29. Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Lis
W orking two weeks straight is exhausting. There’s another sold-out party tonight for the second night of the Celebration of Lights. Including today, I have five more shifts and then I plan to sleep all day. I arrive at Blue Vista and go straight to my office to get my notes for the evening and Adalie knocks on my door.
“There’s been a little change. One of your cooks called in sick. I have a replacement I can call if you think it’s necessary.”
“Who called in?”
“Terry.”
I shake my head. “Don’t worry about it. I can sort it out.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
She sighs in relief. “Oh, good. Then I’m going home.” She stretches. “I’ve been here for hours already and I don’t have to be back until tomorrow night.”
“I thought you weren’t working tomorrow.”
“I’m not. But there’s an owners meeting. Last day of every quarter. They’re usually only about an hour to an hour and a half. And Vic always supplies alcohol and dinner.”
I blink, confused. “I thought Vic was the owner.”
Adalie raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t you read your contract? Under the Blue Vista Ownership section. It’s all there. Since Vic fronted the money, she owns seventy per cent. But because we came up with Blue Vista together, Derek, Spencer, and I each own ten per cent.”
I feel like I’ve just had ice water dropped over me and it makes its way into my veins.
“Right,” I say, to cover the feeling of the whole world shifting under my feet.
“All right. Well. See you later.” She waves as she leaves my office, so I must do a good enough job of hiding my spinning thoughts.
I pull my contract up on my computer and scan through it. Sure enough, there’s a heading that I’d read before, but then neglected to read anything underneath it. I hadn’t thought how it might effect me or my job when I’d read it initially. I read it now.
Blue Vista Events is owned and operated by Victoria Sterling (majority shareholder), Spencer Cole, Derek Moritz, and Adalie Murphy.
It went on to detail exactly what that meant, but I couldn’t read much beyond Spencer’s name.
I stand in a daze and make my way to his office, closing the door once I’m inside.
He looks up at me with a smile that immediately slips when he sees my face.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re not my co-worker.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re my boss.”
He stands and comes around his desk. “No, I’m not. I own ten per cent of Blue Vista. Vic insisted when we started it.”
“Why? Why did she have to insist?”
“Because I don’t want to own a business. My father’s business ruined my childhood. His constant need to put the job before our family.”
My mind races. I’m torn between feeling sympathy for what must have been a very lonely childhood and horror that I’d slept with my boss. Sure, I hadn’t known it at the time. But this is way worse than having a relationship with a co-worker.
“Listen,” Spencer says, taking my hand. “My stake in the company has nothing to do with whatever is between us. Once a quarter, we meet to discuss the business, what things we want to try and what things we want to stop doing.”
“So you could decide you no longer want the position of chef working here.”
He considers this for a second and then nods. “We could. Together. Not me. But it’s been working. We’re not getting rid of our in-house cooking team. It was a smart business move.”
He motions for us to sit. “Let me tell you the kinds of things we talk about.”
I lower myself to the chair and he doesn’t let go of my hand, as though he’s afraid I’m going to run away if he lets me go. He sits in the chair next to me, pulling it around so we’re facing each other directly, his knees on either side of me, caging me in. I can feel him watching me, but I’m staring down at where his legs frame mine.
“We decided back in university that we wanted to create a one-stop-shop for weddings. We wanted to have in-house catering, a relationship with a photographer and florist and baker. If we hire the best out there, people will want to come here just for that.”
I look up. “If that’s the case, shouldn’t you have tried to hire someone for my position who already had a name for themselves?”
“We wanted to. But when we looked through the resumes, yours stood out.”
“Did you hire me?” I ask, my heart clenching painfully.
He shakes his head. “I saw all the resumes. The four of us got together and narrowed it down to the top five. Vic and Adalie did the rest. My job here doesn’t have anything to do with hiring or firing.”
“But you own part of the business. The business I work for. Isn’t this a conflict of interest?” I motion between us.
“Not only would I never let it be one, Vic would never let it be one. Plus, remember, she owns seventy per cent. Even if Derek, Adalie, and I all agree on something, Vic’s vote outweighs ours. She steers the ship. We just offer suggestions.”
“You’re her best friend, Spencer. Of course she’s going to side with you if things went wrong between us. That was always a problem. But now, you’re part owner. Think of what this looks like from the outside. This is my first role as head-chef. If we get together, people will assume I got the job because of my relationship with you. I’ll never be taken seriously.”
“You’ll prove them wrong. Based on what I’ve seen this summer, you deserve to be a head chef. Everyone else will see it too. I know Vic has some ideas on how to get your name out there more. Competitions and things. We were going to discuss them tomorrow night. Remember, we want our vendors, even the ones who work directly for us, to be part of what draws people to our business.”
I look down to where his knees bracket mine, where he still holds my hand, my fingers warm where they’re clasped in his.
“I just need some time to think about this.” I gently pull my hand from his and stand, walking away as my fingers turn to ice.