Page 55 of The Hometown Dilemma
My family was here.
Even if she wouldn’t be.
Mom and I spent a good hour doing a basic clean up, but it soon became evident we’d need the assistance of the professionals. While Mom called them, I popped to the deli a few doors down for some coffee and sustenance. At this point in time, functioning on zero hours of sleep in the past twenty-four hours wasn’t even funny.
Waiting in line in a daze, I barely noticed Cami until she was practically on top of me.
“Wade! There you are!”
“Where else would I be?”
She let out a huff and rolled her eyes. “With my sister in New York, dumbass. Does she know you’re here?” Cami held up a hand. “No wait, don’t answer that because I already know she doesn’t.”
“You do know what happened at Dempsey’s last night, right?” In such a small town, gossip spread like wildfire and if a strong percentage of the residents weren’t aware of the fire by now, I’d have been surprised.
“I stayed at home talking to my sister about a horrible argument she had with her boyfriend who disappeared on her.”
I couldn’t get into that conversation with her now. Rescuing the business had to take priority. “Maybe he had a good reason for disappearing.”
“Oh, really?” Cami placed a hand on her hip, thrusting it forward belligerently. “Running back home at the first sign of commitment?” She snorted.
“Do you know the bar almost burned to the ground last night?”
Her jaw dropped.
“Seems like the fire spread quicker than the gossip this time.” Turning my back on Cami, I gave my order to the server and moved along the line to wait.
“Have you told Jaime?”
“What would she care? Her focus is on New York now.”
“And you know this because…?”
I clenched my hands into fists, digging my nails into my palms. “I don’t feature in her future, Cami.”
She pursed her lips, almost as if she knew something I didn’t. But as I went to reply, the server announced my order was ready.
“Look, I’ll catch up with you later. Mom and I have a lot to do this morning.” I gathered up our food and drinks and turned my back on the younger Harlow sister. Trying not to think about how much the older one occupied my thoughts, I headed back to the bar.
Mom accepted the coffee I thrust in her direction, nibbling on the bagel. “I don’t have much of an appetite but know I should eat something.” She gestured her chin in my direction. “You too, son. I can tell you haven’t slept either.”
“I’ll be fine.” The coffee didn’t even make a dent in my tiredness. Mainlining caffeine probably wasn’t the best idea, but I needed it to kick in and keep me functioning a little while longer. “What’s the plan?”
She talked me through how the cleaning company would be able to come over that afternoon for an assessment, then they’d do the work as soon as their schedule would allow. Even though I hadn’t been gone that long, Mom had also contacted the insurance company and informed them of the incident. They were sending over the relevant paperwork.
Now it was down to me to let the staff know of our plans.
While a message to the group chat would have been far simpler, and less time-consuming, I felt I owed it to everyone to tell them individually. Some of the conversations were easier than others, particularly when it came to discussing pay while we were closed. I’d probably have to dip into my limited savings to make sure I kept the staff.
Mom listened while I spoke to each and every one of them.
After an hour, I placed my phone down on the top of the bar. “That’s the last one.”
She placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. “You’re a good boss, Wade. Not everyone would make the offers you just have.”
“I can’t afford to lose them.” Knowing it was my last job for a while, the fight oozed out of me.
“Why don’t you come back home with me, love?” Mom offered. “You can take a shower and get some rest. I’ll make pot roast for dinner later.”
