There was no use in anyone getting bent out of shape over this sorry excuse for a man. And I wasn’t going to let Clay’s anger get the best of him in this situation. He had the favor of everyone else except this idiotic cook. There was no reason for him to squander that in front of his staff. And now that Jason had mentioned my name, he specifically pulled me into this fight.

A fight I wouldn’t let him win.

“Jason, you have been a virus in this restaurant for a long time. And we all tolerated it because Deb and Bernie saw something in you. Something good. Something great,” I said.

I turned and faced him as his snakelike eyes fell onto me.

“I’ve worked hard alongside Clay to keep this restaurant running the way Clay’s parents set this up. Walking Clay through things. Making sure the schedule isn’t mangled while he’s learning the ropes. I’m not going to let you ruin that. Now, as the newly appointed manager of this—”

“Excuse me, what?” Jason asked.

I looked back at Clay and watched him grin at me before he nodded.

“Yes. As newly appointed manager of this place, there’s something I want you to know. Deb and Bernie would be sorely disappointed in you. In the lack of respect you now have for this place that they worked so hard to build from the ground up. They’d be disgusted with the way you’re treating their son, and I won’t have it. Not on my watch, and not on my shifts,” I said.

“You made her manager?” Jason asked.

“Offered her the position this morning,” Clay said.

“I’m sure you've offered her many positions,” Jason spat.

I heard the room gasp.

“That is enough. You don’t get to come in here and ruin this for the rest of us. You don’t get to spit on their reputation and tarnish their legacy because you’re a selfish little twit. My father’s dying of cancer, and that isn’t yours to leverage for your own lazy whims. Now, I want you to get in that kitchen, hang up your apron, and get the hell out of this restaurant,” I said.

I stared off with the man before a devilish grin crossed his cheeks.

“Your position ain’t official if paperwork hasn’t been signed. Even you know that. Which means you ain’t in charge of this restaurant,” Jason said.

“Well, I am,” Clay said.

Everyone turned their heads to him and listened. Including myself.

“So, do as she says. Hang up your shit, and don’t you dare come back to this place,” he said.

Everyone paused as Jason sucked at his teeth. He nodded his head as he looked around the room, staring each of us in the eye. He walked toward me, and I watched Clay move like lightning. He stepped right in front of me, blocking Jason’s path.

Jason chuckled, and I didn’t like the way it sounded.

“How about I just hand it to you?” he asked.

Jason slapped his uniform against Clay’s chest before he turned and walked out.

“I’ll mail you your final check!” I exclaimed.

“Fuck your check!” Jason roared.

“And if I see you back in this restaurant, I’m calling the police,” Clay said.

I stepped out from around Clay and watched Jason turn on his heels. It was the one veiled threat I knew he wouldn’t risk, not with his record. I saw the fear creep up in Jason’s stare before he pushed out of the restaurant and headed for his car.

“Way to go!”

“Woo-hoo!”

“Yeah!”

The staff started cheering and clapping as I breathed a sigh of relief. Holy hell, it felt good to have that asshole gone. I looked up at Clay, and he gazed down into my eyes, his frown turning into a coy little smile.

“I take it you’ve thought about it?” he asked.

“More or less,” I said playfully.

“All right, everyone. That’s the meeting. We’ll have one next week. If the opening shift could stick around, I’d really appreciate that,” he said.

Everyone dispersed and went their separate ways, with a few lagging behind.

I watched Clay step up in that moment. It was like getting rid of Jason got rid of the chains tying him to whatever it was his parents were trying to accomplish with that man. He took control of the moment, shifting people around and prepping the kitchen. He was setting up a little cook-off to see who could work their way around the kitchen.

And everyone was excited to participate.

“All right! I want each of you to assemble three things for me. One cheeseburger, one bowl of vegetable soup, and one salad. Now, if you don’t want a position as cook, you can step away now. But, I want to give all of you a fair shot at this for the morning cook shift,” he said.

I watched a couple people step away, but most of them stayed where they were.

“You’ve got twenty minutes to put it together. And… go!” Clay exclaimed.

People flew around the kitchen, laughing and giggling and cheering one another on. It was a fun employee-bonding moment. A great way for Clay to showcase his leaderships skills. It was also an awesome way to make enough food for all of us to pick at before we started our busiest day of the week. I caught Clay’s eye and nodded, beckoning him to follow me off to the side.

“What is it?” he asked as he stepped into the corner.

“Look, I just want to apologize for how I snapped in your office earlier. You know, about my father,” I said.

“Ira, you have nothing to apologize for. You're under an immense amount of stress,” he said.

“I know, I just… you didn’t deserve the tone I used.”

I felt his hand slip into mine before he ducked us farther into the corner.

“All is forgiven. I promise,” he murmured.

And when he tossed me a wink, an involuntary smile crossed my lips.

Just enough to distract me from the heat creeping up my arm from his touch.