Page 245 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
“Come on,” I say on a groan.
“Will you talk?”
“There’s nothing to talk about. Perry, are you seriously going to let him do this to me?”
“Sorry, man,” Perry says. “You’ve been sullen and silent for the past hour, working out like you’re training to go pro. You’ll feel better if you talk.”
“Ugh, fine,” I finally say, and Brody immediately pulls up the bar, helping me reposition it on the rack.
I sit up and tug my shirt over my head, then use it to wipe the sweat from my forehead. It’s unseasonably frigid outside, but space heaters are running to make things a little more tolerable in the garage. If the weather forecast is correct, it’ll start snowing within the hour.
“Okay,” Brody says, handing me my water bottle. “Start talking.” He grabs a folding chair from where it’s leaning up against the wall and flips it around so he can sit backward, straddling the chair with his arms resting on the back.
I take a long drink of water and try to organize my thoughts. My brothers think I’ve got Tatum on the brain, and I do. It’s been almost a week since we made plans to have dinner, and I’vespent more than a little time thinking about how that’s going to go.
But she isn’t the reason I’m feeling off this morning. That honor goes to my restaurant, which suddenly feels like it’s on a slippery slope sliding into chaos, and I have no idea how to fix it. I’ve made the changes Tatum suggested, and they’re helping, but when I fired Griffin, the conversation devolved into him basically railing on me for an hour, questioning my leadership and management abilities, insulting Zach and other cooks in my kitchen. He even said something hateful about Tatum.
Annndddthat’s when I almost punched him.
Had Zach not walked by at just the right moment, stepping between us and stopping me, I would have created one enormous pile of paperwork for Stonebrook’s HR guy.
I owe Zach for that, and I ended up having a long conversation with Olivia just in case Griffin decides to file a complaint anyway. I told her everything—minus the insult Griffin tossed at Tatum. No one’s ears need to hear those words ever again.
Olivia was understanding, but she made me promise I would talk to Perry and fill him in. Pretty sure that’s why I’m in such a foul mood. I’m here. I need to do it.
I just don’t want to.
If I were only talking to him as my brother, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But he isn’t just my brother in this situation. He’s the financial brains of the farm, and he was the slowest to get on board with the idea of an on-site farm-to-table restaurant. Olivia finally convinced him the idea was worth the risk, giving me the opportunity to live my dream and build my own place, which just means there’s no way to have this conversation without making Perry think he made a bad call.
I don’t think Perry made a bad call, but jerk that he is, Griffin still managed to get in my head. And now I’m questioning everything. I don’t know what the answer is, but I’m finishingevery night feeling like I’ve run back-to-back marathons only to get up the next morning and start all over again.
“Lila had lunch with Tatum the other day,” Perry says, clearly still thinking Tatum is the source of my low mood. “Well, not just her,” he continues. “Mom, Lila, Olivia, and Kate had lunch with Tatum. They had sandwiches at Mom’s studio.”
“Imadethe sandwiches,” I say, “so I know.” And I’ve been wondering what Tatum thought of the women in my family ever since. I’m also curious to know what she thought of the food. As far as I know, she still hasn’t eaten at the restaurant, and I find myself wishing she would just so I can ask her what she thinks.
“Are you feeling weird about her eating lunch with the family?” Brody asks.
I run a hand across my beard. Olivia did make it seem like they had every intention of talking about me, but she could have just been messing around. And it isn’t so crazy to think that Mom just wanted to invite Tatum over for lunch to make her feel welcome. Still, knowing Mom, she could definitely have some ulterior motive. “Should I feel weird about it? Did Kate say anything to you?”
“Only that Liv and Mom seemed to be dropping a lot of hints about you. Is that actually something that could happen? Are you guys even getting along?”
I don’thatethe idea of Liv and Mom dropping hints but admitting that would derail the conversation Ineedto have with Perry. It’s smarter to do it here, while Brody is around to play peacemaker. He’s the middle kid in the family. Peacemaker is a role he knows well.
I breathe out a sigh. “I’m getting along with Tatum,” I say. “But that isn’t what’s on my mind.”
Brody lifts an eyebrow. “What is it then?”
My gaze slides to Perry. “Things are not great at the restaurant right now,” I finally say.
My older brother’s eyes narrow. “What are you talking about? The financials look great.”
“I know. Money, reviews. Everything looks good on paper, but my kitchen is floundering. I just lost a chef, and I’m running myself ragged trying to keep up with everything, and it’s only a matter of time before the chaos behind the scenes starts to trickle outward. How I’m running things right now isn’t sustainable, but I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Can you just hire someone new? To replace the chef you lost?” Brody asks.
“I can, but I’m not sure that’s the right call. I’m not maximizing the people I already have on staff.”
Perry’s quiet for a beat before he leans forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “This is a solvable problem,” he says, in the voice he must have used when he was a high-profile corporate consultant. His tone leaves no room for argument or equivocation. “We know there isn’t a problem with the food. Your location is solid, and your employees are making competitive wages for this part of the country.”
