Chapter 33 Georgie #2
“You’re already scheduled for lunch the next two days, so do you want to work doubles? Can you be away from your baby for that long?”
I hate the idea of working that many hours in a row and missing time with Weston.
And I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go that long without pumping.
Right now, I can manage four or five hours between nursing or pump sessions, but any longer than that, my breasts start spitting and spewing like a volcano that’s about to erupt.
“Since it’s over the weekend, why don’t you come in and work the breakfast/brunch shift, run home around lunchtime and then come back for dinner? You want to do that on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday?”
“Yes, thank you, Sheila. That sounds perfect.”
Sheila smiles and pats my hand. She’s only ten or fifteen years older than me, but the way she looks at me, with motherly affection, makes me miss Nana.
Turning my back to the counter, I lean against it and push forward with the other topic I want to discuss with my boss. I just hope I don’t hurt her feelings.
“So, I’ve been thinking about something. Please tell me if I’m overstepping, but before I had to drop out of college, I was studying marketing. With that knowledge, combined with all my experience working in restaurants, I’ve got a few ideas for the diner—if you’d like to hear them.”
I cringe, worried I’ve offended her, but when I glance over, Sheila’s smile hasn’t left her face.
“Okay, let’s hear them.”
“What would you think about trimming the menu a bit? Deb’s offers a lot of dishes, but many of them rarely get ordered.
We could look through last month’s receipts, tally up the most popular items, keep those, and cut the rest. That would give us room to add some updated dishes.
Dishes that might appeal to new customers. ”
“We do need to get some new blood in here,” Sheila nods, glancing around the almost empty diner. “What else?”
Since she seems open to the idea of revitalizing the old place, I explain my ideas about updating the logo, adding daily specials, and preparing as much of the food as possible from scratch. Fresh ingredients are cheaper than the already prepared frozen foods Deb’s relies on now. Tastier, too.
Sheila purses her lips, contemplating my suggestions. “I don’t know if Lou could keep up in the kitchen if we prep everything from scratch, Georgie.”
“Yes, but…” Again, I cross my fingers, hoping I’m not overstepping.
“Well, Sheila, I’ve noticed how much you seem to enjoy the kitchen.
Would you want to leave most of the waitressing to me and Cara so you could be in the back with Lou?
I could come in early and help you and Lou complete kitchen prep, if an extra set of hands is needed. ”
“You have given this some thought, huh?” she remarks, wiping her hands on her apron. Sheila stands next to me, with her back to the dining room, facing the kitchen. Finally, she nods. “Okay, what else?”
“Well, the biggest issue—
“Besides money?” Sheila interrupts with a wry grin.
“I’m hoping with these changes, we’ll bring in so many new customers that money won’t be an issue, Sheila.”
“I like the way you think, Georgie.”
“In order to be successful, we need to walk that fine line of appealing to new customers without alienating our current ones, and I have some more ideas of how to do that. For instance, we could name some dishes after our regulars who always order the same thing as a way of recognizing their loyalty to the diner. And we can start incorporating some advertising gimmicks, like Monday Funday half-off appetizers all day long, Two-for-One pie slices on Tuesdays, or Wine Down Wednesdays for $2 off each glass of wine. Doing things like that will help bring in customers on the days of the week that are traditionally Deb’s slowest days. ”
As I tell Sheila more of my ideas, she nods along, asking questions and adding her own thoughts. Long after the last customer leaves, we continue to brainstorm and jot down ideas.
When I walk out of Deb’s, my spirits bolstered by how well my conversation with Sheila went, I muster the courage to reach out to Nolan and see if he’ll accept my offer of partial payment just to buy myself more time.
I’ve thought of different ways to spin it, and I think I’ve come up with the most believable story.
After tapping out the message, I send the text.
I can’t get you that kind of money in three days. The best I can do is $500.
Nolan responds within seconds.
Nolan
WTF? You’re married to a rich guy. You expect me to believe you can’t get me $10K?
I can’t risk James finding out. If I stir up any trouble for him, he’ll kick me out.
Nolan
I want my money.
I know! And you’ll get it, but it will come in partial payments. Every week, I’ll pay you some more.
Nolan
This isn’t fucking K-Mart’s layaway plan, Georgie.
No, it’s not, Nolan. It’s blackmail.
Take it or leave it, Nolan. It’s all I can afford.
Nolan
Fine, but I need $1K a week.
A thousand dollars a week? I don’t make anywhere near that amount at Deb's. Even working double shifts every weekend won’t bump up my tips enough to clear that much money every week.
I can’t afford that, Nolan.
Nolan
I’ll let you do $500 this week, but starting next week, it’ll be a grand a week. No exceptions.
You’re not listening to me, Nolan. I can’t afford that much!
Nolan
Not my problem. Figure it out.