“Remember that everything is more expensive here.” He raised an eyebrow.
“It’s like you read my mind. How about I agree to this with the condition that we can reevaluate my salary in six months?”
“Make it a year, and you have a deal,” Henry said.
“Deal.” We shook on it.
“I’ll draw up official paperwork for you to sign, and I’ll get the announcement up on the board in the next few days.”
I left the pub satisfied that I was becoming part of upper management. Henry had printed out the schedule for the next week, along with a list of phone numbers of the kitchen staff. I took it home. I’d use it later to make sure the kitchen would be well staffed while I was on vacation.
There was just one thing other than the schedule to address before I flew to California: I was going with Fiona when she sold her car.
∞ ∞ ∞
The next day, Fiona and I rode for the last time in her BMW. She was quiet the entire time. When we pulled into the dealership where Cam had gotten the vehicle, she sighed deeply while turning off the engine.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“I know I didn’t drive it much. Cam was usually with me when I did.” She ran her fingers along the wheel. “That’s one of the reasons I need to sell it. We used to drive along the Hudson River and stop at the scenic points. We’d even park and make out like teenagers.” She let out a nervous laugh, the kind that you weren’t sure if it is going to turn into crying. “I swear I can still smell the slightest hint of his aftershave in here. Either that, or I’m just imaging it.”
“Is it a woodsy scent coming from that blanket in the back?”
“Oh, good, I’m not losing it. Yeah, that’s probably it. We would curl up with the blanket and, well… you know.”
“You’re sure about this, then?”
“Absolutely. Like I said, the parking fee for that garage is really high. It’ll feel like I actually have room to breathe in my budget. I really didn’t need a car. Cam just wanted to shower me with affection and gifts. But all I ever really wanted was his love.” Tears welled up in her eyes.
Fiona had been through enough, and sitting in the car wasn’t going to make it any easier. “It’s time. Come on. Let’s do this,” I said, getting out of the car. She did the same.
Since she called the dealership and told them she was coming, they had already given her an estimate of the car’s worth. They told her it was in fairly good shape after they looked the car over. The offer they gave over the phone was their final one. She agreed and signed the paperwork.
We took the ferry back to the apartment. Fiona couldn’t keep her eyes open and eventually put her head on my shoulder. Seconds later, she was asleep. I think the motion of the ferry rocked her to sleep.
She had parted with a big part of herself by selling that car. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to sell it. It was a step in the right direction for her to recover from losing him. She even left that blanket in the back seat. She didn’t want to smell his masculine scent anymore.
When we got home, I pulled out the shift schedule for the next week and the list of phone numbers. After calling around, I got all my shifts covered.
I got online and priced the round-trip airfare. Double-checking the dates on the schedule, I noticed I could actually have four nights there, since I already had one of the days off.
I would miss seeing Gabe. It was too soon in the relationship to ask him to take a trip to meet my family. The next day I had to work, and Gabe was scheduled for the next four nights at the firehouse. Chances were that I wasn’t going to see him until I got back from California. I was sad and happy all at once—sad that I’d miss Gabe, and happy that I’d see Isadora.
I thought about confirming with Isadora that they’d be home on the dates I wanted to visit, but it was too late to call.
Is it tomorrow yet?