Chapter 3
It was busy in the restaurant that morning, and I concentrated so intently on poaching eggs that I had no problem tuning the gentlemen out.
They talked about this movie they were making.
They brought up a ranch and another location.
The conversation was about different places to film, and it all seemed to be in Montana. I honestly didn't listen much.
At one point, I heard someone's tone get odd. It sounded like the cadence of their words dropped off and got awkward and choppy. I tuned in to the conversation. I glanced at the clock and realized they had been there for nearly an hour.
"Now you're changing your mind? Why wouldn't you want to go?
" I heard the younger one ask. "We should definitely go, Grandpa.
We should see at least one of the locations.
Neither of them is far from here—an hour or so.
I think you should see them both. All these ideas can come to life in your mind once you're there, standing in the backdrop. You'll see what I'm seeing."
"I don't need to go stand in a backdrop," he said. "I've already seen and heard enough. It's off."
"What does that mean, Grandpa?"
"Look, Alexander, it's all really romantic, the idea and the story being about our family and everything… but it's a bad investment. I'm sorry, son, but this whole thing is… you're a bad investment right now. I know one when I see it. How else do you think I got this money?"
There was a pause, and I cringed for the guy before gently clanging a spoon on the side of a pot so that it sounded like I was busy and hadn't heard any of that.
The restaurant had slowed a little, but I still had a few eggs on the stovetop, and I watched them, gently tapping the spoon and trying not to care how the guy responded.
"Ouch," he said.
"Well, Alex, I have to tell it like I see it.
I didn't get this far in life by pretending things were okay when they're not. The idea seems good, the team seems good, but you still don’t know a thing about money.
You're wasteful, quite frankly. This whole trip is too much.
How much are we spending on this? You booked the nicest hotel in town.
Just now, the valet, I saw you hand him a ten-dollar bill for a tip.
And the same with the cashier at this place.
She did nothing but make change for you, and you left her a twenty. "
"It's a couple of tips," the young man said.
"Money wasted," the older one returned in a huff.
"The whole trip is money wasted. What's it, a few grand we've spent to get us both out here?
And for what? To talk me into more money?
The very money we're spending by being here?
I had said I'd give you a hundred thousand, and you've wasted what must have been three of it of it on this. "
"I paid for this. I do have money of my own, you know."
"Not the kind you need, or I wouldn't be here.
You're not to be trusted yet, Alexander.
I'm not saying you won't be sometime, but not yet.
You're not ready for these sums of money.
This project would be a bottomless pit. You're already here to ask me for more money right now, and we haven't even gotten started. "
"Fine. I'll make it work for what we said before."
"No."
"What do you mean, no, Grandpa?"
"I'm not investing anything at this time."
"Wh-wh—"
The younger guy started to stutter and say something, but I had to actively tune them out because I had eggs ready to come off the stove.
My heart was beating fast for that guy. I did my best to think of my actions instead of what was being said at the table next to me. I concentrated on keeping up with the stove and the items under the heat lamp.
Mark came to grab a few of the plates I had been working on, and he made a face at me, shifting his eyes to glance toward the guys. He could also hear what they were saying.
"The wheels are already set in motion, Grandpa."
"That's what breaks are for," the older man said in an emotionless tone. "If it's meant to be, it'll happen sometime in the future."
"I've hired people and rented things. I've made arrangements to start this summer."
"That's not going to happen. At least not with my money." I heard noise—the sounds of chairs scooting across the floor and silverware clanging.
They were getting up.
I tried not to notice as they walked past.
Mark barely had time to get out of their way, and I turned to look at them when I knew they were walking by.
The older gentleman went first, and the younger one followed him in a hurry.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw me, digging in his pocket.
He came up with a wad of cash and put it down on the ledge between us.
He turned and walked out without so much as saying a word to me.
I glanced at the money. There was a hundred-dollar bill in the stack along with other bills.
He had given me too much, and I considered stopping what I was doing so that I could return the extra money.
But he was preoccupied with following his grandfather, and I wasn't going to interrupt them.
"Whoa, did he just give you that?" Mark said, coming around the corner again when they left the kitchen.
"Yes," I said simply, wishing my hands didn't need to stay clean so that I could stop and pick it up. I turned and tended to a few of the eggs that were in pots, dropping two more of them when I saw the next ticket.
I heard Carly's footsteps, and then I heard her yell out. "Hey, you guys might as well do ten more cups. They've disappeared from the case in the front," she said.
"Heard you," Mark said.
"Gotcha," I said, nodding and opening another package of eggs.
"What happened with those guys who ate back here?" Carly continued, coming to stand in front of my area and speaking in a quieter tone.
"Nothing," I said, shaking my head.
"I think they were having some family issues," she said.
I changed the subject as I began to drop eggs. We were busy, and ultimately Carly didn't care enough or have the time to press the issue. She didn't even mention the money that was sitting there.
None of us mentioned that guy again. I thought about him, and taking his money weighed heavy on my mind, but I didn't mention it to anyone else.
On Saturday, I had the afternoon off. The two jobs I had taken over for my sister were the breakfast restaurant and Luna's daycare, which was three days a week in the afternoons.
I didn't have that on Saturday. I did, however, have a third job now.
I had gotten it to force my sister to interact with her daughter, but it didn't seem to be working.
I thought Luna would be home with Audrey tonight while I had to work, but she went to spend the night with one of her little friends… again.
My sister had gone through some difficult things.
But so had her daughter. I hoped for Luna's sake—for both of their sakes—for all of our sakes—that Audrey would be able to pick herself up and move on.
I had one year left on my master's degree, and I needed to be back in Colorado by August to start my semester.
At this point, with my sister's lack of progress, that seemed like it would be a struggle.
I was thinking about her as I finished cleaning my tables that night after my Saturday evening shift. It was late, and I was happy Luna was at her friend's house, where I knew she was fed, bathed, and put to bed by now.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to find my new friend Tatum. She worked with me at Luna's daycare, and she got me this job. She was also a mom to a six-month-old baby boy, so she only worked here one night a week.
"Hey, can I ask a big favor?" she said.
"Sure," I replied, listening intently to her since her face was serious.
"Jax is fussy, and Aiden can't get him settled down. Could you finish my chores in the bar when you're done in here?"
"Sure, whatcha got?" I said.
"It's just… wiping down the menus, refilling salt, pepper, ketchup.
Tables should be wiped, but usually I just give it a once-over because anything the servers left falls to me.
I know for sure the menus need to be cleaned.
I saw someone spill salsa on one earlier in BJ's section, and you know it didn't get cleaned. "
"Yeah, I'll finish in the bar."
"Thank you so much, Josie. You can ask Patrick if you forget what to do. He's in there."
"Okay," I said, nodding. "Sounds good."
"I owe you for this," she added as she walked away.
It was nearly eleven o'clock when Tatum asked me to stay and clean the bar.
I clocked out and grabbed my things since I was done for the night.
I would take my things to the bar and leave out of the back door when I was finished.
The tables in the bar area were mostly empty, and there were only a few people sitting at the bar itself.
Two ladies were sitting together and eating a meal, and a man at the far end who was alone.
I assumed it was a man, but it was dark in there, and he had his head on the bar, so I didn't know for sure.
I talked to Patrick. He made me a soda while I gathered the menus, and I went to find a spot to work.
There was plenty of open space at the bar, so I knew I wouldn't bother anyone to sit there and wipe down menus.
By the time I made it closer to the guy at the end, he had repositioned, and I realized who he was.
Patrick had already updated me about his condition when I was at the other end of the bar.
He said that the guy seemed out of it or wasted when he came in.
Apparently, he ordered food and drinks but not anything with alcohol since he had been there.
He spoke to the bartender and otherwise kept to himself.
He had his head down for the last half-hour.