5. Nick
5
NICK
J ulia waved before her car turned down the alley, and I wondered if there were any way she could have been flirting with me. It certainly seemed like it.
She couldn’t be interested in me, could she?
She was a few years younger. Kendra always said that women looked at me, and she was never happy about it, but I hadn’t really thought she was being serious. I thought she was just being insecure. I’d been married a bit too long to know what was flirting and what wasn’t.
I tried to think back and remember the last time I was attracted to a woman. I’d seen other women who were attractive, even beautiful, but even though Kendra was a bit of a nightmare as a person, I was committed to her. And even though Kendra cheated, I’d never even thought about it, even when David said I should do it just to get even. I grunted at the memory. He really was a shit kind of friend. Or maybe not. I’d have to remind him of that if he ever brought up the fact that he liked Kendra and pay attention to his mood.
I took a step back. Now that I thought about it, I think he felt betrayed too.
Even though he never settled down with anyone, I think he really was rooting for me or to see that a relationship really could last a long time.
Hmm… It gave me a new perspective on David, and maybe I would have to talk to him about it some other time.
Now as I watched Julia’s taillights disappear, another layer of freedom unfolded as I realized I could look at other women without feeling guilty. I could be with one in any way I wanted. The thought fizzled in my brain.
Although it was a very new idea, I had a feeling I was going to like my new perspective. While I might like to try things out with Julia, it didn’t have to be her. She was a bit too young and probably wanted to keep things professional, but that wouldn’t stop me from keeping the possibility open.
And she probably thought I was too old. But that didn’t mean it couldn’t be another woman.
A smile crooked over my lips as I walked back into the restaurant and saw that Phoebe and John were buzzing around the place getting it ready for another night of service. I walked over to them and stuck my head into the kitchen. “Since you guys are here, I’m going to go do some office work.”
“Got it, Boss.” John saluted. I rolled my eyes and left the kitchen. Paperwork was definitely not my favorite thing to do, but it was a nice break for my brain until I jumped back into the kitchen again.
When I got to the office, I flicked the light on and sat down, ready to check things over.
“Nick...” Phoebe rapped on the door. She pushed it open without waiting for me to say anything. One look at her face and my good mood dropped away.
“What’s wrong?” My mind instantly went to her toddler. “Is Brady alright?”
“He’s fine, thank you for that being the first concern you think about. It’s very sweet.” She shook her head. “But it does have to do with the restaurant.”
She placed an envelope in front of me with the stamp IRS at the top. Phoebe continued speaking as I lifted the letter up. “Kendra didn’t pay taxes.” She pointed to the paper in my hand. “That says for at least three years.”
My anger spiked. “Why the fuck am I just learning about this now?” I should've known. This information should have been in the paperwork with the settlement. I was just at court about this last week.
She swallowed. “I made a call to the IRS to ask.” She shrugged. “No one can give me a straight answer. I looked at the books—she’s the one who kept them—and she fudged the numbers somehow. It doesn’t look good, but we have a few options.” She sat down across from me as my fury reached new heights.
I muttered, “Mother fucker.”
And I was happy when Phoebe said, “Yeah. Pretty much.”
I threw the paper down on my desk and massaged the bridge of my nose. “What are they?”
“Well, the first option is to fight it. But that would keep everything up in litigation for maybe years. And the chances of winning the case, or making Kendra pay, or any of those options… it would mean closing The Bridge down indefinitely.”
“Awesome.” I dropped my hand and gave her an exhausted look. “Kendra just keeps on fucking me, doesn’t she?” I huffed, letting the bitter taste of Kendra’s actions rest over my tongue. It tasted like shit.
Phoebe gave me a sympathetic look. “You can pay it off, in full, and not get a lien put on the restaurant. Once the paperwork clears, we can file some kind of suit against Kendra and keep working with the IRS to get your money back”
“Dammit,” I said. “I don’t want to keep going to court with that woman.” Three years of taxes were a lot. It would eat up most of my budget for the rebrand, too, unless I wanted to use my money. Or worse, apply for a loan that might not go through since business has slowed up. Another way Kendra fucked me.
“Alright. Let me try to call the IRS agent and see what I can do.” I might be able to get some kind of discount if I offered to pay the damn thing in full.
“Sounds good, Nick,” Phoebe said, patting the flat of her hand on top of the desk and standing. “I’ll keep moving forward with the new plans for the restaurant until you tell me not to.”
I gave her a curt nod and watched her leave the room. She closed the door and I leaned forward. “Fuck,” I said into the office.
The meeting with Julia had gone so well.
I was really looking forward to shifting gears. Remembering what she looked like when she tried my sauce… that was the kind of joy I wanted to deliver to people. And when the thought and maybe even delivered her some joy privately popped into my mind, I was taken aback again.
The day couldn’t have been more mixed up.
I leaned back in my chair and rocked, placing my hands along the armrest. With a long sigh, I weighed my options. I wasn’t going to know anything until I talked to the IRS agent. Even if the letter said I owed over $50,000 in back taxes, there had to be a way to make things work that wouldn’t put me in financial ruin or make me keep having to go round for round with Kendra.
It was exactly what she wanted.
I didn’t think I realized just how twisted she really was.
But I should have.
I thought about Julia with her notebook. The thought brought a smile to my lips. I pulled out a legal pad and started a list of things that needed to be done versus what could be done.
When the phone rang and Phoebe let me know it was the IRS guy, I was relieved. Not because I had to pay the fucking money back—I'd have to do something about that too—but because then I could know where I really stood.
Then I’d worry about what I was going to do with The Bridge, Kendra, and Julia.
“Do you still like Kendra’s idea of running a business now?” I asked David as he sat next to me at the bar later. I didn't bother to get him a drink because the woman still had a way of fucking me, and even though it was supposed to be a banner day and I was going to finally be able to get freedom and a new start at life, she'd left one last pile of shit on my doorstep.
“Alright...” David held up his hands and looked around the empty restaurant. “Alright, I am sorry. She screwed you, and not in a good way.”
“She hasn’t screwed me in a good way for a long time.” I tossed my bourbon back and stood, walking behind the bar. “Now you deserve a free drink.” I smiled.
“Oh, only when I agree with you do I get a free drink now?” He laughed.
“I don’t know why you’re surprised. You make me pay for my insurance.” He was in financial advising and supplemental healthcare. Being in the restaurant business usually meant no health insurance because it was expensive for small business owners. But he knew the way around a few things and got me—and the staff—what they needed. It was a nice benefit for the team because in normal restaurant settings, no one on staff, full-time or part, or chef, got insurance.
“You want me to pay for your health insurance instead of agreeing with you?” he asked. He shook his head, taking the whiskey-neat I placed in front of him. “Neither of those options sounds fair or right or even ethical. Besides, when was the last time you agreed with me?” he asked.
“1982,” I said, turning to put the bottle away. He burst out laughing, and I smiled at him. I rolled my head and rubbed my brow.
“Well, what are you going to do?” He placed the tumbler on the bar with a clunk and propped himself up on his elbows.
“About what?” I muttered, not in the mood to get into too much detail.
“Your restaurant. The money owed? The ‘rebranding’.” His mocking tone struck the last nerve I had at the moment.
“Fuck you,” I grunted and spun to look at him.
David held up his hands. “Fine. I still don’t think rebranding right now is the right thing to do. Shoot me. I think it has to do more with that pretty, young PR rep than it does the actual follow-through.”
“I’m about two minutes away from kicking your ass out of here,” I said, realizing that I really did want the rebrand.
“Nick, we were getting along so well a few minutes ago. I get it, you’re in a shit mood.” He took another drink from the tumbler.
“You’re not going to make the PR rep feel bad about doing business with me. I didn’t even know what she looked like when I hired her, so drop that crap right now. I won’t have anyone I’m working with be disrespected. She’s come up with a ton of ideas and I don’t have to just roll with them because she’s Kendra. I get to turn The Bridge into something I’ve always wanted it to be.”
A sense of excitement rushed through me. “I’m paying the IRS off and I am going through with the rebranding. I’ll sue Kendra after all is settled for some or all of the amount.”
“How are you going to afford all of that?” David finished his drink.
“I’ll figure something out.”
“Well, let’s brainstorm.”
I growled and my jaw clenched and unclenched.
“Knock it off,” David said, waving his hand. “I’m being supportive. Plus, I am a financial advisor who is good at my job.”
“Fine. I’m thinking about getting a loan for the rebranding. Julia had an amazing number of ideas that weren’t ostentatious, nor were they expensive. Even though I won’t be able to do some of them right now, I think a lot of them are doable, easy, and well within a reasonable budget.”
“What are some things she suggested?” he asked while I poured us both another drink. I walked around the bar and sat next to him.
After taking a long chug, I placed my tumbler down and wiped my lips off. “She wants to take the sheetrock and drywall off the walls and expose the brick.”
David looked around the place, swinging one way on the rotating bar stool and another way, then he looked back at me. “That would also save on the amount of paint you’d have to do. It is pretty rustic.” He let out a long breath. “So, you’re really going to do it, huh?”
“I feel like you’re insinuating something else I’m not going to like,” I said. I finished the last drop of my bourbon and flipped the glass upside down and put it on the other side of the bar.
David placed his glass next to mine and clapped me on the shoulder. “You never like what I’m going to say, my friend.” His lopsided smile had me shaking my head and rolling my eyes. He wasn’t wrong.
“Fine. What do you think I’m going to do?”
“You’re about to change everything. No more fine dining, no more upscale cooking.”
“Dave, we’ve already been through this. Just because I go casual doesn’t mean I’m going to dumb my food down. It’s going to give me an option to be creative and test new things. I haven’t changed my menu in years.” I stood up and looked around. “Plus, we’re a small town. It’s going to fit the small town feel more.” I leaned over. “And still bring in more people from out of the area.”
David snorted. “Now you’re going to be in the tourist business?”
“No, but Julia told me we can get people from all over the state of New York to come here, get the restaurant reviewed, and bring in people to the town. She’s thinking bigger than just a fresh coat of paint and adding a few more white lights in the area.”
“Sounds interesting,” David said. I still didn’t like his tone. He looked around the place again. “Maybe a change will do all of us good.”