Chapter Twenty-One
The next morning, after they’d shared a shower, Janie sat on the bed with Archer, staring at her phone. “I’m afraid to call him,” she admitted.
“You can do this,” he said, supporting her as always. “If you’d like, I can talk to him for you. Just because you’re choosing to do the decent thing and possibly give him a kidney, that doesn’t mean you have to forgive him for the past if you aren’t ready.”
She hadn’t considered that. Somehow, she thought giving Frederick a kidney meant she had to somehow accept him back into her life with all the risk that entailed. Maybe she felt less hatred for the man than she had before starting therapy, but she wasn’t ready to forget what he’d done to her. She was working on forgiveness, but she would never make the mistake of trusting him or counting on him for anything.
Not that it mattered. She had Archer now, not to mention Larissa and the rest of the McCallisters. She was no longer a scared little girl who had just lost her mother and been rejected by every person in her family. She could create her own family now. It seemed fast and didn’t make a lot of sense to her, but she knew deep in her heart that Archer would always be there. They would create the family that they’d both longed for as children. She knew that without a doubt.
“I hate to ask you to do that,” she said, slowly picking her way through her complicated feelings. “However, I really don’t want to talk to him.”
“Then, I’ll do it. Which number is his?”
She pointed it out in the call history. “Are you sure you don’t mind me chickening out about this?”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, using his other hand to press the phone and call. “Frederick?” he said after a slight pause. “This is Archer Croft, Janie’s boyfriend.”
Janie couldn’t hear her father’s side of the conversation, but she could only imagine he was shocked to hear from them.
“Yes, I have good news for you,” Archer said. “Despite your dishonesty and how you tried to hurt Janie once again by splitting us up, you’re lucky that your daughter doesn’t take after you. She’s going to get tested to see if she’s a match for your kidney. We need to know where to go and what to do.”
Archer stood after that, going to the desk in the room and finding a scrap of paper and a pen. He quickly wrote the information.
“Great. We’ll do it there, then. You probably understand this since I called, but Janie isn’t ready to speak with you. If you leave her alone, she’ll do this, but don’t try to come between us again.” He stopped speaking for a moment, listening intently. “Yes, I do understand that. You’re trying to save your own life. I just wish you’d been half as worried about Janie when she was a girl. Goodbye.”
With that, he punched the button on the smart phone to disconnect the call, glancing across the room at her. “You okay?”
She gave him a warm smile. “How did I deserve such a sweet man?”
He chuckled, pacing toward her and giving her a sweet, tender kiss. The love he had for her was easy to feel in the way he touched her, and happiness blossomed in her heart, overwhelming any anger and fear she felt toward dealing with her father.
“I love you, Archer,” she said once he pulled away. “Thank you for believing in me and not just seeing the slut I let myself become.”
His lips tightened, and he gave her a glare. “I never want to hear something like that again, you hear me? You did what you had to in order to survive. I need you so much, Janie, and I can’t be grateful enough that we were led to each other. We can find happiness now, and the past doesn’t matter.”
He was right. She had to stop beating herself up over something she couldn’t change. She was in charge of who she was now, not the lost woman who’d done what she had to so that she could get through each day without falling apart.
She stood up, wrapping her arms around him. “You’re the best. I wish we didn’t have to work today.”
“But we’ll be together again tonight.” He passed her the note he had written. “We can go to the hospital over in Kona to have the tests ran. Frederick’s going to call ahead and get his records sent over. He said that would be the best way to keep from inconveniencing you more than he had to.”
“Surprising that he’s that considerate.”
“Maybe things can get better now,” Archer suggested. “You don’t have to trust him or be all kumbaya, but perhaps you can have something better than before.”
She sighed, though nodded in recognition of what he said. “Only if my kidney’s a match. If not, there might not be enough time for me to repair anything with him.”
“So, you do want to do that?”
Though it surprised her, Janie realized that she really did want to get to know her father, at least a bit. “If I have you there to support me, I think I would like to. Maybe he’ll let me down and hurt me again, but if I have you, I can handle that.”
He gave a rueful laugh, rubbing at the back of his neck. “You make me feel like I should try reaching out to my parents, even though I haven’t talked to them in years.”
“Whenever you’re ready for that, I’ll be right by your side to face them.”
They were a team. Janie could hardly believe that, but it was true. Together, they could face anything.
Feeling lighter and happier than she had in years, Janie leaned closer to him. “This optimism stuff is powerful. I feel like we can do it all.”
“We can,” he replied, closing the distance for a sweet kiss.
***
At work that day, Archer watched his boss nervously. Shane McCallister chewed the pork, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Archer rocked back and forth on his heels, unable to contain his anxiety. “So?”
“It’s good!” Shane smiled. “I like the balance of sweet and acid. I’d never considered cooking it this way. Maybe not something I’d put on the menu, but I’m encouraged by your creativity. Keep it up.”
Archer smiled at his boss. “Will do, sir.”
“Sir?” Shane chuckled and shook his head. “Just Chef or Shane, please. Now, let’s get this prep work done. I’m wanting you to work on options for beef dishes tonight, so put your thinking cap on and tell me what ingredients you need before going home tonight.”
Success! While Archer worked side by side with Shane and the other woman training for a possible position as sous chef, Ava, he couldn’t help but be proud of himself. Even if Shane didn’t want his first attempt at a recipe on the menu, he wanted him to continue. That was more than he’d hoped for. His dream could really become a reality.
“Oh, Shane?” he glanced at his boss, and Shane nodded for him to continue. “I might need a day off in the near future. Janie needs to go to Kona for some blood work, and I want to go with her.”
Shane’s eyebrows rose slightly and he stepped closer, lowering his voice, “Everything okay?”
Archer quickly reassured him with a nod. “Did you hear her father showed up on the island?”
“I had heard about that from Quinn. What’s the deal?”
Archer hoped Janie wouldn’t mind him spilling the beans about her personal life, but he needed to provide a reason for needing the time off. “Please don’t mention this to anyone else, especially not before Janie has a chance to talk to Larissa...”
“Of course not.”
“Her father needs a kidney. I guess he can’t find a match. Janie’s pretty much his last hope.”
Shane frowned. “I had the impression Janie didn’t get along with her family. Not that she’s really talked to me about them, but it’s more about what she hasn’t said in the past when she’d come to family dinners and people would ask.”
“Yeah, it’s complicated, but what can you do? She can’t turn him away if she can save his life, no matter what an asshole he is.”
Shane gave a small grin. “Can I take it, since you know all this, that things are serious between you and Janie? I’d heard rumors about how she wasn’t dating around anymore, but I had no idea you were the cause.”
Archer couldn’t help but puff his chest up a bit, proud that Janie had chosen him. “She’s been working on herself, and I’m super proud of her, but yes, we’re an official couple now.”
“But Quinn also said her father brought your ex to the island with him?”
Archer refrained from rolling his eyes only through sheer willpower. “Unfortunately. It would be good if I don’t run into Carrie or her parents again. I was hoping they’d leave once I told them I wasn’t interested in getting back with Carrie, but that didn’t happen. Frederick was with them when I called him this morning. I could hear Carrie in the background. Thankfully, he didn’t tell her that he spoke to me, so maybe he feels bad for bringing her here. He needed Carrie’s family money to get to the island and book a room, so he promised them he’d help her get me back or some shit. I don’t really know all the details.”
“Wow... He sounds like a real prick.”
“Yeah.” Archer continued chopping while they spoke. “But he’s still her father, so she wants to save his life if she can.”
“Of course.” Shane looked over Archer’s work. “Cut those a bit thinner, would you?”
Quickly adjusting the size, Shane nodded in satisfaction.
“Just let me know what time off you need,” he said. “Janie’s practically family, so I’ll do whatever it takes to support her. I’m glad you guys are together. Janie needs a good man in her life, and I have a feeling about you. You’re going to be a great addition to the island family.”
The sense of belonging was something Archer had always longed for. Not only did he belong with Janie, but also here in this kitchen. The entire island full of employees were a family. That was the McCallister motto and it hadn’t changed once Brad and Matt took over managing things and John McCallister retired. He really should thank Carrie for cheating on him. Because of that pushing him to chase his dream again, Archer finally found the place he truly belonged.
***
Dinner rush was upon them before Archer knew it, the day flying by since he enjoyed his work so much.
“Archer,” Shane called. “Ava’s going on break, come act as the sous chef while she’s gone. Sandra, you take over cold apps but keep an eye on the fish station in case they need you.”
Without problem, the team shifted around to cover Ava’s break. Shane felt somewhat nervous as he helped plate the food and check for quality control, helping be Shane’s extra set of eyes, but it was exhilarating at the same time. Shane patiently explained everything he looked for and what quality he expected. Two days in, and Archer had already learned so much from the man.
A waiter appeared, carrying a new ticket. “Table twenty-two, Chef, but they’re a bit impatient and if you could hurry it along...”
Shane furrowed his brow, looking over the ticket before looking at the waiter. “You’ve never requested me to go out of order before. Are they that bad?”
The waiter waved toward the table. “The blonde woman is a total witch. She’s complained about everything from the bread to the wine I took them, the menu, the décor, and the three older people with her just continue smiling and telling her she deserves better.”
The waiter was obviously upset and at a loss as to how to deal with her.
Archer slid his gaze past the waiter to the indicated table, grimacing when he saw the foursome sitting around it. “Wonderful.”
“You know them?” Shane asked.
“The blonde is Carrie, my ex-fiancée. The man to her right with the salt and pepper hair is Janie’s father. The other two are Carrie’s parents.” Archer flashed the waiter a smile full of sympathy. “Sorry, but she’s going to be a bitch the entire time. Nothing is ever good enough for her. She’ll probably send a bunch of stuff back too, even though it will be perfect food. She likes drama.”
Shane snorted. “How could an easygoing guy like you end up with a high-maintenance pain in the ass like her?”
“Stupidity?” Archer let out a laugh. “I have no other explanation.”
“Glad you came to your senses,” Shane said. “Don’t worry about that table, Serge,” he told the waiter. “I’ll go speak with them personally and take my special appetizer. People like that usually calm down if you kiss their asses. I don’t expect you to handle that.”
The waiter, Serge, let out a relieved breath. “Yes, Chef. I’ll take care of my next table, then.”
“Hold down the fort, Archer,” Shane said, walking to the cold app station and quickly preparing something before disappearing from the kitchen.
While Archer paid strict attention to detail of all the food sent to the pass and going to customers, he couldn’t help but keep an eye on Shane as the boss stood near Carrie’s table. He had them laughing, which was a good sign. Perhaps her parents would calm Carrie down if she started to become too large of a problem, now that they’d been well treated by the head chef and wouldn’t want to cause him embarrassment.
Deciding there was nothing he could do about them and Shane had the situation controlled, Archer returned his attention to work. He had to do the best job he could. Shane had given him the opportunity of a lifetime, and he wasn’t about to waste it worrying about people who no longer affected him.
Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. Shane returned to the kitchen a while later, frowning. “I’ve got some bad news.”
Archer didn’t like the sounds of that. “What’s up?”
“Your ex is adamant. She’s going to cause problems unless I send you out to have dinner with them. I hate to make you do this, but I can’t afford someone having a vendetta against my business, and she’s kind of your responsibility to get rid of.”
Archer sighed, knowing his boss was right. He would have to make things clear to Carrie that he would never want her, but it wasn’t fair to make Paradise Point suffer by him refusing to do it over a shared meal. “Guess we better add my meal to their ticket. When Ava gets back, I’ll help take their food out and hear her out. Don’t worry, boss. I won’t do anything to make her attack the island or you. I’ll take care of this problem.”