Page 8 of The Sweet Spot

Lucy, one of my servers, spoke up first. “So that’s it? We are all out of a job, effective immediately?” The sharp, incredulous tone of her voice had me wanting to hide under a table.

“I’m sorry, but yes. I’ll likely have to declare bankruptcy, and the restaurant has almost no assets other than the kitchen equipment. I know this doesn’t help, but every dollar I have has gone into your severance packages. I know this is sudden, but Ihave a list of some restaurants that are hiring, and I can put in a good word with all of them.”

“I told you about him,” Steph said, punching the air with a fist. “I said he was too slick and up to no good, but you wouldn’t listen to me. You were too busy drooling over the piece of shit when?—”

Wren smacked the table nearest to her, and Steph stopped. “Why are you bringing this shit up?” Wren asked. “To make yourself feel better? To get it off your chest and humiliate Wolseley further? Damage is done. No need to pour it on.”

Steph stormed out, and the rest of the staff filed out behind her, most of them furious. A few others stuck around to ask questions on how they could get their personal items and when they’d get their severance. Finally, it was just me and Wren. She grabbed a few beers from the fridge, and we sat down to drink, even though it wasn’t even noon yet.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Wren said, snapping back the tab on her beer.

“My lawyer told me to keep it to myself. I wanted to tell you a million times. I’m so sorry for making a mess of everyone’s lives. I really screwed up.”

Wren pursed her lips and ran her hands through her short brown hair. “I sensed something hasn’t been right with you for the last few weeks. Especially after you fired Daniel. We were all doing a happy dance, and you were dealing with all this shit.”

“I couldn’t drag you into it. And I’m so sorry, Wren. You have been so good to me, my loyal right hand, and I’ve messed it all up.”

Wren reached out to pat my hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll find another job. And it was kind of you to give us all three months of severance. We were just turning a profit. How did you manage it?”

“It’s some money I’ve saved up. Pretty much all I have.”

Wren’s gray eyes narrowed. “No, we can’t accept that.”

“It’s the least I can do. You’ve all been so amazing.”

Wren frowned a little. “And what are you going to do?”

I sighed and tried to smile. “I have no idea. I figure I’ll wait a few weeks to let this all settle. I have to find someone to sublet my place because I can’t afford it. I plan to move in with my parents, and once I’ve had some time to let it all sink in, I’ll figure out my next move.”

“Any restaurant in town would hire you. They’d be lucky to have you.”

I arched a brow. “Really? I think that right now, I’m the town pariah.”

Wren was kind enough to offer her help if I needed to liquidate any of the restaurant’s contents, but since it was likely the restaurant corporation was going to declare bankruptcy, there was no time to sell anything. But I did want to make sure we cleaned out any of the food that remained, and Wren said she’d offer it to staff. The next few days, I’d make sure everyone had gotten their personal effects, and then I’d be saying goodbye to my dream.

I finally had a bit of luck when I found a couple to sublet my apartment. My landlord had been kind enough to help me find someone, and that meant I had to be out in ten days. Tangi and Jill offered to help me pack what little I had accumulated in the last few years. Jill was due back in Vancouver in a few days, but that didn’t stop her from being a true friend by loading up boxes and cleaning out every nook and cranny.

After a full morning of packing and cleaning, I ordered some pizzas, and we sat around my coffeetable and ate. We’d been so focused on our work, that we hadn’t had much time to talk. And soon, both my friends would be gone, back at work in Vancouver, and I would be left behind with nothing to show for my life.

“How is it going?” Jill asked.

“I’ve signed off on bankruptcy paperwork, and the restaurant is officially no longer mine. My parents have offered to help me pay some bills until I get my life back in order. A few people have threatened a lawsuit, but seeing as the corporation is in bankruptcy and going after me would be pointless, they’ve backed off. Besides, no one was truly harmed, although I’d be pretty pissed off if it had happened to me. I guess the plan is to lie low and hope no one sues me until the statute of limitations runs out. My lawyer thinks there wouldn’t be much of a case anyway. The moment I found out about it, I took care of the problem and did what I could.”

“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Tangi said. “You are the last person in the world who deserves this.”

“There is still Ryan,” Jill said.

As usual, Tangi was the nurturer, and Jill was the pragmatist.

I tried not to roll my eyes, but the fact she was bringing this up now was the last thing I wanted to talk about. I’d spent the last few weeks barely getting out of bed, too upset and depressed to even think about what I would do next, but here was Jill, refusing to let it go. She was a fixer, and I got that, but I needed her to give me time to be sad and grieve my lost dream.

I wasn’t like her. I couldn’t rebound and jump back in. Jill was tough, could take on the world without a care, and all I wanted to do was cry and curl up in bed.

“Can we not?” I said.

“It’s still fresh,” Tangi said to Jill. “Give her some time.”

“Training camp starts in less than a month. Ryan is still fat. This is an opportunity I don’t want you to miss.”

---